Struggling. We Shouldn't Place a Time Limit on Habituation.

Although I am doing better from when I first got tinnitus I have moments that I think it's getting worse and then that worst case scenario flares up.

I also feel like I should be totally habituated. I think we should share stories of how long it took for someone to habituate because a wise person on here told me that it can take a while. I have this idea that I should be habituated at 1.5 years in and because of that I feel more and more hopeless everyday.

I also had this idea that habituation should be like "I hear it if I think about it otherwise I don't hear it."

That's how it is even with my husband who has LOUD TINNITUS. That same wise person told me on here that isn't always what habituation is. That is what I have been waiting for this whole time. It's actually not to place any FEAR when we hear the tinnitus.

I think it would be nice if we could talk about how long it has taken some so that we don't have that expectation and lose hope.

Thank you

 

@Marie79 If it's any consolation, one of the doctors I saw who specializes in helping tinnitus patients (he doesn't have a cure of course, but is very knowledgeable) told me that average habituation time is 2 years. Before seeing him I'd read that the "average" time was 18 months, but he was pretty confident in his statement that it would be 2 years.

 

The best thing to do is live life and let it fade into the background. "Easier said than done" - Yes absolutely. However anything you consciously pay attention to, and causes fear and anxiety, your brain flags as important and that it should be paid attention to. It really is not very intuitive. But you want your brain to believe it to be innocuous and safe to ignore. Amydala blah blah, I won't get into that here. Turn it into a paper tiger. I've done that and it seems to be working. Every time it bothers me or scares me, I say FU. Then I go play with the kiddos, tell my girlfriend I love her. The most positive thing I can do at that time. Just to cancel it out and maybe make myself a better person in the process.

 

I'm almost at the 1.5 year mark and I haven't habituated either.
I wouldn't put a deadline on it because it's so variable. In addition to this, habituation isn't guaranteed.

 

@Marie79
21 years ago when I first got tinnitus with severe hyperacusis, I had fully habituated and the hyperacusis was completely cured in two years with the help of TRT. In 2008 I suffered a 2nd noise trauma and also had TRT for 2 years. However, it took a further two years to habituate. My tinnitus is variable from silence, mild, moderate and severe. It no longer reaches extreme severe levels that would last for many days. When my tinnitus is mild or moderate it's as if it isn't there as I have completely accepted it. When it reaches severe levels I can cope with it for around 3 days then I have to think about taking clonazepam to calm it down.

Habituation and the habituation process and duration it will take will be different for each person. As I've mentioned to you before, some people may need the professional help of a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist whose trained in the treatment and management of tinnitus because there is only so much a person can do by themselves. You might find the posts below helpful, just click on the link.

Michael
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-habituation-process.20767/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/is-habituation-possible.12758/

 

My ringing got a lot better..then worse..then better..worse again.. on and on and on and on

 

I am just past the 1 yr mark. I hit a breaking point at around 7 months that was either end it or accept it. I found some good reasons to accept it. The T hasn't changed although my awareness of T has significantly shifted since then. I am consciously aware of it maybe 5-10% of my waking hours each day (maybe a few minutes each hour). If I'm busy or occupied with something I can go hours without noticing it. I don't know if this is true habituation or not. I just accepted it and started living life on my terms again and that was the result. If I get even less aware after 2-3 years then I have something to be hopeful about!!

 

I am at the 2 year mark. I would say at around 1.5 years I began to notice that I don't get frustrated anymore when I notice my T. I hear it all the time. I never got that habituation where I "don't hear it". Oh I hear it. But I just don't care now. Makes zero effect on my emotions. And mine is severely reactive and has gotten louder over the past 2 years which has made me house bound for the last 18 months. If your brain hasn't adjusted yet, It probably just needs more time. If you use noise machines or anything to suppress it, that might be delaying your habituation. I can't use any machines at all. So that might of influenced my habituation.

 

You guys are amazingly strong, I'm new to this.. only been a month now from otoxic drugs and I just want to die..I'm being strong for my family and my fiance, because I feel so bad for putting them through this too but I can't fathom living my entire life with this sound.

I hope i have some chance of a reduction in level still...I feel like a shell of who I once was..

 

I thought I was habituating. I had a spike in my usual tinnitus because of an ototoxic drug three months ago. My habituation process wax and wanes. Some days I'm happy and not even noticing it, and other days it's killing me. I think the best strategy for me is not giving up on my life because of the spike. I have to keep going despite how I feel because of the reactive T and multiple sounds. One day I know it will be better. I say this because I am more knowledgeable about tinnitus, and how to protect my ears from further damage. I think habituation has a lot to do with self acceptance. It's hard to accept my new Tinnitus experience, but I can learn over time how to.