The Main Problem With Tinnitus

The main problem with tinnitus I believe is not the noise at its current state, it's the mindset I have tinnitus and it's going to increase if I am not careful, you've got to stop going here, stop going there, worry about sirens when walking on the street etc.

It's took very loud, ear damaging noise to develop tinnitus, so I thought it would be the same noise level that would increase tinnitus, but unfortunately all it took was a brief everyday loud noise to increase mine.

It would be a lot easier to overcome tinnitus if you didn't have to worry, if this environment is to loud, this tv is too loud, someone slamming a door, these things don't cause damage to your hearing, but you worry it will increase your tinnitus, it makes it very hard to live a normal life.

The good news for me is I am getting used to a recent increase in tinnitus, the anxiety is gone, the depression is leaving, I am getting better, BUT.....I am still restricted by everyday loud noises, example I was driving my car to the shops today, being Christmas the roads were jammed full of cars and a police car went past, luckily I was stationary so I stuck my fingers in my ears, couldn't of done that if I was moving. Stuff like that constantly makes it very hard to forget about tinnitus, to lead a normal life, I wish it took the same level of noise that caused my tinnitus, to increase it.

That is the problem!

 

Same here. Always on guard.

 

Hi Mick, i´m glad you´re doing better than you were 8 or so weeks ago. I was out today thinking the exact same thing... it´s not just the noises of t, but the whole fear factor hence i never ever leave the house without ear plugs, i´m too scared. I struggle to hear what anyone is saying to me and my ears are sore and throbbing after 8 hours of wearing them. Today was a prime example of that ... motor bikes zooming past me beeping so loud, my husband slamming the car door as he got in the car, even though i was plugged i still burst into tears as i got such a fright and fear of a spike. So you are so right!!! it´s not just the t it´s the way you always, always have to be on high alert just incase you come across a potential spike inducer, i´m like a deer caught in the head lights. Anyway Mick i hope you get through this Christmas time ok, i hope you´ll find some peace of mind and comfort that you are not alone in this shitty world of t, i hate my life now, i used to be so happy and always laughing, now i´m just a sad lady with no way out!!! i look in the mirror and as i´ve cried 2/3 times a day for the last 49 days my eyes are so sore and baggy looking it´s starting to age me already, the stress and worry of it all is taking it´s toll, maybe i´ll learn to live with it who knows? but at this rate my heart will give in on me as it´s always pounding so loud, between that and very little sleep i feel like i´m losing this fight!!! sorry to go on at you, but i know you will understand, because unless you´ve been there no one can understand ... Merry Christmas Mick take good care of yourself and protect those ears... very best wishes Carol.

 

Hi carol, Merry Christmas to you, the good thing now carol is you will habituate to your tinnitus, the majority of people with tinnitus do habituate, recover their lives, i know you will habituate, the depression will go, you will be happy again, same with your sleep, you'll get to the point where you can sleep as many hours as you want, just like before tinnitus.

I couldn't sleep without getting drunk these past few months, now the reaction is gone, I can sleep fine sober, I can sleep 8 plus hours, you will again soon. My depression and anxiety has gone, all that is left is sometimes irritation of the noise, but it's a lot better than a month ago. The reason I have got better from the increased tinnitus so quickly is because I have had it for 16 months now.

Like I say the only hurdle for me is loud noise when out and about, you shouldn't wear earplugs for 8 hours because you will get sensitive hearing. I have stopped wearing earplugs when outside because of this reason, of course wear them in loud environments. I think we have to build confidence over time, where we don't have to excessively worry about everyday loud noises, I know mine changed, but I think it would have happened anyway. It is just very hard to stop obsessing about everyday noises, maybe one day we will get to the point where we don't even think twice about these things, forget all about tinnitus, my brother has it, but totally forgets about it unless I mention it to him, that's where I want to be one day, you will get there carol, take care, have a lovely Christmas.

 

Thanks Mick for your encouraging words it really helps... how long has your brother had t for? and what about spikes? how can he avoid them? i´m very interested. I know my ears will become sensitive but Mick i just can´t risk a spike, will i ever be plug free? what do you think?

 

My brother has had tinnitus since he was a kid, he is now late teens, He says that because he is habituated to tinnitus he doesn't even notice when his tinnitus increases, completely ignores it. I don't know if your tinnitus will spike carol, but I do know that we won't get over tinnitus unless we stop obsessing about everyday noise, easier said than done I know.

