The Positivity Thread

Will do. I went last night and looked at some in ear monitors. That's gotta be a good sign. This morning I'm gonna open the doors to the studio and play at least one of my 17 guitars! The ringing is there but I reckon now it always will be, so gotta get on with it. The live stuff - well, hopefully I can work my way up to that!
Thanks for the support Jeff!

 

Yo Scott, digging your positive tone dude!! Rock on!! Don't lose that. My wife is a cellist, and when she plays, my tinnitus disappears!! Music is such great therapy for T!! I wish I could play. But I'll just enjoy listening!! Glad to hear you are hanging in there and getting better dude!! HNY!!

 

I feel better this night after two week spike. Times like this night give me hope that we can live. and we can have goof moments also.

 

Great to see how your mood changed compared to your first posts here

 

Yeh! When I think of where I was a few weeks ago!! Whew. I think I quickly got tired of being scared, depressed, and all the other emotions that accompany this! I still have my moments and am pretending a lot of the time, but it's a matter of doing what it takes for myself and everyone around me.
It's a change in lifestyle but I've got great support which has included all of you on this site, to whom I am so greatful.
A serious spike going on right now which would have had me in tears a few weeks ago. I'll ride it out and then keep it busy by going to the gym then having a steam bath! Whatever is gonna exhaust me so that I can sleep. Just got to be careful of going to hard- have always been an all or nothing type!
Cheers

 

Went to the ENT, nothing noticeably wrong with me and no hearing loss. Then had the best 4 days since getting tinnitus about a month ago and managed to get some zzzzzz. T spiked last night but praying that it'll calm down again at some point.

 

Same here. Hearing is fine. Just need to give my ears a break for a while. Bloody hard though eh? You become 'painfully' aware of what a noisy world we inhabit. The roller coaster. Gotta enjoy those good days eh? Here's hoping for more of those.
I went out for dinner with some mates tonight who fly in and out of Qatar on business. First night that I have really socialized in 5 weeks. It was great for a couple of hours, then the ear started to get heavy and sore, so it was time to get outta there.
How good is sleep when you can get it? Certainly helps get through the day. Starting meditation tomorrow, something I never would have considered pre T. Again - anything it takes! Hoping it has the desired effect.

 

It was very good today. I had full concentration (it's very important for me). T is low and I'm glad. Maybe I can live with this.

 

Hi all
I thought i would add to the positivity.
Its not much because i am in the new sufferer stage but i actually woke up this morning and did not freak out about my T. Although as i write this and i can clearly here it over everything i seem to accepting its prescence more. I dont like it but i am not going straight into fight or flight mode like i was. I have also started listening to music at a low level in my car. Its not much and i have a long way to go but they are small positive steps

 

Great progress you made there Jason

@Scottrock Keep us up to date about your meditation stuff, seems to be doing good to some members here

 

Thanks Rubenslash
Baby steps.

 

Good stuff Jason. Similar story here. I'm listening to music and podcasts in the mornings, and enjoying them again. I still listen to the T first thing in the morning, but have been getting some sleep thanks to a great little JBL bluetooth speaker which I keep under my pillows which plays that 'Neuromonics Alleviate app' (Ive found this one to be the best - combination of white noise and instrumental).
It will be a long while before I will be able to pick up an instrument without fear and play for any length of time - but even though its a tough pill to swallow after doing it for so long, Ive even come to accept that to a degree because I'm just concentrating on the now and finding ways which best work for me to sort through this shit. I'm certainly a different person than I was 6 weeks ago thats for sure, as I'm sure you all are.
I had dinner with a couple of mates last night and it was a sobering experience in that one of them has a 17 year old daughter who was hit by a car 8 months ago and has horrific injuries that I cannot begin to explain. She will never walk again, has brain damage, and the list goes on. Driving home after a couple of hours of chatting and doing a lot of listening about his life now, one that I cant begin to imagine (which has become normal to his family now) I actually forgot about my T for a bit.
If I can forget about it for a bit, maybe that will get better in the coming months. As tough as it is, ya gotta believe that.
Also spoke to a bloke yesterday that 10 years ago thought he might have ended it all - couldn't cope or see any light at the end of the tunnel (we've all had our moments), but now he reckons its only when he hears the word that he responds to his. That would be nice!!!
I let you know how I get on with the meditation. I'm also getting off all the supplements and medications - gonna see how I get along without them - don't reckon they are are doin' anyway.

 

The low pitch days are the best! The screaming is going on as I type but it will subside... at some point... some very wonderful point.

 

my life is pretty amazing right now.

 

The brain zap pain behind my eyes/nose whenever I heard a sudden sound has been gone for a month now. Please be gone forever.

 

Hello everyone,

I'm new to the Tinnitus world (three weeks) and although it's not pleasant at all, I've started fighting to live a full and productive life with this. Yes, I've been down, but I'm trying to accept this without feeling sorry for myself or blaming myself. I do need support and in turn I'll fight with and for you. I'm gonna stay positive about this. Although I'm 50, There's so much more in life that's out there for me to do. Please everyone, stay positive, and help one another through their struggles. Today, my T is spiked, but I'm watching comedies, talking with friends, and trying to ignore my T. I'm glad I found this forum and I hope to find new friends and share my experiences with you!

Thanks for having me!

Hendog.

 

Paul Gilbert, who has tinnitus, performs live with incredibly loud equipment (using in-ear monitors of course). Get back there!!!

