I've Returned, Slightly Healthier but Still Troubled

Well I'm back after my requested two week "vacation" from this forum has expired. I have learned a lot more about sensory systems in my absence, and gotten to review some of the studies I reference a bit more in depth than before.

Exercise has been useful, though not as promising as I initially thought. Still, it helps for other health concerns I either do or will have at some point. Recently, my tinnitus has been louder because I am stressed about school and not sleeping well at night. I started using CBD oil for sleep and have some success, though the feeling of it was a bit too much at times.

I'm trying to keep my spirits up but life is stressful, and contrary to popular belief a person who has a neurotic dominant personality like myself cannot simply "relax" or "take it easy". Most people I see write this are people with Type B personalities who don't usually have too many cares or hard drives in the world. Still, I suppose relaxation is a bit a of a problem for me. Clonazepam helps but considering I'm back on it after tapering off it means I cannot use it as much as I'd like.

So my questions I guess is, how exactly do people relax? My Adderall makes me less reactive and less impulsive to the noise, but inside I feel myself wanting to scream. People on here talk about meditation but I will never understand how anyone can sit still, in a quiet place, and focus on literally anything other than the noise. Maybe they have less intrusive tinnitus? Who knows. Exercise helps me becomes less anxious but I can't always go for a brisk walk, so I need an alternative. My anxiety takes off pretty fast so slow breathing isn't always successful.

As much as it would help, I still refuse to accept this condition. It may be here but I will never not see it as a threat. Is this contradictory to my desire to relax and not be distressed by it? Yes, but that's just how I am. I need a way to relax while still seeing it as a threat and not accepting the condition. Acceptance will come when I either die with it or it gets cured.

 

Try an app called "Headspace"

It guides you how to meditate. You can learn to meditate while not being annoyed by your tinnitus.

 

I find it hard to sit in the quiet. I use guided meditation that has a calm voice and beautiful soft music to guide you into a calmer state. It could be a good thing for you to try.

I am going to check out Ann's Headspace.

I find listening with bose headset is the best way as it takes away all outside interference. You close your eyes and just get lost in the moment. And breathe slowly in through the nose to the count of about seven and feel the air fill your stomach area and then slowly breathe out through your mouth and keep repeating the process.

 

Hi I know is is very hard to meditate with the noise in you ears , can you try masking while medication. Have you ever heard of the third eye. Look it up the 7 Chakra that go thru your spine. Your self Consciousness have to take you to a higher superior being.It help me a lot .

 

Really I think I'm good without meditation. And yoga...neither of those seem interesting.

 

Most with tinnitus can accept the condition, but still yearn for a cure.

Some people, including at least one member here (not me, at least not yet), have found that by meditating to the sound of the tinnitus, rather than trying to ignore it while meditating, their negative reactions to the noise have eventually changed to neutral or positive, and this has virtually eliminated the anxiety and stress from it.

 

Do you use a Bose headset with the noise cancelling and, if so, is it to listen to music or meditation instruction, as well as with the N/C feature?

 

Welcome back! Your dog is gorgeous

 

It is difficult and you are not imagining it. And I say this because you need reassurances that tinnitus is messing with you and your well-being, A lot has to do with the dream state you are in and the unawareness everybody else is in.

I don't think it is threat mode as much as shock, pure shock. The shock is what takes us all the way to the ground. It takes a huge leap to get over it. Being at school keeps you busy, I had to fight to get a masker they are expensive but they can help, I'm assuming you listen to soft music, I use an old radio. I did a lot of walking around the track my kids go to.

Also, for me I work more on how my body feels then my head. And after awhile my body felt better and my head just came along. I also keep to a sleep routine shower, Tylenol PM, eye mask, fan, sound machine, and think only 3 months out and what needs to be done.

It helps me.

 

I have loud unmaskable severe Tinnitus.
Truly awful, but I can relax and meditate
(ie - drift off) using this method.
Definitely worth a try.

*Meditation breathing technique*

Sit back in an easy chair - arms on the chair arms.
Lay head gently to one side, so that the tongue does not block the breathing.
Take a deep nose breath in,
Breath out through the mouth,
having previously asked your tummy to breath for you.

**From now on, no more conscious breathing.
There are reflexes in your diaphragm that will instigate an in-breath, and reflexes in your chest to instigate an out breath.
Allow breathing to ‘just happen.’**

As soon as I have established a state of peace, I then think about what my auto-suggestion needs to be.
If I’m not quite deep enough, I will think the word deeper - deeper - deeper -deeper....

 

Pre-requisite for meditational breathing
is a Soft mouth and Loose jaw.

Assume the oral characteristics of a new born baby:
Lips closed
Teeth and jaws comfortably apart
Inside of the mouth quite quite soft
Tongue floating gently in water.
Throat soft and relaxed.

