I Don't Know Where to Begin...

[AthenaRoseTesla]

Hello...to whomever is out there.
I have developed T.
I feel lifeless and hopeless.
Like I don't know where to go now.
Life was just beginning and now it's come to a halt and will continue to go on without me if I don't find some hope...
I have some questions and I am hoping to find some answers and support from people who are going through the same thing. I am glad I found this site I hope we can all help each other out and find a way out of this.

I want to know what are some the treatments you had used and what has worked well for you?
Does T affect your hearing? Will I go deaf?
Who should I see regarding my T?
How can I know if I had any undetected hearing loss?

Please and Thank You.
Hope to hear from You.

-A.R.T

 

[cullenbohannon]

Go to an ent or audiologist they can test your hearing but only do so usually up to certain frequencies. If you want it to go higher you should ask. T will not make you deaf. See a ent and try to stay calm. From there you can see what you need to do. See if there is a place that focuss on tinnitus near your home.

 

[kevin b]

Don't feel hopeless, that is not the case. I am new to this and struggling as we'll but you will get amazing help here from truly incredible people. You will find that progress can be slow but help is there. The one positive thing I have gotten out of he struggle of tinnitius is the kindness and compassion you will get from people here, granted a club none of us wanted to be in, but accept as best you can day by day. Stay strong

 

[AthenaRoseTesla]

Go to an ent or audiologist they can test your hearing but only do so usually up to certain frequencies. If you want it to go higher you should ask. T will not make you deaf. See a ent and try to stay calm. From there you can see what you need to do. See if there is a place that focuss on tinnitus near your home.

Oh okay.
Do I have to get referred to them first?

 

[AthenaRoseTesla]

Don't feel hopeless, that is not the case. I am new to this and struggling as we'll but you will get amazing help here from truly incredible people. You will find that progress can be slow but help is there. The one positive thing I have gotten out of he struggle of tinnitius is the kindness and compassion you will get from people here, granted a club none of us wanted to be in, but accept as best you can day by day. Stay strong

Thank You very much.

 

[cullenbohannon]

I don't where your from so I don't know. Search on the Internet for places near you and give them a call. The begining is hard but it could go away for you so stay calm. See someone for your anxiety if it continues. Stay positive.

Oh okay.
Do I have to get referred to them first?

 

[AthenaRoseTesla]

I don't where your from so I don't know. Search on the Internet for places near you and give them a call. The begining is hard but it could go away for you so stay calm. See someone for your anxiety if it continues. Stay positive.

You are right. I must remain calm.
Thank You.
I will look into it, I am from California so if you know of anyone from there that's a good audiologist, let me know.
In the mean time I will ask my doctor, for a specialist and look on the net as well.

 

[cullenbohannon]

well that's good news. Do some research I'm sure there are places experienced with t in california

You are right. I must remain calm.
Thank You.
I will look into it, I am from California so if you know of anyone from there that's a good audiologist, let me know.
In the mean time I will ask my doctor, for a specialist and look on the net as well.

 

[Steven Blade]

I read a soothing trick from a guy who developed it after years of working in the air force. It was given to him by a doctor and fellow sufferer. Go to the bathroom or kitchen. Run the water in the sink. If it goes away, you are better than most and just found a way to make it disappear. Not a cure- and I can't guarantee it will work but I know how you feel and because it helped me at a time when I was in a panic, I just want to share. I just saw an ENT today. My primary care physician referred me. Stay calm. You're ok.

 

[AthenaRoseTesla]

I read a soothing trick from a guy who developed it after years of working in the air force. It was given to him by a doctor and fellow sufferer. Go to the bathroom or kitchen. Run the water in the sink. If it goes away, you are better than most and just found a way to make it disappear. Not a cure- and I can't guarantee it will work but I know how you feel and because it helped me at a time when I was in a panic, I just want to share. I just saw an ENT today. My primary care physician referred me. Stay calm. You're ok.

