Guy Farris

I have had tinnitus since spring of 2018. I believe it was the result of excessive noise during my military service. My audiologist did extensive hearing testing and determined I had some hearing damage. I tried hearing aides but they did not reduce my symptoms. Feeling very frustrated and tormented by the ringing I became depressed and actually had suicidal thoughts. I managed to hang in there long enough to benefit from habituation as well as making a conscience decision to not let the condition ruin my life. I have found ways to lessen the noise level over time via masking with pleasant sounds facilitated by bluetooth as well as ear pods. My tinnitus works in waves or cycles. That is, I typically will have 3-4 days of light ringing which is not too bothersome and 1, maybe 2 days of loud / spiking. It is a very consistent pattern and I employ the noise cancelling / masking method on the days when it spikes. I have also learned which behaviors will trigger an increase in the noise level and make a conscience effort to avoid such behavior. Finally, eating healthy, getting adequate sleep, avoiding alcohol and staying physically fit helps me maintain a positive outlook which further reinforces my management techniques.