Need Advice... New To Tinnitus

i am a 18 yr old student at Xavier University n Louisiana and i have tinnitus. starting back n November 2011, i started hearing a faint ringing in my ears. well, it gradually got worse to the point of annoyance. as a freshman in college, it has been very difficult to cope with tinnitus and cope with being a college student far away from home. it would really help me out if someone would give me some advice.

 

Hi Swalker!

Have you done any research on tinnitus? Internet?

Have you seen a doctor yet?

 

Hello Swalker5,

Do you know how your tinnitus started ? When i was in university, i found very difficult to concentrate at first. Then, even if the tinnitus volume didn't go down, i found out i could concentrate again. You could use some sound masking, like a good water fountain. Try to find one with a pleasant sound. Not a too noisy water pump.

 

Welcome Swalker5, You should probably see your doctor to make sure you don't have some underlying medical cause. Read through these forums, there is lots of good info here to absorb. Don't freak out, stress feeds tinnitus. Get some good background sounds to distract your attention from the T. Was there a specific cause for the onset? Loud music or something?

 

Yes, after i was diagnosed with tinnitus i started doing research to understand exactly what it is, and Yes i have been too multiple doctors and they cant seem to figure out how it started.

 

No, that is the one problem that seems to bother me more than anything...it was like i woke up one morning and started hearing this ringing noise. By the way, are you still in college? if so, how did you overcome problems like being sociable and concentrating?

 

Thanks, yet i have already been to several doctors and no one understands the underlying cause. just recently i had to purchase hearing aids because i wasnt doing so well in school

 

Did you have a hearing test? Is that why you are wearing hearing aids now?
I had my hearing tested and there is nothing wrong. All good. However, I have a pulsating tinnitus. Do you have a steady tone or does it pulse? Can you tell us what it sounds like?

 

I am not in university anymore. I didn't do anything to overcome concentration or sociability problems. At first, i fared badly and slowly i improved over time. I had a very bad case at first. I couldn't even read a book or write coherent mail. Now i can do maths again and study nearly normally.

When i was down, i used alot of masking. I listened to music at moderate volume and looked at a lot of movies. But i wasn't studying anymore. I believe a good water fountain would provide some tinnitus distraction while being compatible with studies. Now i don't need any masking even for sleeping. In spite of the fact the volume didn't go down.

Good luck.

 

Yes, i have had multiple hearing test within the past few months. unfortunately, each hearing test has shown my hearing be deteriorating more and more. my tinnitus is a mixture of different tones

 

thanks for the advice