Dad Has Had Tinnitus for 25 Years — Most of the Time He Doesn't Hear It Anymore

Ok so thought I would post a ‘success story’. I know there is a bit of debate as to whether habituation is classified a success, but for me, I would be happy if my condition did not worsen over 25 years and I got to a point where it no longer bothered me most of the time.

I am only 2 months into my own tinnitus experience, and I must say, I have not found it easy. However, last night I spoke to my dad on the phone and was venting about my current ailment. He sighed and said, honey I’ve had that same sound for 25 years, he is now 60. I had no clue and would never have guessed!

To give you some context, in these 25 years my dad has been an engineer working of noisy sites, driven a GS850 motorbike (toured the whole of Europe on it), been to clubs, pubs, weddings, karaokes. You name it he has done it, he is someone who loves life, and does so without the use of earplugs or muffs (which I personally do not advise).

I am just writing this because in that time he says his condition has not worsened, or if it has, it’s been a negligible increase. He has also had hearing loss for 30 years and his hearing has worsened, but the tinnitus remains largely unchanged. Most of the time he doesn’t hear it anymore, until I brought it up.

To me this is a success, and I hope it gives some people hope.

 

A success indeed. Thank you for sharing. Did you talk about how it happened to him and how long it took him to adapt?

 

@Johan001, he thinks it’s from back to back shifts on sites with no hearing protection. He had hearing loss for 5 years before the onset on his tinnitus though. All I know is that he did go through a very stressful time before it began.

As far as adapting, I didn’t ask because I am not him, and I will take as long as I need to recover/adapt. As will you. There is no time limit. I am just happy to know someone who has lived a full life regardless.

He says the only time it annoys him is when he listens to songs like ‘the sound of silence’. But I think that’s pretty good going.

 

@Johan001, I have just read some of your posts and can see that you have been struggling for a year now. I hope I didn’t come across as flippant about how long it took my dad to acclimatise to his new normal.

I want to give you some more hope... many years ago my dad had an industrial accident which broke his back in 5 places. In this accident a heavy bit of metal fell from height onto his head/neck area. The stress, physical damage and strong medications he took to recover from his accident could have exacerbated tinnitus. Instead, he largely overcame PTSD and chronic pain, and his tinnitus remains largely unchanged.

If you saw a CAT scan of my dads back, it’s a wonder that he can even walk, let alone do everything else that he does. I can tell you it took him the best part of a decade to recover about 90%, but eventually, against all odds and doctor’s expectations, he recovered and has lived a full and exciting life.

His advice was this. “Focus on what you can change”. Whether this is physiotherapy or trying new things until you find something that takes your mind off the noise. He says that when he thinks about pain, he will always feel it; however, if he does not check in on it, the pain subsides, much like his tinnitus.

So don’t give up, I think that recovery from any chronic condition is largely down perseverance and acceptance of the situation. I am struggling with this myself but I will find a way to overcome the situation and feel normal again.

I don’t know where you live, but I am in Scotland and was just referred to an integrated care unit. They take an holistic approach and incorporate all sort of treatments/therapy’s to ease chronic symptoms. Maybe you could check if anything like this is offered near you?

 

Hi @makeyourownluck. Thank you so much for your kind words. Your dad is a great example of the right way to handle adversity. I can only admire that. He has a lot to deal with on top of tinnitus.

You are right, I'm still struggling after 15.5 months. I'm much better than a year ago, although I am still quite debiliated. I believe that the main difference between how I feel now and a year ago, is that now I have hope to get back to normal life at some point, perhaps in a few years given the way I am affected. It's even scary to think about the things that were on my mind last year (you probably saw it in my older posts). Now I have hope to maybe one day live peacefully with the noise.

Thanks for the suggestion. What does this holistic approach include? It sounds interesting.

 

@Johan001, yes, he is an inspiration. It is amazing what the human brain is capable of adapting to given time. I am now trying to cultivate his accepting and positive attitude as I think that is half the battle. It’s not easy, but I’ll get there, and I wont give myself a hard time along the way. We can only do our best.

Yes, the integrated care centre, in my opinion, is a breath of fresh air as far as the treatment of chronic conditions is concerned. You get a multidisciplinary team all working simultaneously. Depending on your ongoing condition(s) you can get a mix of:

Massage therapy
Physiotherapy
Acupuncture
Art/music therapy
Anthroposophic medicine
Mindfulness based cognitive therapy
Heartmath
Allergy services
Homeopathy
Bowman therapy
Clinical hypnosis.

Since chronic conditions are multifaceted and impact many areas of a persons life/daily sensations (some of which we may not even be aware of ourselves), I believe they necessitate an holistic approach.

I am glad to hear that you now view your tinnitus as something that can be managed. This is a good step on the way to healing.

 

Hi @makeyourownluck, thank you for the information. Yeah, before tinnitus I actually thought the brain was static, it's only now I learn about neuroplasticity. Not only for tinnitus but also for emotional struggles for example. We definitely need a holistic approach. Mental and physical. Tinnitus is like that loud cry of the body for us to take care of it. I used to always think of myself as being mentally tough and able to pull through in any situation, just on the discipline alone. Well, that's how I learnt about "decompensation"

 

I’ve never heard of decompensation, I will look into it.

I am the same, always thought I was capable of dealing with anything life chucked at me. I have struggled with nerve and joint pain for years and always managed to push through it. Tinnitus literally floored me for a month, I felt like a zombie, but I’m adapting, I’m lucky that I have a beautiful little girl to be strong for, without her I would not be as determined to get better. She is also a great distraction.

I’ve just had 2 good days in a row, which is progress. Not because the sound has changed any, but I am less upset about it. Mind you, 3 days ago I was telling my partner my life as I knew it was over. So yeah, I hope this more positive state of mind sticks around.

Feel like I’m on an emotional rollercoaster... but making progress.