Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

@tomytl, The funny thing is, sometimes when I don't hear my ringing at all, I know something is off, I can feel it. After a while, I realize that I'm dreaming, and I suddenly wake up to the sound of ringing in the distance. The simulation is fucking with me.

I noticed today that I have a low-frequency tone, around 50-60 Hz, in my left ear. I can physically feel the damage in my ear. I think the ear protection trapped all the bass in my head, and it really flattened everything.

I can hardly believe that this happened to me, someone who has always protected their hearing… and that it happened to me again… it's almost unbearable.

@tomytl, Do you mean you have low-frequency ringing in your ears? Does any masking sound help? It's really unfortunate and difficult to deal with this situation, especially when it happens despite protecting your hearing. By the way, where do you live, and what do you do for a living?

Yes, it's a humming, mostly present when I wake up, after it's fading while the high-pitched bitch is always present.
I'm living in Switzerland and I am doing media production, so much PC work.

Are you currently doing any sports? I know it's incredibly hard to motivate yourself, but maybe endurance sports could help with your recovery (circulation) and benefit your ear. It usually feels worse immediately after, but it can really make a difference.

@tomytl, I've wanted to visit Switzerland for a long time. Zurich and the countryside particularly interest me. I hope I can make it happen someday. I'm glad you're still able to work; I wish I could work too. I want to get my life back on track, but it feels like it's slipping away from me.

Zürich isn't really my favorite city, but the mountains and all are quite beautiful. However, spending a month by the sea would be much better for us—just hanging out on the beach in the sun and listening to the sound of the waves. It really helps and gives the brain a chance to organize the new auditory pathways. It always brought me relief, but unfortunately, I can't get away right now. What do you do for work?

Maybe something like this could help us one day, because I also believe, my synapses are messed up.
I guess after my initial hearing collaps, some synapses regenerated or connected differently, that's probably why I am so sensitive to sounds…
https://www.genengnews.com/topics/translational-medicine/hidden-hearing-loss-hypothesis-supported-by-synaptopathy-study/

@tomytl, Before this incident happened, I had undergone surgery, and since the surgical site didn't heal, I couldn't work for a long time. Three months ago, this incident occurred, which devastated me. I'm still struggling with daily life. My girlfriend of five years wanted to break up, as she had been waiting for me to propose. Now, my life is in shambles.

@tomytl, I can't work, nor can I get through a day peacefully. I need to find a new place to live and a job. Currently, I'm surviving on benefits. Everything has gone wrong, one thing after another, and it feels like life is doing everything it can to make me suffer. I used to be a happy and content person, enjoying life, but now everything has turned dark.

@tomytl, It's as if I've died and woken up in hell. I'm trying to do my best, but my life has come to a standstill, and everything is going from bad to worse, to the worst possible outcome.

Even though my situation is different, I completely understand. This ear madness can be isolating. To counteract it, I try to do endurance training daily or every other day, hoping it sends positive signals to my mind and body. Compared to a few weeks ago, my hearing feels slightly more focused. The pressure is still strong, but it seems a bit better.

I see you're dealing with multiple issues, and the hearing problem overshadows everything. You might want to seek professional help; it's hard to manage everything alone. I truly believe there will be a time when at least some of the ear problems improve. But you need to break the cycle, or things will just reinforce each other. I mean this sincerely as support, especially since we're in a support forum.

@tomytl, Yes, I understand, thank you. I'm still trying to make sense of how my life suddenly became so tangled. One moment, I was planning to return to my old job before the need for surgery came up. I had plans to work somewhere to gain experience for the business I wanted to start. I had plans with my girlfriend. Just as I was preparing to get my life in order, I suddenly faced the need for surgery.

Then, I had to deal with it for a long time because it didn't heal quickly. After that, this ear problem arose. To make matters worse, I'll need to have another surgery soon. They need to remove tissue from my body, and since it doesn't heal properly, the large wound will be left open. The healing process takes a long time, and there's a constant risk of recurrence. I had surgery for the same issue 10 years ago.

This health problem caught me again at my most vulnerable time. Before I could even recover from the surgery, the ear problem started. As if that wasn't enough, my girlfriend told me she wants to break up. Now I need to find a new job and a place to stay. I'm living abroad, and my family isn't with me. I used to have friends here whom I trusted and loved, but they no longer live here.

Although we've broken up, we're still living together for now because it takes time to find a new place and job. But we're not treating each other badly. We spend time together, talk, eat. We're both sad that this relationship ended in disappointment, that it couldn't work out in the end. I don't want to waste her time any longer either.

I've never experienced anything as devastating as this. I've been through incredibly tough times, times of deep sorrow and exhaustion, but nothing has ever caused me this much damage or had such an impact. I want to get my life back on track, and I know it will happen eventually, but I break down when I think of the good times I had with my girlfriend. The future I had in mind was so different.

Before this ear problem started, the peace and hope I had for the future were completely different. I don't want to turn this into a therapy session; I'm just sharing what I've been through. I'm trying to explain how these ear problems can ruin, even destroy, a person's life. If someone comes across this one day, they might see that inner ear problems are no joke and can truly destroy a person's life.