Hmm...I think I will give it a try.
For how long would I have to let the water run?
And Thank You for sharing!

 

[Sound Wave]

If you have an iOS device, download for example SimplyRain app and use that with an active speaker to sleep better. Helps me! If you are chronically stressed because of T, try using a normal heart beat monitor together with focused breathing -> you can see how your pulse goes up & down and you soon learn (i.e. biofeedback) to calm yourself and lower your pulse -> body relaxes -> T goes usually down.

 

[Linds]

Hi A.R.T

Yes you have found a good place here. There are many people in the same situation as you. They understand what you are going through.
You have already recieved some good advice.
At the moment your reaction to t is what is making your life miserable.
The running water thing is good. Eat good, exercise and try to relax, I know that is hard to do.
You will get better over time, trust me on this, there is hope! You will habituate to it and you will start to enjoy life again dispite t.
Please go to the success stories section on this forum and see for yourself.
You will get better! Your t might not go away but you will be better at handling it, ok, so keep positive.

 

[Steven Blade]

Hmm...I think I will give it a try.
For how long would I have to let the water run?
And Thank You for sharing!

As soon as the water turns on the tinnitus will disappear. Unfortunately, as soon as you turn it off, the tinnitus will still be there. Sorry if I misled you, and it may seem pointless, but it gave me hope. White noise seems to help me considerably.

You really should find your way to an ENT or audiologist. Your body is naturally trying to figure out what is wrong and out of that comes fear, panic and anxiety. Those emotions are all natural, and they contribute to the tinnitus. You can get stuck in this revolving door of tinnitus causing anxiety causing tinnitus. There may be something underlying causing it and it mat be treatable. Or it may never go away. But once you find out what it is and what is causing it, that may provide some relief in itself and help you cope and get back to your normal life.

 

[Johno]

How do you get Tinnitus? Loud noise, virus infection, some disease, unknown reason... ?

 

[Jeff M.]

AthenaRoseTesla...

Sorry you are struggling, but happy you have found TT (this forum)!! I am echoing what has already been shared here when I say you will find excellent support and information on this forum. Great people who completely understand what you are dealing with, how you are feeling, and have some wonderful insights into how to cope with T (tinnitus)!!

Sounds like you are in what I call "The Pit". Almost, if not all, of us here have been there! It's usually within the first 6 months that one begins to become overwhelmed wit feelings of despair, helplessness, grief, and worse. It's your brain's natural reaction to this unrelenting noise (usually exacerbated by sleep deprivation). It SUCKS, but it's natural.

GOOD NEWS is it doesn't last!! Your brain will begin to process the "noise" from T and treat is less and less as a threat. It becomes more of just a nuisance. Then, just simple background soundtrack to life. But it does take some effort. Just as some have posted already, get plenty of exercise, get SLEEP (initially if that requires meds then so be it!), look into the many therapies shared on TT by others (different therapies work for different people), don't give up,stay connected to life (and to TT!), get pissed at your T and kick it's ass!! WIN!!

I (and everyone else on this thread) have been where you are! And we are all getting better!! All coping with T. So you can too!!

Best to you!!!

 

[AthenaRoseTesla]

If you have an iOS device, download for example SimplyRain app and use that with an active speaker to sleep better. Helps me! If you are chronically stressed because of T, try using a normal heart beat monitor together with focused breathing -> you can see how your pulse goes up & down and you soon learn (i.e. biofeedback) to calm yourself and lower your pulse -> body relaxes -> T goes usually down.

I don't have iOS device, is there something else I could use?
Are there other relaxation methods as well?
Thank you so much for the tip.

 

[AthenaRoseTesla]

Hi A.R.T

Yes you have found a good place here. There are many people in the same situation as you. They understand what you are going through.
You have already recieved some good advice.
At the moment your reaction to t is what is making your life miserable.
The running water thing is good. Eat good, exercise and try to relax, I know that is hard to do.
You will get better over time, trust me on this, there is hope! You will habituate to it and you will start to enjoy life again dispite t.
Please go to the success stories section on this forum and see for yourself.
You will get better! Your t might not go away but you will be better at handling it, ok, so keep positive.

