20 Years and Here I Go Again

Hello my fellow T sufferers.

Well I am a little unhappy.

I got T 20 yrs ago. Ex Army and hearing loss followed by the big T. The first year and half was hell and then slowly I kinda got used to it. I had my bad days but generally it was ok. Sometimes I did not notice it for a couple of days.

The fast forward to about a month ago. I went to watch a movie (the new Mad Max) and about half way through I thought this is a loud movie. From that point onwards my T seems to have gone back 20 yrs and it is like I am starting all over again. Same feelings of despair, anxiety just real bad.

20 yrs ago I spent a lot of time researching the topic looking for the "cure" and then slowly realized that there is no cure it is all about perception. Has there been any change in the general treatment or lack there of of T in the past 10-15 yrs?

My current tools are soothing music, a hearing aid to boost the noise levels in my T range. These though are just tools, I seem to have gone backwards, which is clearly extremely distressing to me.

Current age 47.

 

I gave up movies a long time ago. I saw Mad Max at home where I can listen to it a at a level I can control. I imagine how high it will be at the theater.
T caused by noise trauma can always be worst if you expose your ears to loud noise, as you should be aware now if you weren't before. What you have to do now is cope to the actual level, as you did before. It's not easy and take some time.

 

Hi... Cinema sounds are far to loud. Even if I use my ear plugs . That's why I don't go to the cinema any more. Have you just relapsed, or is your tinnitus got louder.

 

After 20 years if the level of noise remains the same or you have occasionally a spike you more than used to it.
Movies like Mad Max and Interstellar are really crazy on sound and if you already have problems you have a serious chance of getting worse.

 

I go to movies Wihtout ear plugs nothing happens to my t thank god but I'll try to go less since I've heard it could be really loud . And btw I use to live in Portugal for 9 months in Cascais it's beautiful

 

FraserB,

My man, what were you thinking? You need to protect your ears from loud noises, not aggravate them. Please buy some ear plugs if you venture out to a movie again, or Netflix it at home.

I hope it's just a temporary spike and you return to baseline. As for cures, maybe Autifony's "quiet pill" will work and be marketed in 5 years? Other than that, research is ongoing with various wearable devices and meds. Their getting closer to hitting this moving target, but it's still moving at a snails pace. T is a tricky and complicated condition and finding a speedy cure, is worsened, by lack of funding.

 

Cinema sounds in the UK are extreamely loud. Why they need to crank up the volume like that beats me, I don't know what the decibel readings would be extreamely high I would imagine.

 

Thanks for the responses. This time it has knocked me back quite badly. There is also a lot of other neg stuff going on in my life as well. Here in NZ it is the middle of winter, cold and wet. I split up with my partner about 6 months ago so am feeling kinda lonely I guess. Just feel very low. Interesting question that from Richard H"ave you just relapsed, or is your tinnitus got louder." that is a good point has my mind suddenly become more sensitive to it or has it got actually louder. To be honest I am not sure, is there a way of measuring the loudness of tinnitus?

 

Go to an audiologist and they can give you a reasonble assessment, of your T volume. Mine is around 65-75db's..Loud as Hell, which BTW is my new address.

 

T can definitely feel louder and more intrusive when you have other bad stuffs going in life. Emotional trauma to challenges in life seem to be bad for T. People's T shot up because of stress, grief, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness etc. So while we can't control T, we can at least try to moderate our own emotions. Doing some leisurely things such as exercise, hobbies, sports, travels etc. can help reduce the stress level. Spikes are setbacks are inevitable with most people's T. So all we can do is to control what we can. Hope your spike will be temporary and be back to baseline.

 

Over in the Research section there is a discussion of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and the promising results of a recent double blind study. TMS helped over half the people in the study, including some who'd had tinnitus for years. TMS is already approved for the treatment of depression in the US, so I hope that further studies will allow this treatment to come to market for tinnitus sufferers as well.

 

Hi FraserB--Because you're not sure if the tinnitus is louder or you have just become more sensitive to it because of certain life changes, I would suggest you go back to basics, like trying relaxation and deep breathing to relieve anxiety, making sure you can sleep (seeing your doc to get help if you need it in the short term) and doing your best to distract yourself. I know, that sounds like no help at all but it did help me when I was desperate and now, while everything is not perfect and some days I just cope, most days I am fine. Also, you might use a sound generator to sleep. It really helps me. If you have iTunes, look up the podcasts by Yasmine Buriak called "Journey into Relaxation." I couldn't have gotten out of the flight or fight stage without these relaxation methods. If you can't find it, I'll look up her web link. Her voice is soothing and the relaxation is wonderful. It really helped me to habituate. Good luck and if you need anything, please just ask.

Hugs.

 

Hi Fraser,

these last years a lot of new insights have emerged regarding T. One theory has to the with potassium regulators. This means that T is caused by over exited neurons. Just like with epilepsy. So these neurons are failing to process normally because the potassium isn`t running through them in a normal way. So when you take an epileptic drug these little gates that let the potassium flow can work properly again. and communication is restored.

medicins are being trailed at the moment. search autifony

than also TMS, a technique for levitating depression, seems to work on tinnitus but also this is still in trial mode.

another few years and we will know more ... let`s hope it will be good news.

check out the research forum ... the top threads or the most important ones.

goodluck!

 

Hello. I am just starting to hear sounds in my ear, is more immediate treatment reccomended?

 

Fraser...You may want to take a peek at my "Profile" post. Once bitten twice shy did not apply to me...Four times bitten! Try not to get into that hell. Assumptions of "stability" of T once we have it, are in my not so humble opinion/experience...Bullshit.
Just luck and maybe better audile genes that keep most % of T'ers from repeat volumes and > damage.

"Protection" gets kinda hard core after a couple of train wrecks with the myth, especially if H joins the neuronal freak festival.

Take care... Zimichael

 

Well, I'd just like to add here, that I had T I could mask only in the shower for 13 straight years without it getting worse and pretty much without any long lasting spikes. I was 99% habituated. Since another noise-trauma accident in 2014, it's another story though..

 

I dont go to the cinema often, but when I do I always wear my musicians earplugs, otherwise I would have probably been deaf by now with tinnitus 100 times worst than I already have.
All the best man, I pray that your tinnitus will clear up! stay strong!