My Own Struggle

[DonnyC]

Hi guys,

Brand new to this forum. But I've been reading it for a while. I've had tinnitus since february this year due to either a really bad sinus infections or maybe some music in a nightclub. I've dealt with it pretty well since then as I believed I could just mask it with white noise and avoiding silence but I have since seen an ENT and he made it clear to me there's a good chance it'll never go away. About a day after this I went to a concert.

Whether it was the sinking realisation I would never lose it which lead to a new fixation on it or I have made it worse at the concert I don't know. But it's worse now than ever. I'm really struggling to see an end to this. I always loved lying down and just soaking in the silence and haven't done this in so long. It's really hard.

I also feel kind of stupid or ashamed to be so affected by a noise in my head when others have diseases that stop them from living their lives.

I suppose all I would love are some assurances that the noise might subside or maybe that I'll stop noticing or caring. I was thinking about seeing a psychologist or hypnotist.

I normally wouldn't bother with these types of treatments but it's daunting how an ENT would just say "it might never go away, ok see you, bye."

What are my options if I don't want to take antidepressants? Thank in advance for any help.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Whether it was the sinking realisation I would never lose it which lead to a new fixation on it or I have made it worse at the concert I don't know.

It was the latter.

I suppose all I would love are some assurances that the noise might subside or maybe that I'll stop noticing or caring.

If you start protecting your ears and make sure you don't get a third acoustic trauma, there is a reasonable chance that it will eventually fade. You might even get to hear silence again.

In the worst case scenario, you will hopefully habituate. When T is moderate, you can achieve habituation after around 18 months (plus/minus 3-6 months).

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

 

[DonnyC]

Thanks very much man. Haha yeah it probably was the latter. I'm going to buy some ear protection for concerts and things. It's nice to hear some positives.

One thing I've been doing is I try not to sleep using white noise now because I imagine it would help me get used to it. Is this true or should I be masking it?

 

[MBH]

Both a sound machine at night and masking during day. I keep both on low.

 

[John CC]

Hello Donny I too am new to the World of T. Not a lot of fun, but in the brief time I have had it I have learned a couple of things from everyone on this site. I encourage you to read the posts in the Introduce Yourself and Support sections. Read the questions at the start of the post that are similiar to the questions you have, and then read the responses. This may help you gain some insight into some of the issues and aspects of tinnitus. From what I have started to learn is that, especially at the start, is that loud noise = bad (so at the start listen to your music at a lower volume and movies can be loud so be very wary), ear protection = good, invest in good ear plugs or ear muffs, being aware and not letting your guard down, e.g., going into a loud restaurant or coffee shop without ear protection and thinking it will be ok = not good, realizing and having and believing in your future and hope = good. I went online and found a number of sites that have music for tinnitus. Type in tinnitus sound therapy and you will get a number of sites with different types of music. This music ranges from different beeps with some white noise, to nature sounds. What I have done is I experimented with a couple. Some I like, others bother me. Some sites last for 30 min, and some for 8 to 10 hours, great if you want to have it play while you are sleeping. Coffee Girl, Bill B., Fishbone, Micheal L. and Glnyis among others have a lot of good ideas, and more experience than I do.
There is hope it will get better, knowing that has helped me get through the beginning of this, but you need to take care about your ears for the next while so that they will have time to heal.
Best of luck, hope this helped.
JohnCC

 

[john paul]

One thing I've been doing is I try not to sleep using white noise now because I imagine it would help me get used to it. Is this true or should I be masking it?

This is a good question, personally i use white noise only if my Tinnitus is stopping me sleeping. Sometimes i can do without it and i kinda feel like it is helping with getting used to it. I don't think there is a right answer but if you want to get over it, it kinda seems like getting used to it might be the best way.

 

[dpdx]

Hi guys,

Brand new to this forum. But I've been reading it for a while. I've had tinnitus since february this year due to either a really bad sinus infections or maybe some music in a nightclub. I've dealt with it pretty well since then as I believed I could just mask it with white noise and avoiding silence but I have since seen an ENT and he made it clear to me there's a good chance it'll never go away. About a day after this I went to a concert.

Whether it was the sinking realisation I would never lose it which lead to a new fixation on it or I have made it worse at the concert I don't know. But it's worse now than ever. I'm really struggling to see an end to this. I always loved lying down and just soaking in the silence and haven't done this in so long. It's really hard.

I also feel kind of stupid or ashamed to be so affected by a noise in my head when others have diseases that stop them from living their lives.

I suppose all I would love are some assurances that the noise might subside or maybe that I'll stop noticing or caring. I was thinking about seeing a psychologist or hypnotist.

I normally wouldn't bother with these types of treatments but it's daunting how an ENT would just say "it might never go away, ok see you, bye."


What are my options if I don't want to take antidepressants? Thank in advance for any help.

You have an acoustic trauma that was caused by previous noise exposure. Well at least your ENT was right, you cant do anything about it. Tinnitus is deep in the brain, it's damage to the audio sensory part of the brain, if you had it left it alone it would have probably went away or gotten much better. Now you touched it and made it worse by exposing yourself to additional noise, now the best thing to do is to get your hearing checked and if you can do DPOAE to see if you have outer cochlea cell damage. My best advice is to leave it alone and protect your hearing from: concerts, cinema, clubs, blender, vacuum, loud bars, loud resturants, etc. Keep earplugs always on you, if music is louder then your voice then its time to put earplugs in. NEver use earbuds again in your life...EVER!

 

[coffee_girl]

Use ear protection from now on, and make sure you are not careless in the future regarding sound.

I don't mask my T ever, but that is just me. I sleep with no sound in the room except for T and it has helped me habituated. Now i look forward to the chirping insects every night lol

 

[dpdx]

Use ear protection from now on, and make sure you are not careless in the future regarding sound.

I don't mask my T ever, but that is just me. I sleep with no sound in the room except for T and it has helped me habituated. Now i look forward to the chirping insects every night lol

Can you hear your T in a quiet room?

 

[coffee_girl]

Yes

Can you hear your T in a quiet room?

 

[dpdx]

Yes

Can you hear it over tv? Music? When outside?

 

[coffee_girl]

Can you hear it over tv? Music? When outside?

No...only time i hear it is when i am in bed with no sound at all around me.

 

[dpdx]

No...only time i hear it is when i am in bed with no sound at all around me.

Very lucky I am happy for you.

 

[Lane]

I'm going to buy some ear protection for concerts and things.

Hi @DonnyC,

Personally, as far as going to loud concerts, I would't chance it. At least for the next 6-24 months. I think it's important to understand that you're dealing with a very serious acoustic trauma, that affects both your ears and your brain. They need time to rest and heal. -- Concerts are not conducive to the kind of healing you need.

 

[PortalNaut]

@DonnyC I got T about the same time as you. So honestly, I would be very wary of nightclubs and loud concerts. I went to one "nightclub" for 1.5 hours about a month ago and it increased my T. It was a calculated risk, as it was my son's band. Aside from that one I do not plan to go to any concerts or loud exposures for the first 12 months, maybe even 2 years.

Bedtime white noise I think is mainly used to ignore the T noise and get to sleep, and to ward off anxiety. Personally I don't have a problem falling asleep. However, if I did use white noise I would consider putting it on a timer to cut off after 3o minutes. Whether white noise helps or hurts can vary by person I suppose, and I guess I'm more in favor of having the ears/brain get used to "reality" as it is - so silence for the "8 hours" at night.

 

[Bill Bauer]

The title of this thread reminds me of a book.