From Darkness to Light, How I Recovered from Tinnitus & Hyperacusis

I cannot thank you enough for this post, @billie48 . You're trully one of my guiding lights.
Four months in and getting better every day.

 

This post gave me more info then 3 doctors I've seen in the past month!! Not that its not important to go to the doctor, but having just came back from the ENT dr. with nothing new but that I "have a lot of phlegm" in my throat after sticking a camera down my nose, this was refreshing to read. Put my tired mind at ease. Thanks again, Billie!

 

@Mclyra and @Heather415, thank you for your kind words. I hope you both will get better over time with reading success stories and applying some of the strategies. Keep positive and keep up the hope that you will get better like those members posting their success stories. Be patient and give mother time enough time to heal your body. Take care & God bless.

 

Bille you have helped me tremendously with your caring and attentive posts. I just wanted to show some love as well!

 

You are one of my guiding lights as well billie, you are such an amazing and strong person. Thank you for posting this

 

Thank you! I really appreciate your link. I am sorry you lost your son. You are an excellent writer. I too will keep reading the success stories. I am sleepless at the moment. My two cats provide comfort. I have trouble concentrating. One of the worst aspects of T is not being able to read! I had a high pitch followed by fullness in my right ear yesterday. T faded. I was hopeful then T returned and I cried. Unfortunately for me my spouse is ver unsympathetic. He hates weakness and sees me as weak. Not sure my marriage will survive this. My T has caused a lot of strain on my marriage. My two cats are my only friends. Many people avoid me. Guess they think T is contagious. My crying spells don't help. The few "friends" I had are becoming distant memories. I have OCD which intensifies my T. I hope I can crawl out of this misery. Thank you for caring and encouraging new people like myself.

 

Hi
Am sorry to hear that you are having a hard time and feeling isolated. I completey understand aboutthe not being able to read. However hard a day had been , I use to find comfort in climbing into bed with a hot drink and a detective novel and losing myself in the story until I lost myself in sleep. Now going to bed seems like a daily ordeal, like going out into dark forest or something. But maybe you should perservere with the reading. I am slowly finding that I am beginning to ignore the T and focus on the book. Dont give up on the things that you love, as I think they can help get us through the early and tortuous days of T.
Am also sorry that your husband does not understand. My family became more sympathetic when I really spelt out how hard T is. I said they should imagine putting an ipod with a constant horrid noise in their ear for an hour, then a day, then a week and then imagine it maybe forever. Also could mention to husband the Iraq veteran on TT who said that T is much tougher than fighting in Iraq. Anyhow, your cats sound great. I've got goats with bloat that I'm meant to belooking after today. Need to make them pass wind which should be a challenge.
Take care
Barnacle (not my real name)

 

I loved this so much, I have bookmarked it. I need to refer to this often! Thank you.

 

Thank you @AnneG. That is very nice of you to say that. I am impressed by your courage and your forever vibrant and upbeat character in facing this T challenge while being so young and going to college. I wish you all the best in your personal and professional life. God bless.

 

Thank you @Baxette for your kind words. I hope things will improve for your T and your marriage relationship. You may want to play some T video clips, or even Zoe Cartwright's short tinnitus film to your husband to help him understand the challenge. If anything, you are never alone here on the forum as we understand your challenge. All the best and God bless.

 

Thank you @Hil for the good words. I am happy to hear that my story has helped you on your T journey. Things will hopefully improve for you. God bless.

 

Dear Billie,
I am new to this site having developed tinnitus recently from taking beta blockers for arrhythmias. I just wanted to thank you sincerely for such an incredibly candid, eloquent, thoughtful and comprehensive posting. What an ambassador you are, and a beacon of light in dark times for those of us trying to come to terms with this uninvited, tortuous noise invasion. I had no idea how much I prized silence in my world! I really wish you well.

 

I am new to the board and learning so much. It has become a new best friend of many. Billie you have given me pause and hope about my life. My T may or may not be a result of my middle ear myoclonus. I will have surgery jn two weeks to cut the muscles/tendons. The T may get worse but having your powerful message and p oisitive outlook, I have hope I will be able to cope and in time move forward. This too shall past
Thank you.

 

@billie48 Thanks Billie for sharing and going into so much depth. It's really nice to see that. As I was reading I felt for you and was so glad to read that your much more happy now and have found way more peace.

I've been dealing with T for a little over a year now and really the only thing that bothers me anymore is my mind and than because of this I get back into struggling with my T at times. My brain isn't as good as it used to be. Reading and processing information is way more difficult, my vision gets hazy at times when I'm out in public, and I get headaches at times. Things just aren't the same, mentally for me. Even going outside and enjoying nature (apart from the loud ringing) isn't the same. I'm just curious if you had this as well and what insight you could give me? Thanks! And again, I'm really happy you're not suffering anymore with this.

 

@AmyG19, thanks for the good words. I am just trying to return the kindness and compassion of members who had helped me at the darkest time. I wish you well too. Take good care & God bless.

@Nowhearthis, thanks for the nice comment. I hope your surgery has gone well. Staying positive will help and facilitate a speedy recovery. Give it time and let's all move forward to live a good life despite T.

