Suicidal Tinnitus — Fact or Fiction?

Hey, Lynn: I'm glad you're sick of worrying about it for good reasons for you. I know there may be some minimal controversy as to whether or not stress creates an increase in T. I lived my career and life looking at patterns and in my case, one of the increases is no doubt caused by stress. My wish for you is the sick of worrying subsides and takes some or all of the T with it.

This may apply to you. When I was younger (probably 35ish), I had had migraines since I was at least a teenager (I have a specific memory of at least one instance of a migraine back then and more from when I went to a couple of migraine-specific neurologists through my mid 30s). I outgrew it and read enough to know this is a typical pattern for people. Give it time and wearing off (the drugs for migraines).

DavetheAce: There are others out there (there have to be) who likely react as you do. We are opposites.
It's super you're monitoring when the spikes occur. For those who don't, you may want to try this.

 

So, do what I've done throughout my life. Educate people and have them pass on the word. Doing ostensibly simple things like that do invoke change. It may take a while but I sure as heck have seen it happen. Change occurred when I least expected it.

Yup, T can make people crazy. When mine gets bad, I have to tell my partner or she'll see nutty moods coming from me and not understand why. That's why all us unique snowflakes out here with out specific internal design need to be aware of what brings T on and what helps alleviate it. I'm going back into the bowels of my tools to organize them to refocus my @#* brain, which is currently making me somewhat bananas.

 

I always tell people about tinnitus even random people...People need to be educated about this horrible condition. I'm shocked about how little people know, considering hearing loss and tinnitus is on the raise. When you get headphones you get a warning about hearing loss, not about tinnitus...It should warn you about tinnitus too.

 

DB: I've been trying but on a limited basis. With everyone in our neighborhood, no one who lives here knows and because I'm uncomfortable with most people here. But I had a couple occasions recently where I told a friend from HS and oddly, she appeared to blow me off. I told her first due to the implant (almost two years ago) I couldn't visit her because I was too confused. Then I said the tinnitus makes my comprehension even worse. That was ignored by her. It was weird. I predict my friend from college may be a bit more up on this stuff (both are really smart but lets see if I'm right).

With a hearing loss, it's relatively simple to explain using a chart or just verbally. With T is very difficult to explain (other than T appears to be a misnomer "ringing in the ears" - I won't use that phrase anymore because it really tones this down).

With a hearing loss and T, they're both invisible. People who don't know see a person who can see, maybe appears to be a bit slow (I fight through noise often enough to get out a thought). Ironically, seven years ago the hearing loss was an issue the T was not, thank goodness.

In the meantime, DB, you are in what appears to be a progressive UK. I'm sure you're busy out there spreading the word.

 

Sorry people don't try to understand...I'm sure I would've been confused if you told me about tinnitus before I had it. It's not until you experience it that you understand it...It's just horrible that people can't listen in someway, so they'd understand how brave we are just to live. I mean, anyone with really high tinnitus is an hero to me, as that are coping with hell and still trying to live...Then again, it demonstrates how great our survival instincts are.

 

I was confused and you're right! Tinnitus meant holiday bells ringing in my head. But, I know there are websites that can mimic what it sounds like to those without it. I don't think people really care on top of not being able to comprehend it.

 

The issue is, even if you demonstrate the sound you hear, it's hard to understand what it's like to have it in your head relentlessly going on. To convey that is impossible unless they have tinnitus.

 

Thank you!!

Happy to report I finally returned to baseline!

 

I rarely update things you've said butttt your statement is not quite true based on my experience. My partner
sees what tinnitus does to me. On days when I'm buzzier than usual, she'll spot something like irritability or silence and wonder what's going on. If ya live with someone and are in tune with them, whether or not the other person has tinnitus, they understand. She's the one who got scared when we concluded what was going on with me because she read enough about T and knows enough people with it to know how nuts (me at this moment) it can make you.

She didn't have to od on aspartame soda to see how bad my headaches were and she doesn't need to hear the constant sound levels in my noodle.

 

I don't know. I mean, they can see me go crazy, but they don't understand it. To be honest, I wondered how I managed to cope for even a few months. I mean now, mine's low due to trobalt...I don't think I would've managed for much longer to be honest.

 

Me thinks our age differences come into play once again. Live with someone long enough and they understand.
To me, it's sorta like watching someone go through cancer. I don't have to have it to be able to understand it and empathize and god knows I don't want to have it.

