My Thoughts on Tinnitus

Hey guys/girls

So I posted on here a couple of days ago. However I feel like I owe it to people that I post positive thoughts. I was helped immensely by the people on here and want to ensure that I give something back.

I wont go into detail again but suffice to say that I am aware of my T but it no longer bothers me - I barely recognise it for sometimes days at a time.

What I did discover though was that the initial shock was the worst - being in a constant state of panic/anxiety was just dreadful and far worse to deal with than the T. I have an underlying anxiety disorder so you can imagine what this did for my adrenalin levels! I want you to know that you are not alone - everyone on this forum has been there at one time or another. We all know what it is like to not eat for days, to sleep for a couple of hours a day, to spend most of your time with fingers in our ears, to worry that every sound you hear is coming from your ears, to panic everytime you hear the T, to feel the sense of dread and start to sweat heavily..... I understand. I get it. I have been there. However, you will be fine. I have done it in about 5 weeks with an underlying disorder. I am hardly mr mentally strong. If I can do it, you can as well.

You need to relax and calm down, either using meds/meditation or both. ... Some random thoughts :


* Make a list of all your worries - ' OMG im going to go deaf '... ' My life is over ' etc etc..... Under each, write down the 'evidence' you have for the statement. Like me, you will soon see that there is none. The brain is great this way because when you write stuff down, it seems to process it better than just thinking positively. Try it, you will see. Each time you have a wobbler, take out the book full of these statements and ' evidence ' and read it.

* Folks, whatever you do, DO NOT read horror stories.... this is silly. Yes, it is possible you could develop this. But then it is also possible that you could walk outside and get hit by a bus. Get the point? You need to understand that MOST T DOES get better but it takes time. However even if it does not, your brain eventually gets bored and you next to never hear it ( I am your proof of this ).

* If you are panicking everytime you hear your T like I was then this next suggestion will probably make you go '' Chris, are you on drugs? ''..... but bear with me.....

I suggest that at least once a day, you go into a quiet room with ear plugs and listen to your T. The reason I say this is because - your subconcious has learned to associate T with panic ( hence the fight or flight response ).... you need to get past this and gradually expose youeself to it. Believe me folks, I did it and it worked for me. Once you can stop the panic, it will all fall into place - trust me on this. You need to realise that your body is over reacting to something which will not kill you or stop you doing anything you want in life... you need to believe this, not just know this. Gradual exposure will help you on this front. After all, why would you panic about something which you do not fear? Makes sense eh?

Thats all I can think of just now but will continue to post anything I think is relevant.

You will be fine, but will take some time and some effort

 

I am a new member and have also had anxiety and ocd before my T occurred, I feel like this has had me in a constant panic. The morning is the worst and I can't help but obsess on it all day long. I'm 6 weeks in and hoping to learn how to habituate or at least waiting for this to subside but having a very very hard time right now. Your story is encouraging for me

 

Hey

The mornings are always worse for me when I was like that, then you gradually get better throughout the day huh? Exactly the same!

The point is you need to relax. Take holidays from work, take stress out of your life and it will get better.

 

Yes mornings are very hard and It sounds like you were going through the same thing with the panic and fear. Im still having a hard time throughout the whole day honestly but your right I need to relax, just still hard not to feed into it for me. Thank you for your advice

 

I respect this forum and all the experiences and things people have done to help themselves. I have been getting ringing in my ears for 3 months I went to 2 ENT surgeons and professors here in NYC. One of the Doctors is in the best Doctors in the country magazine . Dr. Anna Kim. Anyway I was checked and nothing was found except this tinnitus. I have read hundreds of articles and one thing I must say and was told by these surgeons " this tinnitus is not going to kill you" you will learn to live with it and I know it's not a pleasant experience. Anyhow let me say that I have done my own little research and came up with the following. My Doctor had given me a prescription for 30 xanax to help me sleep even though xanax is not for sleeping but anxiety and to relax your mind. My Doctor refused to prescribe anymore because he didn't want me to get hooked and experience those bad side effects. My Doctors over the counter suggestions like melotonim or benadryl was not for me. The only 2 things that work for me are Calms Forte sleep aid which is a non- habit forming and relieves anxiety and the 2nd is coffea cruda 30c made by boiron Homeopathic medicines all natural and both have zero side effects and can be taken without interfering with any prescribed medication. Read about them. Coffea cruda helps to relax your mind. They work for me. I hope this information can also help someone. They cost about $7..00 each and can be found in many pharmacy or vitamin shoppe. God bless all.

 

@JR1986

Hey man, listen. I understand it is hard. Everyone here knows how bad the anxiety is. However, as @edwinR just said above, you need to understand and believe that T will not kill you or hurt you. The only thing hurting you is your anxiety and out of control thoughts. I promise you - when you get this under control, you will start to focus less on the T... this in turn will mean you will have periods of forgetting about it and will not even notice it. You also need to remember that the vast majority of T settles down.

I can hear my T now, but because my anxiety is under control, I really dont even care about it. You will get to that stage but you need to work a bit for it.


The fact that you feel much worse in the morning tells me right away that it is the anxiety - I was exactly the same. So whatever you need to do, get this under control and you will be fine. Anxiety magnifies everything 100 fold. You focus on it, therefore you worry about and therefore focus on it more.

I would also take up excercising, yoga etc... this will help too.

Stay strong dude and if you want to talk, drop me a message in my inbox. I strongly suggest you take my advice above. In addition, I would also take diazepam/xanax or anything else to hep in the short term. These drugs can be addictive ( they were not in my case ) BUT i think the benefits outweigh any potential side effects.

 

@JR1986 As far as sleeping pills go - go to the pharmacist and ask for ' Phenegran '. It is an over the counter anti histamine. One of the side effects is that it makes you sleepy - it knocked me clean out. While it is over the counter, you need to have a prescription to get it for sleeping aid use. Thus, if asked, tell them you have bad hay fever. Getting a good nights sleep will help - trust me.

 

Chris Alexander and edwinR thank you for giving me some hope and making me feel like I CAN get through this. It means a lot coming from someone that has been through it and beat these thoughts and anxiety. I will look into Phenegran and Calms Forte sleep aid to help me relax at night and actually get some sleep.

 

Thank you for posting this. I'm 7 weeks in but my T actually disappeared for 4 weeks (only fleeting tinnitus a few times during this period) & now it's been back for a week, so I'm feeling a bit fed up. I have two children, one is disabled, so I need to stay strong. I think I'm making myself worse thinking how can I keep this strong state of mind for possibly months/years etc. Your post has helped x

 

Hey @Nic1982

How are you doing? Listen, I think that you are entitled to be annoyed by this. The message I am trying to get across is that you do not need to live in panic. T for the most part gets better on its own or dissapears completely. Mine could easily come back again but I will get over it like I did this time. except faster. No point in worrying about it. At some point you will reach this stage also - 7 weeks is nothing in T terms as I am sure you know. It is not even considered permanent untill 1 year I believe?

As a side note, I do have mine all the time. I strongly suggest you take the fear out of it by doing what I suggested above. Once you control the anxiety you wont care about the T, believe me.

Stay strong - if you want to chat drop me a message!

Chris

 

Thank you x