Curious What It Is Like Having Tinnitus for Years

Yes, this is something I have been pondering on for quite some time now

What is it like to have had tinnitus for several or many years?

Does it become part of you??.... Like all other bodily functions....

Do you still miss silence?? Can you still recall what silence "sounds" like or is tinnitus just your new silence?

Do you wake up in the morning, and not even take notice of it till maybe during the afternoon?

This is merely some curious questions that have been on my mind... I have really wondered what it must be like to have lived with tinnitus say example for 10 years.

 

It does become a part of you. people that recently got tinnitus can be very stressed out. If you have had tinnitus for a LONG time, you know what you are dealing with and you should have some strategy to handle things. Your way of seeing tinnitus shall DIFFER in the long run....

 

So funny you posted this . I was going to create a similar thread just in few minutes .

 

Well guess I beat you to it then Glad I am not the only one who is curious, I don't know why but I always find it fascinating when someone tells me they have had tinnitus for many years, and I always think what that must be like.

 

It becomes apart of you mostly (unless you have a pesky spike that is not subsiding).

I agree.

 

I am sure you've heard of the saying: Be careful of what you wish for because you might just get it. Joking aside. Although tinnitus is a common condition that many people habituate to and carry on and live their life without any problems. This applies when it is either mild or moderate for most of the time. On the other hand, some people have it very severe and it can seriously disrupt their life. Sorry to sound so sobering.

It is for this reason, I impress upon anyone that has tinnitus that was caused by "loud noise" not to use headphones even at low volume, and be careful of going to places where loud music is played. One can still enjoy themselves but need to be careful even after habituation is reached. Tinnitus can be a very cruel condition when it is severe and one must never forget that because it has shows no mercy.

Michael

 

This bears repeating:

"One can still enjoy themselves but need to be careful even after habituation is reached."

 

And for a very good reason @Ambassador I have counselled people with severe tinnitus on the other end of the telephone crying endlessly because of the distress they are in due to tinnitus. Some because of using headphones!

 

@Michael Leigh Surely there must be more public awareness of the potential dangers of Headphones? Even highlighted at school? If I knew then what I know now, I'd never had put a pair near my ears! Ironically, i 'treated' myself to an expensive pair prior to T... worst purchase of my life!

I cringe when I see kids wearing them now.... you just can't put an old head on young shoulders!!!

 

@Vicki14
You can tell people particularly the young about the risk of developing tinnitus due to listening through headphones at high volume, and they will just laugh! Go to youtube and you'll see young people being interviewed outside a nightclub. They were told about the dangers of high volume levels at the venue and they just laughed at the reporter saying: " the louder the music the better" . A friend of mine she told me many years ago: "When I leave a club and my ears are ringing, it's a sign that I've had a good night". I replied: "Until the day the ringing doesn't stop". From that day on she started using earplugs and reduced going to clubs so often.

Michael

 

A similar question was raised by another thread but it was not addressed, so I thought it beared repeating here given the topic shift: if headphones should not be used even on low volume, how are hearing aids or wearable white noise generators different? Why is it safe to use hearing aids with maskers but not safe to use an earbud with white noise?

Both can allow you to hear outside noise. Both can have volume levels adjusted to keep white noise below tinnitus volume. And both direct sound into the ear canal.

Obviously, I'm not asking about playing music on high volume -- or music at any volume -- my question is specifically in regards to quietly playing white noise.

 

I use my apple ear buds daily, my volume is very low, but i still use it. I don't advise anything, but i haven't had any issues with my ear buds at all. NOW, i do remember as a youth having my walkman and having the volume very LOUD (Please don't ever do this and my ears were affected big time...

 

My T and I have had a symbiotic relationship over 20 years...unmaskable and if there was a cure tomorrow I would not be interested...

 

A Walkman @fishbone ? We need to keep that quiet as we are showing our age...lol I remember them fondly . As I've said many times, not everyone with tinnitus that was caused by "loud noise" is adversely affected by headphone use but it's something I don't advise. You have no problems with them that's fine.

