My Success Story/Tips for Success

@barbb yes, definitely. My old noise is pretty stable, but as my anxiety has decreased my new sound gets very low during the day. Sometimes it may not even be there at all. Honestly at this point I am not trying to listen to it so I don't know if it's there or not! But, it's definitely there at night, much much louder at night. So yes, to answer your question it does get softer and then significantly louder. This will not stop you from habituating! Take it as a good sign that maybe things are improving… Whether it's the actual sound that's improving, or your anxiety, or your attention to it... Who cares! Take it as a positive sign and keep moving forward a little bit every day.

Also! I can't believe I didn't talk about this more in my original post. I'm not sure if you are continuing to check your T throughout the day? if you are, I really really advise you stop! I literally forced myself to stop doing it and it's amazing how much you stop paying attention to it when you stop paying attention to it!! It's also important because you are training your brain not to constantly find the sound. It's very hard for tinnitus to become a background noise when you are constantly trying to listen for it! That was a huge step in my recovery.

 

@melfreeman08 just read your story! Doesn't is feel so freeing to just not give a sh**!! Haha... I'm so so happy you got to the point where you're at. It's such a hard process! I live in the Bay Area, but I think you, @Honey_Bee and I should meet up for a T celebration sometime... Read her story if you haven't already, it's just like ours! It's so nice to know there's other young, strong, women that know the struggle!!

 

@AndreaM It is liberating! I just sat here reading your story- like whatttt?? This girl sounds just like me, and she knows what it's like to STRUGGLE! To plug her ears, to lay in bed at night and just want to freaking sleep!. But, the beautiful thing, is we struggle- but we don't suffer, and we can be empowered by each other. That's a gift. I will check her out now. xo

 

@AndreaM and @melfreeman08! When is this dance party we are having because I am so there! lol I was so worried that I was so young and this was going to affect my life forever, turns out not so much! I am down to celebrate with you lovely ladies anytime!

@melfreeman08 whats your first name? I'm Melissa but everyone calls me Mel

 

Be sure to work on your depression and or anxiety, until it's a biological problem (for ex. bipolar) don't just use meds, they are usually just to address the symptoms but not the causes altought sometimes they are needed in the beginning where symptoms drain all your energy and the depression is so strong that stops the neurogenesis.

 

Thank you so much for sharing your story. It really gives me some hope. I have gone thru my anxiety, panic, run, mask stage. I am slowly settling down in my new normal. I will try some of your ideas. Thank you and God Bless you.

 

I love this success Story @Path Maker

 

What a great testimony! I, too, have found "natural" ways to continue to live "normally". It is possible. It takes time, patience and tools to do so. You can get your tools by investing time to check out the ones our tinnitus family offers to share; just like Andrea has. Pick and choose ones that might work for you.

Along with the tools Andrea shared I would like to offer one of mine. It is one that so many of you have shared on this website. That is, prayer. Not just prayer but PRAYER! Big prayers, little prayers, 1 minute, 2 minute, 10 minute prayers - however long you want. Pray for yourself, your family, the person on the phone, the bank clerk... Whenever, wherever - just speak to your divine God. Praying makes me feel good and it can make you also!

Praying for you,
Lucy

 

Fantastic and great job! You have a great mindset and it will continue to get better and better for you

 

This is not a success story

 

The "Success" in Success Stories is very vague and open to interpretation apparently U_U

 

I like where your head is at Andrea.

You focus on your mindset rather than getting the noise level down.

Anything to get your mind off of it is what helps. -- In the beginning, the supplements gave me incredible hope and I was convinced they were working.

However, I think using the supplements just got me to not worry about T long-term and that is what allowed me to cope so well.

Now, I have become more of a realist and, like you said, remind myself that there are many kids, adults, and seniors in very challenging health situations who would trade places with me in a heartbeat. -- I keep all those folks in my prayers as well as all of you fellow T sufferers.

Stay positive and keep enjoying life!

 

Not a success story, more like new dissapointment that it did not go away after doing the right things.

 

That’s why I believe we should NEVER listen for it when we realise we haven’t noticed it for a period of time! Let nature and our brain adapt to stop seeing T as a threat.

Why listen for it anyway? What good can that possibly achieve?

Reading the OP, the steps are basically Ok provided we continue not to listen for the T. It is true however that over time, when the T does come to our attention , that it doesn’t bother us so much anymore.

Once we no longer sees it as a threat, the fight or flight anxiety to it stops. It’s the anxiety which causes the T to spike so much.

 

I do not see it as threat for about 2 months. I read the TRT book and understood what I have done. But noise level did not decrease. I try not to listen to it, but is hard when I try to sleep without bedside noise or am in unavoidable silent space (like an elevator).

 

There are nearly always other external sounds you can hear and focus on. Elevators make some noise. Even at nighttime trying to get off to sleep you can lock into the sound of your own breathing (or partners). Because my inner ears are usually blocked with fluid I can even hear my own heartbeat.

