I Habituated Really Quickly

Hi All,

This is a post for all of you newbies that need some encouraging words.

I first got T in June of this year (2014) its now October and I can say that I believe I am habituated and have been for the past few weeks.

I feel like I am habituated because there are period of the day (long periods) where I don't even hear my T. when I do hear it I feel shocked that I haven't heard it before in the day. It take about 2 minutes of my attention then I don't think about it again until the next time I randomly hear it (I must admit I do still hear it a lot at night but it doesn't bother me)

T is also NOT the first thing I think about when I wake up which is great, sometimes I don't even think about it until lunchtime, or dinner time.

When I first got T I was in such a state of depression, I was sick, worried and felt like my life had ended. Now after a few short months I feel completely normal (whatever that is) again. I'm working, driving, going on holidays (to Magaluf of all places), partying, drinking, eating what I want... I'm leading a normal life. The hearing loss sometimes isn't great as I struggle to hear in crowded places but I am adapting to that.

I just wanted to let you all know that i know how it feels at the start and when I read people saying it will get better I didn't believe it... honestly it really does. Another thing to point out is and this is a huge part of habituation THE INTERNET IS FULL OF DOOM AND GLOOM!! since habituating I haven't thought about forums or Googling Tinnitus because I have had no need. I feel like when you feel better no one writes about the positives of living with T this is why I wanted to write this post the majority of Tinnitus posts are negative not many people bother to come back and write about the positives, just remember that.

If anyone would like to talk please do feel free to contact me.

Caff xxx

 

@Cafclifton,
Please may I ask you, was your T obtrusive or loud at any stage before your recovery? I think that it is great to have read such a positive post - but my T started out really quiet and I hardly noticed it....but then suddenly it went boom one morning and it has gone up and down since then. Yesterday it was really quiet and today it is really loud. Last night I was unable to sleep at all even though the sound was low - however that may also be due to the fact that I left talk radio on next to me which may have kept waking me up....but now it has been so long since I slept properly or for more than a few hours, I am now bone tired....mine really started in late July properly, but I am no way habituated. Please tell me more.....so I can get there too....otherwise it is the AM 101 trials which fill me with horror....injections in the ear, 600kms round trip, staying there for several weeks in the camper van in the cold winter months...brrr!!

 

hi @amandine sorry it took so long to respond, it looks like the tag in my name didn't work.

My T came on very suddenly, very loud and very intrusive. I would say its just as loud at the moment but because it doesn't bother me its less intrusive. Its really hard to explain how im not bothered by it but im just not, its so strange but really great. I think that rather than thinking "Oh im so young and im going to have this for the rest of my life and my life is ruined" i flipped it on its head and thought "Im so young I have the rest of my life to live, i have all these exciting things to look forward to. Yeah the T is here to stay so just get over it" I know that sounds really hard and if i was me back in June, July hearing that I would have seriously hated the person that said it but its so true, one day you do just get over it. For some people it takes weeks, months and others years. Im just very lucky that it took me a few months which is strange as im usualy a very negative, anxious person when it comes to things going wrong.

You should look into the Autifony trials, im waiting for some more information on that. its tablets rather than the injections in the ear.

the things that helped me where just carrying on as normal, do the shopping, go to parties, go on holiday and when you start to feel sorry for yourself tr and snap out of it or you will constantly feel sorry for yourself and i know when you are so tired and so don about your T its the last thing you want to hear, all you want to do it self putty, i know because i did it, but as soon as i stopped i was well on my way to recovery.

If you feel like you need to talk please feel free to contact me on here or skype or anything like that. I want to help as many people feel positive about their T as possible... i cant remember the last time i hada down day because of my T

Take care all xxx

 

Thank you so much for posting this. I needed to read this as i am really struggling today. T hit me out of the blue when i was already experiencing panic attacks and i so wanted to hear a positive story.

 

@bodhisattva - Its horrible when it comes out of the blue, especially when you are already suffering with something else medically. You WILL get back to normality i promise you that xx

 

Very encouraging post. Thanks caff. Has your T gotten better? How did you get it?