Michael

 

Even at the loudest setting my hearing aids come no where near what the output of headphones are capable of. I can't measure it but I would estimate the loudest setting on my hearing aids isn't much louder that a loud talking person. Not enough to do any damage.

 

Obviously headphones or earbuds are capable of being loud but they're also capable of being quiet. I can set a max volume on my phone, ensuring that headphones or earbuds do not even accidentally reach a high level. My kids also have headphones that have a max decibel level. I cannot recall what it is, but the max volume really isn't that much louder than someone talking. In fact, they get annoyed if I talk while they're wearing them because they can't hear what they're listening to.

 

Thank you all for sharing your experience with dealing with T for years and @Markku i am so glad my thread inspired you to make that post on the facebook page, thanks a whole lot! i have read the responses and they were great and very informative.

 

@TheDanishGirl , I think we are all curious because we want to know how we are going to deal with this in future ..will we able to handle this T ..our life will be normal ? So many questions I have !

 

@Michael Leigh , you are so 100% right . We do have to give up loud events .
I have given up all loud events NO EXCEPTIONS!. I don't care how important of an event is ..I have given up for life time .
If I don't make this sacrifice then I will suffer all by myself .
I am not that social and I probably miss 2-3 events in a year which I don't think is a big deal . I will miss wedding receptions and live concerts etc. Life is so much more than these 2-3 events I have to miss .

 

@zeroday ..so it doesn't bother you as much? That's a good place to be in where you can say it's loud but you don't care for the cure .

 

Hi @TheDanishGirl. Very good questions. I have had tinnitus (as far as I can tell) my entire 51 years on this planet. I would like to participate in your survey, if I may.

Terrible. I hate it. But, you learn to live with it and carry on. Spikes or changes are depressing (a recent one is what brought me to this forum).

Well, it has always been a part of me. The strange thing was when I learned that it was not a part of everyone else.

I have never experienced silence. I have thought about it and, if I am ever fortunate enough to be cured, may possibly "freak out" at silence. I'm not sure how I will react if I am ever lucky enough to lose my constant ringing.

No, but there are times that it is not as prominent, usually when I am concentrating on work; but for me it is always there (cannot even drown it out with loud music (I only tried once to see if I could, I could not).

At some point I hope you compile the answers and post the results. I know they are all here, but tabulating them in one place may be helpful.

 

It's "me" now, not a separate infliction...I listen to my Apple Music with ear buds at a very elevated volume and it almost masks my T side of mind...

 

I got my T because of earbuds ..my wife also got T because of ear buds and my neighbor also for T because of ear buds about 10 days ago .
I have heard if volume is high on ear buds then you are getting about 110 DB directly in to your ears . I think earbuds is the one the most dangerous thing for ears .

 

It's selective...got mine driving a big truck with constant road and engine noise...I listen with my earbuds every night...normal for me but then I believe T is unique to each of us...I don't understand my own T much less someone else's...

 

@zeroday ..don't mean to give you unsolicited advise but you might want to ask other people also about using earbuds . It's a BIG no no .

 

Ok...been listening with them many years...

 

I believe most T is caused by traumatic noise events...but what sound and why us...T is not common and research is scant at best...driving a truck over the road produced a constant drown that very few will ever experience...why me and not every other over the road driver...often I wonder is this sound real or, I don't know, what else? I don't believe there is a standard for us to measure T...

 

I guess I've been having the constant ringing sounds for about half my life. I'm 60. Mine is not real loud & I have learned to try & ignore it by concentrating on activities. Also, the volume increases whenever I have sinus issues. I have dual sided T. I used to have trouble getting to sleep because of it but I can now ignore it enough to get to sleep & stay asleep thru the nite. It IS a part of me that I can't control & make stop. I have had many thoughts about having to hear it the rest of my life. That is disturbing. I have difficulty hearing others' speech over the ringing at times & must ask them to repeat whatever said. Sometimes I need to tell them my ears ring all the time & it interferes with hearing & must remind my family when they get irritated by my asking to repeat so much. But....I live with it. Today I started taking vitamin B complex. I'll see if that has any positive effect. I HOPE SO!

 

Because headphones aren't sold for thousands of dollars by the hearing aid industry.