Any Ways to Heal If No TRT Available?

There is no TRT available in my country. Is there any medication or anything to help with this sensitivity?

 

Your question isn’t easy to answer because it depends on many factors.
TRT is one of the best treatments for tinnitus and hyperaucusis, especially when they were caused by exposure to loud noise. CBT is also good. However, these treatments or any other will not work if a person has a negative outlook on life and thinks nothing can be done. TRT and CBT involve counselling which helps to take away and demystify the negative thinking that is often associated with tinnitus.

Depending on how severe your tinnitus is, it isn’t always necessary to have TRT or any other treatment. Using sound enrichment alone and leaving it to time, a person can habituate to their tinnitus. Reading some of the positivity posts from members of this forum who are experienced with tinnitus, can help a lot in helping a person to habituate to their tinnitus.

However, reading the posts on the computer monitor is not enough, because once read they are quickly forgotten. For the message to “sink in and to be effective” and this is very important, they should be PRINTED onto paper and referred to regularly. I cannot impress that upon you enough. This will help you to have a more positive outlook on life and your tinnitus. The posts are a form of counselling. To help your hyperacusis, use a sound machine at night for sound enrichment.

Michael

 

How to get rid of negative outlook I do use sound enrichement, but it doesn't seem to help????? My level of sound tolerance just goes lower and lower

 

If you want to "get rid of a negative outlook" then I advise you to PRINT my positivity posts and read them often. I will paste them below. Habituating to tinnitus takes time and it's about retraining the mind not to focus so much on the tinnitus and negativity.

What type of sound enrichment are you using? I advise not to listen to music. Use an Oasis sound machine and place it by your bedside. Set the volume to just below your tinnitus. Using sound therapy at night takes time. Anything new that comes into our life takes time to get used to.

If you haven't got a PRINTER then I suggest that you to buy one. Copy the posts below into a word processor and print them and read them often. There are other members that post here often with good advice. Copy and print their posts too. Over time you will start to look at your tinnitus and life more positively. This is a good alternative if you are unable to get TRT treatment as they are a form of counselling.

Positivity And Tinnitus

For some people tinnitus can be very stressful and at times debilitating. This can sometimes lead to depression and a person may need to go on a course of antidepressants. I have often been asked in tinnitus forums and via email “It is great if you’re able to be positive, but simply telling someone to be more positive about tinnitus isn’t going to change anything”. I want to clarify here and now, that isn’t what I mean.

Thinking more positive about tinnitus and bringing positivity into your life takes time it isn’t achieved overnight or by simply thinking to yourself “I must be positive about my life”. If a person wants to improve the quality of their life, then they have to be prepared to try and help themselves, because there is no wonder drug or operation that can cure tinnitus at this time. Unless a person faces these facts they will forever be trawling the Internet going from forum to forum complaining why there is no treatment for tinnitus when actually many of these people want a complete cure.

Someone once told me “I don’t want to be positive about tinnitus, I hate it. Being positive wont make it go away. This is true, however, thinking more positive and bringing positivity into your life will reduce the perception on how you relate to tinnitus. CBT and TRT are based on having a positive attitude, without that these treatments aren’t effective. Long before these treatments and the Internet came on the scene Doctors have been telling tinnitus patients, there’s no cure you’ll have to learn to live with it. Most of us know this is easier said than done.

So how does one start to think more positive about their tinnitus and to bring positivity into their life?

The fact that someone with tinnitus is reading this page suggests to me their tinnitus for today at least isn’t so intrusive that they are unable to function, for that I’m pleased because this is something positive, instead of lying in bed on medication doing nothing. If you are able to work that’s even better as your tinnitus isn’t so severe you’re incapacitated. I see this as something positive in a person’s life. Being able to earn a living and support yourself. Therefore, you’re able to do all the daily tasks one needs to survive in this world. You may have some difficulty granted, but you’re still achieving and that's progress.

It is still better than someone that is visually impaired or severely disabled and unable to earn a living. Or, people with such severe tinnitus they are depressed, on medication and unable to work. So by looking at our own circumstances and seeing what we’re able to do and achieve we can think more positively about ourselves. There is nothing more satisfying than being independent and I suggest you hold onto those thoughts.

