The Strangest Thing Happened

So about 15 days ago I'm on the 2nd (or 3rd) day of my vacation, sitting at the beach with my girlfriend, looking at the beautiful sea in front of me.
However, I wasn't really there. I was (as usual) thinking about my tinnitus and how the absurdly loud cricket noise coming from the trees behind us is making it even worse... as if the tinnitus couldn't be bad enough.

And then... nothing. Maybe two to three hours later. Nothing.
It's not as if the tinnitus was gone. Far from it.
It was there. At it's usual loudness, even started becoming reactive to certain hi-pitched nature noises.
But I just didn't care any more.

I was gonna write a long post but I won't. I'll keep it short.
It didn't take a decade to get used to, not a year even, I didn't have TRT, CBT, NBA, NFL or any other acronym. No masking devices or any experimental drugs, or any well known drugs. I just didn't seem to care any more. I still don't, not a bit (well, maybe a little wee tiny bit ).

I've seen posts on this forum saying that tinnitus is evil, a beast, a nightmare, a horrible affliction.
It's not. It's a measurement, an accurate, scientific measurement showing how much you are able to not give a shit about stuff.

I stopped giving any and I'm good. Definitely not 100% (as I've seen being mentioned in another thread and probably will never be 100%) but I'm GREAT.

It took me about 2 months. My buddy has 70% hearing loss in his left ear and says his tinnitus sounds like a jet engine at full speed. He didn't give a shit after a week of having it.

My tinnitus is hi-pitched, pulsatile, reactive, loud at times. I don't have any hearing loss or other medical condition. But even if it is there, I'm not monitoring therefore it is as good as gone.

For those of you still minding it, patience. Take some time off, decrease your stress levels, enjoy life.
If it's hyper loud and you're feeling hopeless, patience x 2. We've all been there. Help is on the way, be it retigabine or autifony or whatever. Hope is a good thing and there's lots of it nowadays.

Hey, i guess i did write a long post after all.

 

Good for you. This if my 4th week since I got T from assault 2 months ago.
Its tough to ignore the noise. Its always there especially at night. Its annoying.
I'm kinda used to it by now but I wish it goes away soon or my brain gets trained to completely ignore it.

 

Sounds great Undecided.

Try some sound enrichment at night Ricky. I never thougt i could sleep with some ambient fake sound when i had my onset. I slept 3-4 hours for the first months. Since i started with a sound of rain things turned. I hear my T throu the rain sound but it helps the brain focus on another sound to. Helps specially when waking up in the middle of the night, the brain just turn on the other sound. If your not using any sound at nighttime try it. Took some night to get used to it. I used to sleep with earplugs before T and was very sensitive to all sounds.
Even my fiance and 2 months old boy likes it now.

 

Thanks Nick, Yes I do play Rain sound at night and even then its tough to sleep, maybe its PTSD.
I also have a white noise app on my phone which I think is better for me than rain.
So I'm experimenting with the sound apps.

Thanks again.

 

Ignoring the noise is not really an option early on. Just go with it. Accept the fact that it will be bother you for a while.
Your entire body and every part of your brain focuses on the tinnitus since it represents a 'threat'.
Consciously, we all realize it is not a threat yet we continue to obsess over it.
Give it some time. The brain is flexible, it adapts. As you adapt, you'll find that the T volume decreases and your attention goes back to things that actually matter.

 

Off topic ..Actually babies like white noise and rain sound, it reminds them of being inside their mothers womb. Our body is a noisy place. Since they grewup inside one white noise and rain noise are comforting to the new born and they will sleep very soon ..

 

Bravo for you, @undecided. We all must habituate in our own time. And for some, tinnitus is more disturbing than others, for reasons we often don't know. But I agree that patience is key -- and you have arrived at habituation in a very short time in your own way. Your story will inspire others.

More off topic:
@Ricky81: If you are exploring masking noises, I suggest TM Soft app on the iPhone. Also can get versions for your computer, Android, Mac, etc. Here is their web site: http://www.tmsoft.com/iphone-whitenoise.html

It has 40 plus sounds, including white, pink, brown, blue and violet noise (who knew noise came in so many colors?) You can make your own mixes layering several noises. I found what helped me is to listen to a bunch of noises; my ears tell me which ones are calming and which ones they don't like. My noise choice can vary from day to day, and I use a different mix for sleeping than when awake. And because its on my phone, my noises go with me everywhere. I listen to masking noise less and less as I habituate, but I am grateful I have my app to fall back on during difficult days.

Also: I pretty much always mask at night. I now use a Sound Pillow, vs head phones. I plug the pillow into my phone, and off I go to sleep. Its great -- also less intrusive than head phones (and more comfortable), as I can hear other sounds besides the artificial ones. I keep the volume as low as I can when sleeping. Here is the web site for the pillow. I would buy it without the Sound Pillow MP3 player, and use the TM Soft app, but up to you.
http://www.soundpillow.com/

Good luck and sweet dreams!

 

@LadiDi

I use this one as well and it´s a real blessing at times. I also find myself with alot of different mixes depending on Ts many faces, sometimes a fountain sound is enough. But when T is mounting the cavalary charges i have to arm myself with crickets.

 

Hey @Nick the Swede: That's so interesting, I am the same way. Different sounds for different things.
Most people love rain, but it drives my ears crazy. My favorites: Cat purring or brown noise when writing, a mix of air-conditioner and running water when sleeping, sometimes a mix of fire/running water/wind when its quiet at home. My ears don't like the crickets or the frogs, but do like the dish washer. Very strange, our auditory system!

Thanks for weighing in.

 

This is my first post, having joined the group 5 min ago Feel free to correct me if I am doing something incorrectly...
I am wondering if anyone sees any connection between T and nausea/vomiting/lightheadedness.....either the T causing the symptoms, or the symptoms causing the T. I'm talking about a T far worse than the "usual".....it's like cymbals in a symphony.

Thanks! PamelaSue

 

If the symptoms are as you describe them, then you should go to the ER.

 

Agreed. Could be vertigo but these are symptoms of other very serious medical conditions. . Please keep us posted.. after you have seen a doctor!

 

pregnant?

 

no!

 

I've had a total workup including a head MRI and there is nothing there that shouldn't be A couple of times in the past few years I've had that dreadful 48 hr bug, w/ nausea/vomiting....that/s when the cymbals are at their best. But it's hard to know which came first.......feeling icky, or the cymbals. Thanks for your responses and concern!