I'll Take Tinnitus, Thank You.

I see, again let me clarify, just because we agree to op's statements, it's a misinterpretation saying that people in here lack the empathy to grasp severe cases and therefore we agree with op. We know both sides.
You met a person with severe t, majority of the people in here have in different ways been in touch with worst case scenarios of tinnitus sufferers, fatal/crippling cancer striking family and friends. Potential lack of empathy goes many ways

 

Tenna although I don't believe it is a misinterpretation let's just agree to disagree on the subject and not have an argument. You think what Dan wrote was in your words 'evil'. I think that was colossal overreaction to his comment but you don't so we can go back and forth back and forth etc so let's just leave it for now.

 

Isn't the basis of habituation not reacting to the noise no matter the level, be it mild, moderate or severe? For example some people have mild tinnitus and suffer greatly from it, then there are people who have very loud tinnitus but it doesn't bother them, I was suffering a lot when I got tinnitus and when it increased, but now I am habituating to the noise I'm doing a lot better, only because my negative reactions have gone, isn't that the point of habituating to tinnitus, losing the reaction?

 

@mick1987

There is a huge difference between a noise that you can get relief from via everyday sounds or masking and sleep compared to a noise which drowns out a noisy packed sports stadium or can be heard even when standing next to a very loud giant speaker at a club. The latter cannot be masked and there is no relief because the person cannot sleep. Getting used to Tinnitus is not as clear cut as the neurophysiological model would try to have people believe.

Despite having to drop out of University this year when I got Tinnitus I'm actually much better now. There are some days I can actually forget I even have it until I go to bed. I actually get relief from it whereas some do not and that is the biggest difference as to why some people cannot habituate. They get no relief and it is ever present in their lives. Some people do understand this difference and seem to think all Tinnitus is the same.

 

When my tinnitus increased I could no longer sit in my quiet bedroom and read, I couldn't sleep either without getting drunk, the noise was too overwhelming, felt like my head was going to explode. Now I spend most of the day in quiet rooms reading, so I hear my tinnitus all the time, I can sleep fine now, I never mask, although I can hear my tinnitus loud and clear, it is no longer so overwhelming, I can push the noise to the background. I can sit in my quiet bedroom and relax, the noise no longer torments me, it has lost it's threat, so my brain has learnt it ignore the noise. So to me it is not about not hearing it to get relief, I can hear it and it doesn't register as a problem anymore. But I know it would be harder to do if you had severe tinnitus, but plenty of people on the yuku forum have habituated, even when their tinnitus is severe.

 

To be honest mick187 I think severe Tinnitus needs to be experienced before anyone can make a judgement. As I said in my previous comment this person had about 7 different noises in her head that were so loud I think I would end it if I had to deal with that and no sleep. At least you could sleep if you had been drinking. Alcohol dosen't help her sleep at all. She said the actual physical vibration she feels is the worst it's like a phone implanted in her head that never stops vibrating. Her T is so loud she struggles to hear her own voice when speaking.

She has been through an expensive TRT program and spent another fortune on Neuromonics. It was a waste of money she said it's not just one noise in each ear it's multiple otherwise she might have had some success.

As for yuku I would take what people say there with a pinch of salt. Before I heard this persons Tinnitus I would say that I had loud Tinnitus but after hearing this persons mines is nothing but a simple low hum. Hers is a combination of severely loud ringing, blood flow pulsating, airplane taking off and this bizaare hissing sound that was really disturbing. She has had this for over 5 years. Lost her job and her marriage over it. What I have does not compare yet I could easily have written otherwise on a forum and stated how I had gotten over it and resumed my life etc.

It's easier for the brain to ignore less intrusive noises then louder ones. Something I believe isn't given enough attention. According to the ATA 50 million Americans have Tinnitus but 2 million are so debilitated they cannot function on a normal day to day basis. If there was a well designed study looking into why these 2 million cannot cope I believe volume would surface as the main reason for most. Until something like this is done I believe there will continue to be alot of misunderstanding on this subject.