If you live by yourself consider getting a cat or a dog so your home environment won’t feel so lonely. If you have a partner and family think about spending some quality time with them, as this can help reinforce your sense of belonging, and the love that binds you together, then your tinnitus won’t make you feel so isolated. Sometimes opening up sharing your thoughts and how you feel can help immensely and keep negativity at bay.

I have just given a synopsis of what I believe can help a person’s quality of life improve with positive thinking. It doesn’t happen overnight but a lot can be achieved when one is prepared to try. By moving forwards and taking one day at a time you can occasionally look back and see how far you have come.

I would rather be happy than right.

Many people with tinnitus experience anxiety, depression and low moods. With time they often improve and some with the help of medications eventually habituate. Others may experience spikes in their tinnitus that can make them prone to mood swings. These people still manage to find a way through it with determination and inner strength.

There are others that will accept nothing less than a complete cure and therefore, will find it difficult to habituate even if they had the best treatment in the world. My experience as a Tinnitus support contact, has involved talking to many people on the telephone and communicating with them at tinnitus forums and via email. Unfortunately, some of these people with their negative mindset unknowingly inflict their pessimism on others and this isn’t usually helpful.

Just as there are positive thinking people that are prepared to try and make a life with tinnitus, negative ones prefer to sit and do nothing and choose to feel sorry for themselves. I believe this is an unfortunate waste of time and energy. Some blame the world and every health professional and medical organisation for their misfortune in life and it can be difficult for them to change.

There is nothing wrong with being occasionally negative especially with a condition such as tinnitus. However, everything must be kept in balance, so one must try not to let negativity become all-consuming. My advice to anyone that visits tinnitus forums, just to post negative and vitriolic comments about their government and the medical profession for not finding a cure for tinnitus, is to please think before hand about what you are doing. Your messages are in the public domain and will be read by people that are seeking help and constructive advice on how to cope with this condition. Negative thinking never produces anything good. So ask yourself what have you achieved? Even if are right it doesn’t make for a fulfilling life and it is possible with tinnitus. Perhaps it’s time to change your strategy to one of positivity.

Tinnitus, a way forward

Outside the realms of a tinnitus forum or a support group many people do not realize that tinnitus can be a very debilitating condition. Someone that has loud intrusive tinnitus there is usually no outward bodily signs indicating their discomfort. Unlike a person with a broken leg, on crutches and wears a cast. Neither can the severity of tinnitus be measured on any medical equipment. So the sufferer endures this torment alone.

The fact that tinnitus comes in many forms and intensities compounds the issue and just for good measure it can be variable on a daily basis: mild, moderate, severe or very severe. As previously mentioned, many people with mild tinnitus are able to live perfectly normal lives doing everything they want but to people reading this page I ask, how many times have you mentioned to someone that you have tinnitus and you hear those familiar words my friend, Father, Mother has that but they just ignore it and get along with their life?

These comments can be crushing to someone that is distressed by tinnitus. It can make one feel terribly guilty for even mentioning the word. You might feel a failure. That old adage: pull yourself together is still alive and well. There might be times you feel it necessary to confide in someone how your tinnitus makes you feel, there is nothing wrong in this, a problem shared is often a problem halved. Just choose carefully with whom you talk to, as you need support, understanding and a good listening ear. Thankfully, there are people at tinnitus forums and support groups that have understanding and won’t judge you or think that you are complaining about something that other people think is a minor irritant.

Over the years I have read in tinnitus books that the condition is not life threatening, I have heard people say it isn’t comparable to any serious medical condition and therefore one should be thankful. With respect to all those people I would like to say this: you have to walk in a person’s shoes to know what they are going through, because I believe those statements are incorrect. Once you have been there and done that, then you are able to voice an opinion. It is true, by itself tinnitus is not life threatening but that’s not the end of the story. Anyone suffering with severe intrusive tinnitus, I believe it is comparable to any acute medical condition, simply because of what it is able to do to a person’s state of mind. Anti-depressants are sometimes prescribed as treatment for tinnitus. These drugs will not necessarily stop the tinnitus but can help prevent a person from becoming too depressed because of the noise in their head and ears.


