- Feb 23, 2017
- 3
- Tinnitus Since
- November 2016
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Combination of Acoustic trauma and Sinus problems
Hi All,
First time poster, long time lurker.
I just wanted to share my story, not success, but definitely a happy ending.
So, I am Sebastian, and have Tinnitus since November 2016. Now, it has only been 5 months, but I do believe I now have an understanding of this peculiar companion we have in life.
I got permanent T in Nov. 2016 (30 yo) , caused (I believe), by a combination of loud music (I used to be a DJ), and a very bad sinus infection I had at the time of onset.
My T is very high frequency, (around 14000 Hz, if I remember correctly), fairly constant, non-pulsating. It has not varied in tone, it has varied in intensity.
I had not led a particularly healthy life up to that point, I Used to be a cigarette smoker, am still a Marijuana User, used to have very bad diet, and very bad sleeping habits (4h a day or so was enough for me).
I have seen various doctors/specialists (I am lucky enough to have private healthcare aswel as public, and have consulted specialists in the two). TBH, they were all very honest, as opposed to some things I hear here. They literally told me: We (doctors) are still uncertain of the exact causality for this condition, (Yet we have loads of correlation), and that the odds of it going away were very low. I agree with them, and I am happy they did not give me false hope.
We tried a lot, we tried steroid, Hyperbaric chambers, and heaps of supplements, my doctors were willing to try things out, I was happy to comply. The hyperbaric oxygen chamber is the only thing that made it a little better (only slightly, might be placebo).
On onset, I had a very bad 2 months, I went to a very dark place, and had very unhealthy thoughts... I actually made a decision one day that luckily I did not follow through with. It was the next morning after taking this decision that the depression and anxiety disappeared. INSTANTLY, IN ONE NIGHT, I WAS HAPPY AGAIN.
Anyway, once over this initial trauma that lastest two very long dark months (Nothing compared to some, I know, but for me it was terrible, I had never suffered anything like this). I went back to a more stable place, mentally speaking. I had no more dark thoughts, though the T was a real pain in the ***, excuse my french. I was finding it very difficult to cope with it.
I could mask it quite comfortably, but having white noise/crickets all the time was not an option. I went on to the Second approach, an advice that was given to me and I though nothing of it, turns out it helped a lot. I was told to ignore it, I said It was not possible, it is louder than my motorbike on the motorway. Anyway, I tried. Every Time I heard it would really bother me I would think "Yes, I have ringing in my ears, and what?". I started giving it no importance (Well, i would say out loud that I gave it no importance, in my head, It was the most important thing). And go figure, it worked. I managed to convince myself that yeah, I have a loud ringing in the ears, but what is the problem? I still hear every sound, so it is just like a soundtrack, a boring one, but a soundtrack no less.
Let's advance to now, 5 month after inception, I am very habituated, I rarely pay attention to it, which in turn means I am not hearing it. It is still there, don't believe it is not, As I type about it, it is blasting in my ears, as I am now listening to it, it is as loud as always, but: I rarely listen to it anymore, My brain has become accustomed to it, and ignores it (Like someone that moves to a very smelly place, you stop smelling the bad smell after a few days..., except this took a few months.).
So, apart from sharing my story, I wanted to share the following thoughts (Do correct me, Oh long time sufferers, or anyone that is not in agreement);
- I hate to be harsh, but the first thing to know is: It will, in most of the cases, never go away.
- Habituation is key here. It might take longer, (I believe I am one of the lucky ones to have half habituated in 5 months). I think I am advancing very well in this aspect.
- Eating healthy (mens sana in corpore sano). No need to say more, helped me A LOT!
- The depression/anxiety will go. Don't let it kill you please, I swear it goes. Nothing is wrong with us, we just hear a little (well, little... LOL), sound in our ears. We do not have cancer, we do not have a broken leg.
- In my case, (sorry, but has to be said), marihuana does not help at all, it is a massive aggravator for me. My T spikes massively when I smoke, but as I said, it does not bother me anymore, so I am smoking again (I quit for 2/3 months as it was awful with the anxiety...). Same goes for alcohol (I nearly never drink though...). I do smoke on a daily basis.
- Regarding sound therapy; I am not one to judge, but I believe it hinders habituation. I think a full on debate with ourselves is the most important key, convince yourself it doesn't bother you).
- Regarding Drugs; As my doctors told me, we could give neurological drugs a try. Some drugs work. Some blockers work. Most of these drugs have side effects, and to be honest, tinnitus is enough side effects I want, and it is a minor one at that compared to the stuff these drugs can cause.
I hope I have not said anything stupid, I am fresh with T, and all you people must know so much more, but this is my current state of mind regarding this curious companion.
I would love any input, If you disagree with anything, please let me know. If you have any advice (though I am very happy with what I have achieved habituation wise, it literally DOES NOT BOTHER ME anymore, I hardly hear it.) please voice it (your advice).
Anyway, I am possibly the least experimented here with T, but if anyone has questions with regards to how I habituated, or dealt with the initial HELL, i will be happy to answer.
