What Has Tinnitus Taught You?

#31
Alue said:
The most ironic thing is I knew I loved silence before I got T. I would relax in silence. I'm someone that has always liked quiet and noises have always bothered me since I was young. This is a special kind of Hell for me.
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Same here.
I could only sleep in 100% silence, I could hear every little annoying thing like electronic noises, water pipes and so on.
Just coming home, planting myself in the sofa in 100% silence, and just "be" mmmh.
Or being in the forest, just hearing the leaves and nothing else, amazing.
Everything on low-moderate sound in my life.

Then I got T out of the blue, thank you life ;O
And people that go to concerts over and over without protection is fine, life and biology is a bitch.
 
#32
eric peterson said:
I do believe exactly that. My tinnitus is quite loud. Unmaskable in almost any situation. Can even be heard outside in the streets of Manhattan. 9 months ago I would have said I think about my T 100% of my waking hours, and that it made me sad 100% of the time I was awake. I needed ambien and masking tracks to sleep. Now I'd say that I think about my tinnitus 30% of the time, and it makes me sad maybe 5% of the time. I sleep like a baby without any masking. I have full confidence that it will continue to get better. I wish you the same. Good luck,

Eric
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I know you've probably been asked this before, but can you describe your T. What frequency or quality is it?

Andersson said:
Same here.
I could only sleep in 100% silence, I could hear every little annoying thing like electronic noises, water pipes and so on.
Just coming home, planting myself in the sofa in 100% silence, and just "be" mmmh.
Or being in the forest, just hearing the leaves and nothing else, amazing.
Everything on low-moderate sound in my life.

Then I got T out of the blue, thank you life ;O
And people that go to concerts over and over without protection is fine, life and biology is a bitch.
Click to expand...

Yep, I wonder if that's one thing that makes it more difficult for some to habituate to loud tinnitus. I used to sleep with hearing plugs in even in a fairly quiet environment.
 
#33
Alue said:
I know you've probably been asked this before, but can you describe your T. What frequency or quality is it?



Yep, I wonder if that's one thing that makes it more difficult for some to habituate to loud tinnitus. I used to sleep with hearing plugs in even in a fairly quiet environment.
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It's relatively high. Loud. But not maybe as high pitched as some ppl's on here. It goes up and down like a siren. WaaaaaAAAAHHH WaaaaaaaaAAAAHHHH.... Like that.
 
#37
1. I have become more aware of the sufferings of others; even if what they are suffering from has nothing to do with tinnitus.
2. I'm looking forward to the resurrection and the world to come much more now.
3. I think more pragmatically about my life now.
4. I am much less fearful of pretty much everything.
5. Getting T forced me to finally get my anxiety diagnosed and treated.
6. I have met all of you.
 
#39
Sgguy46 said:
how. long did it take u to habituate?
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I would sort of look at things as 3-month periods. months 1-3 I had very little improvement, and needed Ambien to sleep, and Xanax to calm myself during the day. Months 4-6 I saw a good amount of improvement. I stopped using Ambien and Xanax, and just needed to mask with some rain sounds quietly through an ear bud at night. I could still hear the T all of the time, but it started to cause me less stress than before. Months 6-9 (where I am at the end of month 9 now) things have continued to get even better. I have real periods where my mind isn't on the T at all. 9 months ago, even if I went out to a loud NYC restaurant (where I couldn't really hear my T), I'd still be sitting w/my girlfriend thinking about my T the entire time. Now I have periods where it doesn't even cross my mind for a while. Sometimes it's for 5 minutes. Other times it's for an hour or more. And even when my T comes back into my focus, it causes me little to no stress. I've completely given up on T diaries (I did that right away. Obsessing over your T is a terrible way to get over it). I have spikes (like all of you), and I do exactly no thinking about what might have caused it. I have no intention of giving up any foods, exercise, or activity with my girlfriend. My T isn't worth it. I imagine the improvement will continue with time, and that I'll get even better. That's the reason that I haven't written my success story yet. I want to wait until I can that I'm 100% back to the guy I used to be. I'm not there yet. But I have 100% confidence that I will get there. Good luck to you with getting there, too.

