The Positivity Thread

Hi everyone
Just want to give my piece of peace here:
two people that i admire greatly and have tinnitus: Sam Harris and Gary Weber
former is a genius author, philosopher, and neuroscientist - he had bad tinnitus and he is doing great - really a rising rock star inthe fields of philosphy and spirituality - most of you probably know him already.
You can read his post where he talks about his condition - it really has a positive sane tone -
https://www.samharris.org/blog/item/adventures-in-the-land-of-illness
second guy - Gary Weber - he is kind of a spiritual teacher - a nondual one -
he also has tinnitus and he is the happiest guy ever - he worked alot for it - 20,000 hours of yoga nd meditation for 20 years but still - his ringing is "not a problem" as he says.
also - did you know that "The Magnetic Fields" lead singer and writer has hyperacusis? also Thom York leader of radiohead - they are both very successful and active, living a very full life. don't think that tinnitus has anything to do with closing your world down. There are people out there who prove otherwise.

Also, a quick nondual exercise if you are bothered by the sound - "who hears?"
just ask yourself who hears? who is that? is there any entity there ? or is hearing simply happening? erase every past impression or memory. just listen to reality as it happening. who hears? is there a subject to the experience? or is there just an experience?

try this - you will be surprised - the depth of this exercise has no end. for more similar stuff look up Ramana Maharshi.

be guided by your heart not by your ear - and dont put 100% of your energy in measuring and trying to find a cure. its ok to look for one, but try to be relaxed as you do it.

also - very important in my experience - don't flood yourself with info and with other people's experience - its not really that entertaining , and it makes you suffer mostly. Be with your own experience even if its bad, live your life, you are here for a reason.

be well

 

I think I found the thread I need to follow and stop looking for answers from people about what is going on and why this is happening and that is happening. I think being positive is the cure and I need to and WILL find a way to be positive and get through this. I just read most of these posts in this thread and I want to say thank you to all of you for making me feel better about this. Look forward to talking to more of you and reading your posts.

Cheers
Chris

 

Brilliant initiative Demi! Here is a small contribution: when you have "a head full of dreams" and you spend time and energy living "adventure of lifetime", there's not a lot of place for T. Look at this guy singing, playing piano and guitare, in a "amazing day". Chris Martin, Coldplay leader, who also has T like all of us is a great example. Could life of all TinnitusTalk members be so fabulous, even for a few hours a day or week. Enjoy (not too loud ;o):

Coldplay 2016 - A Head Full of Dreams Tour -

 

So I wake up to one the most quiet T, I've ever had. I actually start to believe it might go over! And if it doesn't it will hopefully stay quiet low.

 

Hello! I'm eighteen, and I've had tinnitus since... forever. I thought ear ringing was a normal part of the human experience! Fortunately, now that I know there's nothing I can do about it, I'm taking steps to protect my hearing and keep anything worse from happening. If I didn't have tinnitus, I would probably be among those who have no idea how precious the gift of hearing is!

 

Do you feel like it holds you back in a way or don't you mind at all?

 

I wanted to post about my husband here because of how well he handles his noise induced tinnitus.

My husband who is a music lover went to many shows where leaving he woul have the ringing in his ears....in his 20s one of those nights the ringing never went away.

I had no idea he had tinnitus until I got mine....he doesn't talk about it...he doesn't notice it very much....he doesn't react to it and he says the only time it gets louder is when he has a cold/congestion but it always goes back down.

He has noticed it more as I talk about mine all the time but as soon as he is on to something else....it's in the background somewhere.

I'll ask him to find it....it gives me comfort to know he has to listen for it....,that he just doesn't care and doesn't hear it.

He told me he can hear it sometimes in quiet rooms.....he doesn't care.

He doesn't think about what he eats, what medication he is taking.....he still goes to shows. It has zero impact on his life..my struggle with my t impacts him more.

He is amazingly supportive and understanding.

I envy how little he cares.....I asked him if he would be upset if it got louder.....he said no, I love my life and I'm to busy to care about a sound. I've got other things to focus on.

He has never made me feel bad/weak for my struggle....he says he understands but says to me if this doesn't go away we will do what ever we need to (trt) to make you better and one day soon you WILL be.

 

My tinnitus was quieter and I noticed it less frequently today. YAY!

 

Hello all T peeps!! I've been following this thread for years, and am so encouraged by all the POSITIVE stuff shared!! I appreciate you all and stoked there's a place on TT to go and chill with some positive mellow people!! Keep it up guys!! T sucks but encouragement and fellowship sure make it easier!! Thanks @demi for starting!! Peace to all of you!!

 

I'm trialling hearing aids next week to see if it helps my tinnitus. I'm excited and optimistic! And I'm going to rock hearing aids like they're the new crop top

 

Painting in 99% silence!

I hear a tiny screech but that's it for today. Going to enjoy my night with my husband now!

