How do you concentrate at work/school?

Hi guys,
So I am glad to say that I am doing much better since my onset. Have more and more good days than bad. I am working full-time right now (during my summer break) but will soon start school in August. I am scare thinking that since I am still habituating it will be a struggle concentrating in 3-hour long classes. I guess I can listening to the rain apps on my phone on my left ear (where my T is loud all the time) and try listening from my right ear. How about taking tests? Does anyone have any advice or experience regarding this situation?

Also, this is off topic but I am premed. Was planning on becoming a doctor but feel because of where I am in life and the stress med school comes with, it will not be smart and/or enjoyable becoming a doctor. I am now planning on doing nursing. Any thoughts about working in the medical field with T and mild hearing loss (at the moment). Thanks guys!

 

My job is very challenging. Typically when I am immersed in a task I don't even notice my tinnitus. The first two weeks were hell, though, and I had to struggle to do my work. But your ability to concentrate gets better.

I also gave up on any masking after a couple of weeks. Just "trained" my self to go to sleep in silence.

Side note - when I first got T I though I'd never be able to sit in silence and read a good book. I'm on vacation now, and I'm starting my sixth book - just lounging around, reading in quiet. (I wish I could say all of the books were good, but....)

 

@pef haha good to hear. I gave up on masking as well and slept in silence so that I train myself not to react to the T but have recently started masking only to sleep again. Not sure which I like better yet though.

 

You may find that ambient background sounds, even in classrooms, are enough to keep you from becoming distracted by T. Yes I agree that rooms during tests might be a bit quiet, and thus your T may be more noticeable. Keep in mind that your T will likely fade a bit over the next few months given you are only 2 months in. Congrats on the progress. You should be fine by September.

 

@Enrique I would be careful of allowing T to force you into making such important life choices. I can only speak from my own experience but i was in a similar situation. I was going to to be attending law school this september but my T hit. I withdrew my applications, i thought the stress of law school and later the stress of a lawyer, and other things i wanted to pursue was not realistic given my situation. My T is loud, not able to be masked, except at times in the shower, and is highly reactive so it get louder when i try to mask. But im getting to a place, where even though its high pitched and and despite all the sounds I don't hear it for a lot of the day. So you may get to this place as well.

As far as taking tests i decided to take this as an opportunity to retake my LSAT. When im taking prep tests im so involved with what im doing that i don't pay attention to the noise at all. I know it takes time to get to this point but if you should see how feel will using the masking app, see if it affects your concentraion. Hope things work out buddy.

Also i dont know if this will be helpful to you but take a look at this thread.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/career-advice.4088/#post-39075

 

Dear @Enrique,

In May, I had a terrible spike with my T. I was just in the middle of preparing my application to the MBA. I never thought of giving up on my dream of advancing in my career. I have since been admitted and will start in September. Yeah!!

One thing I always stick to: I will NEVER let T get in the way of my dreams or slow me down.

Just an advice !

 

@cullenbohannon great advice! Thanks. Your thread really helped. l already feel as though my T is not as great of an obstacle as it was 2 months ago so hopefully soon it won't be anything more than an after thought. Congrats on your determination in pursuing your dreams.
@ampumpkin always nice to hear from you. Looking foward to adapt your mentality

 

I'm a pathologist and sit in a quiet room with a microscope all day. I've had T for two months now. Its loud enough that only the shower masks it and on loud days sometimes thats iffy. I do a very specialized type of pathology that requires integration of multiple tests to arrive at a diagnosis. It requires serious focus.
The first two weeks I really thought it might disable me. My concentration was a wreck. I couldn't focus and I was terrified I was going to kill someone by not being focused and making a bad diagnosis.
The next two weeks were still really hard but I learned to fight through it and got my focus back.
Now it still annoys the shit out of me unless it's a quiet day but my focus is back to 95% of what it was. I won't lie, it makes my job harder but I still love what I do.
My two cents... if you choose any patient care field you will be so busy you will forget you have T. I usually steer people away from medicine because of all the uncertainty in the field and the massive debt load. However, if you're one of those people that just can't see yourself being anything but a doctor then don't let T get in the way of your dreams. Regardless of what you do for a living you will still have the ringing in your head. Might as well do what you love.
I made it through med school with debilitating panic disorder (up to 20+ panic attacks a day). I almost gave up in undergrad when I started getting serious panic and started becoming agoraphobic. But it was in med school when I finally went to student mental health and got treated. Before T I had not had a panic attack in 7 years. And even now they have zero power over me. And after 4 weeks into T I stopped having them. I almost gave up on medicine and turns out it was actually being in med school that provided the opportunity to get me back to good mental health. Life works in funny ways like that.
If you have any questions or concerns about medicine please feel free to message me.

 

I work at refineries all over the united states and I constantly take computer courses which are mandatory, I did strugle at first because I could not concentrate, but eventually I overcame my t, what helped me alot was that I had to wear my ear plugs which made my t sound extremely louder but the brain begins to accept the sound, I think until u accept and habituate you will be able to become a doctor or anything you want, we all think because of t we will not be able to do alot of thethings we like to do,but its all at first,then it becomes an everyday thing, try to get used to it and listen to it, it will help u habituate faster, I did it in 3 months and its dam loud, I admit it was very hard but thanx to this blog and its people helped me a great deal

 

Thanks for that offer regarding meds I've got high BP and never know what's safe to take over the counter meds,only one I do know is Sudafed is a no in relation to BP.
Glad your doing okay sort of this tinnitus can send you in spins with how it affects us with it,I liked what you said about panic attacks they can cripple us dealing with what tinnitus throws up.you carried on regardless ,now to your having T,yes I agree again life does throw these things unexpectedly at us ,catches us off guard that's for sure did me.Hope to see your post in future ,see your take on this condition.