Joe Cuber

Hey @gameover, thank you, that's very kind of you to say. We're all suffering in our own way, but we're all in it together. I wish us all to improve on one way or another

Yeah, maybe it is cortisol awakening response? But it is a theory. T spikes badly after short naps, and these are not supposed to increase cortisol. I do not have spikes often, my current spike (subsiding it seems, thankfully) was due to sound exposure via hearing aids.

As much as I would like a quiet day, seems like the unpredictability might be aggravating. At the very least I know every day is gonna suck...

@gameover I almost always have loud T after a nap, but not after sleeping all night..

Yeah just a theory @gameover. I wish I knew the biology better, like what kind of neurotransmitters are at play when we sleep and wake up. Glad to hear your spike is subsiding

It can be frustrating @Tryn2BHopeful, not knowing exactly how the next day will sound, volume-wise and characteristic-wise (will it be screeching or static or or radios being tuned or lasterbeams???)

Hey @Chess it would be awesome if we could share experiences. I don't often runn into someone with intermittent, so hearing your experience would help. I don't have much passion for chess or Go any longer, so I wouldn't be a good person to start up a game with, hehe. I do like to solve my speedcube though Very mindful hobby.

Will do! Had a good day, listened to music in my car, tears were running down my face.

That's great @Chess, have to appreciate the good days :)

What things have you been trying @Joe Cuber ?

@Cmspgran @DeanD - I stopped using my phone/computer in the evening, no alcohol, only 1 cup coffee in early morning, read a book to sleep, sleep at the same time, if I wake up in the middle, try to get myself back to sleep, sleep on my side only (sleep apnea / cpap)

Thanks @BrOKeN_1 @Juliane :)

There you are!

Hi there @4Grace, I just noticed your comment here. I appreciate your thoughts. I wish you well also. I agree, T can be such a unique experience and we suffer if various ways. I do notice your profile posts and I hope you're able to build resiliency

@Joe Cuber - Thank you. We have T then we have life and unique personalities. I am truly sorry for the negativity in my posts. I was always very happy in life. I post what I’m feeling. It helps a little.

Hey @4Grace - No need to apologize, this forum is for us to express and relate. I hope you're faring better lately

I love sharp cheddar, so I don't know how I feel about this.

Joe! You are on the of the first to reach out when I got this shit. Thank you for that! So kind. Never realized your name is like a cube. Ha, thought it was Cub-er like rubber. Cool talent.

Lol @kingsfan

Hey there @MaxRabbit! Why thank you. And Cub-er has a nice ring to it. I recall those days, are you faring better these days?

That's crazy.

Yeah pretty crazy behavior, I'll be testing out this theory going forward. @DeanD - I'm not sure I parsed your question correctly, but if you're asking what my loud days are like if I hang out in a quiet place, my T remains loud--quietness doesn't seem to affect the loudness on a loud day.

Oh @DeanD I see what you're asking, sorry, didn't read that correctly. Yes, I usually get a loud day the day after a quiet day

Hey @in_LA - Sure, when I was dealing with reactivity, I would listen to nature videos for about 20 minutes a few times per day. At night, I would listen to one all night but at a volume low enough to keep my reactivity from spiking. Over time, I increased the duration and frequency and would also venture outside briefly to parks and small downtowns. Over the course of about 4 months, my reactivity settled down

@Joe Cuber Dang! I listen to videos all night and during the day. Hopefully I have success with my reactivity as well.

@Mo8409 - I hope you do too, reactivity is such a challenge to cope with

At least your ears are clean!

=|

@Joe Cuber I'm sorry to hear! Maybe tomorrow will be a better day for you.

@Joe Cuber so how are the pillows?

@Tryn2BHopeful - Thanks for asking. I did change my pillow as soon as I got back from my trip, but it's too soon to tell whether it's having an effect yet. Since my T varies wildly day by day, I have to observe more days before I can tell if it's having a measurable effect.

