Snuggling here

Hey guys I'm new to T and completely struggling my it's a high pitch ring they have given me lexapro to calm me down but it takes awhile to work and I guess today it is crazy louder than what I normally feel and yeah what are some things I can do ? MEANT TO SAY STRUGGLING

 

Sorry to hear that you are struggling at the moment but that's completely normal in the beginning. Do you know what caused your Tinnitus? Have you yet been to the ENT/audiologist? First you should get checked out by a doctor..
To cope better you have to find your own way and time will certainly help. Try to mask it with nature sounds etc, find something that relaxes you and that takes your attention away from the noise - for some people that's doing sports for others playing video games and so on. Taking medication to help prevent panic attacks and to calm you down is good, too, at least now that it is so fresh. Hope you are feeling better soon!

 

What a great answer! and if you can you should stay away from reading too much about T - try to relax and do some fun

 

Thanks guys . I think it was the antibiotics I was on seemed to bring it on I never thought In a million years I would love the sound of crickets but they seem to be my night friend which is cool I guess . I havnt been to any of them yet I'm booked in but being in Central Queensland Australia they are booked out fairly forward
Thank you so much for replying
It was just so loud today that it literally buzzed my ears

 

Hey Andrew..am sorry your having a hard time right now.. The Lexapro should help very soon hopefully.. What's the name of the antibiotic you were taking.. antibiotics with a name ending in ( Mycin ) should be avoided..
i hear you have had the odd shower in Central Queensland.. I have a friend who lives in MacKay.. Wishing you better days .. Micky

 

Hi Andrew, sorry to hear you are struggling. That is to be expected when your T is so new. In answer to your request for what you can do, here are some points I posted in an earlier thread on being new to tinnitus:

1) Post in a tinnitus support board and let out all your fears and worries, including all the details of how your T started and how you cope so far. Letting out will lighten your burden of anxiety and panic. Glad you are doing this step now.

2) Try to learn and absorb in all the excellent suggestions from caring members who know what you are going through because they had gone through the sufferings themselves. Read up on Dr. Nagler's 'Letter to a Tinnitus Sufferer' and it is a good start. You can even ask him questions by using "Doctor's Corner" here. At this new stage, you may have many distorted thoughts called 'cognitive distortions' in CBT. These distorted thoughts tend to cause one to think in traumatic & catastrophic way about the future. Research & learn about them so you can learn to correct this problem.

3) Be sure to ask questions and interact with these caring members, by so doing you begin to build bond and trust in these members, and you also feel much better that there are actually people who understand what you are going through and you are not alone. You are doing just that now and that is great.

4) As soon as you can, read up all the success stories you can find in this and other support boards. The more you read them, the more you can find hope as well as learn some excellent ideas or approaches which have helped people to get better. When there is hope for the future, your anxiety level about T will go down, and this allows you to manage your stress much better. In these stories, you also can learn the wisdom from recovering or recovered members how to overcome T suffering and get well.

5) Try to get masking going as soon as you can because this will reduce your anxiety level without having to face the dreaded ringing sound all the time. If you don't know how to get it set up, post on the board and there will be many members giving you concrete ideas how to get your masking going. Generally, you can mask with CD players, PC, mobile phones, ipods etc. I used to have masking at bedside with a CD player with nature sounds, an ipod which gave me masking on the go, and a PC loaded with a free sound generator at my work place. I used 'Aire Freshener' and you can google it for a free download. There are also many free APPs for such things on mobile phones now. So check it out.

6) If you are still very stressed, anxious, panicky or very depressed, make sure to consult your doctor for some medicines to help control your nerves & mood. That is what I had to do to get my situation in better control. They may not be the final solution, but they give you some sense of stability & control at the beginning when T sufferings were the most intense.

7) Try to learn about alternative treatments or strategies which can help you, like TRT, CBT, food/diet intake, relaxation exercises etc. This is the next step. You need to find what can help you out there. You may have to try various alternatives to see what can help you. You need to be willing to be flexible and make adjustment but be determined in your effort.

8) Get back to living & enjoy life. Give it time for the body to adjust to the new condition. Don't monitor T continually. Get busy with meaningful or interesting things such as learning new hobbies to distract from paying attention to T. Be ready for setbacks. Be patient with the habituation. Don't count the days and don't compare your progress with others. Doing so will increase your anxiety.

Finally, If you know you are most likely going to be well like others in a few months, a year or a few years, then it is not necessary to waste so much energy in worrying about what T will do each day. T is not an end game. It is livable. Many people like myself live a normal, productive & enjoyable life even after severe T. If you cease to fear T and cease to perceive it as a threat, it is just a matter of time you will get there on the other side. All the best to you and God speeds your recovery.

 

Hey Micky the antibiotic I was taking was ciprofloxacin .

Hey Billie thank you so much for the reply
As far as how I'm feeling the T I have is a really high pitch so i guess I don't know if it's getting worse or my ears are just TUNNING to it . My whole body is weak with weird feelings all over my arms. Thanks for listening guys it means the world to me