 

I know you´re right, and i´m hoping in time i´ll just not care anymore, but still early days for me and it´s all i can think about, i´m still in i can´t believe this has happened to me mindset!!! i wish i could see into the future and know that like you said i have my life back!!! thanks for your reply.

 

I'm running out of battery on my iPad,speak to you soon.

 

OK!!!

 

Hi, Carol like i said you shouldn't wear earplugs when out of the house doing normal things because it amplifies your tinnitus even more, making your brain concentrate on the noise. That is the one thing that has helped me get over this spike, i`m no longer wearing earplugs when out and about so i hear my tinnitus less, i have also stopped checking my tinnitus by sticking my fingers in my ears. Not doing these 2 things has helped me take the focus of my tinnitus.

I only created this thread because i have developed a phobia when outside, i know it is obsessive worrying that isn't helping me, i did get increased tinnitus from slamming shut a car bonnet, but i had done that 50 times before with no problems, just this was an abnormal loud noise, louder than anything i have heard since getting tinnitus, sounded like a shotgun, i know i am not going to come across noise like this walking down the street, so you shouldn't worry. You should concentrate on recovering from your tinnitus, not if it will or won't spike

 

i have the same issue. my wife can run the blender but if i'm in the next room it will spike the tinnitus. normally a harley roaring by is no problem, but now it is, same as truck back fire, dental work, going out to the show, etc, so for me all the time i use noise cancellation headset the Bose 15 type. otherwise i would be in a pine box it think.

 

Exact same thing with my brother who is now 24. He goes clubbing and listens to music constantly. His connotations of the constant drill coming from his head are just not bad, when he notice his tinnitus he says it's Pretty goddamn loud, and then he doesn't give it more thought.
On a sidenote he's quite colourblind too, lol so despite he's completely different way of sensing everything in this world he's a normal happy guy living a non troubled life by t.
Merry Christmas peeps

 

object16, maybe it is the constant wearing your headset that is creating your problems, you sound like you have developed hyperacusis, i know you play music constantly so your ears have sound, but i think you have developed sensitivity from every other noise apart more your music, if you get a spike from your wife's food blender when sitting in another room, then you have definitely have lowered the threshold of your hearing, be it sensitivity of your ears creating increased tinnitus. I really think you should get rid of the headset, slowly build up tolerance to everyday noises, making your ears more resilient then maybe your tinnitus won't spike with every noise you come across.

 

Hi Tenna, my brother is the same, he goes to loud pubs, clubs, movies, listens to music though earphones very loudly, when i ask him how loud his tinnitus is he says he can hear buzzing, whoosing, roaring etc but only when he listens out for it, in other words he doesn't care, i so want to get a mindset like him, Merry Christmas.

 

Mick- haven't been on this website lately. I am so glad you are doing better and volume has gone down .
You reminded me of my self stressing when I had spike .
Happy for you .
Merry Xmas .

 

Thanks Mick, i know you are right, i'm just so cautious at the moment, hopefully i'll relax more given time.

 

Hi mick1987, I've just read one of your posts and you said, 'I also stopped checking my tinnitus by sticking my fingers in my ears'. Could you not hear your tinnitus very well unless you did that? Mine is so loud I don't have to do that wherever I am so I don't understand why anyone with troublesome t would do that.....just curious.

I think also the people who wear ear plugs all day are asking for trouble. (I know this is not you but I'm on to another subject now!) If you could go about your day without wearing ear plugs in your pre tinnitus life and not have any adverse effects then that still stands. Obviously ears need to be protected from very loud noise but people are at risk of developing more and more sensitive hearing (hyperacusis) and the increase or perceived increase in sound is almost certainly to do with the stress or anxiety you feel from the sound not the sound itself. If 'normal' sounds were dangerous the everyone would have tinnitus. Please take care not to make it worse. If you hear a loud noise that you would normally react badly to, try to keep perfectly calm and DO NOT even think about your tinnitus.....it is the reaction (getting tearful/tense/angry/anxious etc) that causes the increase in sound, not the noise. Happy Christmas to all.

 

Thanks Sean, the volume hasn't gone down, it's just I have stopped reacting to it, with that I am noticing it less, when bedtime comes I can sleep fine without alcohol, of course now it is Christmas I am having a whisky or 6 Merry Christmas to you, thanks for the support.

 

I stick my fingers in my ears so I can hear my tinnitus tone clearly, I can hear it in the day with the tv on, just sticking my fingers in my ears I can clearly hear it, I can hear it clearly when going to bed or in the quiet.