 

Hey guys, I wanted to share some positivity today!! So a little background, I had small spikes of T since I was a kid. It'd last for a couple days then go away. Then, last year, I was 18 at the time, I had a huge spike that lasted almost a month. It drove me nuts! It did go away, but then in July 2016, the T came back oddly 2 days after a concert I wore preventitive ear plugs too, and now I live with it every day. I'm telling you the habituation can be done! I'm a young kid under tons of college stress and I did not let T control me. It took a couple months to adjust, but mine is now very low and I only hear it if I listen for it. If you keep positive it will not control you anymore. I think of it this way: I could be dying right now, but I just have pesky T, and i'm strong enough to put it behind me.

 

Hi everyone. I think i'm in my 7th month with my "new tinnitus". The extremely high-pitch sound made me a wreck for a couple of months. January and february has been great months. 99 % of the time I don't "hear" the sound and it doesn't bother or affect me at all. The sound distortion is the only thing that gets my attention (1 % of the time) sometimes.

Remember that habituation is a process that takes time - but most people will experience it.

Wish you all the best!

 

A great quote from Helen Keller ( the first deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree) I came across on the forum;

"Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content."

If someone like this can overcome such adversary, so can you.

 

Fantastic to hear that some cases go away....I guess when I heard there was no cure I never really considered that it could go away on its own! I have only had it for about 3 months so I'm glad to hear of those cases!!! Wish more people would post positive stuff! It helps all of us so much!

 

Always remember - the vast majority of people on here are looking for the solution to their T - very few people come on here and say "hey I had T 5 years ago but it's gone now!". Be it 3 months, 6 months, 18 months etc. T can spontaneously go away, and will get better over time either way. My T was probably brought on for the same reasons yours was. Good luck!

 

With Tinnitus it is a bit like with such a big bear, who is standing behind the door and strikes the paw.
You try to calm down, look for answers on the internet, brew tea with melissa. But what you did not do, he still pounded like a possessed in the door and you are scared (also of course I was).
Trying to relax in the situation when you have a two-meter-long bear at the door, which at any moment can fall into the room even more stressful.

Do you have the effect of stopping hitting the door and scratching? Not very...

So instead of getting stressed out, throw everything into one shit and let the motherfuc*** into the apartment. Suddenly it turns out that the bear is not so terrible anymore. I do not want to eat you, maybe it is a little irritating because you know that you have a fish in the fridge and you are hooking up, she is picking up a little. She walks around the room and finally falls asleep under the fireplace and starts to snore.

This story is just a change of mind that has given me so much.

How to turn it into everyday?
The proposal is meditation with noise (seriously!). You sit in a place where there is no one around.
You put some relaxation techniques (probably everyone knows) and focus for a few minutes only on the noise. Nothing else exists. You will send the bear to the room. Strange is that after some time Tinnitus Bear is no longer so terrible. And since it is not so terrible alone, the more it will not be so awful all day filled with the sounds of the environment.

Take care

 

I flew for the first time since my onset last week. No worsening of my symptoms whatsoever! My H was actually lowered for a couple days post flying (weirdly).

 

My positive approach that keeps me going .. just from my experience with 20+ years of tinnitus, even as hard as it sounds suffering is a choice. I learned very early that tinnitus does not hurt you if you do not let it ... and yes no one said it is going to be easy, I have tinnitus as long I remember, two weeks ago another spike started not sure it will ever end. So what .. I live my life to the fullest, I enjoy every moment, I travel, do extreme-sports, have an amazing girlfriend .. work hard .. play hard ... oh work hard is overrated, work smart, but that is another topic... no trust me even after 20 years it stays a fight not every day or every week well sometimes but it is a life worth living for, for those who can't. A really good friend of my is paralyzed from the hip down for the last xxxx years .. but he wakeboards like a pro with a one seat special wakeboard, everyone things he drowns but he rocks 540ties everywhere, rides a scooter with sidecar, where he puts the wheelchair on ... your life is YOUR choice. No one said it is easy or sometimes even not bearable, it is ... Tinnitus does NOT hurt you in any way ... and you will say .. mine is louder ... well I hear mine 24/7/365 whatever I do, even shower etc ... and yes sometimes I am frustrated .. for a minute ..or depressive .. for some seconds a month .. but then I will neither give up for let this stupid thing control my life.
One tip ... if people want to overcharge you for a cure, it is usually FAKE ... if there would be an easy cure everyone would know it .. one trick that helped me stop seeing it as a burden, see it as something like the voice of your body that you could not hear before and listen happy to it .. as many say staying positive is a must ... as hard as it is .. I sometimes wonder too where all the million science money goes to .. but looking at doctors and research .. it is more a joke what comes out of it .. but this is another topic too... it is imho disgusting to see how people get rich on other
people's illness ...
Anyway pain is inevitable .. lots of other people have it a lot harder than you, suffering is a choice do not go this way .. and here are some photos what life you can have with a loud tinnitus (this is my photoblog https://500px.com/wojtekkalka) ..
Read about reprogramming yourself, start yoga, stay healthy there are tons of post here BUT do not read too much it drives you crazy ...
another thing, if I say I fight it .. does not mean I fight the tinnitus, but the situation the proper way .. the more you fight it the harder it gets .. let it go .. that is the fight and not an easy one ...
and there is a lot you can do to make your life awesome but no there is nothing you can do to get rid of it .. it either happens or not ..
whoever gets tinnitus, my sincere compassion, all the best wishes, 100 million people are your fellow sufferer companion now..
Oh do not wish this people luck imho, because luck never ever helps when needed, help them to create a life, do not find a way, create one for you that works the best .. only one life .. btw I am just over 40 and I lost my mom with 6, my best friends with 17, 23, 36,40 ..suffer from tinnitus from 23+ years .. but my life is awesome, I only have one, no other choice, no other option.
A good quote to live a life by is .. you can not change the cards you get, but you can change the way you play them .. well as ethical hacker and kirk fan .. sometimes you switch the cards .. makes life more interesting ...

