Strong Man Not Feeling So Powerful These Days

4months new to this tinnitus thing in my head. My story, 1st let me explain the sound. You take a hearing test. Sit in booth. Raise your hand when you hear a sound, you keep raising your hand as sound level reaches a high pitch, now turn the volume up 80% out of 100. Now add 5 matching sounds but slightly diff. There's more over your left shoulder a handful of tiny Santa bells ringing. And over your right is where it gets tricky, your not sure whether what your hearing is real or not there are all sorts of sounds, clicking, whispers, whooshing sounds, so you keep turning your head. This is my everyday life from the moment I wake till around 7pm, then all hell brake loose, this is when something climbed inside of my head and turns the volume up 200%. Instant headache. 24/7 every moment of my life. After researching and finding out that there is no cure I went on anti depressants. The ENT Doc recommended that pill. 2wks ago I had a MRI test done. They found Cysts in both of my sinus canals, a same day surgery was performed on me this morning 9-2-14 by the time they got all of the cyst out from my left sinus canal it was the size of a golf ball. During same surgery a tube was inserted in my right ear do to a damaged eardrum and a biopsy was taken from the roof of my mouth. We were all hoping that this Op would at least quiet this down a bit. It did not. I am running out of all hope, this T thing have me on my couch a different man, I don't no anything anymore. WTF I am only 50. How do one survive this awful disease at this level. I am hoping that the surgery did help and the sounds level will go down in time. Thank you. Elliott.

 

I'm so sorry you are suffering this much.
At least you are in the right place here on TT board, I'm sure you will get a lot of understanding from the members here.
Maybe check the Treatment section and see what helped others to get some relief at least.
Take care!

 

The beginning is the most hard part. People see me as a strong guy to but this is a mental thing to overcome. Dwelling on it sure does not gone help you....I know that from own experience. Like I said in other posts. Mine was very loud for a long time and slowly it went down a little. The problem with this is even if you are not hearing it your busy with it and that is a part you have to let go. If you always hear it you have to accept it and those things don't go over night...it takes a lot of time and up and downs. My T at the moment is not that loud but in my mind I'm still busy with it and I have it over a year. But slowly you make progress ...some faster than others.

 

Dakeem hang in there man there's hope on the horizon. I see your from Boston there's a Tinnitus Doctor at Mass General that you might want to check out.

 

Thats great the cysts were found and removed so quickly. As you heal your T might fade.
Its not clear if you suddenly got T for some unknown reason or exposed to a single loud noise such as a gunshot or concert or have been around loud noises for years like a factory. Have you been taking any meds recently?

 

Things will get better for you DaKeem.
You are only just recovering from your operation... and you know what they say: tinnitus is usually the last symptom to disappear, no matter what the cause is.
Its a slow process and no matter how hard it is to believe now, things will improve.
Try not to live hour by hour, or day by day, but rather month by month.
Two years from now you will look back and it will feel like a nightmare which you have awoken from.
Maria

 

I was not aware of this.

 

I too have had surgeries, although, with me, they took place long after developing T, the product of working with artillery and loud pneumatic tools while in the Navy. The first surgery was for a deviated septum.

In the course of the ENT's work, it was confirmed that I have ETD or Eustachian tube dysfunction, which was the cause of barotrauma while landing in an Arizona airport. My ears would not decompress and caused a tear in my left inner ear that created a terrible case of vertigo for three years. Surgical repair for that tiny tear did not get accomplished for three years following the incident because it was not discovered until I went to a well known ENT near Orlando.

Those three years of torment were a living hell and it was only by accident a woman recommended Dr. James Atkins in Celebration, FL while we were writing to one another online one day.

ETD is a condition that does not permit one's sinuses to drain properly, and so the former ENT put tubes in both my ears. Years later, I asked that the right tube be taken out, just to see how well my sinuses would function. One was enough to allow drainage through my left ear. Having the tube in keeps me from swimming with my head underwater, something I truly miss.