We get off to sleep by using our imagination, worth remembering, rather than listen to the T. We can use our imagination at any time.

The weird thing about T is that in the early stages I felt I NEEDED to give it attention. This is why I used to find it difficult to process other things like reading or doing work.

By not giving T attention and trying hard (will power) to focus on other things we retrain our brain to realise it doesn’t need any attention. Then we get longer and longer periods of not noticing it, which starts to help us build confidence in the healing process.

It’s a bit like shutting an annoying freind behind a door. You have to actually shut the door and get on with something else.

Eventually the brain seems to rewire itself so that you really don’t hear it unless you try to listen for it (not recommended). Even then it can take a while to find it as the brain has done such a good job of filtering it out.

It happens in stages and it takes time.

 

Searching for it at very beginning was huge mistake I have done. I also felt I needed to monitor it to see if it gets better, was not sure what is with that sound, stupid reaction that I never thought it could turn to such a much worse scenario. The simple thing I know tinnitus exists, will make life harder, even if filtered out at some point, will be that "what if comes back" fear...Before it happened, I did not even know it exists, probably I had some tinntius for long time (maybe physiological as most people have some in complete silence), but never thought of it and brain never brought in into attention.

All you said is correct, will power is a challenge, a big one.

 

I’m sure you’ll get there.

Definitely try to get out of the fear mindset though if you can. Spikes do occur , so the last thing you want to do is allow it to ramp up your anxiety as that will just make it louder and more persistent.

I’m sure if I hadn’t have panicked, then obsessed about it 6 years ago, it wouldn’t have locked it in. Even though I very rarely notice my T now, a few times a year I get a loud whistle go off (a bit like a pressure valve). I just let it go and don’t allow it any thoughts of “oh no, it might stick around”...and it doesn’t.

 

So what you consider your current status is now, habituated?

 

I don’t know if you’ve read my other posts but I don’t really like the word habituated. It kind of means to accept or put up with something. I no longer have to put up with it or accept it because my brain seems to have rewired itself so I simply don’t hear it unless I listen for it ( something I never recommend doing).

I can’t thunk of another word which describes it but I just say I have ‘moved on’. I think that’s why people who have ‘moved on’ say “Tinnitus, I forgot I had that” ;-)

Here’s my story...

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...lp-those-going-through-the-panic-stage.27116/

 

I read it now, is a ray of hope. Thank you for putting it down for others. What I am not sure I understood is how you dealt with going to sleep without any bedside noise and still be able to ignore it? Only by trying to think positive thoughts while your head was ringing? That is hardest part for me as I can ignore it during day.

Also, after how much time of ignoring tinnitus you managed to not notice it in silence. Not sure how much one of your stages really took.

 

I believe we all get off to sleep by loosing ourselves in our imagination. In the early stages of having T I used babbling brook sounds to help take my mind off the T. In the end I realised using props like that are just another reminder I had T. Even when you try to get off to sleep you can still hear your own breathing (or your partners) so you could focus on that. 100% silence rarely exists.

Just try to build up confidence in the increasing time intervals where you haven’t noticed your T.

 

Yes, sorry, you already mentioned it previously. I am a bit discouraged because even though I stopped being afraid of it for quite a while, I saw no improvement. Your words bring me again on positivity track. Thanks again!

 

We have a saying that sometimes in life you can take one step forwards then two backwards. Fortunately that also works the other way around ... lol

 

So you basically use this forum to help others as you dont need a cure anymore? Sorry if I repeat questions, I did not have time to search through your posts. I was thinking myself, maybe faith gáve me this affliction so I can get rid of it and help others and overall will be a good thing as I am not usless on earth

 

Great post, and very similar to my story.

 

Yeah that's the excuse they all use.

 

You made me so curious, what supplements were those, @John Meyers?
Thank you.

 

Well I don’t believe I am ‘using’ this forum but yes, I wanted to show people what I went through so they might find something in it which will help them move on.

Personally I don’t believe that faith ‘gives’ us ailments. Most of the suffering we have in our life is caused by humans . Most of the stress which we get comes from being bombarded by marketing forces and greed.

When we are very negative in ourselves and don’t appreciate the good things we have left, we have a negative effect on those around us. When we are positive about ourselves, that rubs off on others in a positive way.

Everyone has their own issues, but it’s a choice as to how we react to it. The natural process of old age is a challenge but it does teach us to start appreciating what we have and what we had.

Nobody is useless in this world. We all have something to offer. The mistake we sometimes make is to believe money is the measure of our true worth.

 

I suspect Gabri meant ‘use’ as in ‘being’ on this forum (I think you know that anyway). I’m sure I’ll be corrected if I’m wrong.

Out of curiosity why are you on this forum?