 

I'm glad that you have gotten much better. The doom and gloom may be from others that have it much worse then you. Some people like myself hear it 24/7 even over the TV and while hearing other sounds. Also, this medical term "habituate" that seems to be used on this board all the time,... it simply means getting used to something.

 

Hi @Thopeful, medically I would say no it hasn't gotten any better but it hasn't got any worse. Day to day I am coping with it better and have accepted it and this is why I often don't hear it throughout the day and when I do hear it I don't think 'oh no my T is loud again' I honestly don't think anything. It's like when the dishwasher is going off I can hear it but I don't actively think about it and analyse in my head what the dishwasher is doing and that's what I stopped doing with T. I know it's easier said than done though. I got T and hearing loss in my right ear after having a bad cold that turned into a viral infection. It made me dizzy sick and off balance for week and the T and hearing loss are my permanent side effects. How did you get yours?

 

Hi @beemovie, Saying that people have it much worse or much better than me isn't really the way I like to look at it and no T sufferer should look at it that way. Yes Medically peoples T may be worse or better than someone else's but everyone reacts to and handles things differently so by saying to a T sufferer that's having a really hard time "There's people that have it worse than you" could make them feel even more upset and depressed. When I first started getting T I thought I had the worse case in the world, was so down, anxious, crying all the time but now I'm coping with it day to day I don't have all those feelings any more however medically my T hasn't changed so I really wouldn't like to say people have it worse or better than others.

My T is there 24/7 and if I thought about it that's all I would think about 24/7. The fact that I have been able to zone in and out of it doesn't mean it stops. Its like I said about the dishwasher, you know its on and making a noise but you just zone it out. Yes Habituation is getting used to it and once you finally do (which you will do) it makes life so much more bearable. As I said everyone is different so it takes people different amounts of time to habituate to their T just as everyone has a different perspective on how bad their T is.

I really hope that you find a way to Habituate soon. My best advise is just try and get on with your life (I know its easier said than done) do things that make you happy, eat foods that made you happy, have a glass of wine... or 3 go on holidays do all the things you have ever wanted to do because life is just too short. When you are watching the TV really focus on what the characters are saying, imagine yourself in their position really get into what you are watching and I promise you one day while you are doing that you will suddenly turn round and think "Hey I just didn't hear my T for 2 minutes" then it will be "5 minutes" 10, 20 then up to whole hours at a time. Throw yourself into everything you do and T will just become a background noise, the worst thing you can do is feel sorry for yourself as it just keeps those negative feelings in and doesn't give room for the positive. (again I know its easier said than done) I do feel sorry for myself once in a while, not often, but then I just tell my self to pick it up and carry on with life.

If you, or anyone else ever needs to talk please feel free to contact me

Caff x

 

@caffclifton - superb post! Believe me, your sharing and encouraging goes a long way to helping those in those dreadful early stages of dealing with T!!! Kudos for sharing your story and your success!! Plus I am really stoked for you!! You are living again and not letting T rule your life. Your experience and story are very similar to mine!! It took me a bit longer to habituate, but I have!! So listen up newbies (I know it totally sucks right now ), you WILL get through this, and you WILL live, love, and laugh again!!

Caff is spot on, start doing the things you used to do, things that bring you joy (even if you have to force yourself to!!) Get your proper sleep on, get some exercise, find activities that mellow you out and take your mind off of T. Take back your life from T! You may not feel it, but you are stronger and bigger than your T!! Kick it's butt !!

Peace to you all!!

Jeff

 

I am glad i read Caff's post early on in this new joyous chapter of life in a fragile human body. It forced me to start making plans, getting out with friends, looking for a new job and new girlfriend.

I was recently laid off from a good job of 10 years, i'd ended a primary relationship and had a lot of free time on my hands. I fell into a wicked depression (with panic attacks, also a new addition to this joyous chapter) and was spending too way too much time at home alone.