 

@Wojtek Kalka your photos are great and it looks like you still have a lot of loud hobbies. Inspiring!

what kind of gear do you use to capture the behind-the-handlebars motorcycle shots?

 

@linearb full frame camera plus a 16-35mm lense, well I use a lot ear protection all the time .. and just because I arrange myself to live with it very well does not mean one day I hope they invent a cure one day

 

I'm right there with you, and also unwilling to give up motorcycles in the meantime

Vrrm, psssh

 

Hi,
I was on here almost constantly last year due to some very awful, distressing and at the time life destroying hearing problems. I just wanted to come back and give back some Positivity.

I woke up one day last June time with a very distressing humming noise in my ear along with a loss of hearing and really bad ear pressure. Now I've always suffered from T but had become habituated, in fact I could tune in and out of it at will. This new low frequency humming and pain was a new level of torture! Imagine a 747 circling your head 24/7! I also had awful distortion. Voices sounded robotic, certain sounds made my ear hum even louded. Sounds like running water made my ear ring. I guess you'd call it reactive tinnitus.

I saw the ENT several times, had a head scan to make sure I had a brain and had countless Dr. appointments. They found nothing and their advice, like I received when I first got T was 'You'll have to learn to live with it', discharged me and sent me on my way.

My life fell apart. I didn't sleep, couldn't watch telly, couldn't play with my kids. Nothing. Life ended. All I did was wake up, think about/listen to my ear every single second of the day then go to bed. Rinse and repeat. One day things got to much and I snapped. I think you'd call it a nervous breakdown. I simply couldn't get out of bed!

This is where things started taking a turn for the better.... Like they say when your at rock bottom the only way is up.

The first thing I did was get myself to the doctor and beg/ demand some physiological help. I didn't want therapy so asked for anti depressants. After trying prozac (which made my other ear ring.... This did settle down tho) I eventually settled on Citalopram. The difference wasn't major but slowly, over a few months, I noticed I no longer cared so much about the noise and pain and in my ear. It was still there but I just didn't care as much. For the first time in months I had some kind of quality of life back.

As the months rolled on I noticed the pain and pressure and noises less and less.... There still there even now but I no longer care about them.

Im not the greatest wordsmith (as you've probably gathered by my ramble) but I wanted to just come back and say don't give up! It gets easier. Even tho the pain, and pressure and noises still exist they will get to a point where your brain simply tunes them out.....They become unimportant. If I'd read this last year id I've have called the author a lying b%stard. But it's true! Time really does make this infliction easier to live with I promise! One day you'll look back and wonder why you made such a big deal about that noise in your head.

Hang on in there guys and gals! The dark days are not here forever whatever your brain keeps telling you!

Cheers
Shaun R.

 

@ShaunR thank you so much for your story. I am struggling with the idea that I will lead a normal life again. I just can't see it and have a moment every day where I think I need hospitalisation. You have given me hope x

 

Hey,
I'm glad it helped you And I know you will lead a normal life again!

I struggled like hell. All I could think was 'I'm going to suffer like this for the next 60 years'.

My ears ain't great, they still ring and hiss and hum and ache.... But you know what it doesn't bother me anymore it's my new normal. And my new normal is no different to when I had perfect hearing.

Come talk to me if you wanna chat or chat to the ppl here. Just know your not alone

Cheers,
Shaun.

 

I noticed that prayer has helped me a lot.I also noticed that when I take sugar and bread out of my diet the ringing sound is barely noticeable. I like that there is a support group because none of my friends hear the sounds that I hear. Happy to have s support group here!!

 

Hi did you have hearing loss too?
And did it improve?

 

Hi,
Yes I had and still have a hearing loss. It's not major but definitely there. I only had the bog standard hearing test however I know my left ear hears much much better than my right.

At the time I drove myself to the edge of insanity testing it over and over again....listening to the TV, my old mantel clock etc

I don't know what happened but my brain sort of readjusted and I no longer notice it. If I listen to music in the car or through headphones it's off balance but these days I don't really care.

Cheers,
Shaun

 

I'm so happy that a lot of people DEAL with it so now I'm doing the same. I cried a lot and stayed in my room. No more! I will pretend It's not there and begin my life starting today. Thank you for giving me hope. God bless you all and I pray everyday becomes easier.

 

I live in the fruit belt of Michigan and it's springtime! Cherry trees, apple trees, peach trees in full blossom right now. Everywhere I go, I see orchards of pink and white flowers row upon row and the smell is intoxicating! A delight to the senses - no hearing required.