 

From what I understand, the volume of ones tinnitus can be measured by the appropriate medical professional with the proper tools. I've read ( I'd have to look for that info again) that ones T volume perception doesn't necessary match the objective measurement. So one may perceive their T volume as unobtrusive, while someone with a lower T volume (as measured) may perceive there T volume as more obtrusive.

 

I do feel for that lady I really do, it must be horrible to not even hear your own voice when speaking, but surely that has got to do more with hearing loss than tinnitus?

As for the other people claiming to have habituated to severe tinnitus I wholeheartedly believe them. One lady is almost deaf, all she hears is her severe tinnitus and she is habituated, a happy woman, tinnitus doesn't bother her. Get yourself over to yuku forum and read the success stories yourself.

 

@Misery

yes she reconstructed what her Tinnitus sounds like through someone medical although off the top of my head I can't remember where and who. What I heard is exactly what she hears each day and let me tell you it was horrific. Actually put mine into perspective as before I would of claimed I had excruciatingly loud Tinnitus.

@mick1987

you are incorrect she does not have any significant loss according to her audiogram. You can believe whatever you want but as I already explained I do not automatically believe random people on a forum for reasons I have already outlined. For the record I am familiar with Yuku and found it before I joined Tinnitus talk.

 

From first hand experience: I am diabetic, and have had two near fatal heart attacks, a foot of my colon taken out because of cancer, then last year open heart surgery for a 4x bypass, my kidneys are in stage 3 of chronic kidney disease. Three months after the bypass is when my T started.
I am not looking for pity, far from it. I will say that of all the above, T has affected the quality of my life far more so than anything listed.

Given the choice, I would choose not to have T above all else...

 

A very delicate question that I believe is subjective to the sufferer. Personally, if I could choose to get rid of my panic & anxiety disorder or tinnitus, I would be grateful to have my tinnitus instead. Derealization from anxiety has been an immensely terrifying experience for me. Imagine feeling like you are trapped in a dream or a bad movie, almost as if you took hallucinogenic drugs and reality is distorted, but you cant escape from your own head...

My point is not to compare the two, but rather to suggest that the OP may have simply been trying to ease suffering of those who CAN compare their tinnitus to something more painful, bringing some relief.

That being said, my tinnitus still is a hard thing to deal with. I've wished for death multiple times this year, as it's been an extremely unlucky year. Maybe it's this hardship that has made me strong enough to live with my tinnitus. I almost just expect bad things like this to happen to me now (as cynical as that may seem). But here I am, still standing.

The one thing I think everyone should pull from this, is that you have to be STRONG to live with tinnitus. Where you find that strength will be different for each person. The OP found his strength through perspective, and we should all celebrate his step towards habituation.

 

st, I totally agree with "I would be grateful to have my tinnitus instead" I used to suffer from panic attacks daily for a long time. Your description is dead on. I did not have that on my list because I have since been cured through what is now called CBT.
I also would take T over panic attacks. I sure hope your PA's diminish.....

 

So are you saying everyone who has habituated to severe tinnitus on the yuku forum is lying? If you are, post your view on the yuku forum and see what reaction you get!

 

Hey, mick here's some good information for you....

Notably, more than three-quarters of people who experience tinnitus can naturally habituate to it (Davis & El Refaie, 2000; McFadden, 1982).

Where they define natural habituation as...Individuals who naturally habituate are unaware of the presence of
tinnitus, except at times when they consciously focus their attention on it.

Here's another sentence from a book...

Notably, once sufficient level of habituation of reactions is achieved, habituation of perception automatically follows and a person is aware of tinnitus for smaller and smaller proportions of time as the brain automatically habituates all stimuli that are not important.

So, the odds are in your favor.