I sleep with a Jueva pillow and love it.Once you break it in its most comfortable pillow ever.I tend to always roll over on the side with Tinnitus.I sleep hard on the side with T....Juvea.com/

Thanks @brixenbrixen

@Joe Cuber If you’re interested in camping with family and friends, check out Autocamp Yosemite. I hear it’s their best location. Absolutely stunning.

I know youre from California, so just wanted to let you know about it :). You might like it. I’ve been to the Catskills autocamp location and had a blast.

Hey thanks for the tip @ZFire, I hadn't heard of it myself. I just asked my wife if she's heard of it, and she has. We'll look into it

Man, it's some chaotic stuff

I’m traveling across 9 time zones next week and I’m a little worried about jet lag and airplane noise/air pressure myself. I hope you’ll feel better soon!

With T it seems I have a constant jetlag.

Very interesting intermittent behavior @Supersix. Any theories why it goes and comes? I'm starting to suspect mine has something to do with my lymphatic system. I get some kind of fluid backup around my skull/neck/face

@Joe Cuber Ringing and hissing in the ears are caused by various factors such as wetness, ear wax, pollen, and eustachian tube issues. The frequency of these symptoms may vary, but they are all culprits of ear troubles. My ear drum retracts. Last night was a rough night. I had hissing all day today I should have a good day tomorrow. It usually works that way.

Any inflammation on the ear causes ringing and hissing it doesn't take much.

I can relate. On my trip a couple months ago to see my daughter, was a roller coaster. A couple decent days and a couple bad that made it hard to appreciate the moments.

@kingsfan Hard to appreciate the moments, is right. If I would've only understood then what I do now. Oh, how I wish we could change it.

Puts a new meaning to "bittersweet" @kingsfan @SarahMLFlemmer, emphasis on bitter

No, it’s kind of a strange feeling wearing them at first. It feels a little like being underwater or perhaps pressurized. I find it very relaxing wearing them and sometimes when I feel like I need to give my ears a rest, I just wear them for a while at home.

Interesting @Barry098, I'll give it a shot and see what my experience is like

@Joe Cuber I prefer not to use noise-canceling headphones because I am already in my world of hissing, and it would bother me not to be able to hear other noises. I would listen to white noise if the engine noise was too loud and browse my iPad.

lol

:(

Hey there @SarahMLFlemmer, I'm going to switch back to my old mask. The new mask doesn't work so well. I'll get my sleep back on track :)

@Joe Cuber <3 I hope so!

@Barry098 - I do yes. I often meditate in the morning upon waking, that's when I get a sudden increase in anxiety, likely because I'm discovering what kind of T day I'll be having that day. I do imagery meditation for about 20-30 minutes, I imagine I'm on a beach

Thanks @Joe Cuber how long did it take for it to start being helpful? Interesting that you imagine a beach…that’s my peaceful place too. Nothing beats the sound of real waves.

@Barry098 - When I first started meditating, it positively impacted my anxiety by small amounts, helping me calm down a bit. After a few weeks, it started positively impacting my T. I found that it sometimes helps me calm down the volume of my T on ny loud days.

Hey @Barry098 - I'm glad to hear that you can at least participate in music, but I can see what a loss it is not to be able to perform in a band. Supposing the Shore device works well for you, perhaps you'd be able to perform again. One would hope

My T is weird. It eventually calms down after avoiding sound for a length of time. Then, all it takes is a loud restaurant to get it screaming again. Wearing earplugs doesn’t help anymore. I’m ready to try any device to get some control back over my life.

How long does it take to calm down after avoiding sound @Barry098?

@Mo8409 - The first time I had an MRI post-T was sometime last year. It made my T spike for the rest of that day, but it settled down by the next day. I hope yours settles soon

The last two MRIs I had done several years ago, I had them sedate me. I'm claustrophobic and can't do it. I feel like I'm in a coffin. I have a CT Scan on the 25th of this month. I told them I didn't want to do an MRI the ent said the image wouldn't be as good on my ear. I told him I didn't care.

