Success Story with Noise Induced Tinnitus

Hi Guys!

2 years ago, after an intense experience, my tinnitus changed my whole life. I thought about it all day, I felt I was on the verge of a breakdown, complete paranoia. It got a little better after some months dealing with this anxiety, and I didn't think about it that much, but on the bad days, the anxiety was back: I was scared that I was going insane.

We'll as most stories, it gets better with time. I have now had serious tinnitus for 2 years, but i hardly ever think about it. It doesn't really bother me. Maybe a few times a week I listen to it, but most times it actually feels positive, and it reminds me.. I've beat this thing. It has maybe been the worst experience in my life, but I have overcome it, it's not a problem anymore.

I think that the level of the tinnitus is about the same, so it's not that it is gone, but the way I think about is is completely different. It's insane how much your mind defines your whole world.

I have meditated about 30 minutes a day, on an off for the last 5 years, and I think that has helped alot. Meditation gives me a space to view the 'bad' and 'scary' thoughts and my tinnitus, from a way more calm place, and not from a headspace of panic and anxiety.

Some thoughts that helped me along the way:
-If I can beat this tinnitus, I can beat anything. (This gave me a lot of willpower, and motivation to beat this thing).
-Tinnitus can be a motivator to be a better human. It can make you take up, yoga, meditation, better diet and all that. So in that sense, it can be a wake up call, a weird sort of gift.
-The tinnitus I can hear, means that I can still hear things. I am blessed with hearing, and though I thought I could never enjoy music again, it doesn't botter me anymore, and now I'm more greatful for the hearing in general.

When it was at its worst, I was begging and searching for a cure. Just thinking about technology and the potentiality for a cure made it a bit better, but habituation is fine with me. I just didn't believe it was possible but it was.

So another classic habituation story, hope it helps someone.

Here's a bit more backstory to my tinnitus for those who are interested.

I am a 23 year old electronic musician, and i started noticing my tinnitus in 2015. It was only when I was about to sleep and everything was quiet, or if I came in contact with alcohol or marijuana. It didn't bother me at all at this point.

In August 2016 I had a terrible bad trip on LSD. I was acting recklessly, and I didn't have a sitter. (I still believe in the wonders of psychedelics- but it has to be researched and done in safe matters, this cannot be understated enough).
I was living in a big noisy city at this point, and during the trip, that realization came to me. There's always so much noise around me. Then I started listening to my tinnitus, and it just kept getting louder and louder, and I felt like I was encapsulated with 100 washing machines going WUSCH WUSCH WUSCH, and getting louder and louder. It was the most traumatic experience of my life, and after that day, i couldnt stop listening to my tinnitus. I think it is really weird because I don't know if the tinnitus was the same volume as before, but this intense trip had got my mind focused on it. Or maybe the LSD and the bad trip caused the volume of the tinnitus to be much louder. Maybe it is HPPD, but again, there's not much research so this is just speculation. All I know is, that I didn't care about the tinnitus before this day, but after that day, I felt like a lunatic for months. Today I feel free, so now I'm just coming to share.

Thanks so much for this forum, and a big thank you to anyone sharing their success stories. I almost had forgotten about this forum, so I suspect that there are many more success stories out there, but people just move on, and forget that this was once a big problem in there life.

-Kasper

 

So did it lower?

 

maybe you gotta drop acid again and this time focus on how quiet everything is around you? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If it makes you feel any better, mine "started" about 4 days after a noise trauma. A guy at work was talking about his ears ringing after a concert for 2 days before they stopped. It was only at this point I noticed mine were raging. Once I heard it, I couldn't un-hear it.

I often wonder if I had tinnitus for ages but was totally habituated to perception.

 

This is what happened with me, a few days went by before i remembered about the night out which caused ringing. Once i stopped and listened in for it that was the start of the fear and panic.

Iv decided that if mine doesn't get any better i'm just going to tell myself that everyone hears a noise, everyone hears something different and this is what i hear. This is me.

 

Hearing damage/tinnitus is not a gift for me, there's no ultimate meaning to tinnitus. I'm just a person with mental problems who abused my hearing. Now my only hope is for a medical breakthrough and in the mean time suffering I just spend my life trying to make friends I can relate too.

Your success story makes my friends and my problem look insignificant

hearing damage is the worst thing and downfall of my life, I was already very depressed struglling to get by with an existing mental problem, "borderline personality disorder" before this showed up and for the first time of my life I was starting classes and about to make friends. I am literally fucking haunted by I through my life away by one stupid mistake in the course of a month. It made be realize my life has been a complete reflection of failure and that tinnitus and hearing damage was the final insult.


I can't learn to accept less because I spend my entire life begging for scraps and when I finally acheive one special thing it all failed. the only thing that keeps me going are good friends and the prospect of treatment.

 

Eh. 3/10 honestly. Hit all the generic habituation points but didn't really add anything to the formula.

 

I'm sorry if i offended people- i just thought it would help somebody in the same situation.

I hope you all find something that helps, and i'll keep praying for the cure.

 

Tinnitus is like The Game. Once you think about it, you lose

 

Thanks op, it really cements my feelings too. I totally understand what you mean by it being a weird "gift"...i feel the same. Suddenly life is more fuller, complex, beautiful, and wonderful too...thanks to a changed mindset, changed diet, and changed mental outlook. Of course T sucks but it's all about how you view it. Thanks again.

 

Iv decided that if mine doesn't get any better i'm just going to tell myself that everyone hears a noise, everyone hears something different and this is what i hear. This is me.[/QUOTE]

This is EXACTLY what I tell myself too!

 

This is EXACTLY what I tell myself too![/QUOTE]
@john paul

 

by how many years you believe the treatment will be available?

 

I thought it was a gift as well when I was being healthier.

The trick is to stay healthy, meditate, etc because once you stop, Mr T creeps back in to your subconsciousness.

I did great for the first couple of years but this last year not so good. -- I also got to listen to my friend's crazy Tesla car stereo and forgot my ear plugs so now I'm dealing with a spike.

Thanks though and congrats!