Really Need Guidance — It's Been a Year and I Still Am Not Used to It

It's been a year and I still am not used to it. From time to time I become completely miserable and can't function happily due to the ringing, hissing and sensitivity. I would greatly appreciate any advice on how to be better. I already have a vegan diet, exercise, reduced caffeine, do yoga, and listen to white noise. I've also seen a specialist who gave me an MRI and has said he can't do anything for me.

 

@Blinkysimon, very sorry to hear that you are still having trouble after a year.

Let me ask you this, if I may. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is "I have tinnitus, but I do not care one way or the other because it does not bother me in the least" and 10 is "I have tinnitus, and it has totally and irrevocably destroyed my life," where would you say you stand on average overall these days? I guess everybody looks at this sort of thing differently; but for me, what I would suggest would largely depend on that sort of thing.

 

I'm so sorry you're still having a hard time, but I have to say, there is some hope in that you said, "from time to time" prior to talking about moments of misery. It took me more than a year to get to what I would call "fully habituated." There is no arbitrary mark out there by which you should have it together, everyone is different.

Do you have good days in between the ones where you feel completely miserable? It's wonderful that you're doing all those good, healthy things like yoga and eating well, but were those things you did before, or are you doing them "for" tinnitus? I do yoga and eat (nearly) vegan etc., but it's not for my T, it's just because I like the way my body feels when I do those things. If you're giving up things in your life that you don't need to, that could contribute in some degree to the T making you feel trapped and miserable and limited. Do you find that reducing caffeine or not eating animal products etc. really reduces you T? Do you feel like you've made any progress, or you're just worried because you're not as far as you thought you'd be at this time?

 

What yoga training do you do, Blinkysimon?

 

@Blinkysimon i totally get you. The only difference is that I'm 40 months in. I experience anxiety all day long for the most part and are depressed a lot. I haved tried to be positive about it but it always drags me down. I'm feel like a totally different person without any lust for life anymore. This doesn't have to be you but just wants you to know that I know how you feel.

Btw I would consider myself an 8.

 

@Mclovin my T is quite loud as yours too and I've had it for more than four years now. I took more than one year to accept it, but I am not habituated for real yet. I don't believe in habituation for those like us, who suffer a severe noise. The only suggestion I can give you, is to try to accept it as soon as you can. At the moment, this is the only way we have to live without being bothered too much.

 

I agree with Valentina. Acceptance is very important. Life is not perfect, and sometimes reality is something we have to face and accept. If T is not going to change, we have to make compromise to change, meaning more accepting of this reality. Acceptance doesn't mean we have to like T, but that we accept the reality of T in our life. Let T be. Let the rest of our life and its beauty be. When I was at the worst time and posting for help and guidance how to live with T long-term. I learn the wisdom from a soldier, a war veteran. He said and I paraphrase, "I am a soldier. I fight for a living. But when it comes to tinnitus, I have learned to accommodate it instead of fighting it (the reality of it)". What wisdom! Especially from a fighting man. I learn my lesson. I take that wisdom and couple with what I learn about reaction (to T) from Dr. Nagler's Letter to a Tinnitus Sufferer. Accepting the reality and learning not to fight and react negatively to T have done miracle to me and many other people who get better. I also learn from Zoe Cartwright, a young lady who turned completely deaf at young 15. She has loud and unmaskable T because of deafness. She displays unusual wisdom for a girl that young. She said she didn't want to spend the rest of her young life in misery. She chooses to accept her T, the reality that T will be with her for life. That is amazing positive attitude for a young lady that she recognizes early the reality of her T and she is willing to accommodate and compromise. So she moves on with life to pursue her goals. She even made it to university and made a tinnitus film for her experience with unmaskable T. She titles the film 7.24.52.10 which means her T is unmaskable 7/24, 52 weeks a year, and for 10 years at the time of the film. You would think her life must be miserable. Not so. Amazing spirit from a lovely young lady. In her own words, she replied to those who asked her about her film and her life:

Dear Dj, Laurence, Chris and Eddie,
Cheers for your lovely comments guys, it really makes me smile
I'm intrigued about Eddie's message regarding "looking at it in the wrong perspective" - the film was not designed to bring out the violin strings or moan about tinnitus. It was simply about showing a different perspective walking around with a noise that can be dominating - which therefore feels surreal. I love my life, and I can honestly say I am happy - Tinnitus is just a slice of my life.
Thanks again.
Zoe.

If you haven't watched her film, here is Zoe and her world of unmaskable T:

Tinnitus Short Film - 24.7.52.10.

 

Wish I could watch it, those T sounds do really really strange things to my own T. Wow, that was really strange. My ears still feel weird after watching 30 seconds of it.

 

Strange in a good way or bad way?

 

Strange bad, my ears felt full after watching, I think that the ringing in the video is lower pitched than my T so it just added in additional noise, my T plus that other noise, a weird combo.

 

Then I would stay away from T simulations...even after you're cured.

 

Sorry that you can't handle the T simulation sounds. But @Telis, you can watch the rest of the film by turning off the sounds. There are English scripts besides her narrations. If the T simulating sounds parallel her T, there are varying tones and pulsating, and part of it contains sound of cicadas which is quite high pitch too. Here is the site which Zoe came to explain and clarify her narrations which is a bit hard to understand due to her accent (I think she is from northern Europe). In the comment section of this page, Zoe and some fans discussed the film. This is also where Zoe clarifies that she doesn't want people think that the film conveys the wrong message about her life, that she loves it and is genuinely happy despite T being a slice of it.

http://www.grumpyoldeafies.com/2008/05/film_experience_of_tinnitus.html