 

You don’t need to actively listen to your Tinnitus,
of course you will hear it anyway.
But if you can follow the “soft mouth - loose jaw” method, and go into the “natural reflex breathing” routine, you can leave behind much of your anxiety and panic.
It doesn’t cure Tinnitus, but it can give you emotional ease.
However, if you adopt the attitude that ‘it doesn’t seem interesting’ then you’ve just thrown away a very useful coping method.
Good luck. x

 

Hi @Gl0w0ut ,
Maybe look into a voluntary job that gets you out side or a walking group or other things you might like to try.
Nice to see you back.
Love glynis

 

As soon as you accept that life is a subtle form of hell things will improve. However you need to stop fighting T for this to happen. It is what it is.

 

I don't meditate or do yoga either. I know lots of people say there are mental health benefits, but to me, it would be cultural appropriation to do mindfulness meditation and say it's not really Buddhist or to do hatha yoga and say it's not really Hindu. I don't think the members of those religions would agree that their religious practices are no longer religious because psychotherapists say so.

What I do is take a long walk in quiet peaceful place. Or at home, put on some music and dance.

 

Good point here , but I am a Hindu . I find it very beneficial. Don’t like to talk about religion, but the Buddha was also a Hindu from India. Siddhartha Gautama.

 

I'm being doing similar to what @Jazzer does for months, but my mouth was kept more open with lips apart. I decided to spilt the difference and just keep my mouth slightly open and lips slightly apart. It works better, so thank you Jazzer.

With that and other methods I have been able to lower my whiplash T just a bit. It's still a very sharp high painful pitch, but at times volume is slightly less, though not tonight, oh well.

I'm been taking vitamin B for a long time, but I added vitamin C, Manganese Glycerophosphate at very small amounts six times a day and started taking Sotalol twice a day. Been working on body posture with walking exercises. Increased my breathing exercises and mindfulness. Been sleeping with hand on mattress side placed on temple. I made a few other sleeping adjustments. I lowered my pink rain just a little. I need to try notched music and maybe laser therapy.

Not sure what is helping from complete torture to just very severe. I'm been able yesterday and today to increase neck movement from one inch to two inches. I may be able to start trigger point therapy again on neck muscles after I have a few radiological extensive exams done in a different way that my neuro ordered. Although I need to place some curve back into my c spine where doctors have said that's not going to happen. I hope to prove them wrong.

Make friends with a radiologist as they are the smartest doctors when it comes to tinnitus as they know many of the causes. Talk to them directly by phone after any radiological testing and they can also help with a path forward.

Besides getting needed testing and blood work, I think that this board provides a great service and may at times narrow down what to discuss with an ENT or other doctors.

 

So sorry for the late reply @Luman. Yes I use the Bose headset with noise cancelling to listen to my music therapy and meditation instructions and for NC.

I cannot use any type of digital recordings through the Bose. I have to use a tape/ummm...walkman. I have a real problem with nerve damage in my ear/brain from the root canal from hell in 2002 which caused my tinnitus/hyperacusis issues. I am also highly sensitive to any surround sound stereo systems.

But I get tremendous help using the tape version for music/meditation therapy.

 

@Starthrower, thanks very much! I'll probably get one, although I'm not sure which model/manufacturer I'll purchase. Listening to meditation tapes very low is probably safe, and I would only use over-the-ear headphones, but I have not made up my mind 100% whether I want to do it.

 

I am curious as to why you think radiologists know a lot about T? I am not trying to be cheeky or rude, just wondering what you mean?

 

@Sonic17 To be a radiologist they first get a MD or DO degree with an added year of internship. then at least four years of graduate medical education. If a medical unit is large where a patient gets imaging with tinnitus the results will be noted by a head and neck radiologist that also considers injury.

All radiologists note IMPRESSIONS besides FINDINGS. A good radiologist will go into detail with IMRESSIONS and they will discuss this with a patient on the phone if requested by the patient. On one test, an carotid ultrasound, he found a nodule left cyst on my thyroid and said to me that it has nothing to do with my tinnitus which could be an unknown from some other doctor. My new tinnitus is from whiplash so he noted all the things involved which are many, but he also told me the domino effect in how my T happened. Often the doctor that orders exam will confer with a radiologist.

This is just my experience from within my area which has been better than my ENT experience. My ENTs didn't want to order extensive treatment beyond a MRI which is very profitable to their hospital associations. My other doctors did order tests where I got referrals from my GP. I knew that talking to my radiologist would be helpful from my hospital experience.

 

Yes, I understand the education required to become a radiologist, I have just never heard of anyone being able to talk with one about their scans/x-rays. I have seen their comments on tests, but this is the first I have heard of being able to see one for a consult. Perhaps with more advanced illness/disease states they are available for this, I have ever only had a standard CT scan and one MRI scan.

 

@Sonic17 After having my carotid ultrasound the radiologist called me without a request about my cyst on my thyroid. I never had an appointment to discuss in person, only by phone as mentioned above.