I'm muddling through. DB, I'm really sorry yours got so bad. What a mess.

 

Don't worry about me, it was the hyperacusis and reactive tinnitus driving me mad. But all this has gone now and tinnitus is really low. Thanks to drugs haha. Anyway, hopefully Autifony will be out within 3-5 years.

 

Question for ya, ye young one with a very functional brain. My partner definitely has hyperacusis and has for years. One of the considerations and risks of the cochlear implant was it would make noise so loud (I didn't hear many sounds most of my life and got through it using techniques) it would drive us both batty. I frequently have to "disconnect" to not hear sounds like eating or dishes being done. Heck, I can hear our rats eating and drinking. Is this hyperacusis?

 

Sounds like hyperacusis. I managed to cure mine with keppra and a little help from trobalt.

 

10-4. My over sensitivity is easily disconnected (pull cable off head) and then I can't hear but tinnitus comes a blastin'.

 

It doesn't sound pleasant. Well, this suffering will be over soon..Autifony here we come! So did you do TRT or something? How do you manage to cope?

 

Suicide is the first thought of all T sufferers.... T kills the will to live...

 

Ah, that argument that not enough people understand and we've had our disputes about it (in this one, you and I agreed). What a flippin' disease.

 

I thought you wanted a tinnitus epidemic....warning people is counterproductive lol

 

Haha. It's hard isn't it? I don't want others want to suffer with it, but I want a cure for the rest of us. It's just difficult...

 

DB: I have trouble telling people and probably always will. I hid my hearing loss best I could for years. But yesterday, I explained better what tinnitus does to me to a friend who moved out of our neighborhood last year. When I returned home, I shot her a quick email with the article from 2011 about Shatner and musicians. Her response to me was WOW and went on briefly - I reached her. She knew before but didn't understand the impact. With the impact, she also knows it can drive people to suicide and I mentioned that with a nameless example after example.

We live in a small community and having the entire neighborhood understand about tinnitus is absolutely not what I want to occur here. But getting through to one person is good enough for me. There will be others.

 

Getting through to one person, may be enough...But what about the others? Everyone should know about tinnitus. We know about aids, as we know and fear cancer. We should learn people to fear tinnitus. Did you know the government spends millions on the dangers of fireworks, like we didn't already know, right? But they don't spend a single penny on warning people about tinnitus. How shocking is that? Millions of people suffer and millions more could suffer. Prevention is the best cure, so educating would drastically reduce tinnitus sufferers. Getting the word out there would benefit and help many people and people with tinnitus would gain respect from people understanding how much suffering they go through.

 

Make that I got through to two people, DB. I agree everyone should understand tinnitus. I think by your age, (well, I'll tell ya what I know): 1) I had marched in Washington, D.C. against Vietnam with my mom and younger sister. 2) Had marched against petitioners who were holding signs against Planned Parenthood. 3) Had definitely began educating people about not hearing. Ran from GLBT issues , so that doesn't count.

There are two things that take a lot out of me. Trying to explain tinnitus is one. I'm running out of steam, DB. After your current age , I was involved in politics and G&L issues. I've been fighting for years. I'd say I can call it a life with that.

The torch is handed on to you and the younger generation. Go get 'em DB. I'll do what I can but I'm not comfortable doing much with T these days. I know my friend who does understand will likely pass the word on. I will likely hear from people who she tells ... jeepers creepers ... and if I'm asked about it, I'll explain what I know. Then, I'll send them to you .

 

I want a tinnitus epidemic (people can fake it). That will get their attention!

 

Haha. I'm not the know it all about tinnitus...I just learn very quickly. But I don't think I can rally people, as the tinnitus sufferers all have it at varying levels. Encouraging people to speak out and protest is hard, unless it's about politics lol

 

I think they do scans to diagnose it, can't they?

 

Then, they need a big mouth like I was. You sort of brought this issue full circle, DB .

 

Honestly, I don't know but one would think an MRI with dye on the brain (I can't have one) should show different parts of the brain lighting up I would think in part where the T is buzzing. We should be able to answer a question like this.

 

Well, I don't know. There must be a way to diagnose people, as couldn't they abuse pretending to have tinnitus to get drugs?

 

Haha. I like debating but rarely do people listen to me. I know some really close minded people.