 

It takes empathy to understand another's empathy. Op does in no way undermine the need of a cure nor severe suffers, based of on assumption dan tells everybody who agrees to a bad intention which He attaches to op, to be the last in the linefor a cure, one thing is lack of understanding as you put it, another is the direct wish to see unwritten bad and wishing for pain to remain in others.
As to a fundamental search of empathy and understanding turning into misinterpretation and directly evil wishes for others, there is a decisive need for this to be argued. Op meant to put things into perspective, discussions are healthy for adding perspective, an approach of seeing bad unwritten adds nothing well and wishes for people to remain in more pain is welcome nowhere.

 

Well, I certainly opened a can of worms.
It wasn't meant to be offensive.
Humans use relationship... comparisons .... a thousand or more times a day. It's what humans do.

 

Wow! Just goes to show the passion we feel about T. I understood the thought behind the post. As stated we are all effected in different ways by T. Some suffer more than I and maybe some not as much. I wouldn't wish T on anyone and certainly wouldn't want someone to be at end of the line for relief from T, because they looked at T from a different perspective. We should keep the passion for ways to help each other through T and remain United in the mean time.

 

Personally have no problems with what you wrote 'I who love music'. As much as tinnitus sucks and we absolutely need a cure, there's a lot of issues that "need" a cure. My friend with Fibromyalgia (and it's been getting worse) is constantly looking for ways to alleviate her phantom pain. Is that better or worse than tinnitus? It's probably similar in how horrid of a brain issue it is. People are researching a cure for that as well, because that too affects many.

What's my point? Well, its that we shouldn't be so quick to assume that because disease A is being researched that disease B is not. You know how bajillions are poured into cancer research yearly? With the problems of depression, anxiety, and tinnitus coming from the military field and the the concussion issues in the NFL, brain research has been getting a tremendous boost lately. I strongly believe that all of those conditions will be "abolished" as soon as our understanding of how to kick the brain back into gear works, whether that's through electrical stimulation or what.

I have faith in our future.

 

I know this isn't an anxiety forum, but it's extremely reassuring to know CBT helped you, as I start my therapy next month.

There is no escape from your own mind, and mine feels poisoned from anxiety & panic right now. I feel like a prisoner in my own body some days. Really hoping to escape this nightmare with CBT. Thank for the reassurance!

 

IWLM, I did not take offense in anyway. It's good to get others involved in sharing their views...

 

Thanks man, when people make statements that once you get severe tinnitus you no longer habituate to it, it's impossible, you will live in misery, people who claim to have habituated to severe tinnitus are lying how bad it is really gets on my tits! When I first got tinnitus I found the yuku forum, their I read about people who have tinnitus a lot worse than myself and have recovered their lives, happy, living normally, it show's that no matter how bad tinnitus gets you will habituate, not live a life of misery, I was inspired, like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, tinnitus is a livable condition. That is a goal to reach in the future if your tinnitus does increase. Reading that you only don't care about your tinnitus because it isn't severe is offensive in it's self, imagine new tinnitus sufferers coming here with severe tinnitus reading that once you get past a certain point you are basically f****d! People have recovered their lives with loud tinnitus and people with tinnitus need to know that, this is a support forum!

 

I can't understand how people live without hope, hope of habituation, the first thing I did when I got tinnitus was to read forums like these, what drives you if you think your future is doomed? What is the point of carrying on? I know many say they live for a cure one day, but what if you wait a lifetime and a cure never comes? I sure don't want to be miserable until the day I die because of a f*****g stupid noise in my head! We have got to be inspired by people who although have severe tinnitus don't care about the noise, they are habituated, how great would it be if you didn't care about the screaming noise in your head, could live happily despite the noise, if my tinnitus gets worse in the future that's the goal I want to reach.

 

Honestly I don't know what keeps me going, I have to force myself to do everyday stuff, I guess the thought of not living and experiencing the world still prevails over my misery.

Something inside so strong...