Just when i thought it couldn't get any worse, i wake up one morning with a strange ringing in my ears. Instant panic attack, read everything i could on the internet and figured it had to be related to some medication i was taking, so i stopped or changed those meds. The ringing persisted. Trips to audiologist, ENT etc.. you all know the drill. Welcome to the world of Tinnitus.

All i wanted to do was stay home with the volume up on the computer/tv, then take ambien to sleep while running a white noise app on my phone. Miserable! No appetite, constant anxiety. There were two nights where i considered the most dramatic of all ways to make this ringing stop, i'm sure some of you know what i mean.

Then i read her post and it gave me hope. I've started forcing myself to be more social, even if i don't feel like it and it has really helped. Last night i went to a movie, there were quiet parts (little indie theater) where i could still hear the ringing but the difference now is that it doesn't trigger the adrenaline or anxiety or ... whatever you call it.

Before now, i would wake up hoping it was gone and then the instant i heard it, my heart would sink and..decent into hell.

I'm still pretty new to this and it still really sucks! But i'm at least beginning to see that i WILL be able get used to it and be able to live a normal life. I'm certainly not there yet and oh what i would give to hear silence again, as meditation was one of my primary stress-coping mechanisms, but i do see a little ray of light out there, thanks to the positive posts on this forum.

 

@ caffclifton -- Howdy,

I'm new to this forum. Any tips how you habituated so quickly? Was it entirely passive without any type of intervention protocol...like TRT, CBT, etc.? Or just your attitude perhaps? Any sleep meds ever used?

Thanks
MCK Trader

 

Hi @MCK Trader, I think it was entirely passive in the sense that I knew I couldn't carry on feeling down and waiting for the NHS as their waiting lists are so long. I did have one TRT session but this was more of an initial discussion and I was given a white noise generator which I only used one. It did help but I didn't want to become reliant on it.

I was given some anti anxiety tablets which I took for 2 weeks just to get me over the edge then I stopped taking them.

With regards to sleep I found it difficult at first but now I use a fan to make some noise at night and I find I fall asleep naturally and peacefully.

I know it's so scary when you first get T so if you ever want to chat feel free to message or Skype me

Caff x

 

Caff! I understand you perfectly in that I also am a bit on the negative when it comes to things going wrong. When I first had my T in March 2014, I thought it was the end of me since I heard there was no cure. I asked myself how am I going to cope with this for the rest of my life? That it became the centre of my life. Everything came to a stand still. It wasn't fun being around me anymore. But a few weeks ago, I think I was in the period of habituation . Because I could barley hear the noise although it was there.i have relegated it to the background of my priorities .and now I must say life is starting again for me.

 

Great story,

I can say my T does not bother me as much now as the first 2-3 months but there are still alot of moments where it is really annoying, but it is gradually getting better.

Sometimes i do not hear for a couple of hours but when I hear it, it still is very annoying and bothersome, luckily I fall asleep very easy nowadays and I can easily focus my attention to something else, I rarely wake up at night, compared to the first months where I would wake up every damn hour with loud high pitched T screaming.

I try to, and i say try, to keep a positive attitude and I really feel I am on the road to recovery, still with ups and alot (too many)of downs but it gets better to ignore the T with every passing month, my hyperacusis is almost gone and I don't need the earplugs now, used to be all the time when I went out of the door.

I am following TRT now for 1 month and it is a real help.

I am slowly starting to enjoy things in my life again, very slowly, one step at a time.

 

I love your post @caffclifton My T increased back in May and I have been following you on this journey (2nd habituation process for me).

I am about to post a success story on here. I have nearly 100% habituated to a much louder T for the second time. I am happy once again and feel I have gained my life back. My T spikes now (from 2007 -2014, it didn't) and it doesn't bother me anymore. The low and loud days almost all sound the same, with me not giving a fuck (sorry).

Since I've been in this process, my T has mutated, it is becoming less reactive (no more frying pan in my head or almost!), I fall asleep with no masking and I feel generally much better.