Eric
 
#40
Things I have learned as a direct result of my experiences with tinnitus:
* how to protect my ears from further damage
* how to have self-compassion
* how to handle anxiety without resorting to negative coping skills
* how to handle insomnia without drugs
* how to sleep better, without a fan on, and in general have less insomnia
* how to have more empathy for other people with difficulties
* how to meditate
* how to do yoga

As much as tinnitus ticks me off and I would probably trade away most of what I have learned as a result of it to get rid of it -- in every other aspect, my life makes more sense, is less reckless, and is calmer in the face of adversity than I ever was before I got this blasted noise.

That doesn't fix the noise, but I guess it probably is making it a lot easier to live with?
 
#43
I am definately more compassionate about people suffering. I used to think people with mental problems should just get over, I now see these people just want help and want to live a normal life like everyone else.
 
#45
Eric, I like your attitude! I am trying to be positive, I really believe that is so important as a first step to learning to cope with tinnitus
 
#47
@Mithrandir No I do not have hyperacusis.

My situation improved once from a life-threatening level to no longer bothersome in the least. Unfortunately, due to some bad decisions on my part I fell into a depression and caved into taking meds again. There are many people I can blame for this but in the end I only blame myself. My only hope is that if it improved once it can possibly happen again, but it has been 8 months of screaming in my head now and I am at the end of my rope.
 
#48
cjb2811 said:
@Mithrandir No I do not have hyperacusis.

My situation improved once from a life-threatening level to no longer bothersome in the least. Unfortunately, due to some bad decisions on my part I fell into a depression and caved into taking meds again. There are many people I can blame for this but in the end I only blame myself. My only hope is that if it improved once it can possibly happen again, but it has been 8 months of screaming in my head now and I am at the end of my rope.
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Even though I still have my tinnitus problems, things are way different now that I have tapered down off of benzodiazepines, and my Paxil has started working. I feel way better than before I had my tinnitus problems; easily.
I have to say, from my experience, that as trying as hearing conditions are, they are nothing compared to mental health problems. Mental health problems are bad on their own and they make every bad thing exponentially worse.
How are things going with meds? Are you on an SSRI yet or some other med? My SSRI made me feel worse for 3 weeks+, but I can't believe the difference. I can't believe how much better it is to feel like a normal person does; To sleep like a normal person too!
 
#49
Tinnitus has taught me that life is shit and the hell is here on the earth and it can be never-ending torment :( Hell exists and is in our heads :(
 
#50
AnxiousJon said:
Even though I still have my tinnitus problems, things are way different now that I have tapered down off of benzodiazepines, and my Paxil has started working. I feel way better than before I had my tinnitus problems; easily.
I have to say, from my experience, that as trying as hearing conditions are, they are nothing compared to mental health problems. Mental health problems are bad on their own and they make every bad thing exponentially worse.
How are things going with meds? Are you on an SSRI yet or some other med? My SSRI made me feel worse for 3 weeks+, but I can't believe the difference. I can't believe how much better it is to feel like a normal person does; To sleep like a normal person too!
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@AnxiousJon SSRI's don't agree with me (side effects) so they aren't an option. I'm on Elavil and Latuda but they are not doing the job. I recently started Remeron but there hasn't been enough time to see a difference.

My problem, as I imagine many other people have, is that I feel the tinnitus is the cause of my depression. Perhaps it is the other way around, i.e., my depression makes my tinnitus worse and I obsess over it making me even more depressed (negative feedback loop). I am hoping that between therapy and this medication my mood lifts enough that maybe I can regain some normalcy in my life and then maybe the tinnitus will subside.

I also feel that part of the problem is that part of me, deep down, wants to keep myself depressed. I've acted on this in the past by doing things that are self-sabotaging, keeping myself stuck in life, staying in very unhealthy relationships, etc. Holding onto the tinnitus is another way to stay stuck in life, but the severity of it puts me at a point that I'm not quite ready/able to function normally. I am working hard in therapy, being honest and putting all the cards on the table, and hope that I am able to work through this.
 
