One Year Anniversary with Severe Tinnitus

Today marks the one year anniversary since the onset back in Feb 2017. Since then I’ve had my share of being toyed with by the tinnitus bully. As I look back I can tell you that I have grown as a person and am much stronger than I ever gave myself credit for.

It certainly wasn’t easy though. Many arguments with my wife due to frustration. It’s hard enough to see eye to eye with your spouse but try having an argument as a car horn is being blasted between your ears. Not fun.

Today however, I am able to live my normal life with 2 changes. One, I stay out of loud environments and two, I have a light sound being played on my iPhone when I’m in an extremely quiet environment.

I downloaded an app and use a chimes sound that completely alleviates the tinnitus. Completely. It’s given my life back. I miss going to concerts but NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING is worth the torture of tinnitus. I also have habituated some so that I can be in a room with people and not have my sound playing. The sound is only for extremely quiet environments.

If someone would have told me a year ago that within a year’s time I would be back to normal with a little assistance, I would not have believed them.

Ears take such a long time to heal. If you’re suffering, all I can say is “It gets better!” God Bless.

 

@Doopy259

That is a good habituation story. Congratulations for getting your life back. Yes, chimes is one of my favorite background sounds, and agree that NOTHING is worth the torture of tinnitus.

 

He said his T had faded to the point that he can't hear it in loud environments. When it is quiet, he can't hear it when he uses sound enrichment.

 

What’s the sound maker app you use?

 

I'm curious to know if your tinnitus lowered in volume or is it the same and you habituated to it?

 

Good story. Hope it motivates people that are new to this and feeling bad.

 

My tinnitus has lowered in volume tremdously since onset. The day of onset I woke up and couldn’t hear the tv, air conditioner or my wife speaking to me. My body went into panic mode. It’s as though I woke up deaf. It took an hour to be able to hear again but T was beyond overbearing. I studied to become an ENT in college before switching majors so I knew about the long term affects of hearing damage that could happen. For sure it wasn’t my reaction to T that was making it bad as I began to remain calm and go through meditation practice. It was bad period! I bagan to see signs of relief during the 4th month. Habituation kicked in around the 6th month. It was bad again during the 7th month and my anxiety kicked in. 8th And 9th month I saw very little improvement and was preparing myself for “this is it for the rest of my life”. The 11th month (last month - Jan 2018) I noticed a tremendous change. Not just in how I respond to it, but the volume as well.

To answer Karl28 - the sound app I use is called Relax Melodies. It’s a free app and I use the sound chimes. Sometimes I’ll load up YouTube and listen to wind chimes for a change even though it’s still chimes.

 

I am quite deaf with severe tinnitus. The humming airplane sound is much worst than the high pitched hissing sound. I became very depressed with panic also for a long time. Have been on disability over it for a year. Am still suffering but doing better using hearing aids with white noise program, taking antidepressants, exercizing, trying to stay busy and not isolate and focus on it. Pleased to have found this forum. Is a very hard affliction to understand if you don't suffer from it. Peace.

 

Your title is misleading!
You don’t have severe tinnitus neither you habituated severe tinnitus.

Your tinnitus got better therefore you can go on living a normal life.
You are very lucky! Glad to hear things improved.