Back Here After Two Years — My Story

Hi all

It can get better, even though it was almost IMPOSSIBLE to think so, when I got tinnitus and fell down into the spiral of anxiety and despair. I guess I have habituated... I rarely think about or notice tinnitus during the days. I hear it when I am listening music with closed headphones, and during nights when my tinnitus-ear is against the pillow and it can't hear the simplyrain.com background sounds I still use (and love).

In hindsight, it was A HUGE mistake, to turn to the internet and research about tinnitus when I got it. It made me more anxious, which 'programmed' my brain to treat tinnitus as a threat, which kept my mind and body in a constant fight-or-flight stress state. It is CRUCIAL to undestand this self reinforcing cycle and avoid it any ways possible when a crisis hits one's life, like tinnitus. I remember suggesting A VERY VISIBLE banner etc into the TinnitusTalk front page, which would be a 'quick guide' to those people, who just got tinnitus and found TinnitusTalk forum, which would for example explain this. Sadly I don't still see this.

My tinnitus started after listening to headphones too long and too loud. I had neck somatic issues as well and I tried ALL SORTS of different treatments. Physiotherapy, neck stretches etc did help a bit and there is clearly a link with upper body muscle wellness and my tinnitus. If you search my posts, you'll find I was quite an active member back in the days.

So it can get better. Even if you think right now it can't. It can. I was there with you, in your shoes, and I happy to be proven wrong - by myself. So why did I return? My best friend just got an ear infection and a sudden hearing loss and I have tried to help him. He says he has on/off tinnitus as well, but his main concern is the hearing loss in one ear. Fingers crossed for him... and to all of you my tinnitus friends as well!

 

So was yours reactive to sound? You mentioned your friend has on-and-off tinnitus, but how was yours? Did noise mask it or did it just get louder with ambient noise and music?

 

I HEAVILY disagree with you on mostly everything you just said, and would love to post a meme about how this doesn't belong in this forum, but I won't. I just wanted to say that your thread on Inner Ear Cell generation is great.

 

I remember crossing paths with you here and there. Glad to read this. Have a good life!

 

Great post, thanks for updating us. Although, I too looked up Tinnitus when I first got it, and I wonder if it made any difference. I mean I was searching Tinnitus, because I obviously heard the loud ringing that wasn't going away and wanted to find out how long it goes away for people who got it from SSRI.

I don't think it makes that much of a difference. I found it helpful to learn all about the condition and know what I was up against, rather than freak out from the sound and just rely on doctors who told me it should go away in a few weeks. My personal take on it at least.

 

Disagree or not, this remains my story

 

@MeBeSurfer, I understand what you mean. It is of course very normal, and human, to search for information about new health issues like T and many people can probably do that without freaking out. I couldn't and it just drew me deeper into anxiety.

 

No, I could mask it for example with the rain sound or music. My T is on left ear, around 8-9KHz, constant sound, which modulates when I move my head or jaw in certain ways. If I am stressed or tired, T is louder. Same happens if I am exposed to loud noise. Luckily the T volume has remained more or less the same and I have mostly habituated to it. Fingers crossed this won't change...

 

So it was maskable, but still fluctated with movement and sound. That seems like a form of somatic tinnitus, and it makes me wonder how much of a somatic component there is to sound reactive tinnitus. I'm glad you are doing well and you will probably just get better and better!

 

Yeah. It’s somatic all right. I researched this quite a bit back in the days - and posted A LOT about this. This latest development with Susan Shure and signal timing seems to confirm the important somatic role of T. I even tried a TENS device for this.

 

I remember you @Sound Wave You and I even crossed swords if I remember correctly as you believed tinnitus couldn't improve when I said it could. I also said one shouldn't use headphones again and hope you haven't. If you have try to keep the volume low.

Good to hear your story and I'm pleased for you.
All the best
Michael

 

If I said that, I stand corrected!

I do listen to headphones, but I keep the volume low and take breaks. Very important.

 

You are forgiven @Sound Wave and I wish you well.
Michael

 

I absolutely agree. It's vitally important in those first few weeks that people understand what tinnitus is, and take steps to alleviate the anxiety or even panic that can arise with a condition like this. Letting someone simply go home where they will continue to worry or feel agitated about their tinnitus can make it worse. Then if it doesn't go away, the best opportunity for lessening its impact may have already passed.

There are some excellent doctors out there, but my concern is that many of them don't know enough about tinnitus. They rely on the outdated belief that you simply have to learn to live with it. What a discouraging and demoralizing thing to hear.