I thank you for sharing your journey with me (and with us).

Anne-Marie

 

Thanks for sharing everyone. I've had this condition since September 2012. I've had my lows--- really low. I can't say I'm habituated completely but at least I'm not in that hole any longer. Lately my T seems louder and intrusive which triggers the anxiety to go off. I can hear my loud EEEE over the TV which is just about 4 feet away. I tell myself its alright and its just a noise but its hard to shake the anxiety away. So here I am reading the positive stories to remind myself that things will be alright. It's depressing and tiring but I know I have to move on or fall back in the hole...

 

Great @haame Hannah that's so good to hear you are starting to habituate and so quickly too. I thought it would take me years but clearly people are managing to do it just as quickly as I have so there is hope to get life back on track quickly

@Bart if you are already finding times where it doesn't annoy you for a little while you will soon be forgetting all about it and I mean just forgetting all about it. I rarely think about my T maybe once or twice a day for like 1 minute (unless I'm on tinnitus talk... Then I'm focused on it hehe)

@ampumpkin yey I'm so so glad you are getting better you where a really helpful when I first started getting T

Thank you for sharing your sorry too. So amazing to habituate to T not once bit twice

@flkb hopefully you will be able to watch TV one day without the T bothering you. I find getting into a good series helps as you get so engrossed and lost in what you are watching you just forget the T

Good luck all of you. Stay strong. Stay positive xx

 

I have hyperacusis and tinnitus (my T is very mild... even though I hear it a lot of the time now, I don't mind it)

My H was very intrusive and life-altering, but I quickly habituated as well. I do have periods when it acts up, but I only think of it randomly.

I wonder if much of my success is because I got on it very quickly. I used sound generators (hearing aide devices) that got me over the agony part, and then quickly progressed to just going about my daily life. From sudden onset of symptoms (Nov. 18th) to starting the hearing aides (Dec. 20th) - that is only 32 days after onset. It is my uneducated belief that the brain hadn't fully re-wired to the "bad hearing" and I could recover and re-wire to something a little more appropriate. I still have a hard time hearing in noisy enviornments, but I'm actually able to BE in noisy environments. I could hardly leave my house way back in late November through the new year. Once I started the hearing aides, I was able to go to the grocery store about a week later, when it wasn't busy. Then progressed onward and upward.

I still don't like people talking directly in that ear, but otherwise, I go about my day like usual.

 

@caffclifton
How did you sleep atnnight? I read people were getting hearing aides? I was recently diagnosed with tinnitus early Nov and now lacking sleep like no other I'm sure you all can relate. I was prescribed ambien 5mg. Took 1/2.of that Wednesday night worked like a charm but took the other half at 3 this morning but did not do justice. I don't want to become addicted as I've read and tortured myself because of the reading of what ambien is and does

is there any other sleep aid? I'm losing so much sleep so much weight. I was 165-167 pounds at the beginning of this month now I am at 149 - 150

Help please. I haven't seen a psychiatrist yet but my primary care doctor also prescribed paxil but I am EXTREMELY hesitant In taking it as she is my doctor not psychiatrist prescribing that.

 

Hi @kaycee I think I just got used to it in all honesty. I know sleep was the hardest thing to overcome though. The time when you want it to be quiet and peaceful. I have always slept with a fan on even before the T I also downloaded an app called SLEEPMELODY on my iPhone and I have a MP3 pillow that I plug it into but to be honest with my Hearing loss depending on what side my head is I often can't hear it.

I'm a big believer in getting it right on your own therefor I didn't take any tablets to help me sleep. I hate the thought of becoming reliant on a tablet.

I'm getting my hearing aid Monday after 4 months of waiting. To be honest I will only use it when I'm a passenger in the car as that's when my deaf side is facing the driver and I can't hear a thing. You are advised NOT to wear hearing aids in bed.

