If You Rate Your Tinnitus 9/10, How Do You Cope?

How do you cope?

My tinnitus is usually loud but seems extra loud for the past two days.

I try not to focus on it but it is louder than the radio on low volume.

It is usually faint outside but not today.

I am told it could fade so just wait but I don't see a pattern illustrating this.

It is especially bad trying to sleep. I have a headache and maybe it's due to poor sleep? I dunno.

 

To preface what I am going to say, I hate the 1-10 tinnitus scale. It is so subjective it is almost pointless to use. One person's 8/10 can be another persons 4/10 could be another person's 10/10.

@PeteJ a 9/10 would be considered very severe tinnitus, almost catastrophic. Severe tinnitus is a lot louder than “can be heard over the radio on low volume”. If you can hear it over low volume radio, than I would say you have moderate tinnitus not severe. There are people with significantly worse tinnitus than you, and can cope with it. @Ed209 and @fishbone are two examples.

Severe tinnitus is, more like being able to hear it over the shower.

People cope by trying to accept that the tinnitus is there, it isn’t going away, and that they need to learn to co exist with it.

Going to therapy to help deal with the anxiety and depression around it also helps. While there they may recommend medication as well.

I have given you this recommendation many many times to try and help you yet you refuse to acknowledge, listen, or try it.

Please seek mental help regarding tinnitus because it will help you. It will not lower your tinnitus, but it will help you learn strategies to cope.

 

I am worried about the noise outside too. Could it have done something?

 

What noise outside? What dB level?

Have you thought about the idea that you may have developed a serious sound phobia causing excessive noise protection, which has been proven to worsen hyperacusis and tinnitus?

 

Who agreed with you?!?

I am not using excessive noise protection. But, there are ambulances that go by from time to time. You think that is okay?

Can you help me? What do you mean by worsen?

 

I am crying. Everyone just rates me with a 'hug.' I am scared of this spiking. I don't know how long I can take this.

 

Tinnitus that I usually experience is very loud and can be heard in the shower. It's audible in almost every situation. On the highway, in shops, bars, pretty much everywhere. Moderately loud venues provide masking, but I can still hear it, because it's very high frequency and there just not that many natural sounds at this frequency.
It sometimes goes down to mild levels, but unfortunately only for a few hours in the morning. This gives me a reprieve.

I don't have any detectable hearing loss up to 16000 Hz. My audiogram is within 5-15 dB threshold which is considered normal. It's just very loud and apparently some other factors like migraines influence it's loudness.

In February it has changed it's pitch and sound, but has gotten louder. It's a bit easier to tolerate it sometimes so I wouldn't consider it severe at the moment although for many people this would be catastrophic tinnitus.

At the moment I can objectively rate it at 7 or 8 according to this loudness chart.

I don't cope. I suffer.

 

Please please please go see a mental health expert. They can help you!

 

You have to calm down, you're putting yourself in a tailspin. I had to pick myself off the floor. I've had spikes and they have gone away. You can move forward.

 

It went to mild levels but not for a while now.

I am hoping this spike is because my sleep has been so poor. But, how can I sleep when it won't calm down? Many times, it did at night around 9 or 10 PM. That's when I would sleep.

It's been loud for 4 days now.

 

Once again, go see a doctor. They can give you sleeping pills. They will knock you out.

Get yourself a new pillow. No computers or TV or mobile phones before sleep. Drink sleeping tea (usually chamomile). There is lots you can do.

 

4-5 days a week my T is so loud that I can hear it in the shower. The other 2-3 days a week it's very quiet that I barely can hear it.

Ear noise generators have helped to a point. Wearing them takes my mind off the T especially on loud days. Should help with gradual habituation if you wear them long enough.

 

Interesting. First time I've seen that chart. Yes, as some have mentioned T is so very relative. When I first got mine it went from an ambient whisper to the old hair dryer pointing at my ear. I even had a wind sensation and was hearing it from the back of my head at times..traumatizing to say the least. I honestly assumed I would be ending my life within the year. Thank the Lord my T has for sure, without-a-doubt lessened in volume and pitch. Looking back I guess the hair dryer was a blessing as by the chart above I have severe T and am getting along very well; its the H that's getting me. I hear my T 24/7, nothing fully masks it, yet believe it or not there's times with I don't notice it unless someone reminds me of it. These situations are typically when I'm really focused on something or it changes to a more tolerable pitch. To tell you the truth I can't believe my T is considered severe. Don't get me wrong, days exist where I want to take a drill to my head and I get really, really down, but still, I'm here, and ok. I guess what I'm trying to say is that for those with severe T (7-9), life will go on and you will cope (not going to include 10). I hate saying this, I really hate saying this, but it will become your new normal. BTW - I even sleep in silence.