40 Year Battle

Here's some of my do's and don't's
To sleep, I lay on my back with a tube shaped pillow behind my neck so my head goes back and I don't clench my teeth in my sleep.
I'm very cautious of slamming doors - house and car.
In the summer I don't roll my car window down and let the wind in my ear (without earplugs anyway).
No loud concerts. No movie theaters. No aspirin. No coffee.
For whatever reason, when the tinnitus gets worse, I baby my ears, I put cotton in and yes it increases the volume of the T, but after a few days it slowy diminshes and I remove the cotton and out in the real world tinnitus will seem less bothersome.
Headphones only at low volume.
No ear buds.
Everytime I walk through a door, I automatically remind myself to lower my shoulders and 'unfasten' my bite. I'm a clencher and a shrugger.
When I'm on the computer, I put headphones on and listen to rain.
Exercise, both weights and cardio really helps me.

It's been over 40 years of living with tinnitus. I do believe our bodies want to heal this, but it's SLOW, and it's very important to own earplugs, cotton, ear muffs, and cordless 'headphones' for noisy work. I know that tinnitus is cumulative, it just seems to get worse and weirder. But life must go on. I did the damage to myself when I was young with horribly loud music. And I've spent decades protecting my ears now. Hope this helps someone.

 

Thank you for your kind and useful contribution. Every bit of advice is very helpful.

 

My life is a bubble, sometimes I think if it's all really worth it, there is no payout at the end, just more suffering.

 

You have had T quite a long already, thanks for sharing your advice. I agree that it is important to protect the ears from further damage, I carry earplugs now in every jacket or bag. I do though sometimes miss being able to go to concerts and listen to loud music .

 

How about traffic? And crowded places? I'm sorry i'm trying to figure out when I should and should not protect my ears.

 

I guess I've trained myself to recognize dangerous sound levels. It could be a few people talking and laughing. Music blasting in a store, car doors, power tools, car horns etc... If it's louder than a vacuum sweeper, it's too loud.

 

Men... That really impacts my life... Its so stupid that I have to be aware of this.
So louder then a vacune cleaner is your standard? I will try to apply this.

 

How did you do this for forty years? There must have been many other things
That you did not mention that you may have missed parties,weddings,graduations etc...
How does someone maintain a minimal social life and make a living while protecting their
Ears?

 

Dear I who love Music....Hah, see. nothing in your profile page so I can't even say: Bob, or Joe, or Ethanueaus, etc.

Thanks for posting this and agree with what you have said about "adapting and learning and training" about where/how/when loud sounds may happen. It becomes second nature after a while. (Like I said in a prior post...I see a "Dodge Ram" in a parking lot and that thing becomes a potential RPG target for me if I had one of those things.) It sounds awful to have to live that way, but I can think of a lot worse things. And yeah, by now weddings, parties, crowds (as in more than one person), and...yadda, yadda, yadda... a long list. It's all out.
I carry two types of earplugs ALWAYS...that too is part of my body now and if I don't stop and think about it too much THAT part is no big deal, but often the "loss" is...As yes, there is a lot of loss and suffering in this tinnitus stuff (especially if hyperacusis is added...tinnitus on its own is much easier to manage over time).

So thanks again "I who love Music"...maybe I will post my do's and don'ts tips too sometime, but have to run.

Best... Zimichael

 

I went through one hell for over 20 years with migraines. Migraines is not a big enough word, "Planet Smashing Suicidal Skull Crackers" would be a better name. I'm so very thankful for every day without those monsters. They crippled me, I could only gasp for breath and it went on for hours day after day after month after year. My poor wife would get up in the middle of the night to take me to the hospital year after year. I could barely walk and see. I went through every medicine known to man. Because they usually hit me the same time every day, I knew it was related to some biological function. So I believed it was a matter of changing my life. I did and it took 3 days and they were gone for good. I didn't think I'd make 55 years old. They went away when I was 39 and never came back. They robbed me of half my life. I had tinnitus before, during, and after my headache years. I'm using the same life changing goal setting health building program now in an attempt to stall or reverse my tinnitus. But I'm happy. I simply didn't think I'd be alive to be complaining about my tinnitus here in 2014.