Way to put your foot down @Supersix

@Joe Cuber since we have a similar experience, I wanted to share my recent findings with you. We seem to have days where the noise is tolerable and other days it is unbearable. After conducting some research, I discovered that there are various factors that contribute to the loud days, such as lack of sleep, anxiety, and exposure to loud noises in the last four days prior to the loud days

I believe that by controlling these factors, the likelihood of having loud days will decrease. Out of all these factors, sleep seems to be the most significant contributor. By getting 8-9 hours of sleep daily, it should make a significant difference. I believe that the nervous system plays a crucial role in this. What are your thoughts? @Joe Cuber

@Sammy0225 - I think you're right about the sleep. I feel that when I get better sleep on average, it diminishes how aggravated my T is. I think the cyclical pattern has to do with some natural ebb and flow of something...like a hormone or something

Hey there @MimiLuv, sure thing, good to hear from you. Looking forward to reading your story, have a great day too!

Thanks for the sentiments @ErikaS @gameover @Strawberryblonde. "Fortunately", I have variable T, so today is thankfully less drill, more sizzling bacon

Hate that sizzling bacon one hang in there Joe! @Joe Cuber

Trying my best @Sammy0225 thanks *fist bump*

Hi @svenne you need to actively tag @Jupiterman or he may not see your message

Yes @svenne, I have similar things that make my tinnitus worse. Had for about a year. Brushing teeth also makes T worse.

Washing dishes makes my T worse

@svenne How long has it been like this, with eating, a/c and refrigerators making it worse?

Hi @svenne - I have some reactive tinnitus. Mine reacts to fan noises and high pitched noises but not engine bass music, or water. My reactivity sounds very high pitched but no flapping or vibrating. Has yours gotten any better in the last year?

Thank you for your answers...J have been worser the last 9 months...it is so sensetive to the slightest sound..if j drive my car,,it is terrible humming from tires and motor..and outside from traffic.....i can not use speaker from TV..and j have anexity cause this.....Sven

Sorry to hear @svenne, I hope it begins to get better for you. For me, my reactivity got worse before it got better. I agree with @Merlin L's advice to protect and slowly expose yourself to these sounds in small doses and increase over time. That's how I improved with my reactivity.

@gameover - Yes, it took year+ to get a completely neutral reaction. It took 6 mos. to drastically reduce my anxiety (due to CBT, meds, sleep hygiene, etc). Between 6 mos. and now, it was a long tail of low anxiety and a low level of being upset on my loud days. Now, on my loud days, I hear it, but don't react negatively to it. It still sucks, but at least I'm neutral to it, like living on a noisy street.

I'm hopeful that it calms down for you too @ErikaS, keep us updated on what you've been trying. I'm glad I've shared my progress since it's helping you :)

@Joe Cuber sounds a lot like mine how we discussed last month mine seems to be following the same trend as yours, I have quiet days and mild days. No rhyme or reason but noticing less reactivity

Hey @Sammy0225 good to hear from you. Does yours still follow a cyclical pattern? Mine does. Today is a loud day for me. I'm finding it easier to ignore these days. Hard to say if the volume is any different (I think it is lower though compared to previous loud days) or whether I'm more habituated to it. I know by the end of the day today, I'll be sick of hearing it though :P

Inconsistent, ever changing T might as well be its own category because there is no physical or mental way your brain can habituate to it. Would be so grateful for one to two low to moderate sounds that are constant and not reactive and I'd be a happy gal. (words I never thought I'd say in my life).

My reactivity flares up for absolutely no reason. The morse code reacts to rain! of all things.

Totally agree @ErikaS, and there's so much to that classification: intermittent, fluctuating, cyclical. It would be nice to have a section in TT about it

That is completely wild @Strawberryblonde, T never fails to astonish me