Recent Increase in Tinnitus - New to Group

I've had tinnitus for over the past 18 months in my left ear and recently i have had a spike in my left ear with my right ear beginning to show some ringing, well i think - hard to tell over how loud the left is.

It has gotten so bad, i am near freaking out. I am not sure I can cope with this excessive ringing forever, literally driving me insane. When its ringing, I can't help but focus on it and when i stop paying attention to it I automatically think "wow I'm not noticing it" then of course it comes back.

Its beginning to affect my ability to do my job since I already work on a loud trading floor. I am having a hard time seperating the voice of the person I am talking to from the ringing and chaos of background noise.

I work out 3-5 days a week, have a fan at night, TV on all day. What have some of you done to cope with knowing this is your new standard of living? All i can think of is 70 more years to go dealing with this crap.

Thanks in advance.

 

@Larry D,
Hi ....I am surprised no one has answered you on this and I can give you no good ideas since having trouble coping myself.
The only thing I would say is that I dont suppose that a loud trading floor is terribly good for you together with all the adrenaline buzz and stress of trading. I realise that this is your work and income but your health is far more important. Are you sleeping ok?
You are real busy during the day in a crowded environment but you cannot forget about your T whilst you are at work....so much so for the theory of keep busy to stop focusing on the T sounds....
Do you use any medication? Personally I dont cos I dont want to go down that route.
Recently I have found that I am beginning (just beginning) to sleep better and for longer and also having nearly silent days (in comparison to the other days it is like silence). Right now I am still awake (well had to watch the omnibus of eastenders on friday night) and dont want to go to sleep cos it has been so blissfully quiet today,,,, just hope it is the same tomorrow.
Maybe if you take a holiday from work, relax, take time for yourself and enjoy - maybe it might settle down. It could be an expression of the stressful job you have. Even tho you keep fit and probably eat very well.
Just a guess...know how hard this is - and hope you are doing better today,,,please feel free to write back...
Whereabouts are you? Are you in the UK London?
Someone set up a thread asking if people in UK would unite together to fund raise and raise the awareness in UK of this problem. Perhaps get to our local MP's and hassle them about it - get stuff onto the radio or papers, onto the internet etc....
Maybe fighting back may help....instead of just sitting here and being told by ENT and GP doctors that there is nothing that can be done.
Interesting read on a forum here from someone who had a nerve in his neck heated as an initial trial and then same nerve severed with heat (apparantly it heals in 2 years so if the procedure was successful it would need to be done again) and this allows the blood to flow freely to ear.
I am following it to see how he gets on....if it works I would have that done. He is having it done in Amsterdam. Looking forward to hearing from you and hope you are doing better...