@dru17, thanks for sharing your compassionate thought towards me. I am doing fine nowadays, enjoying life as much as I can. I wish you will do well soon. Your issue now may have to do with anxiety/stress symptoms, the lack of concentration and energy to focus on things, and of course the headaches. I know these well, as I lived with anxiety and panic disorder for decades prior to T & H. Those symptoms are all too familiar. I am spending time outdoor with nature too, fishing and gardening also. That keep my mind busy. Perhaps try to check out these herbs to see if they can help you calm the mind and sleep better.

http://www.christopherhobbs.com/lib...alth/herbs-and-natural-remedies-for-insomnia/

 

@billie48 Thanks for getting back to me. It's nice to have someone else that's gone through it. Things are getting better. I'm getting outside doing things as well, working now, and trying to do things I love. I guess this has started to calm things down. It's not completely gone yet - like the pressure in my head and all, but I'm in a better place than I was.

 

@billie48

You are a true inspiration to a lot of people. Including me . I guess I've read your success story at least 10 times now. Every time I take a new piece of advice from it and it gives me so much hope.

I have tw0 questions. I've been having T. for 6 month now and am still struggling with depression. Can you tell me a little bit about where were at 6 month in your journey? I still have to rely on Remeron and xanax to get through the day and am not able to work yet. (Though slowly tapering xanax. I started with 1 mg and am at 0,375 mg now!) I'm finding it hard. I used to be a very positive person. I'm really struggling to find the real me back. I know 6 month in is not very long for T. and H. but I expected to be less depressed by now and am starting to worry. I do have an other medical condition that causes extra stress.

You wrote somewhere that for most people experiencing H. and ear fullness and pain subside after a few month. Before starting xanax I had H, distorted hearing and ear fullness and pain. I'm really afraid that that will come back if I taper xanax completely. Do think this will happen?

Hartje5

 

You are lucky that Xanax is decreasing the tinnitus , I am taking Xanax at night and Remron at night to help anxiety and insomnia, it does not decrease my tinnitus at all. I would suggest tapering the Xanax very very slowly.
Great that it actually decrease the tinnitus

 

@Dominic195
I guess you could call that luck. Though I don't feel I could be called lucky.

 

If Xanax helps and decreases your T andH I would continue in the smallest dose that's effective.
I wish Xanax would help me
Do u have hearing loss ?

 

I have only slight hearing loss in the high frequencies. I'm working my way down to the smallest effective dose. Xanax before bed did not do much for me too. I started working when I took it twice a day at 9 am en 9 pm. I honestly think xanax is a monster though. I now have all sorts of strange and awful withdrawal symptoms and frankly wished I had never started using it.

 

The sad but unavoidable truth is that, in the world of medicine, whatever helps you also hurts you. Long before I developed severe T & H, I was dealing with the chronic pain and stiffness of fibromyalgia, and have had no choice but to be on Xanax and several other meds long term. I've always tried to work my way down to the lowest effective dose of whatever I'm taking, but for me giving up the meds would be to give up my ability to live life to the fullest. I decided a long time ago that even if taking these meds takes some years off my life at the far end, I would willingly trade that for a full rich life in the present. Everyone is different, especially in their reactions to meds, so you have to try things or you will never know. Stay strong.

Best of luck to you all,
Della

 

If you only have slight hearing loss you should be ok with time.
Dominic

 

I guess because my T.+H. started because of heart medication I'm a bit paranoid about any kind of med. Domic I really hope what you are saying is true. How do you know this?

 

I have several patients with tinnitus and no hearing loss and seem to habituate quicker.
I also have patients (3) with SSHL and they symptoms for 6 to 12 months and they are still experiencing symptoms after years( not intrusive)
Dominic
Get well !

 

what it is SSHL ? thanks

 

SSHL stands for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

 

When I was at 6 months, I was still struggling badly and had to depend on drugs to keep going. It took me 2 years to feel some stability of the emotion but still with many setbacks. It took me 3 years to finally feel stabilized and wrote my success story. So you are not doing badly at all. Don't try to conjure up a time table for recovery. Each person is different. To do it will get you anxious and doubt will set in. This then will get T fired up. Try to just get back to living and enjoying life as much as you can, and let T do whatever. This is a less stressful way and you are not expecting anything. We need to play the smart game with T.

 

Thanks so much Billy. Three years sounds like a long time. It took only 5,5 weeks for medication to create this havoc. I try not to be afraid. I have a heart condition that needs attention and medication and that makes it difficult not to worry and be scared of the future.

I have to be here for my children and husband. I pray to God to give me strength.

 

Hi Billie thank you for sharing your success story but more importantly your light!! I believe my T was caused by a ear infection a month ago and/or possible TMJ...mine is a constant static sound which is louder at night and in morning. I have searched the Internet since I developed T, mainly for information, but I found a lot of negative comments (which I totally get how easy it is to go down that road). But for me I would like to try to remain positive and hopefull regardless of my T. I have always been everyone else's cheerleader and now I'm needing a little encouragement myself so that I can start to encourage others ASAP! Once again thanks for the information and positive attitude it means a lot!