New to Group

Hi
My name is Phil and I am new to your group. I like knowing that I am not alone in this noisy annoying world of T.
I miss the days before the military when I could sit in a quiet room and just listen to the silence but now if I sit in a quiet room all I hear is very loud crickets that just won't go away.
Sorry, I too just needed to vent

 

Totally understandable that you need to vent. We get that a lot here! I just read your post in the other thread about how your family didn't understand when you tried to explain it to them. Check out my response to that if you haven't already. One thing that just came to mind also; if for whatever reason you aren't able to find anyone that's willing to do that for you (see post) I'm sure there's help-lines out there which might be of help. I'm not sure if there's tinnitus specific numbers, but sometimes talking about it is better than bottling it up either way. Oh, and of course you're free to release all the thoughts and feelings that run through your head right here. We'll listen.

 

I hear the crickets too, you are not alone. Vent all you want (I do) we understand.

 

Hi Phillip,welcome

 

Hi Philip,
welcome. You are not alone.

 

In the beginning when I got T this March, I had the sounds of the million crickets, it was very distressing to say the least, over time the crickets have disappeared , now it's " swooshing " and other somewhat less annoying sounds.

 

I also get the steam from a electric kettle sound now, ugh.

 

I understand your need to vent. Something weird and charming happened to me a few years ago. I moved to a quiet place far from my precedent troubles. I sat in the calm and i figured out i enjoyed it despite the noise in my head. It is very strange to explain. Hearing a blazing tinnitus and feeling very calm.

I now enjoy sitting in a quiet room. I lay down in my comfy little bed with delight. When i go to bed i feel like my head is exploding and i think "what an horrible noise" but at the same time i am relaxed and enjoy the quiet. I sleep like a baby.

I wish i could help people enjoy calmness like i do. Because i discovered it was possible even with a loud tinnitus (and hear mine over a busy street).

I hope at least your are sleeping well. Do you use masking or distracting techniques ?

 

Hello Daedalus

Happy for you that you can actually remain relaxed , and enjoy sitting in a quiet room ! Wish I could do that. Did you train your mind to think like that ? Or how did that happen ? Thanks in advance.

 

Thank you so much

 

Hi
I have to be careful with cold medicine because sometimes not only do I get the crickets but I also hear something that sounds like a giant stomping through the woods. I don't know if that is the pressure in the inner ear or something else.

 

Hi Karen
I got it after I shot off a AT-4 (anti-tank weapon number 4) and I was recently approved for a 10% disability because of it

 

Hi Daedalus
Actually what I do is to ,believe it or not, try best I can to ignore it but some veterans that I know get a radio and tune it in-between stations, turn it up a bit and use that to mask the sound. I try that every now and again and it actually works for me. I sometimes can't sleep well because of the sound no matter what I do but as a rule I sleep okay about 75% of the time.
Believe it or not the techniques that I found that work for me come from experience and from help from people that have had this same condition for a while

 

Hi
Thank you not only to you but also to the group as a whole for listening and understanding

 

Hello Sherri,

I did nothing. It just happened over time. I wasn't even optimistic. All i did at first was mask and distract. I listened to nature noises, music and watched stupid movies for hours. Then, i stopped because i realised i did not need it anymore.

 

Hi Philip,
Welcome. I am a vet also and understand..I am new to this site to but have suffered with T for years. It is great place to learn and just to vent. The people here understand when often times no one else does..

 

First off, thank you Philip & R.H. for serving our country.

As you read the various stories here you will be amazed at the number of people that are here for you....

 

First, to Philip: You and your venting are welcome! That's why we all are here. We support each other because even those who love us, and try to help, can't really understand what it's like to have tinnitus, just like I can't truly understand what it would be like to have a severe vision impairment.

Oh, and if it makes you feel better: Garrison Keillor, the famous American humorist and creator of the "Prairie Home Companion" radio show, also hears the "crickets." He has occasionally commented on them in posts and on his show. Keillor has had tinnitus for years. Me, I generally have the buzzing/ringing that sometimes is a gentle hum, escalating to the tea kettle.

Now to Daedalus: I was very taken with your post, as I am working hard on the anxiety/behavioral side of my tinnitus (I consider tinnitus, for many people, to have two sides: the behavior/emotional part, where you work with psychiatrists and therapists and meditative healers; and the brain/ear part, where you bring in the neurologists, the ENTs, etc). I have been seeing a cognitive behavioral therapist who has been tremendously helpful. We focus a lot on the classic CBT concept of objection (fighting against a problem or something imposed on you that makes you feel powerless and out of control) and acceptance (understanding there is much we can't control and then accepting, even embracing, what is challenging you). Some Eastern spiritual practices also employ this.

It seems to me that you have achieved the ability to "accept" and embrace your tinnitus, which can be so hard to do. And in doing so, you found calm. Would you describe it in that way? I know you told Sherri you didn't do anything special to "make" it happen. All the same, it seems you made a conscious, brave decision to enter a quiet place, stop fearing the noise (and fear is such a big part of anxiety), and see what happened.

I may post a thread and ask others about mindful side of accepting tinnitus, which I think could be a big part of habituation for many of us. I have read other good posts here over the months regarding mediation, mindful practices, etc -- things I am learning but still know little about. I can't really find any mediation CDs or CBT books specific to tinnitus. I think this area is greatly overlooked in the treatment of this disorder.

So thanks for getting me thinking, Daedalus, and opening my eyes (and ears!) to new possibilities.

 

Actually i did not accept nor even less embrace my tinnitus. By doing so i would have felt weak and defeated. Fighting, for example by seeing a famous neurosurgeon specialised in tinnitus, helped me to avoid having regrets even if i knew i had very few chances of being cured.

Getting better happened for me absolutely free of charge. I don't have a good explanation as the why and how it happened but it happened. I wasn't even optimistic about my future. I was surprised when i noticed i was better. Even more surprised when i found out i was fine.

I guess for most people tincture of time does some sort of unexplained natural job which heals. That's why i post my account so people doesn't get too worried about their future and whether they do things right or not.

That being said if people are helped by a philosophy i am all for it. I do not believe there is single path to recovery. What helps someone may look abhorrent to another person and that it not a problem. To each its own.

So good luck with your CBT. I believe you will get better over time whatever you do. Do what you think helps you.

 

I had some acute noise happen due to dental work 5 weeks ago - my tinnitus went crazy, I was thinking: if this was my dog I'd be having it put to sleep. Part of my strategy has been to "baby" my hearing by not allowing any noisy sounds at all, even to the point of using a Bose 15 when I'm in the mall or in my car etc. plus taking some Lyrica to help me get to sleep. Bit by bit it has been easing up for me. I try to imagine and visualize myself turning into daedalus who makes a very inspirational post above, and also noting that the loudness of my tinnitus has improved, and the hideous character of it has improved to a noise that it much more easily tolerable, and then saying that probably I am going to get better, at least to the point where my tinnitus will be less intrusive/distressing and more of just a regular sound that I'll be able to just tolerate and deal with.