Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

"By 'Recovery,' I mean the adjustment of auditory processing to the underlying hearing disorder. Often, it's difficult to pinpoint exactly what got out of balance."

@tomytl, Since I've never experienced this before, I don't know how it will go or if it will happen to me. In any case, I want to hear like I used to, but I also know that it's not possible. For the first time in my life, I'm experiencing a situation where all my life energy has been drained. It's completely gone; there's not a trace of joy or desire for life left.

I would simply be happy if the affected hearing from early June returned; I've come to terms with it. Believe me, I could never have imagined this, and no one else could either.

Today I have been to the doc, need ultimately something agains my panic and fear.

@tomytl, I understand that you need something like that. Unfortunately, that's not an option for me. Nothing will bring back my hearing or take away my tinnitus. Living with this tinnitus and hearing issues doesn't feel like living to me.

I know what you mean. I'm just trying to say that the brain has an amazing plasticity, allowing it to make adjustments over time. For me, it took a long time, and at first, it felt like everything was getting worse before suddenly, there was some progress. But of course, every situation is different. I just wish for us that things will become bearable again, and eventually even feel normal.

@tomytl, I'm hoping the same. What was the level of ringing you had in the past? Was it something you could hear 24/7, everywhere, or was it manageable? Is the worst one the one you're experiencing now?

Last time was the worst T, I could it hear always and it was like modulating over the voices I heard or on my own.
But most concerning was this flat, dull hearing, the same I have now... last time it used almost 1,5 years to normalize.
And at the first impact it was hyperacusis and hearing loss.

And what helped me always is the hope of a treatment, even I know it's years away and nobody knows if and when, but it helped me always... and you are young...
https://www.rinri-therapeutics.com/

@tomytl, All I want right now is to work, make a living, and live without depending on anyone. I don't need anything else, just to live quietly on my own. I'm already living abroad. My family and friends are in another country.

@tomytl, I don't want friends or anything; I want to break up with my girlfriend and live alone. I'm tired of explaining this to people and don't want to burden those around me. I just want to live in isolation by myself.

Just an idea that helped me a bit. Maybe your hearing and auditory processing are on high alert. There's a theory about the tensor tympani muscle, which protects the inner ear by tightening the eardrum. I've never taken relaxants, but during a setback with muffled hearing, it temporarily improved and eventually got better over time, even without medication. Not certain it was the muscle, but possibly.

@tomytl, I don't think so because I don't have TTTS or anything similar. I have a nightmarish tinnitus, decreasing hearing ability, sensitivity to sounds, and the strangest part is that when I'm exposed to noise, I experience dizziness and feel like I'm drunk, whether on the street, in a store, or elsewhere.

I see it's an incredibly difficult situation. Unfortunately, I'm not a specialist, just a fellow patient dealing with this mess. I truly believe everything feeds into itself—how could it not? No brain can manage all this in an orderly way. That's why I think if one symptom improves, others might ease up too. Of course, it's not a quick process.

I can only speak for myself, but my nervous system is constantly on high alert. There's not a second I don't think about it, except when I manage to sleep, and I sometimes aid that with a small dose. It can help to relax, even just a little, before the torment returns. But I believe these moments can also make you stronger.

@tomytl, What stronger? I've never felt this weak, helpless, incompetent, desperate, insecure, and miserable in my life. I've been through very tough times, but nothing compares to this. No one could endure what I've been through.

The same here, I had a lot of loss in my life and far more lifethreatening stuff, but nothing was and is more brutal than the ear problems I experienced and experience right now. I really know what you mean. But in the past, there was a time where things changed to the positive, I hope this will come soon for us to get recover, to heal

@tomytl, It seems that we are both part of the unfortunate minority who suffer the most from this issue. I would prefer to lose a limb, get cancer, or even die just to be rid of this shit. It's unbelievably horrific, truly horrifying.

"Yes, it's pure horror and especially eerie. It affects you all the time, unless you can sleep with all the noise."

But I need to physically counteract this now. If the weather permits, I'm hiking for an hour every day up a steep path to a mountain lake and swimming in the cold water there. The goal is to exhaust my body and maximize blood circulation. However, it makes the pressure in my ear and the tinnitus louder, but at least afterward, I feel physically exhausted.