The Nature of Habituation

Let me add one comment, if I may.

I don't mind answering a few questions about TRT - as long as readers do not see me here as somehow promoting TRT. I'm in favor of whatever will get the job done for any given individual.

As I see it the keys to habituation are Strategy, Flexibility, Determination, and Insight. TRT? TRT is one possible strategy - no more, no less.

sp

 

Emotionally, back to square one.

Half hour in bed last night, and wham! loud t. panic set in. eventually drifted off to sleep. woken feeling very discouraged and despairing. Will definitely enquire about trt tomorrow. Anything else I can be doing to facilitate habituation?

 

I know that some people with anxiety disorders do worst case scenarios to help: "well, at least I don't XXX". Depending on how your mind works, that can be useful or awful.

*hug*

 

I like to believe Habituation is possible for nearly everyone. in November 2011 I started experiencing an itch like never before. over my whole body. I mean, even my ears,eyebrows,and freaking EYELIDS itched. this was due to extremely dry skin that,literally, just happened! on Oct. 31st I was fine. on Nov. 1st, I wasn't. nothing i did helped - medication,creams, bath solutions, allergy medications,nothing. it go to the point where I was in despair. you know what sucks? going to Disney World with your son for the first time,and being miserable! but eventually I just started trying to ignore it,and eventually I've gotten to the point where I don't notice it anymore. i mean,I KNOW it's there. if I think about it,I WILL start to itch. but I don't 98% of the time,and it doesn't affect me. I feel like T. will be the same. I already feel like I made a little progress,as I had a pretty good weekend after a mostly miserable week. but it's still there,and I still notice it,so i've still got a lot of work to do. but I won't let it beat me. and I won't let it stop me from living my life! I have too much to live for,too much i want to do yet. and I REFUSE to let another condition,another symptom, stop me.

 

i wish i could be that determined. i always think i actually dont care if i live or if i die. The thought of still having many years left before i naturally die fills me with dread. ugh. i've come absolutely nowhere in the last 6 months and i wasn't that excited by life before tinnitus happened. now the thought of having to live with it for years, i just cant do it.

 

well,you have your schooling. you have something to live for. I have to be determined - I have no choice. I have a 10 year old son I have to take care of. I can't just tell him go take care of yourself. so I have to adapt to this,no matter what. nor can I take it out on him,in the respect of not doing anything or going anywhere with him. this weekend,he wants to go see that new RoboCop movie that's coming out.actually,LOL, I do too! I love those films! but since this one is PG, I feel it will be more appropriate for him. anyway - sidetracked - I can say no,worry about my T., and just mope around the house, or i can take him,wear my new earplugs I got,and have a good time with him.

this week will be my make-or-break week I feel,as I'm off work all week - today is day 2 of 7 days off that I put in to have off way back in November - and from the hours of 7:30 AM - 3:00 PM I'm here by myself. so we'll see how I adjust during all that "silence".

is this annoying - oh hell yes! it was bugging the s%$t out of me yesterday,when I had my first real spike. but I still did the dishes,did the laundry,made lunch and dinner,cleaned the litterbox,did the kids homework with him,watched some TV, was on here and other various boards,went to wal-Mart, deposited a check at the bank, etc. and I had ringing the whole time. again - no choice.

try to look at it as you have no choice but to deal with it because of your schooling. not saying it will help,but if you can teach your brain to think it HAS to get over this because of what you need to do,it might,just might,help it to deal with it quicker and.or better.

 

Interesting piece here, put together by Aetna insurance for the purpose of determining what types of tinnitus treatments they will cover. Goes into the differences between TRT, Neuromonics (NTT), etc.

http://www.aetna.com/cpb/medical/data/400_499/0406.html

The downside: Apparently, the carrier considers everything except transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) experimental, and therefore not covered.

 

By the way: IMHO, doing TRT, Neuromonics or similar therapies before treating extreme anxiety, if you have it, is putting the cart before the horse. You must get the anxiety and/or panic under control first. Therapy like CBT can help. Meds can help. Meditation and exercise can help. This comes from someone who has been there.

So if you have had T only a few months and are fixated on habituation but also have extreme anxiety, you will do yourself a big favor if you forget about habituation for now and focus on anxiety. In fact, your habituation fervor probably is making you more anxious, and driving up your T. Habituation will come, trust me, to each in his/her own time.

 

My fear, as a newbie (one week as of today), is that habituation will not wok out so great for me. I live in a house with a really loud HVAC system. I've never really gotten used to it. It's gotten better over time, it doesn't make me crazy as it used to, but I still notice it and still don't like it. I'm afraid this will be the same with the tinnitus, if it stays with me, and I'll never, really, be able to say that I "never notice it" or "Never pay attention to it," , as I've seen a lot of folks in throughout the forum say.

 

My doctor was right,he said "learn to live with it".I thought he was an arsehole at the time.He was for not saying"however"