A Newfound Respect for All Sufferers of Tinnitus

[Biggles]

Hello everyone,

One week ago I rode my motorbike without earplugs because I figured it's just a 5-10 minute trip down the road (max speed 70 km/hour with a full-face helmet on), it should be fine. I almost always wear ear plugs because hearing loss runs in my family and I already have a 15% hearing loss according to my doctor.

After coming home I notice a very high-pitched ringing in my left ear, louder than a conversation. When my girlfriend was trying to talk to me I actually had to bite my tongue because the pain of the pitch and volume was causing me physical pain.

After one week, the volume and pitch has certainly calmed down although it is still present.

I have read many times that quiet environments are like hell for tinnitus sufferers, however I find that putting in ear plugs is the only way I can cope now? It's like my ears are super sensitive to noise and the ringing goes away if I give them complete silence. Is it possible they just need some time to heal in silence?

In my office I had to wear ear plugs because the noise of all the people around me talking was hurting me, people were asking me what's wrong with me and I found it very difficult to convey the pain I was in because of normal talking volume. I feel like I'm in my own world now and nobody understands that I experience noise completely differently to them.

For people who have lived with this for years and managed to have careers and families and live a normal life, I have so much respect for you. Maybe I am just not as strong as you guys.

 

[Bill Bauer]

After one week, the volume and pitch has certainly calmed down although it is still present.

This is a really good sign!

It sounds like in addition to tinnitus (T), you have hyperacusis (H). The latter is sensitivity to sounds. It ought to go away over the next 6 months or so. Your tinnitus ought to also continue to fade. You just need to ride it out...

Check out the thread below where I summarize everything (27 tips) I learned about managing tinnitus after reading the posts on this forum for the past year.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

 

[Biggles]

This is a really good sign!

It sounds like in addition to tinnitus (T), you have hyperacusis (H). The latter is sensitivity to sounds. It ought to go away over the next 6 months or so. Your tinnitus ought to also continue to fade. You just need to ride it out...

Check out the thread below where I summarize everything (27 tips) I learned about managing tinnitus after reading the posts on this forum for the past year.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

This is a great post. I really agree with number three. My ears and T feel better and better after giving them a rest.

 

[Biggles]

Hey guys, an update for anyone interested.

It's now 1 and a half weeks since tinnitus started and I have found the following things very useful in my recovery:

1) Total Caffeine withdrawal, I used to have 3 or 4 coffees a day or energy drinks and while it was painful to stop, the pain of the sharp noise definitely was enough motivation to make me give up coffee, possibly forever.

2) Noise withdrawal: I have completely stopped any headphone use and only play very soft music. I have come to terms that I may never be able to play piano again or ride a motorbike again even with ear plugs as I don't know if any enjoyment/fun is worth the risk of having bad tinnitus.

3) These you tube maskers helped a lot in my first days:




I found it very useful if I would increase the volume to my tinnitus then slowly decrease the volume and my tinnitus would often be less noticable after withdrawing the maskers.

4) The 'success stories' on this site. They helped me see a lot of people do become better after 1 month, 6 months or even years. The first thing I saw when I googled tinnitus prior was the Tinnitus and PERMANENT and INCURABLE. This site helped me a lot and stopped me from getting into anxious loops thinking about it in such a negative way. Considering how little science knows about the condition, it's definitely better getting it from the horse's mouth so to speak than any doctors opinions if they haven't experienced it first hand.