How Do You Cope with Your Tinnitus?

Hello there.

I have had a mild case of tinnitus in my right ear for almost two months now, and I still can't seem to find a way to get over it mentally.

During the course of the last couple of years , I have had numerous problems with my ears. At first, the doctors thought it was something viral that was causing the ear pressure and headaches, but then they decided it was Eustachian Tube Dysfunction that was the culprit and gave me a box of Claritin and sent me on my way. About a year later and no improvement, I knew that I would have to try a different path to find a cure. So, I ultimately opted to have a somewhat new balloon surgery to open the tube up, and there was only a slight improvement in my hearing. Eventually, I just decided to give up and start to move on with my life, instead of spending every moment worrying about it. Unfortunately, that isn't what happened.

A ringing in my right ear became noticeable about a year after the surgery, and I couldn't seem to make it stop. This kind of whistle-like noise has appeared before, but it usually was rare and lasted for only a couple of seconds. Anyway, now it's been two months and my doctor just gave me some medication to try, and I can't help but feel hopeless about the future. I hope it goes away, but honestly I don't think it will.

Thank you for reading this, and any advice on how to make the necessary adjustments would be greatly appreciated.

 

All of us have faced the same issue. You are not alone, it is something that is new and a bit scary at the same time. You will need time to adjust to your tinnitus. Time and lots of support and love can be very helpful for those, that suffer from tinnitus. We simply cope by just doing our best, to live a simple life. Tinnitus is annoying, but It should not stop anyone from living their lives.

It takes patience , practice and understanding to live a productive life. Acceptance and NOT resistance is how I deal with my tinnitus. Do understand that mine, will never go away. So why should I fight it daily and give myself a headache? Your case could be different, your tinnitus might get lower in intensity and the sound might even go away. There is no guarantees, when it comes to tinnitus.

I do know this much, fighting it and stressing yourself out, can make it worst and further annoy you. Be calm, relax. Gain support and lots of love and do know that you do not walk alone, we all walk with you and we support each other here

 

I am 8 months in and I wouldnt say I cope yet. I would say I endure the tinnitus. I still get very down over it but I push forward as best I can.

 

@ultraviolence

Tinnitus can be difficult to deal with in the early stages but usually improves with time. Many people do habituate to the condition within the first 6 to 18 months of onset. There are various treatments that can help this process but treatment is not always necessary as this depends on a number of factors. Please click on the links below and read my posts: New to tinnitus what to do and Tinnitus, A Personal view.

I also advise that you to click on the following link, which is a Webinar discussion on CBT given by @Dr. Hubbard who is a member of this forum. It is 90 minutes long and encourage anyone that had tinnitus to listen to it because it is very interesting, even if they have habituated to their tinnitus as I have: https://www.cbtfortinnitus.com/webinar

All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

 

@fishbone @Michael Leigh

thank you both so much! It definitely helps to know that I'm not alone in this.

Have a great day.

 

For me the busier I am the less bothered I am by my tinnitus. Sitting home is the worst thing but I am at the point now where I just tolerate it and refuse to let it ruin my enjoyment of life. As fas as I am concerned it beats MS, ALS, blindness and any number of life changing debilitating diseases and conditions. If this is the worst that life deals me, I feel pretty fortunate.

 

Has there been any improvement in this 8 month span?

 

Nope, none whatsoever

 

What does your T sound like?
Can you hear it over the TV? Running water? everyday sounds?

 

Can't describe it, but it is super high pitched, I can't hear it over running water/the shower, but I can hear it over the tv, and most other sounds.

 

how awful, give yourself more time and i am sure you will get better. You are young and you have that working for you.

 

I know it won't get better volume wise, I have given up that hope months ago....just pray it won't get worse.

 

I think it will get better..it wil just take a while, just avoid hazardous/loud sounds.

 

Yeah, that is exactly how mine is. I can't even sit down and read a book, because it gets to be too distracting. But hopefully it will get better, and I have hope that yours will clear up too

 

Keep having faith. I could hear mine in the shower. I thought that the volume going down was a doomed dream. Then in October I suddenly couldn't hear it in the shower. Such a relief. It still feels small because it's still so loud, but I think our T gets better even if we can't quite perceive it yet.