Feeling Like I Can't Do This

...unless like me of habituating for 20 years it cranks up to even worse levels. Re Drs at a confrence they were asked to wear ear phones mimicking Tinnitus they were told to wear them for the whole meeting lasting 90 mins ,the last one to take his off managed 7 minutes

 

I'm no poster child for success I still have it.

When I get wound up and angry fovus on it and drive myself up the wall.

But those situations are the exception to the rule these days.

I just eventually decided fuck you tinnitus. Yeah buzz away I have better things to worry about.

At first I thought I had a tumor or Parkinson's disease but I didn't however it took a lot of personal and very private pain before I arrived at where I am now.

 

Off the topic now but this is exactly what we should do to rise more awareness and funds for research!

 

What hearing protection do you recommend? I used regular ear plugs the last time and I still got it.

 

It sounds like we have identical symptoms, I have had mine now for 14 months and counting. I have been on klonopin on and off during that time and have developed a strategy for taking it in such a way that I don't get dependent. When coming off of it after a stint it made my symptoms worse for a while but eventually they did settle back to a baseline.

If you don't feel comfortable taking them then do what's right for you. In case you're interested though the way I take them is to only have one 0.5mg tablet every other day, or to only take them on days when I know I will be working hard or need to do talking white triggers my H. If I am having relatively good days in a row I won't take any klonopin as it would be for no reason.

If you can maintain this low does over time strategy then great. I still come off them after 2 months of use and try to go at least another month or 2 without any of them. Then I just try other GABA enducing meds that you can get over the counter to help me relax.

Hope this helps. You are not alone.

 

32 dB rated ear plugs

 

These stories REALLY help. Thank you very much.

 

That's interesting. My mom says the same. She does quite well even though her T is like a chain saw. Did you actively train it? Or did it just come by itself?

 

I think that is excellent advice. Marie has to give herself a broad period of time to recover. Marie you may not recover fully from your T but just like tens of thousands who have had your current level of despair...which is an early stage of tinnitus, this phase will pass. You will habituate with time. Tinnitus will become less of a big deal and you will get used to it basically....just like sailors who are at sea can never turn off the sound of the wind in the ears. They acclimate and forget about it.

If you feel you are going off the rails, I strongly encourage you to seek a therapist and get on meds to get you through this tough time. Stay close to your husband and ask him for your support and other family members you love who will care for you. Don't suffer in silence. Reach out to those who know you best.

Great responses to Marie's thread. A lot of great advice from people that have been in the same dark place and made it to a better day.

 

T Doesn't necessarily get better with time. Everyone is different.

 

If directed to me, I didn't say that. Habituation 'in theory' is independent of tinnitus volume which may increase with time...or decrease. No doubt there are those with loud tinnitus on this board that are unbothered by it and those with relatively mild tinnitus that drives them crazy. I would say broadly with time, most acclimate or habituate to the unwanted sound in their head and of course this isn't a universal truth but quite common.

 

12 years this is the worst yr ever

 

Marie I just read your first post on this thread. Like you, I deal with PTSD not associated with getting tinnitus back in 2002. Although the PTSD came a year after due to an unfortunate incident. Dealing with both medical issues is awful at first. Because each feeds off the other. For a while I really did not think I would survive. The PTSD created this black and white type of movie in my mind and after a trigger that is what I would see and feel and the only sound that accompanied it was the intrusive screeching in my brain.

This was years ago now and I am basically....normal. : )

Like you I am married and my husband was my only support at the time. He carried me into so many different specialist offices. After I recovered, he was (is) my partner in making tinnitus more known to the general population here.

For the last year or so we both retreated away from doing that because efforts were....well...that is another story.

Anyways, I am not sure of your progress today as I am new to posting here.

Just know that the tinnitus may not get better but that won't matter. You will have good days - so take advantage of them. And once in a while you will have set-backs and the first few are often described as horrendous and people think they are doomed. Trust me that passes as you continue to go on with life.

During the first two years I was house bound. OCD about going out and being subjected to noise. And I could not drive. Slowly I started different therapies. Some worked some did not. Some were over the top crazy....

And now about 15 years later...I know that sounds like a long time...but it is like normal for me even though my tinnitus has not changed. But I was an extreme case, so after the first year or so, I started getting so much better.

So many of us who succeed leave the internet support forums for different reasons. I just wanted to pop in on occasion because I am impressed with Tinnitus Talk and Tinnitus Hubs successes. This is so needed!

 

What it was like when it started?

 

Thought I coulld handle anythng in the beginnings ...felt like I had something to prove. This yr I ended up screaming un the psych ward..they had to sedate me couldn't take it anymore

 

Going to kill myself

 

Good thing about this sorry earth is that living is optional

 

Thank you...just changed my mind.

 

This type of remark is totally uncalled for and greatly demeans the purpose of support and has nothing to do with the original post. Making flippant remarks about suicide is seriously wrong - especially for people whose lives have been forever changed after losing a loved one by suicide.

 

Not flippant. Really felt that way at the time. The reply I got made me think differently.

 

SeekingAlpha I can't imagine a psyche ward would have been fun with full blown T spike. Too quiet in there..adds to the torture. Plus a lot of those meds will only up the T.

People get very pissed off and angry when you even allude to suicide on a forum like this.

It's like there's a massive elephant in the room and no one wants to mention it in case there's a domino effect on the community.

So if a TT member is about to choose to walk off life's stage they should put up and shut up? I mean really?

That's wrong, for many people they have no one in their life who understands this illness. Family, friends, doctors or whoever tell you get on with it and stop being a moany pain in the ass.