Anyone Had to Quit Working Because of Tinnitus or Hyperacusis?

Work? I'm unfamiliar with that word? What is it? };-)

 

@John G
There are many Canadians on this board.
The first one that comes to my mind is @dan
If he doesn't know the law regarding this, although I doubt, he could tell you which other members are Canadians, and maybe one of them can answer your question.

 

Ya, I'm sure you can get disability, just get a doctor to give you whatever paper work they need.

 

Thanks Dana

 

Yes, I have heard of people that have been put on disability for tinnitus. It would take some kind of medical exam,etc I am sure.

 

If I wasn't forcing myself to be at work 40-50 hours a week, what would I do with that time? I do the best when I am socially engaged with people around me. If I was just sitting at home with my cats all that time, trying to watch TV through 14khz shrieking, I think I would go completely bonkers in a hurry.

Having interacted with a lot of people over the years who have serious health or other problems, one thing I have noticed is that when people slip over the edge of not being able to work, usually the rest of their life starts to fall apart in a real hurry. So, the fear of that happening, has motivated me on many occasions to dig deeper for more strength to keep going

And, I totally get that the simple fact that I HAVE been able to just keep going, makes me very lucky...

 

Getting a doctor to approve it is another story. My doctor just pats me on my back and says "you're ok". He is no help at all.

 

I'm working, but now on a break (3 weeks plus christmas). Mild to moderate t, but deeply depressed, I'm afraid I won't be able to work again, I can't just now. I'm scared beyond belief and crying daily for the past month.

Don't wanna to stop working, but I don't know what will happen. I see no exit right now, and nobody can really help me besides prescribing some antidepressant.

 

@John G
As I got debilitated by T since the first morning I woke up with it, I wasn't able to work in all these years and was so focused on getting healed from this very torturous condition, that I didn't even make an inquiry about the possibility of going on disability, but from what I know, approval for retirement on grounds that you became disabled, is given by a committee, in front of which you have to appear with all the papers that document that you got T for a long time, so the possibility to get cured is zero, and if your doctor is patting you on your shoulder "announcing" that you are okay while you known you can't even concentrate to do simple tasks,
1) try to go to another doctor that hopefully will help you to get in front of such a committee (with the file with all the documents) with a written recommendation for retirement OR
2) if you can't find a doctor to confirm that you have disabling T your only left chance for you is to prove that yourself.
To prove that you have serious T is not easy, as T can be put on evidence only by a few tests: functional MRI test, qEEG test (available only in Switzerland and Belgium),
Magnetoencephalography
The best person to inform you about re how T can be put in evidence by tests is the same @dan, your connational.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/how-is-tinnitus-confirmed.10606/#post-130530

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/how-is-tinnitus-confirmed.10606/#post-130709

 

Yes you need your doctors help. I am in Canada.

 

I work from home for two years now. My last day in office was without T. I was a teleworker all the time, but twice a month I drove into the office meeting my manager and colleagues. We are a team around the globe, so this not really a problem. But concentrating or phone calls are difficult or oftentimes not possible. My colleagues do not really know what I am going through, but help me as much as possible. Nevertheless on ultra-loud days like today my productivity is close to zero. If I can write the one or other e-mail, that's all. Anxiety is my biggest enemy besides T. Thinking about taking another med like Lexapro.

Retiring with T in Germany can be tried, but it is difficult and takes a lot of energy - which I simply do not have. I am 46 years old and I don't know how long this wil work. Lucky enough I have some money in my back. If I would get fired, I can help my wife in her office. But I like my job and would like being back where I once was. With my T most of the time and anxiety, this maybe will be more a dream than reality.

 

If I tried to get hired again, and by some miracle I would obtain a job that corresponded with my education, I would lose my job on the first morning i won't be able to stand up after a sleepless night because of torturous T. What would I say to my boss, how would I explain my not showing get up at the job, or, if I showed up, my inability to perform? That I lied to him and actually I am very sick?
My only chance to work again and not get fired would be to be my own boss (start my own business) or work from home, like Martin, and not be seen when I am sick as a dog because of a spike/seizure.

 

Hi Dana, I too take benzo's, among other drugs that help, I do not care what anyone thinks, if it helps me I take it. If I get addicted so be it, I'll go to a rehab center when the T is gone. In the mean time I do what I gotta do...

 

@gary
Oh, Gary, maybe you don'the know what a knife with two blades this benzo is.
Many people here know what I am talking about.
Clonazepam (the benzo that I take) helped me make it so far, but when I couldn't take it because of lack of supply, the T returned with a vengeance, Lowder than ever. I can keep T under control with that benzo, but I learned (and the theory makes sense and in my case is confirmed) that taking this benzo decreases your chances to get rid of T, because it provides the substance (gaba, if I am not mistaken) that is needed to stop the seizure, and this way the brain begins to believe " oh, three is plenty of Gaba" , so it starts to produce it even less.
Yes, with Gaba provided by the benzo your T is diminished, anxiety too, but your brain goes in the direction opposite to the one it should go, producing less and less gaba.
Tough problem.
Now I am dependent on this benzo, if I don't take it, in a short while in my head several frequencies appear and the volume is so loud that dieing looks like a wonderful other option, compared to this hell of having this noise in my head.

Please PM me what other drugs you are taking.

 

Your mileage may vary, but I had this same attitude at one point, and the suffering I endured as a result of dependence on benzos, made the tinnitus seem like a minor concern.

 

I endured heavy withdrawal from trying to quit Effexor, zoplicine, adivan cold turkey, aweful time but a walk the park if you have Real T and H. My worst withdrawal symptom was worsened T and H by far.