It is not often talked about, but people mustn’t be under any misconceptions the depths that this condition can take one to. If tinnitus is left unchecked it has the ability to make a person think and do something irrational that otherwise they wouldn’t contemplate if they weren’t in such a distressed state. One only has to do a search on Google to find this out. So there lies the paradox.

However, we can move forward and help ourselves by using different coping strategies in addition to such things as anti-depressants, tinnitus retraining therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy and Relaxation exercises. I have talked about the importance of having a positive outlook on life and how negative thoughts about this condition shouldn’t be allowed to take a hold. Acquiring a positive attitude to tinnitus isn’t something that happens overnight but we must start somewhere. Our mind and thought processes are very powerful.

There is a saying: belief can kill and it can cure. When my tinnitus is particularly troublesome I try to takeaway my attention from it by first thinking inwards and acknowledging the positive things in my life and holding on to them. I encourage you to do the same. Secondly, I project my thoughts outwards away from myself and into the world and look at what is happening with other people. First in and around my neighbourhood then further a field. How other people’s lives are being affected and the circumstances they are going through.

It is often said no matter what our circumstances are there is always someone worse off. I am in no way trying to play down the severity of tinnitus but it is my way of trying to be positive in hope of restoring some equilibrium in my life in order for me to carry on.

Staying positive with tinnitus

Most of us know that tinnitus is not an easy condition to cope with when it is severe. Some people manage to maintain a positive outlook on life, even when their tinnitus is troublesome. There are times when it can be difficult to stop those negative thoughts creeping into the mind and taking away our focus, that a corner has been turned and there will be no going back.

I want to try and reassure you that there is nothing wrong with feeling occasionally negative about your tinnitus, for even the most positive thinking amongst us will be adversely affected by it now and again. The thing to do is not to let it take hold for too long. Allow yourself a moment of negativity and let those thoughts wash over you and then, calmly tell them to push off. You are not going to allow all that you’ve worked towards to slip away from you.

By focusing on the positive things no matter how small will help us through the difficult times and restore balance and order in our life.

I often go out for an early morning walk. On one occasion I noticed a young man on the opposite side of the street walking of approximately 20 years of age. He had one arm stretched out in front of him and his hand was feeling its way as if he were in complete darkness. This drew my attention but parked cars obstructed my view until all became clear. In his other hand he held a leash attached to a guide dog walking beside him.

I wanted to go over and offer some assistance but remembered that some people might get offended - such a thing happened to my late father, when he offered to help a visually impaired person and was rebuffed quite severely. I watched for a while just to make sure this person was all right and then continued on my walk.

Life Is Problematic

As a tinnitus support contact, I have had the opportunity to talk to all kinds of people from all walks of life and backgrounds. I remember one particular gentleman that was having a lot of difficultly accepting and coping with his tinnitus and as a result telephoned me quite often. My life is over I remember him saying and why can’t a cure be found.

It was one particular comment that he made which has stuck firmly in my mind and is probably the reason why I shan’t forget him. I hadn’t heard anyone say something like that to me before, and I did have a lot of sympathy for him for I knew he was in a lot of distress. Every time I go out on the street he said, I can’t stop looking at people’s ears and wondering what my world would be like to have silence again instead of hearing this roaring tinnitus.

I sat listening to his outpourings because sometimes a person needs that. Once everything was off his chest, I began to try and make him look at his situation a little differently. I explained that even the most optimistic and successful people have down times and they don’t necessarily have tinnitus, for life is problematic and few of us go through it without problems. We have no idea what another person is going through so be careful what you wish for. I know tinnitus isn’t easy especially when it’s severe but hold on to the thought that it will improve.

I continued by saying: life can be challenging and obstacles come our way and we have to take them on board and deal with them. Perhaps if everything came easily then we would never grow and develop and in some cases not reach our full potential without some struggle, or appreciate the good things that we have in life. He was a maths teacher, married with two children and also had a business with his brother. He agreed that things hadn’t always gone smoothly but overcoming certain problems and issues in his life seemed to make everything worthwhile, that was until he got tinnitus. I understood where he was coming from, but at the same time trying to reassure him that things would improve although it may take a little time.

