Much Better After 4 Months

The first four months

At the time of me posting this, I've noticed quite a few recent success stories talking about how tinnitus has gotten much better after 4 or 5 months. I can now say the same for myself as well. I am doing just fine!

The first month was dreadful. I had little idea what caused my tinnitus (I still don't, but that doesn't matter to me anymore, so I won't discuss it). I thought I would never be happy again. Many say "don't worry, it'll get better," but I found little salvation in this fact at the time. I would wake up in the mornings with a pleasant mood, but then the sound came back. This wasn't just a nightmare.

Two months in, I was no longer constantly filled with anxiety and dread, but I was still depressed. Sometimes I found myself happy, but the thought (and then the sound) of tinnitus would always come back all day. It was a roller coaster of emotions, I had no idea if I was getting better or not. I felt helpless.

However, by the third month, I noticed I was going longer and longer without noticing my T. Sometimes I wouldn't even think about it for several hours at a time. Even when I heard the sound, it didn't fill me with fear or sadness, only annoyance.

Now at month four, T hardly affects my life. Yeah, it's still annoying. I wish it would go away, but I hardly care for it. It is only a small stress, and I can manage it just like with all of the other small stresses in my life. All of the other negative thoughts that surrounded my tinnitus left as well (I believe different anxieties sustain each other).

There was a recent success story posted here by Off-Kilter in which most of their negative thoughts left them during a seemingly random day. This sort of thing happened to me too (though more over the span of two weeks). Although I had dark thoughts consistently through the first three months, they seemingly just left me a month ago.

What worked for me

The most important thing I recommend to new sufferers is too simply keep living your normal life as much as possible. I believe this is what determined the pace of my habituation. This keeps you from focusing on your tinnitus. It will still enter your thoughts frequently, but you will not obsess over it.

Use light sound masking. I wouldn't get too heavy with it (maybe at the beginning, and for sleep), as you want to be able to get used to the sound rather than just avoid it all the time (otherwise, moving to a quiet place is very alien and distressing). I use these headband-headphone things to help me sleep (best $16 I've ever spent). They aren't super comfy, but I got used to them after a week. It is worth noting that while I still like to use these to sleep, I don't need them like I used to.

Try not to read too much about tinnitus. If you do, read success stories only. Know that there are very many people in the world experiencing the exact same thoughts as you; you don't need to reinforce these thoughts by reading about them. I only included my dreadful first three months above because I can say that was the past now (even then I still debate just deleting that part of the story). Those horrible thoughts are gone. Also, even if you read positive stories, don't spend too much time reading them. Maybe come back once a week to check for new ones. Remember, the goal is to give tinnitus as little as your thoughts as possible.

Try not to bring it up in conversation too much. We all have problems in life, but, in my experience, we seldom like to hear about others' (because others' problems make us sad too). Maybe tell your family about it once so they can offer you some comfort, then try not to bring it up again.

Stay active and eat well. This will help you think about T less and make it easier to relax. I found exercise to help even though it makes my T louder.

TL;DR

Time is the ultimate healer. I did not need medicine (though I wouldn't necessarily recommend against it). I simply returned to my normal life as much as possible. I did not take on obligations I could avoid and used this time to enjoy new and old hobbies. With this, T eventually left my attention. Though I am still not truly "habituated" (as I still think about T daily), I am confident that I will be in time. I hear it now, and I don't care. I could honestly live happily in the current state I am in now.

I wanted to include my story here, because I feel the Internet attracts more negative stories than positive (as people with positive stories have little reason to be here). I wish everyone here future success. I would like to thank those who take the time to post their success stories and encourage others.

Onwards and upwards!

- Andrew

 

Hey @andrewk

Thank you for posting a positive message.

Having T is not a great sensation but maybe yours is mild that it doesn't disturb you in your activities. I mean when you don't hear it, obviously you don't think about it.

I totally agree that depression leads to giving T more powerand is counter productive for sure.

Wish you a fully living life for the better (and maybe T will go away ).