Thank You so much for the kind words Linds.
It means a lot, so far I've been feeling a lot better about my problem since coming here.
I feel like I CAN deal with my Tinnitus now and have hope for the future, perhaps even heal.
Also I don't know if will come on here too often,
but I will come here to share my progress and questions as well as my support whenever I can.
And if I ever need some motivation or support I know where to go.

 

[AthenaRoseTesla]

How do you get Tinnitus? Loud noise, virus infection, some disease, unknown reason... ?

I got it after my friend's birthday party she had a band playing there and I guess that pretty much did it.
I heard ringing my ear when I came home and didn't know that was "normal" after seeing a band and that it would go away after awhile. And since I haven't experienced it before seeing other bands I kinda panicked. I thought it wouldn't go away so the 2nd day I like an idiot put a q tip in my ear thinking something was in there. So then my mother suggested I put oil in my ear thinking that it was wax build up. And your suppose to leave it for a little while but she suggested I sleep on it and then I left there for a while trying to sleep all a sudden I heard a terrible noise. Now I am here...

 

[AthenaRoseTesla]

Sorry you are struggling, but happy you have found TT (this forum)!! I am echoing what has already been shared here when I say you will find excellent support and information on this forum. Great people who completely understand what you are dealing with, how you are feeling, and have some wonderful insights into how to cope with T (tinnitus)!!

Sounds like you are in what I call "The Pit". Almost, if not all, of us here have been there! It's usually within the first 6 months that one begins to become overwhelmed wit feelings of despair, helplessness, grief, and worse. It's your brain's natural reaction to this unrelenting noise (usually exacerbated by sleep deprivation). It SUCKS, but it's natural.

GOOD NEWS is it doesn't last!! Your brain will begin to process the "noise" from T and treat is less and less as a threat. It becomes more of just a nuisance. Then, just simple background soundtrack to life. But it does take some effort. Just as some have posted already, get plenty of exercise, get SLEEP (initially if that requires meds then so be it!), look into the many therapies shared on TT by others (different therapies work for different people), don't give up,stay connected to life (and to TT!), get pissed at your T and kick it's ass!! WIN!!

I (and everyone else on this thread) have been where you are! And we are all getting better!! All coping with T. So you can too!!

Best to you!!!

Thank You for the Welcome and kind words!
To be honest just be able to see other people stories have encouraged me and given me some hope, that I thought was no longer there. We are all in this together, and I really hope someday we will all find a way out! I will share my journey on here and hope to help as much as I can whenever I can.
Thank you all! Love is all around!

 

[Johno]

Read this forum: Full of hope Am101 cure looks promising for noise induced(and other cochlea damage) T sufferers.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/am-101-tactt1-results-released.1994/

Take Magnesium, it can help calm your T:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22249877

 

[beemovie]

As soon as the water turns on the tinnitus will disappear. Unfortunately, as soon as you turn it off, the tinnitus will still be there. Sorry if I misled you, and it may seem pointless, but it gave me hope. White noise seems to help me considerably.

You really should find your way to an ENT or audiologist. Your body is naturally trying to figure out what is wrong and out of that comes fear, panic and anxiety. Those emotions are all natural, and they contribute to the tinnitus. You can get stuck in this revolving door of tinnitus causing anxiety causing tinnitus. There may be something underlying causing it and it mat be treatable. Or it may never go away. But once you find out what it is and what is causing it, that may provide some relief in itself and help you cope and get back to your normal life.

That trick does work with some. Well kind of. If mine goes to a straight tone I can sometimes disrupt it by crumbling paper near my ear and it will change to a static hiss.