All I can say is that it most definatly does get better in time. Some more time than others. I was lucky that I habituated very quickly. The best advice (and I'm not trying to sound horrible here what so ever) is just get on with being normal again step by step. The T is here to stay now (however much you want it to go, it's always a better outlook to look at it as its here to stay than to always wake up thinking... Is it gone) once I stopped waking up hoping it was gone and then having the disappointment that it was still here it helped me to just get on with life again. Don't set yourself up for disappointment, don't self pity (even tho to begin with it's hard not to) and do things that you love. You will find in time that yeah you can still hear the T but not all the time only when you think about it. It will be the last thing on your mind. It defo defo defo will get better.

Sorry if some of my message seems blunt I don't intend to come across that way. I just can't stress enough how trying to get back to normality as soon as possible has a massive impact on how quickly you habituate. It WILL get better

If you need to talk I'm always here

I hope you start sleeping better with it in your mind that this is just the begging, you are still learning and getting stronger each day and soon enough life will be back to normality

Xxx

 

@ampumpkin I noticed the ringing was always there earlier this summer, but it didn't bother me at all. Didn't affect my life in the least. Then this past week it spiked- got so high pitched that nothing drowns it out. Is this like what happened to you? It is interfering with my thoughts. I'm 24, living my dream in NYC, and have an amazing boyfriend. I don't want T to get in the way of that though it is really hard...

 

Hey man, I'm glad to hear that you have adapted so quickly. I am still not an adult yet and I happened to go to one loud party a few weeks ago and my tinnitus still seems to be here. My grades have slipped a bit from not spending as much Time on homework and such (googling T) but I have come to the conclusion that if it goes away (which based on what I am experiencing lately, I think it has a chance) or if it doesn't, it will probably not even have a chance of going away until I ignore it.

I do feel as if it's been such a short time and tinnitus has almost helped me in a way. I have to try and enjoy myself more to ignore it, look forward to things, and focus on the things that really do matter- other than my T. By no means does this mean I don't want it go away (if this was the case, I'm probably hallucinating), but it should no longer affect how I live. Tinnitus is no more than a minor sound in my head. It could be worse, it could be better. All I have to do now, is live. Thank you for writing what you did.

 

This is a great email thread. Definitely gives me hope.

My T started on 11/8/14, and my life has been a roller coaster ever since. From day one, the ringing has kept me from sleeping, and functioning normally throughout the day. When it first started I wasn't too depressed, because I felt like over time I would wake up and it would miraculously disappear (which by the way, I'm still hoping for). But as time went on (I'm almost on month 2), I'm finally realizing this horrible ailment is not going away. At the beginning my ENT gave me Presidone ( steroid) in high 60 mg. dosages. Of course, this didn't help at all, and in fact had terrible side effects (weight loss, fatigue, etc.) I'm just now getting my body back to normal. Because I couldn't get any regular sleep (lucky if I slept 4 hours), I started taking Trazadone, which didn't keep me asleep, it just made me really tired, so I could fall asleep, but not stay asleep. Can you imagine, your so tired, but still cant sleep because of the ringing. Talk about a double whammy! So after one week, I decided to switch to Ambien 10mg. which definitely helped, but still only gave me about 5 hours of sleep. The side effect is I also started having panic attacks during the day, while taking the Ambien. After one week I stopped taking the Ambien. Now I'm trying to sleep naturally again (with no sleeping pills). I've been doing this for 5 days now. The first few days were really tough, because I couldn't go to sleep at all since I believe my body was still dependent on the Ambien. However on the 4th day, I was able to get some sleep (maybe 6 hours), but of course last night I was constantly waking up due to the ringing (maybe slept 3 to 4 hours). Once again the Roller Coaster ride of my T. One night I sleep okay, the next night I can't sleep. There is no consistency.