His doctor prescribed an antidepressant but he didn’t want to take them and asked for my opinion. It wasn’t my place to advise but I told him of my experience with medications for my tinnitus and the help I had received at ENT.
When I first had tinnitus I had taken antidepressants for a while, which helped me not to become too down. In later years I took clonazapam when my tinnitus was severely intrusive. It helped a lot. I was advised of it’s addictive nature and was closely monitored by my GP. I would only take it them when my tinnitus was very severe.

This gentleman kept in touch for a while and eventually decided to take the anti-depressant. A few months passed and I hadn’t heard anything until one evening I got a phone call from him. Telling me his tinnitus had reduced and was improving all the time. He had returned to work and was very pleased with how his life was going.

Michael

 

How can this be the case if hyperacusis is a physiological problem, and desensitization is a physiological process?

Why would the lack of hope and optimism affect your recovery from hyperacusis provided you continued to use sound enrichment as directed by a clinician?

 

I have no intention of getting into a long drawn out conversation with you on this @Sen, for I know you have a lot of difficulty with hyperacusis and that is unfortunate. My advice to @3ri0w, is to first learn how to have a more positive outlook on life because tinnitus affects the emotions greatly and it can be particularly difficult for people that are new to the condition as 3riow is. We have to start somewhere and I believe it begins with a person's Mindset. I agree that it won't help the hyperacusis "Sound enrichment" treats that. But counselling is where it all begins in treating Tinnitus. You know that as well as I do. After all we both have the TRT book and I also have my experience.

Hope things improve for you soon
Michael

 

Yeah I'm trying to be positive..it just isn't enough to make the sounds not hurt
I have had T for 4 years

 

Are you using music at night ?
Try with nature sounds really low.

 

@3ri0w Being positive and bringing it into your life takes time but it can be achieved. Start by focusing on the positive things in your life. What you are able to do even through you have tinnitus. And not: what you cannot do. It doesn't matter how small.
As I mentioned in my post above. The fact that you are on your computer at this moment is something positive instead of being in bed on medication and doing nothing. Please print out my posts and the posts of other members in the "Positivity Threads". Their success stories will help give you inspiration to carry on.
Michael

 

Yea it helps "a little bit". If I use low volume music at night time then then I can endure more than I could when sleeping in complete silence.

But I just feel like it is not enough...I still can't endure much even when using the sound enrichement.

 

What I mean is don't use music at night but only nature sounds.

I thought you didn't have pain only distortions... Stay strong

 

@3ri0w When my tinnitus ramped up to excruciating levels in 2008 I didn't know what to do. I was unable to read a book for over 2 years. My life had changed drastically. It took 4 years for me to habituate for the 2nd time. You have to believe in yourself and give it time. You might not feel great everyday but gradually things will get easier and you will become a stronger person.
Michael

 

Yea pain with "normal" sounds like refridgerators and computers etc lol
But I hear the distortion when there is that "one" certain frequency.
Got to mention. I thought I developed a new distortion sound to my left ear (my original distortion is in the right ear). Turns out it is just that I can hear my breathing noise. It somehow interfers with external sounds from the environment and distorts it? If I hold my breath then I can't hear the other distortion.. How are you coping?

Yea I understand what you mean about being grateful...like I can still read these messages and write this etc? So it's not bad as it could be!

 

Yeah my breath also distorts sometimes. It sucks.

 

I don't quite mean in the way that you have said @3ri0w I don't mean that you should be grateful that your tinnitus isn't as bad as it could be. I mean: just look at life from day to day at what you are able to do even though you have tinnitus. I don't mean that you should keep quiet and not say how you feel. Of course you want to feel how you used to before you had tinnitus. This will happen but it takes time.
Michael

 

I didn't mean "tinnitus isn't as bad as it could " either

 

Okay that's fine. Reading writing on a screen the other dimensions: tone of voice, facial expression are missing. So, it can be very easy to misunderstand what someone means.
Hope things improve for you
Michael

 

Yea and I'm not a native tongue speaker either

Yea truly!