Very happy to meet you all, looking forward to hear your remarks.
regards,
Seb
First time poster, long time lurker.
I just wanted to share my story, not success, but definitely a happy ending.
So, I am Sebastian, and have Tinnitus since November 2016. Now, it has only been 5 months, but I do believe I now have an understanding of this peculiar companion we have in life.
I got permanent T in Nov. 2016 (30 yo) , caused (I believe), by a combination of loud music (I used to be a DJ), and a very bad sinus infection I had at the time of onset.
My T is very high frequency, (around 14000 Hz, if I remember correctly), fairly constant, non-pulsating. It has not varied in tone, it has varied in intensity.
I had not led a particularly healthy life up to that point, I Used to be a cigarette smoker, am still a Marijuana User, used to have very bad diet, and very bad sleeping habits (4h a day or so was enough for me).
I have seen various doctors/specialists (I am lucky enough to have private healthcare aswel as public, and have consulted specialists in the two). TBH, they were all very honest, as opposed to some things I hear here. They literally told me: We (doctors) are still uncertain of the exact causality for this condition, (Yet we have loads of correlation), and that the odds of it going away were very low. I agree with them, and I am happy they did not give me false hope.
We tried a lot, we tried steroid, Hyperbaric chambers, and heaps of supplements, my doctors were willing to try things out, I was happy to comply. The hyperbaric oxygen chamber is the only thing that made it a little better (only slightly, might be placebo).
On onset, I had a very bad 2 months, I went to a very dark place, and had very unhealthy thoughts... I actually made a decision one day that luckily I did not follow through with. It was the next morning after taking this decision that the depression and anxiety disappeared. INSTANTLY, IN ONE NIGHT, I WAS HAPPY AGAIN.
Anyway, once over this initial trauma that lastest two very long dark months (Nothing compared to some, I know, but for me it was terrible, I had never suffered anything like this). I went back to a more stable place, mentally speaking. I had no more dark thoughts, though the T was a real pain in the ***, excuse my french. I was finding it very difficult to cope with it.
I could mask it quite comfortably, but having white noise/crickets all the time was not an option. I went on to the Second approach, an advice that was given to me and I though nothing of it, turns out it helped a lot. I was told to ignore it, I said It was not possible, it is louder than my motorbike on the motorway. Anyway, I tried. Every Time I heard it would really bother me I would think "Yes, I have ringing in my ears, and what?". I started giving it no importance (Well, i would say out loud that I gave it no importance, in my head, It was the most important thing). And go figure, it worked. I managed to convince myself that yeah, I have a loud ringing in the ears, but what is the problem? I still hear every sound, so it is just like a soundtrack, a boring one, but a soundtrack no less.
Let's advance to now, 5 month after inception, I am very habituated, I rarely pay attention to it, which in turn means I am not hearing it. It is still there, don't believe it is not, As I type about it, it is blasting in my ears, as I am now listening to it, it is as loud as always, but: I rarely listen to it anymore, My brain has become accustomed to it, and ignores it (Like someone that moves to a very smelly place, you stop smelling the bad smell after a few days..., except this took a few months.).
So, apart from sharing my story, I wanted to share the following thoughts (Do correct me, Oh long time sufferers, or anyone that is not in agreement);
- I hate to be harsh, but the first thing to know is: It will, in most of the cases, never go away.
- Habituation is key here. It might take longer, (I believe I am one of the lucky ones to have half habituated in 5 months). I think I am advancing very well in this aspect.
- Eating healthy (mens sana in corpore sano). No need to say more, helped me A LOT!
- The depression/anxiety will go. Don't let it kill you please, I swear it goes. Nothing is wrong with us, we just hear a little (well, little... LOL), sound in our ears. We do not have cancer, we do not have a broken leg.
- In my case, (sorry, but has to be said), marihuana does not help at all, it is a massive aggravator for me. My T spikes massively when I smoke, but as I said, it does not bother me anymore, so I am smoking again (I quit for 2/3 months as it was awful with the anxiety...). Same goes for alcohol (I nearly never drink though...). I do smoke on a daily basis.
- Regarding sound therapy; I am not one to judge, but I believe it hinders habituation. I think a full on debate with ourselves is the most important key, convince yourself it doesn't bother you).
- Regarding Drugs; As my doctors told me, we could give neurological drugs a try. Some drugs work. Some blockers work. Most of these drugs have side effects, and to be honest, tinnitus is enough side effects I want, and it is a minor one at that compared to the stuff these drugs can cause.
I hope I have not said anything stupid, I am fresh with T, and all you people must know so much more, but this is my current state of mind regarding this curious companion.
I would love any input, If you disagree with anything, please let me know. If you have any advice (though I am very happy with what I have achieved habituation wise, it literally DOES NOT BOTHER ME anymore, I hardly hear it.) please voice it (your advice).
Anyway, I am possibly the least experimented here with T, but if anyone has questions with regards to how I habituated, or dealt with the initial HELL, i will be happy to answer.
Very happy to meet you all, looking forward to hear your remarks.
regards,
Seb
