Masking Advice I Just Got from Dr. Marzgar

Ok so I got the hearing aides and they worked last night. I called the Hearing Doctor in LA that has T for many years to double check if it hinders my T. I was afraid that the additional noise could make the T worse and all the other audiologists are clueless.

Here is what he said:
DO NOT USE HEARING AIDS SO EARLY ON. He said DO NOT USE HEADPHONES. He said to ONLY use background noise like soft music and a fan or a white noise maker. He said that all those other things hinder habituation and that the noise to mask needs to be from the outside not directly in your ear.

So I don't know. I will try to do it that way for now I suppose. I just thought I would share this information that came from someone that has been trained by that same guy who trained William Shatner in TRT training.

 

Sound devices are best set lower than your tinnitus or at mixing point if need masking to help you cope as its all about learning to cope with our own sound.

Hearing aids work great by amplifying outer sounds to mask the tinnitus like a sound device and give you back your lost hearing.
I take my aids out about an hour before bed time to help adjust ready for sleep.

After a long time now I can sleep well without masking but was a godsend in the early years......

Hope you find your aids helpful too...lots of love glynis

 

Getting advice from someone who has been trained by a doctor specializing in medieval masking treatments (Jasterbroff) is not the best strategy for dealing with t.
Also, I believe that Shatner has no formal TRT training. Being a TRT practitioner would definitely interfere with his starfleet duties.

 

I'm just so upset I don't know what to do. The t is worse today and I don't know if it's from the hearing aides now or being upset I don't know who to trust or what to think now I just know I can't live with it if it gets worse

 

You're gonna have better days and worse days.
For many of us, tinnitus fluctuates on a daily basis.
Being upset about it is pretty normal, think of it as a natural reflex. You can try to calm down a bit (pointless, if you ask me) or just wait it out like the rest of us. The first months (or years) are the toughest.

Why did you get hearing aids by the way? You have hearing loss?

 

I have very minor hearing loss but I don't this that cause the T. I got them to help me with the T and they did. I slept last night not hearing it but dr marghzar said no no no that they will make it worse.

 

I mean I don't want to be ignorant but why would William Shatner say TRT helped him if it didn't? That doesn't make sense. Also I know he doesn't (Shatner) have TRT training. I suppose dr Marzhargh could be making it all up and it did not good for him to get clients? I don't know

 

Doctors sometimes only see black and white. Do this or don't do this.
I think moderation is a good thing. When you feel that your t is really bugging you, pop them in and see if they help.
If you're having a good day, it'd probably be best if you left your ears alone.

I'm not a big fan of hearing aids, especially for people without hearing loss - but I've seen certain reports on this forum from people who have gotten some relief, so maybe you might give them a shot.

 

Listen to your doctor, if you think you got a bad doctor, get another opinion (and by that I mean, get another doctor).

 

I think you should get a second and third opinion about the hearing aide issue. If you don't hear it with them in, then how is that worse?

 

Marie,

First of all, I love your name. It is the name of my 15-year-old daughter!

I know you are scared. I can hear it in your posts. You're living life one second at a time, grieving your old life. That's how it was for all of us at first. I PROMISE you that this does not last! Things will get so better one day that you will go hours, even days without giving your T a second thought (trust me when I first got T I lost 20 lbs. and didn't leave my house for a year - now I go to the movies, take trips and have adopted a baby!). Someday you will hear your T whistling away and you will have no reaction at all to it. Dont worry that you're not to this point yet. It takes time and lots of positive encouragement and advice.

Just know this: IT WILL GET BETTER!! Just stay away from the Internet (#1 thing you must do!), keep in touch with friends/family and get plenty of rest (it calms the nervous system which is the source of this problem).

I've got lots more positive advice if you're interested. Just respond to this post and I'll get started!

 

I have seen this audiologist years ago, hes not a dr. He is an ok guy but i would not go 100% with what he says..not at all...

 

I thought William Shatner got TRT training from University of Maryland Medical Center? Is that not true? So much conflicting information on tinnitus.

 

@Virginia1027 looking forward to hearing more of your positive posts

 

Sol was trained by Dr. Jastreboff in Atlanta..I saw Dr. J for 2 years...He gave me almost 10 good years...then I overdid it on the noise and sh)t went downhill..He eliminated my hyperacusis, hearing stayed the same and my tinnitus ceased to be an issue

 

Shatner did TRT with Dr. J--he is not trained in it

 

Of course he isn't. The starfleet academy would never allow him time to complete his training.