 

My tinnitus bothers me most when I am at home after work and in the quiet. I work in a retail setting that isn't incredibly loud but has enough activity to where I don't notice it much at work. I can hear every level of it when I am at home. What coping mechanisms do you recommend so I can stay happy and positive? I have tried writing down my feelings and not thinking about the volume of my tinnitus, but sometimes it is easier said than done.

Love and hugs to you all.

 

I am so glad you are learning to cope. I have an ENT appointment and several tests scheduled in early February and I know they will tell me there is nothing that can be done. I hope to one day have your positive attitude and get rid of the anger and depression I feel now.

 

I dearly hope you can rid yourself of the depression and anger too! 7 weeks ago I wasn't sure which way to turn. No one can really help. I never really had a case of the 'what ifs' so didn't feel angry at all. As mentioned, I still have moments and id love to get back to my pre T life, and Im gradually clawing back some of it.
If you are coping at work that's half the battle, so I reckon you're tougher than you think.
My problem is that my ears have pain come 2 o'clock in the afternoon when I'm wearing down at work, and then I get referred pain in the form of a sore throat. But I've been taking Panadol as soon as the pain begins coming on. My T is louder than the sounds of my day, but in the past couple of days managing the pain has made the T easier to cope with.I've stopped taking any meds and supplements apart from melatonin for sleep at night.
I'm making sure that I've got noise around all the time. It's a noisy work anyway, as we all discover once we get T. I have stopped trying to mask it with white noise, etc - instead preferring to feed my T a diet of the music I love the most. Right now it's 'Band of Horses'. I also listen to podcasts - they are great for taking your mind of it.
Once again I just got tired of being miserable. Try meditation - I was as skeptic but now I wish I had got into it years ago. I am also using steam for relaxation before going to bed each night (old school towel over the head with a touch of Vicks). Even it's placebo it's helping.
I've stared playing guitar and singing a bit again for short periods of time. My live career I think is over but hopefully I can do some recording again soon.
Try and get back into the things that you did pre T.
I think it will always drag us down from time to time (though maybe not), but I really think your tougher than you're giving yourself credit for. You will get there!! Do whatever works for you and Keep in touch.

 

Thank you so much for being so kind. I am able to function at work and only notice my T if I really concentrate or pay attention to it while working. I am going to invest in a good white noise machine for my bedroom and the meditation and pod casts sound like a great ideas.

Sometimes I get pain and pressure in my ears when traveling in a car, so I can relate to what you are saying on some level. I live in an area on a lake with extreme differences in altitude that I travel in day to day. I can go from lake level to about 1000 feet above lake level in a matter of a few minutes. I am sure this doesn't help matters either.

Peace and love to us all, and I will keep in touch.

 

It's my second month, and many things have changed, I can actually go to the library and stay a few hours without driving myself crazy, I am more focused on my life and less phased by the sound. I'm working up a little scheme to detoxicate myself from all this junk food and get my full healthy life back, and I am actually enjoying my few guitar sounds I'm making in the end of the day.
I told my friend that 2016 was my worst year in my life, 2017 looks like a charm.

 

Hello guys.

I got tinnitus last week and it's still presence. One thing Im wondering and it just crossed my mind and hurt that perhaps I will not enjoy these moments again..or will i?

I just thought about last summer when me and my pals were out fishing the entire day, having a nice barbeque, I got home late, took a very nice shower and watched my favorite show on tv and then had a very good sleep. Now with tinnitus Im very afraid I will not enjoy these moments anymore. I know this post maybe sound a little strange, but I hope you know what Im aming for and what I mean.

Honest answers: Will I enjoy life like this again? I'm so afraid that tinnitus will not let me enjoy lifes simplest things anymore.

 

It's so good to meditate with my new friend tinnitus

 

I've had huge problems concentrating in school this semester because of my T, H and Tmjd I got at the end of July this year. But after much trial and error I have found a study method that works just as good as the one i used before the onset . One of my biggest fears when all this started was that I would start performing worse in school. But i just got an A in a class i had B in last semester. So right now I feel like anything is possible!

 

I'm glad for you, I was really sad to see T happen in that span of my life since that's the most important time to gather my attention on my studies, but I'm working this out, hopefully my notes will show that my struggle wasn't in vain.

Since we're both students in the same situation, I got to ask : Tell me all about your studies : What works for you ? What's the new method you found ? We could make a thread about it, if one doesn't exist yet.

 

What ultimately worked for me in terms of study methods were the most simple things. Due to my TMJD I suffer a lot the following day if I don't get at least 7-8 hours of sleep. So the first thing i had to work out was planning everything in advance, and doing things little by little rather than doing things last minute. This was a lot harder for me than I'd thoght it be, but after sticking to it for 2-3 months I'd say it had become a part of my routine. In terms of concentrating with T, it has become gradually easier as I got more and more used to it. If it really is bothering me, I put on background music just loud enough to give me something else to concentrate on. H for me doesn't really play in a huge role when studying since my study spot is quiet.

A funny thing I found out a couple weeks ago was that one of the greatest students in my class also have T (Although pretty mild) and have had it for several years. It is when I stopped seeing my T as a disability and when I realised that there are so many other people going through way worse things every day, that I finally learned to accept it and try to get on with my life.

 

Dude, great attitude!!! Keep it up bro!!

 

@Adin
I couldn't get a more suited answer. Good luck on your studies, and your life.

 

I wish you the best of luck with your studies (and life) as well. Don't worry, it only goes uppwards from 1 month in. I bet you will barely be affected by it in 3 months