Unfortunately, in the UK and my own country, there is no right to euthanasia. How severe was your tinnitus, and what level is it at now? Is it 24/7, extremely severe, does it trouble you at night, do you start hearing it before you even fully wake up in the morning?
Tinnitus Talk Support Forum
It's hard for people to understand what hearing problems truly mean, so many don't take care of their hearing at all. I wasn't always careful myself, but more than others. Saying someone is weak because of it is outrageous. People tend to dismiss what they can't see or feel. No one would say such things to someone in a wheelchair.
You are not weak, and you're seeking help. In this forum, you'll find support and encouragement. I've searched all the darkest paths too, but I want to live and return to managing my usual hearing loss—that was bearable. I want to ignore the tinnitus again, lose the pressure, and feel like my old self. I believe in improvement, and I've seen it before, but it's still very hard to endure.
That's true, euthanasia is legal in my country, but it's not easy to go through with. I often feel deeply sad about my situation and have considered ways to end it, but I still believe things will get better. Now, I know life can still be beautiful, even with tinnitus and hearing loss. Tinnitus varies; the more I talk, the more pressure and ringing I feel.
In other words, if I had already ended my life back then, I wouldn't have lived the 20 beautiful years that followed... looking back on it now. Minus the years in which I suffered greatly
I hear the tinnitus constantly; it's present now, less than 10 years ago but more than two months ago. Hyperacusis is mild this time, but the pressure likely comes from hypersensitivity—small noises like a fridge crackling can startle me. The hearing loss is psychologically distressing, knowing it will worsen with age devastates me.
We probably can't really compare our conditions right now, but I was probably in a similar situation 20 years ago when it first happened—it was truly awful, including the hyperacusis; everything was painful. But things really changed to the better.
@tomytl, Because I always hear it so intensely, I've grown weary of life in just three months, let alone imagining how I'll spend a lifetime with this sound. The only thing I want is for it to get better over time, but since this isn't something that improves like a muscle with training, it feels like bungee jumping into a dark pit. I don't know when I'll hit the bottom.
this morning, my ears feel full and tinnitus increased, I guess I have some additional stuff from a slight cold because of the airconditioner. Hard to tell, like glue in every channel of my head.
I understand, but did other things little improve? Hyperacusis, hearing?
@tomytl, I can't tell if there's any improvement because I've forgotten how I used to feel. Every day, I wake up with ear fullness, ear pain, and tinnitus. My tolerance to sounds seems to have increased slightly, but I can't definitively say that there's been any improvement in my hyperacusis. My hearing is still poor.
@tomytl, I have difficulty not in hearing sounds but in processing them. The clarity, quality, and depth of sounds have diminished. It feels like I'm hearing in two dimensions rather than three. Since more than three months have passed, it's too late for early-stage treatments, and besides, these treatments aren't available in the UK anyway.
I understand, the changes will be slow. If you also feel pressure in your ears, it's very likely that the Tensor Tympani muscle is trying to protect the ear. The ability to understand speech will probably improve as the pressure in your ears decreases. For me, there's a direct correlation between the two. And this pressure sensation cannot be measured.
The tinnitus is, of course, very disruptive and extremely prominent, which triggers stress for you, further intensifying the tinnitus. Just a few days before the last setback, I was thinking that my tinnitus was really loud, but surprisingly, it hasn't bothered me at all in recent years. It's hard to imagine when it first appears.
But now it's even louder, and due to the pressure, the tinnitus, and the distorted sound, it's back in the forefront. It's awful, and all because I went to that event.
It's really intense that you get dizzy because of the noises. Does it happen more when you're surrounded by low frequencies, like when a bus stops next to you? I remember when I was in Sydney after my first crash, those old diesel buses also made me feel slightly dizzy...
@tomytl, It happens more in places with multiple noise sources. For example, when I'm walking down the street with people and cars passing by, or when I walk past refrigerators in the market. Even with earplugs, my imbalance continues, though it's slightly reduced. As I mentioned, I have hearing issues besides tinnitus, but they don't show up on an audiogram.
I have balance issues, and my perception is completely distorted. I really can't believe how much damage a headphone could cause. In April, the doctor prescribed some medication that was ototoxic, and I had a minor surgery afterward. I'm not sure if that left any damage, but either way, I'm in a really bad place. Are you Australian?