While these surgeries were taking place the T felt like a predator in need of capturing and killing. I was beyond comfort. Everything I heard of and read, I tried over the next couple of years, from laser treatments in Daytona Beach to the purchase of a Neuromonics unit from an ENT in Ft. Lauderdale. I felt desperate, isolated, and deeply depressed....until I discovered the enormous benefits of relaxation and the setting aside of worry.

I learned a relaxation technique, which I continue to use, and purchased recordings that best mimicked what I heard in my head/ears. Also, I was given xanax which helped alleviate the tempation to panic. Eventually, the former madness slowly dissipated. It wasn't overnight that I came to be where I am today, nearly completely habituated to that symphony in my head. It took time and plenty of sessions alone learning how to "let go" of the tension and worry, and the continual listening of mitigation recordings.

Keeping the stress as far from you as possible, Elliot, will help you think better. It is a positive step. My prayers are with you.
David

 

Thank you Valeri, I came across this site while seeking help. So glad I did, there are so many folks on here like me, I will check out the treatment sections as I go forward. RicoS, I hear you man, this is a mental thing. I feel better just by reading my six responses to my post all the while the T at the moment is very loud maybe because I am writing about it. Thanks Carlos, I am currently going to Brigham n Woman's who just told me (in a low voice) that they have this untested experimental drug seeing that my T is so severe. I am not ready to become there human guinny pig. I have been considering visiting Mass General Hospital. They are only 15min away from home. They are rated #1 in the Country in there ENT Dept this year. Jay M, there are a number of thing that could have caused my T. It started in March after flying home from Minn. I take multiple meds and I was taking them all at the same time. I now know that that was not a good idea. I also have a neck pinched nerve that causes numbness and poor blood flow. I have been taken Nortriptyline for 2wks now, it's an anti depressant. My ENT Doc started me on a very low dose and I should gradually go higher so I wound not feel the sensations from that med. MariaH I pray that you are right. The last 5mo have been emotionally draining for me but the kind responses I am getting helps. Thank you David, I needed that. Your kind way of saying, yah, it may never go away but you can become one with this in time.

 

Sorry that you are having some tough time with your T, DaKeem. We have true empathy for your suffering because most of us had been there where you are. A few years back my ultra high pitch dog whistle T plus severe hyperacusis just brought me to my knees, with relentless anxiety & panic attacks plus depression & sleeplessness. The sufferings were so intense that I thought I wouldn't never make it. But today I recover and am living an absolutely enjoyable life. So never say never.

Like others said, hang in there. For me, staying positive has reduced the suffering before the habituation kicks in. So I encourage you to read up the Positivity thread right at the top. You should try to pursue a treatment strategy and be flexible in trying different strategies if one doesn't work. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) works for me. TRT works for many folks. Some prefer do-nothing approach. I encourage you to read up the success stories and find hope that you will be well like others. Try to assimilate what works for people's T and don't give up hope. Given time and having the right strategy that works for you, you will be just fine like them. So relax and take it easy. Like Mariah posted above, looking back in 2 or 3 years, you will feel like you have awaken from a nightmare. So don't worry too much about it right now. Take good care and may God bless you with speedy recovery.

 

Billie Thank you, I needed that. At this very moment I am experiencing all of that you have spoke of, that dog whistle sound is a perfect example of this. My head is pounding. I did a lot of praying before bed last night. Between God and you guys, I'll be ok.

 

Dont spend any time alone if possible and especially not in silent rooms. Read funny books and watch funny movies. Go outside alot and away from noisy situations. Nature is what we are intended to hear and not sitting around inside four insulated walls, floor and roof.
I think if I heard silence now, I would get dizzy and fall down.

 

Hey I was diagnosed as "noise phobic" because for years I hid in insulated offices and wore earplugs to sleep ! these habits only made my perception of tinnitus worse when it kicked in. Now I dont wear earplugs to sleep but do play white noise. On the street, on the beach or in the forest I do not here tinnitus. Habituation for me is about adopting a "normal" soundscape and not avoiding sound like I used to. Everything is relative!