What I'm praying and hoping for, is what Caff wrote in her post. Hoping that I can habituate to my T ringing and eventually begin sleeping a more normal sleep cycle, where I don't hear the ringing while I sleep. Currently, the ringing is not too loud before I go to sleep, but once I close my eyes, the ringing intensifies and the volume ramps up, so I need to crank up the volume on my sound machine. When I turn up the volume, it seems the ringing volume turns up also. Then I start feeling hesitant on turning up the volume, because I don't want my T to get any louder. I'm in a constant state of 2nd guessing myself every moment of the day. Should I or shouldn't I? Maybe I'm still too new to my T, which is why I cant seem to habituate to this. I'm praying that my mind and my nervous system habituates soon, so I can get much needed sleep. And try to get my life back to some normality.

Does anyone have any sleeping tips? I currently use a sound machine, so I do have some sound while I sleep. Not sure if there's any other process. I really don't want to get back on sleeping pills or anti depressants if all possible.

Need some advise please.

Mark K.

 

@Mark K.
I'm 6 months in and since about month 3 or 4 I've been able to sleep fine. In the first couple of months I used sleepy time tea or melatonin 3mg or sometimes both. Now I don't use either and Im able to fall asleep normally and stay asleep for 6-8 hours. I also fall asleep with a fan on low and the tv usually on low volume. I have the tv programmed to shut off at midnight.
Although even on days off Im wide awake at 630 or 7am but that might have more to do with my body being used to getting up at 530am every day for work.
My point is that you will be able to sleep normally, it's a little tough in the beginning but you will be fine

 

Thank you Rube. How loud is your Tinnitus? My ringing is a very high pitch that usually starts out low prior to sleeping, but then ramps up to a louder volume once I close my eyes and let my mind drift. Which is why I cant take naps. I'm not sure if my sleeping is harder because my tone is a higher pitch as opposed to a lower tone. Sleep has become my own little torture chamber now. If yours is pretty loud and you've been able to sleep 6 to 8 hours normally, you definitely give me hope. Each day varies, some days (very few) my ringing is almost non-existent, some days its very low, so I can hear it, but every now and then I don't hear it. Some days its a little higher where I can hear it and it's on my mind most of the time, and just recently, I had one day where it was really loud at night and carried into the next day till the next night ( I was almost a basket case). If all I need to do is wait and eventually I'll get habituated to the sound, so I can sleep, and have more good days. Then the future looks bright.
Let me know.
Mark K.

 

Rube:
Forgot to ask. Did you ever take sleeping pills or anti-depressants? I'm trying to stay off them.

Thanks,
MarkK.

 

There are people on here with tinnitus so lound thsat its hurts who have no problems sleeping. Telis is one of them. Sleeping is always difficult at the start and its more the anxiety that causes this problem rather than the tinnitus itself. People with anxiety usually have sleeping issues. The brain has more difficuly to sleep with anxiety and thoughts racing. To be able to sleep it needs to be calm and not focus on stuff like that. Anxiety is very common right after onset and is very common to subside after a while, so dont worry about this longterm

 

Thanks Jesse. Your words are very encouraging. I guess at this point in my tinnitus journey, I can't see how I'll ever sleep normal with this high pitched noise in my ears. But if time will give less attention to it, then I can't wait till the future. Have you ever tried hearing aids for sleep and habituating? I saw an Audiologist, who uses a hearing aid (brand name Widex Dream Series). It uses a program called Zen and uses Fractal tones and noises to have your mind focus on the tones and not the tinnitus. It's retraining your mind to give attention to the fractal tones and not the tinnitus. Basically retraining the brain to think less of the ringing, so you habituate to giving less attention to the tinnitus. You only wear the hearing aids 2 hours during the day and listen to the Zen Fractal tones, and sleep with them at night. Eventually, your brain begins to put less importance on the ringing and more on other sounds. I'm going to try them for 30 days and hope it habituates me quicker into thinking less of the ringing. I'll keep you updated on my progress.

Thanks for your email, it definitely helps me.

Mark K.

 

@Mark K. Hi and thanks for your post.

I think once you habituate naturall sleep becomes easier. In the first months of my T i used a Sleep App playing waters sounds with an MP3 pillow so my boyfriend wouldnt hear the sounds. I also have a fan on at night which i still sue now.