#51
cjb2811 said:
SSRI's don't agree with me (side effects) so they aren't an option.
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Same here, I don't like their side effects. Tricyclics are better, but dry mouth can be a big problem with them. I'm not familiar with Elavil and Latuda.
 
#52
just1morething said:
Same here, I don't like their side effects. Tricyclics are better, but dry mouth can be a big problem with them. I'm not familiar with Elavil and Latuda.
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Elavil is a Tricyclic. Latuda is an antipsychotic (similar to Seroquel) that is used to treat depression. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence of Elavil helping tinnitus - didn't affect it either way for me. At a higher dose during my worst point it didn't help my depression, but I had some serious legal issues I was facing at the time and I don't think anything would have helped.

Latuda did help, but there are two side effects that made me drop down my dose making it less effective:
1. Excessive sweating
2. Akathesia (the feeling of crawling in your skin. Really really unpleasant)

There is a possibility that Latuda is making my tinnitus work, but I can't tell for sure.
 
#55
How delicious and delightful it was when the only sounds that I heard were emanating from outside of my head and shown me that some things in life have no logical explanation.
BTW just had 4 reasonably good days in a row...first time since onset 4 months ago...2 and 3 days ago virtual silence...started feeling my old self again...felt so good! .unfortunately came back at 2 am this morning......ah well...better than nothing I guess.
T has shown me personally, that it is totally random...doesn't matter what I eat,drink,smoke etc.tried the pure way for first 3 months...no sugars,caffeine, alcohol, lots of vitamins etc etc.
Now I really don't give a hoot...it does what it does,when it wants.....in fact I have had more better days this lat month staying up late,occasionally some drinks with friends,even started smoking a few cigarettes . 3 weeks ago my dear little dog had seizures,almost died,went to vet etc...super stressful day...but that day T has decided it was to be a quiet day...and remained so throughout the turmoil of that day.
It has shown me that while stress and anxiety can play a role...it is not a definitive answer for me.
 
#58
I have had a pretty fantastic life honestly. Lucky. Done what I want. Played more than worked in a career that is generally the other way around.
A great question OP. I believe suffering is quite humbling and it teaches us to have greater empathy for others.
I have had just about perfect health my entire life. No accidents, no broken bones...no sickness...was athletic, you name it, I've done it. Built high power cars and motorcycles. Raced bicycles. Then I got this. Pretty messed up. I guess I was due. I lost a good friend at a young age right after he got out of graduate school of a rare disease. It could have been me. Life is basically a lottery.

Reading this forum...I am old now...so many young people here have tinnitus. I have had perfect hearing my whole life. Astounding so many in their 20's and 30's and even younger have tinnitus. Honestly, I never knew so many struggled with their health as I lived my life because my health was always there until on day a noise in my head developed. So I have learned to better understand others as they maybe having challenges I have not even considered. This makes me more considerate of others. My mother is now elderly and suffers from many issues but attacks life each day with enthusiasm and love. She has always been my inspiration.
 
#59
To not give up in the search for a cause and if possible, a cure. To those with damaged inner ear hair cells and/or damaged neurons from noise exposure or ototoxicity, I really feel for you. There isn't much you can do other than wait. You could try laser therapy or stem cells, but the science is still out on those options.

To those where noise and otoxocity have been ruled out relatively sufficiently, I would say keep looking, analyzing what happened to you, and don't give up. It could be a Eustachian tube thing; it could be a neck thing; it could be something that is fixable. This especially rings true for those where tinnitus isn't the only symptom.
 
#60
Andersson said:
Same here.
I could only sleep in 100% silence, I could hear every little annoying thing like electronic noises, water pipes and so on.
Just coming home, planting myself in the sofa in 100% silence, and just "be" mmmh.
Or being in the forest, just hearing the leaves and nothing else, amazing.
Everything on low-moderate sound in my life.

Then I got T out of the blue, thank you life ;O
And people that go to concerts over and over without protection is fine, life and biology is a bitch.
Click to expand...

I feel the exact same way man.
 

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