 

[beemovie]

I got it after my friend's birthday party she had a band playing there and I guess that pretty much did it.
I heard ringing my ear when I came home and didn't know that was "normal" after seeing a band and that it would go away after awhile. And since I haven't experienced it before seeing other bands I kinda panicked. I thought it wouldn't go away so the 2nd day I like an idiot put a q tip in my ear thinking something was in there. So then my mother suggested I put oil in my ear thinking that it was wax build up. And your suppose to leave it for a little while but she suggested I sleep on it and then I left there for a while trying to sleep all a sudden I heard a terrible noise. Now I am here...

Hi, If your ears rang after seeing a band that is not good. That means it was too loud. Please consider earplugs or better yet simply stay away from loud music.

 

[Sound Wave]

I don't have iOS device, is there something else I could use?
Are there other relaxation methods as well?
Thank you so much for the tip.

There are probably similar apps for Android devices as well. You could also buy a used old iPad / iPod touch cheaply that runs those apps. There are also custom sound devices, but they can cost a fortune compared to what you get. iOS has also several relaxation apps that might be helpful. I bought a Polar H7 bluetooth heart rate sensor, which also measures Heart Rate Variance (HRV) which shows your body's stress level. This pairs up with several relaxation / mediations / mindfulness apps. I would still recommend a normal simple heart rate monitor and slow breathing in the beginning, if you are constantly in a stress state and your rest heart beat is too high (90+).

http://www.polar.com/us-en/products/accessories/H7_heart_rate_sensor

 

[Ray Seddon]

Sorry don't know what happened there - $#@%$# computers and Win8!! - Hi Athena Im new here but a 30-year sufferer of T and just started using masking sounds - try Stevearrison's Talk Player on the right side of the home page - open the sounds and see if one or two of them make your T less noticeable, or quietens it when you stop listening - if so you have at least found relief - Steve is terrific and helped me download a few tracks that I have loaded onto two MP3 players which I run all night on repeat and at quiet times during the day - I'm hoping that it may help with habituation as well, in time - 30 years is a long time to peg back but I have found hope from the family that is this site.
Thanks to you all - we are not alone...
Ray

 

[Piper the great]

If you get your hearing tested, make sure they test the High End... most don't go that high, mine was normal.. but I found a ENT that went into the high end, and that is where I had hearing loss... and after an ear infection, I got the T... if you look for an ENT, try to find one that also treats tinnitus, even though there is no cure, they may be able to help you deal with it, but the more you react badly towards the T, the more the T will react badly towards you... it take a while for our brain to break away from it.. your afraid and your brain sees it as a fearful think, drives up your anxiety, and stress which also feeds it.... crazy, but we are our own worst enemy.... get nice relaxing sounds at the same rate as your heart, and play them a 2 to 4 hours a day, and this helps your brain break away from the noise.. and over time it gets better, but time maybe YEARS....but it will, look at when most of us got the T, like in the past 5 years.. were still struggling.... but it gets better... get help, and do not expose your self to loud music again... back off...

 

[Angel G]

Hello, I don't know what to do too.
I have IT since 09 September 2015 and I thought of killing myself because it doesn't allow me to sleep. Still looking for a survival guide. The last medicine which had effect was GabaGamma. It has lots of side-effects, but was able to completely shut down my noise for a whole day. This effect lasted for the last 2 days. Today the noise returned strong :-( , despite the medicine, because finally I was allowed to sleep and the lying pose of my head unlocks my noise source. The doctors don't know the cause but don't struggle to find it - their advise is to go to psychiatrist... It's because when they test me, I can hear better than the average (of the healthy) people. I can hear up to 18kHz (still).
I And I know I'm not crazy and the noise is coming from the nerves which come out of the inner-ear. Something is irritating them. And the doctors (in my country) I visit don't even search for it...
I have an IT job and this lack of sleep is trying to kill me as specialist...
I'm trying to do a self-diagnose, but I don't know what's around the inner ear - is it liquid or meat or empty space. I have MRT of the brain which shows no problems with the brain.