 

I was prescribed clonazapam back in 2010 and to be honest it was the only thing that saved me as my tinnitus reached excruciating levels. I was advised that it can be addictive, so my ENT consultant suggested I only take it when the tinnitus was very severe. I took 2x 0.5 tablets when needed and it helpd. Fortunately I didn't have to increase the dose. I take the same dosage probably once every two weeks now and sometimes not even that.
I was also told the the body quickly habituates to clonazapam, that's why it's advised to alternate the dosage as more of the drug will be needed to get the same relief from the tinnitus, and that's when dependency can set in. Sadly, clonazapam wont help everyones tinnitus.

 

Well, I have a job interview this week. I can't afford to be off much longer(almost 2yrs). I don't even know how I will manage the interview,considering the T and brain fog . Wish me luck folks !!

 

Good luck, @John G!

 

Thanks Dana. I noticed alot of people are on clonazapam. Is that the same type as lorazepam?. My doc prescribed me the lorazepam but I didn't notice anything in regards to a change in anxiety,tinnitus etc..

 

No, lorazepam and clonazepam are different benzodiazepines.
Clonazepam is known all over the world for its effect on reducing T and anxiety.
I do not know if lorazepam is as good at reducing T.

 

Ok. Thank you for that info. Hope you are doing fine

 

I am not fine, as I just learned that clonazepam won't be available in my country anymore, and I have 20 pills left. I am desperate.
I would suggest your doctor to prescribe you the better clonazepam, rather than lorazepam

 

What country is that?

 

My regular doctor is away this week. I wanted him to prescribe me the clonazepam but he is off this week.Btw I have tried the lorazepam before and not the clonazepam.

I went in to the walk in clinic and the doc said she doesnt want to prescribe clonazepam because she doesnt know my health history and that I should go to my regular doctor for it. I said I wanted something for anxiety because I have a job interview to go to. She said all I can prescribe is one pill. I said ok I guess. So,I then went to pharmacy for the one pill lol. Realised it was lorazepam and not clonazepam. Grand total for one pill was $10.03 ...wow. pill is only worth about 4 cents and the rest is dispensing fee

 

I First went on temporary disability in 2011 . By that summer I was suffering from intense hyperacusis and mind-boggling tinnitus . An air conditioner in the apartment below me sounded like a jet plane. Supermarket cash registers were too loud to bear. I experienced panic attacks and also supersensitivity to heat -- similar to heat stroke symptoms .

I was unable to sleep for more than an hour or two at a time and eating was difficult. I lost about 25 pounds.

I was obliged to go on full-time disability as even accomplishing every day activities was a challenge. After four years of therapy, including TRT, acupuncture, craniosacral therapy, Klonopin and Celexa, hypnotherapy, homeopathy, yoga, tai chi and more than $100,000 spent --- The hyperacusis eventually resolved and the tinnitus improved to the point where I no longer wore the white noise devices. However computer use would immediately provoke a spike in tinnitus . Reading and concentration were still difficult. One year ago , I began experiencing a relapse of the catastrophic level of tinnitus . This is perhaps related to gradually discontinuing klonopin. I'm back on the Klonopin, going through TRT with a new audiologist for the second time around, doing acupuncture twice a week as I did at first, on an Ayurvedic program similar to the one I used when this first came up .

the tinnitus varies greatly from day today but I seem to be making at least some progress. However there are days that are bad enough that I spend most of the day at home lying under a cover on the couch listening to music just trying to make it to the end of the day . This pretty much rules out any regular job . So I'm sorry to say that I have not been able to go back to work and at this point my job, college professor teaching technology in education, is no longer available to me even if I were well .


In the most positive light, I would say the tinnitus has greatly disrupted my life. And on really difficult days I would say it's it has nearly destroyed my life . On those days I would rank quality of life as one or two on the scale of 1 to 10 .

I'm hoping going back on the original regimen that seemed to improve things will once again work, if only to get the level down from catastrophic to severe .

I do engage to the maximum possible in flow state activities including yoga, tai chi, modern dance, bicycling, listening to music, and even swimming .

But it is difficult for me to make social plans as I'm really often not up to spending time with people.

 

Thanks Dana! Hugs help.

 

@sic
I could relate so much to parts of your post and I am moved by your suffering.
I was under the impression that I have done so much to cure my T, but compared to what you have done, the fight that I put seems like nothing.
You sounded like you could use a hug, if you know what I mean, so I cyber-hugged you.
Be strong and I wish you to win in your fight.

 

Thanks. It has been pretty discouraging to go through the relapse. I'm crossing my fingers hoping that the general trend is one of improvement . We'll see if a couple of months of the intense acupuncture, physical therapy, osteopathy and all the rest will turn things around.

You were totally right. I did need a hug and appreciate the cyber one .

And here's thinking of the best on your journey as well.

Stephan

 

@dochoppy From the posts in this last thread that you started, the impression is that tinnitus has destroyed lives so greatly that most have gotten on disability, retired, or been unemployed. Is this a true picture, however? Are we just hearing from those with severe situations, or those who see it as severe?

Ronald Reagan, Barb Streisand, David Letterman, etc etc...and most have carried on courageously and carried on
regular, if not very involved and significant, lives. What would actually be a true percentage of those with tinnitus
who have had to stop employment and spend of most time in recluse?

This thread could be quite disturbing to someone new to tinnitus who reads it... Not a lot of hope, or the full picture, has been offered. No success stories in site here.