I've come across this forum just recently, and I wanted to share my story of how I've lived with tinnitus for over a decade now.
So from the start. I got T. when I was about 13 years old (I'm 24 now). And at the time my parents took me to more than 15 ENT specialists, I heard every diagnosis you could think off and had every investigation you could think of, including CT scans and MRI on my brain when one doctor suspected a brain tumor. I was told it was allergies, ear trauma, chronic infection and was referred to a psychiatrist at one point. Eventually, after months of doctor visits, I had one very old and very wise doctor tell me that it was subjective idiopathic tinnitus. It had no reason, no cure and I had to learn to live with it. I am almost thankful that I got T. when I was this young because I don't think I would have handled it as well had I gotten it now. I am also very blessed that my tinnitus isn't loud or pulsatile, so I can ignore it most of the time.
I don't know if saying that my tinnitus hasn't gone away after nearly 11 years would seem like a positive thing for most people. But I lived a very good life during these years. I graduated high school and got into Med. school which was my dream. I survived 7 years of Med. school and graduated last year with a good degree and I'm on my way to become a pediatrician.
I won't lie and say that it's always been good. I have my bad days, sometimes when I get a cold or a sore throat my T. becomes a bit louder and I might have trouble sleeping for a night or two, but eventually I go back to sleeping normally again. I was under a great deal of stress lately and my T. got a lot louder (Or I became much more aware of it) and I felt desperate and hopeless and cried myself to sleep one too many nights, which is when I came upon this great forum. But it was just a bad phase, it passed and now I'm back to normal.
So I guess what I wanted to get across is that tinnitus wasn't the end of my life, at most it's just an inconvenience. And it takes a hold of me only when I am vulnerable and drained enough to let it. So that's what I always focus on, not letting it take control of my life. It's a challenge, but it all it took was time, even when I have a bad phase or a bad couple of days, I just know so it'll only be a matter of time before I can feel good and normal again.
So from the start. I got T. when I was about 13 years old (I'm 24 now). And at the time my parents took me to more than 15 ENT specialists, I heard every diagnosis you could think off and had every investigation you could think of, including CT scans and MRI on my brain when one doctor suspected a brain tumor. I was told it was allergies, ear trauma, chronic infection and was referred to a psychiatrist at one point. Eventually, after months of doctor visits, I had one very old and very wise doctor tell me that it was subjective idiopathic tinnitus. It had no reason, no cure and I had to learn to live with it. I am almost thankful that I got T. when I was this young because I don't think I would have handled it as well had I gotten it now. I am also very blessed that my tinnitus isn't loud or pulsatile, so I can ignore it most of the time.
I don't know if saying that my tinnitus hasn't gone away after nearly 11 years would seem like a positive thing for most people. But I lived a very good life during these years. I graduated high school and got into Med. school which was my dream. I survived 7 years of Med. school and graduated last year with a good degree and I'm on my way to become a pediatrician.
I won't lie and say that it's always been good. I have my bad days, sometimes when I get a cold or a sore throat my T. becomes a bit louder and I might have trouble sleeping for a night or two, but eventually I go back to sleeping normally again. I was under a great deal of stress lately and my T. got a lot louder (Or I became much more aware of it) and I felt desperate and hopeless and cried myself to sleep one too many nights, which is when I came upon this great forum. But it was just a bad phase, it passed and now I'm back to normal.
So I guess what I wanted to get across is that tinnitus wasn't the end of my life, at most it's just an inconvenience. And it takes a hold of me only when I am vulnerable and drained enough to let it. So that's what I always focus on, not letting it take control of my life. It's a challenge, but it all it took was time, even when I have a bad phase or a bad couple of days, I just know so it'll only be a matter of time before I can feel good and normal again.
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