I'm Thankful... Even with Tinnitus

With Thanksgiving behind us I still want to say that I am thankful for my family and friends. I got T this year and it's a stressful, weird condition.

However, I make sure to continue living my life to the fullest and not let T change anything. I've done more traveling this year then before, and I have more trips planned. I continue with my workouts which boost my mood. I spend more time with people who I love and bring me joy, and it helps me to forget about T.

I am thankful for this site and it's supporting members.

As a community, you all bring hope to the millions of T sufferers around the world.

I believe if there is ever a cure or even a significant breakthrough, it will be through contributions and and knowledge sharing via sites such as tinnitustalk.com

D

 

Sounds like a recipe to permanently increase your (currently low, if I remember correctly) tinnitus inventory score.

 

Where did he say he was going to go to loud places? Living life to the fullest doesn't mean he is going to increase his T.

 

Yes, now I worry about my T getting worse, but previously I never subjected myself to loud noises or places. I went shooting guns once (not a fan), and I guess the ear plugs were not fully in.

I never exposed my ears to damaging sounds. I don't go to concerts and such. And now I take precautions by plugging my ears even in moderately loud places, like restaurants. So I don't think that living "my" life as before should be detrimental to my condition.

 

In that case I ought to apologize for my earlier remark.

I also haven't attended concerts before my acoustic trauma, and I don't intend to start now. But most people do go to concerts, restaurants where loud music is playing, etc. I thought you were one of those people. In any case, if your life had never involved noise, then not letting T win Is in fact a policy that makes sense.

 

Thanks... I am traveling to NYC in few days where I am going with family to attend Rockettes. No a concert per se but I expect to be a louder then my usual environment. So definitely wearing ear plugs all the way, and not hesitant to walk out if I feel it's not enough.

So its a borderline experience, but an example of not letting T control my life.

 

Not always the case Bill. Many can live their lives to the fullest, even with tinnitus. Fullest doesn't always mean LOUD....

 

Good for you! keep living your life and enjoy it...

 

Actually Bill I will disagree this time with you. Out of this forum I know few people and few acquaintances with tinnitus. They ALL keep on with their lives. I'll name professions: actors, djs (the one owns a bar) among others. None of them has any problem. NONE. No increases, no hyperacusis, no hearing protection. Nada! I do excactly the opposite. I wear plugs everywhere, I quit the cinema, bars, free walks. Everything. Guess what? Worsening and lately ear pain! I am screwed btw. So what is the conclusion here? Does signing up in the forum provides you with bad karma? (I'm just thinking loudly here by being sick of the agony and the state of not figuring out what on earth is happening with me, my body, my ears and my brain)

 

I would say that reminding someone with a peanut allergy who is bragging about eating everything he wants (without looking at the ingredient list to ensure that the item is free of peanuts) that he might end up dead as a result, would be a favor.

It is possible that their tinnitus would have been gone, had it not for their lifestyle.

Wouldn't walks in the park be reasonably quiet?

Some members on this forum who learned the hard way about protecting our ears include me and the two people I am going to quote below:

All of us ended up with spikes that had lasted over three months. It is possible that those spikes will end up being permanent, although all of us are hoping for the best.

I remember reading many more horror stories about people regretting not protecting their ears. I am sorry that I can't produce links to all of the relevant posts.

 

Wouldn't you agree that you are increasing the risk of a (possibly permanent) spike, and are also risking compromising your recovery? You wrote that you plan on leaving, if you begin sensing that the noise is too loud. Is it possible that you will end up leaving after the damage is done? Are you sure the benefit (seeing the show) is worth the possible downside (a permanent spike or compromised recovery, that takes place with a relatively low probability)?

 

Bill, wouldn't you agree that you simply cannot guarantee avoiding exposure to loud noises unless you lock yourself in a room? I was simply moving pots and pans yesterday at home, and something fell and banged really loud. It could be as simple as that.

I am taking a risk with concert but it's far more calculated then before I had T. Ear plugs, middle of theater away from speakers, and ready to leave at any time. And its not a rock concert, it's not meant to blow your eardrums.

 

The way I see it, each incident of exposure to noise reduces my chances of recovery and increases my chances of T getting worse. It is sad that it is unlikely that one can eliminate all exposure to noise. One can still try to avoid noise exposure whenever one can avoid it, and this is something that you don't seem to be doing.

 

Sometimes it seems like people post horror stories [illustrating what happens when one continues to live as if one didn't have T (possibly wearing ear plugs that provide a false sense of security)] on this site every day. It is surprising that people reading those stories are refusing to learn from others' experience.