Living with Tinnitus for Years: Finally Seeing Improvement?

painted_mirrors

Member
Author
Feb 4, 2025
6
Tinnitus Since
~2006
Cause of Tinnitus
Noise exposure from music
Hi!

I have had tinnitus for decades, but it only started getting really bad in the last five to seven years. When it first began, I was told there was nothing I could do, and I was much younger. Around five to seven years ago, sometime between 2017 and 2019 before the pandemic, it started bothering me again. I had a lot of sleepless nights and days when I wanted to hit my head against a wall. It has been up and down, but recently I have started taking better control of it. Someone mentioned this forum, so I wanted to become a part of it while I continue working on managing things.

I went to an audiologist since I had not had my ears tested in years. They removed some wax, maybe that was a factor, but they said it was not much and did not really need to be cleaned. The audiologist did not have many suggestions but recommended a book written by another audiologist about tinnitus and gave me a link to download it. Something about the way the book explained things clicked, and I feel like I have turned a big corner.

I realized I had been fighting it all the time, but I finally stopped struggling and just let it be. It is better now than it has been since the big upswing in the 2010s. I am trying to learn as much as I can because I had given up on improvement a long time ago and did not know there was anything I could do. Now that things are finally heading in the right direction, I am excited to learn from others.

Having had tinnitus for about 20 years, I hope I can help others while also picking up good recommendations from those who have found things that work.
 
I realized I had been fighting it all the time, but I finally stopped struggling and just let it be. It is better now than it has been since the big upswing in the 2010s. I am trying to learn as much as I can because I had given up on improvement a long time ago and did not know there was anything I could do. Now that things are finally heading in the right direction, I am excited to learn from others.
When you say "It is better now", do you mean a reduction of tinnitus noises and/or volume?

Or do you mean you are merely feeling better about it and accept it easier?
 
When you say "It is better now", do you mean a reduction of tinnitus noises and/or volume?

Or do you mean you are merely feeling better about it and accept it easier?
I agree with this. The only success stories I consider true successes are those involving a reduction in volume or number of tones, not the mindfulness and acceptance approaches I often see.

My mindset has improved compared to before, but I still feel like a ruined person.
 
I agree with this. The only success stories I consider true successes are those involving a reduction in volume or number of tones, not the mindfulness and acceptance approaches I often see.

My mindset has improved compared to before, but I still feel like a ruined person.

I mean, it feels quieter to me. But maybe I'm just paying less attention to it.

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? If my tinnitus doesn't bother me as much, and because of that I am not perceptive of it as much, is that not a reduction in volume or tones?

I feel like it's a bit restrictive to say a reduction in volume or tones is the only way to be successful. But then again, I'm looking for improvement, not perfection. Maybe that's why you still FEEL like a ruined person...
 

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