Hello everyone!

Bonjour! My name is Sky, and I stumbled across this forum late at night, unable to sleep from a high frequency in my ears. Ever since I was little, I've heard this extremely high and constant frequency that is amplified in silence. For a long time I thought I could hear radio frequencies (silly, I know), but it wasn't until recently that I discovered that tinnitus is an actual condition.

I'm not sure exactly how long I've had tinnitus, though I am now 17 years old. A family member played extremely loud music when I was an infant/toddler, and that could have affected it. I'm honestly not sure where it came from; I do know that it can get extremely obnoxious. I really only notice it when I'm in silence, but I can still hear it when going about my normal activities. Mostly, it bothers me when I try to sleep. I keep a fan on at night, and during the day I listen to music a lot to combat it.

I also have trouble hearing people sometimes, but I'm not sure if that's from the tinnitus. I'm hoping it doesn't worsen as I age. Anyhow, thanks for reading my rant. No one else understands what I'm talking about, so it's nice to see that there is a whole forum of people that I can vent to, haha. Nice to meet you all!

 

As usual, I agree with my friend @Karen here on TT!! Welcome Sky, and YES, WE UNDERSTAND! Tinnitus (or as we refer to it as "T") sucks! And only people who have it understand how annoying, debilitating and destructive it can be. Here on TT you will find a community of people who know what you are going through, who care, and many that can help you! There is also a vast amount of advice, shared experiences and perspectives, treatments and therapies that can be found here. So don't be shy Sky! Explore the many threads and conversations, and don't be afraid to ask questions! No better place to ask questions about T (and all the stuff that comes with it) than here on TT.

Stoked you found us and hope you find some relief and peace soon!! Make sure you are getting your sleep on!! One of the first and most important things to do as you deal with your T!!

All the best!

Jeff

 

Welcome!

I agree with Karen too. Please try to get a hearing test. I wish I did when I was younger. Because I did not, I never had a baseline to know if my hearing has gotten worse.

 

Hello Sky,
You're definitely not alone. Due to the noise culture we live in, T will be a future epidemic. It sucks but it's manageable, by disconnecting negative emotions from the sounds that you hear. That's basically what habituation is all about. Furthermore all we can do is make others aware of the dangers of loud noise (I was never told by anybody) and just wait until scientists come up with a cure... This could be a drug to calm down the hyperactive part in the brain where the T comes from, or it could be stem cell therapy, which regenerates the damaged hair cells in the cochlea. It's a matter of time, and we have to be patient.

 

Thank you all for the replies! Also I have not taken an audiogram, but it sounds like a wise idea to look into. The other week I went to a bar concert (first concert ever) with no hearing protection. It was a really dumb idea in the first place, but luckily I don't notice my T being any worse in the long run. I feel horrible for people who go to concerts all the time not knowing about the possible consequences. Never doing that again!
Anyways, nice to meet you guys, and I'll see you around the forum.