I Love Noise — Tinnitus from Shooting Guns without Hearing Protection

Hi everyone,

I've had tinnitus for almost 16 years (I'm almost 60 years old) and it's the loudest thing I hear 24/7. I just have it in my right ear and it's a high pitched constant (it's never better or worse no matter what I do)...

I have learned to keep my mind occupied/busy and I thrive on noise (which is different from what I read about others and noise) around me to distract me... if I didn't I would go nuts.

I've had hearing test after hearing test and my hearing is great (my kids growing up said I hear too good... LOL).

I try my best not to dwell on it, even though at times it's very difficult but if you're going to have to live with it like I've had to you will learn.

Everyone that comes to my house thinks I'm hard of hearing because I always have noise going, whether it's the TV or radio. My TV is on 24/7 even though I'm usually not watching it. I even sleep with it on because I got tired of getting woke up thinking the phone was ringing or someone was ringing the doorbell.

I try to keep a positive attitude too.

If you haven't noticed by my conversation, I jump around a lot. I think my brain has rewired itself as it always feels like it's going a hundred miles an hour so it's hard to concentrate at times...

Anyways, don't give up and play around with keeping your mind distracted so you don't dwell on the tinnitus. It's the best advice I can give you.

GOOD LUCK and hang in there.

P.S. Where I worked at we had to wear earplugs because of the noise. That drove me nuts with them in so I cheated and never wore them the right way so I could hear noise. I'm not advocating you do what I do because noise is what caused my tinnitus in the first place (shooting guns without hearing protection). Please be safe and wear hearing protection.

 

YEAH BOI!! NOISE!!