Labi Siffre - Something Inside So Strong

 

Yes, you have to be strong to live with tinnitus. I recommend the Body-For-Life Program. Actually, it's a new way of living. If you do it, I'm sure your tinnitus will be minimized. Over ten years ago I found out about this program and I rid myself of HORRIBLE migraines that I had for over 20 years. Got rid of my aches and pains, increased my energy 1000 percent, I'm a million times stronger. When I say stronger, I mean muscles, connective tissue, nerves, mindset, attitude.. you get it. This is not your ordinary exercise program. It's a way of excercising that sucks the lactose (sugar) from the exercised muscle, and you must find something in you to do one more exercise, summoning up ATP, a chemical in your body reserved for quick action. When you do this, everything changes. I felt myself come into the real world as my mind and body became one. When you're weak and sickly or just flabby American, we kind of live in our minds. Sound familiar? Anyway, our bodies get us through our world. And doing this program you'll find that the world is very easy to navigate through when you're strong, healthy and happy. And no icky diet food!!
Anyway, it helped my tinnitus, so I thought I 'd throw that in.
Oh ... and anxiety dissappears. Promise.

 

I will look into this. I appreciate it!

 

Good for you.

 

Excuse me do not put words in my mouth. I never said they were lying nor did I ever imply that once anyone get's severe Tinnitus it's impossible to habituate to it.

I actually explained this point to you in one of my previous comments (No.36) on this thread. Since you either didn't bother reading it or you were unable to understand it let me explain it again for you.

I previously thought I had severe Tinnitus. I dropped out of University and was doing very badly. Now I'm doing much better and can actually forget I even have Tinnitus until I go to sleep and I hear it in bed. I could of written on Yuku that I had severe Tinnitus but am now habituating to it and am now resuming my old life. Someone like you could see what I had written on a forum and use it as proof that people can habituate to severe Tinnitus.

However the fact is I didn't have severe Tinnitus I just thought I did. Until I heard this woman's Tinnitus I thought mines was excruciatingly loud but it wasn't. This is the point many people do not know what severe Tinnitus actually is until they hear it and it's obvious that some people cannot understand and appreciate that. As I said I would have been the same had I not heard what I did. According to the ATA 2 million of the 50 million Tinnitus sufferers in the USA are unable to function on a day to day basis. Why is that?

Yes I could post this on yuku but you obviously haven't seen that this subject has already been posted many times over the years. The general consensus is always the same. People with less intrusive Tinnitus do not understand and get offended when they are told what they have isn't as bad as someone elses. I'm sorry but if your Tinnitus can be masked by something and you can sleep it is not the same as unmaskible Tinnitus and having chronic insomnia.

For the record as well I never once said that some people don't care about their Tinnitus because it isn't severe. If you are going to get offended at least be offended over something I actually said. I stand by my statement though until you have experienced what severe Tinnitus actually sounds like you cannot hope to actually understand. I never could of have before listening to this woman's Tinnitus and it explains why TRT and Neuromonics didn't work for her.

You obviously can't or don't want to understand where I'm coming from and that's fine but in future I respectfully ask you do not imply that I have stated things which I never did.

 

Might I ask how her audiogram can turn out alright, when she can barely hear her own voice, samsara, just curious.

now its suddenly not alright

 

She has hearing loss Tenna but not significant according to her. She could understand what I was saying but the vibration of her noises seems to affect her the most. I didn't say she could barely hear her own voice I said she struggles and that was what she told me. There is an obvious difference between the adjectives barely and struggling.

Also I haven't once implied people said things that they never did. Don't try to nit pick to start an argument. if you do not like what I have to say do not read what I write.

 

There are many degrees to pinches of salt yeah. If one struggles at hearing their own voice you make it sound like she barely cant, hence struggling.
Your entire opening in this post was JUST that. If you did not like what was written, apply your own logic to yourself, dont tell Me to stop while youre doing it yourself. where is the selfinsight and empathy