Tinnitus Triumph!

Hello all! It's been a long time since I posted a new thread, and here I am. I feel really good, especially since I'm posting a thread in the 'Success Stories' section! I've never really shared the complete story behind my T, so everything in detail is given below(yeah, it's gonna be long. Don't read this late in the night, this is gonna be a sleep inducer!)

Alright, let me lay out my pre-tinnitus schedule; 6-7 hours of excellent sleep(completely uninterrupted. One deep session of sleep) everyday. I'd wake up early in the morning, 4am or 4:30. I'd read for an hour or a bit more and it'd be time to hit the gym. 2 hours at the gym everyday except Sundays. Apart from this, I'd study 12 hours each day, and about 2 hours on the computer. If the study hours were less, that'd be due to an extension in the use of computer. This went on for 3 or 4 months, and that's when I started getting serious neck pain everyday. I'd wake up with it, and I'd goto sleep with it. If I did nothing & laid down flat for an hour, it'd ease the pain. But if I sat up for some reading/computer, it''d come back again. Gym wasn't helping much either, and I decided to quit. Quitting the gym didn't help with anything too, I still had a very serious neck problem. I'd apply some crap pain relief and it'd temporarily go away.

The course that I've taken up requires lots of time & dedication, and I HAD to put in lots of study hours. I couldn't reduce it & so I had to read a lot. The neck problem was partially disturbing my studies too. The only thing apart from studies I'd get to do was some mild gaming on the computer or movies. But, sitting in front of the computer would make the neck pain worse! So, instead of going to the gym, I started working out at home with basic equipments. Here's where I messed up; I repeatedly performed exercises that were very stressful for the neck(For those of you who'll understand, I alternated between Biceps & Tricep workouts only, with lots of pull ups everyday)

And there it was… an annoying sound that appeared to be coming from within my brain. I was shocked, because I knew what it was. My mother suffers from T too, so I knew all about it. I had no clue why I'd got it. Yeah, I listen to a LOT of music, all genres, but it's never been on high volume. Earphones maybe? Pfft. I've skipped using earphones since 4 years. I read through lots of posts on this forum searching for the cause of my T, and nope, nothing matched my circumstances. I knew going to the ENT about it wouldn't help. I assumed it'd go away soon. This was during the early days of September. Waited for a week, nope, no changes. It still existed. The tone was a very annoying 7000 hertz tone, continuous throughout the day, no break. It seemed to be coming from within the brain. (The sound I heard was exactly like this:

7KHz / 7000 Hz Test tone / Sound - Tweeter Test

). It was frustrating, I could hear it over all average noises. It seemed to form part of every noise I heard. If I heard a song, the song would consist about 90% of what I heard, and 10% of this annoying tone. I could hear it in regular traffic outside the house, I could hear it over the telly too. Silent rooms? Horrible. Silent rooms are any T sufferer's worst nightmare.

It was the 6th day. I woke up early in the morning, before my alarm even went off. I'd say it was about 3:45am. I woke up with what seemed like a cardiac arrest. My heart was pounding! Elated heart beat, shivers all through the body, uncontrollable shaking in the legs. I've never experienced a cardiac arrest before, but I assumed that was what was happening to me. I got up, started moving. Nope, not getting better. I sat up for a few minutes, and nothing changed. It took about 10 minutes and I calmed myself down. I was scared, I had no idea what had happened to me. I grabbed my phone and started searching(seriously, damn the internet. It forces us to do it!). I finally found exactly what I'd experienced; Panic Attack! ( http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_attack ) It described everything what I went through, and funny enough, it even mentioned that people sometimes confuse it with a cardiac arrest! Relieved, I was. That day passed, as usual, with the noise ruining my concentration most of the time.

And then it hit me! I thought, maybe it's the fricking neck pain that's causing my tinnitus! I searched a lot about this over the internet and found many links that mentioned that a stress on the neck could also cause T. This actually upped my hopes a bit. I scheduled an appointment with a spine specialist. I told him about the neck problem and he told me that my posture needs to be corrected and that I need to exercise the muscles surrounding the neck. He prescribed a few tablets and told me that'd do it all. And then I mentioned about my T. He knew very little about it(obviously). He said that a problem with the neck cannot cause T, and only problems with the ear can do something like that.

So... with my hopes on the fence, not knowing what to do, I took those meds the doc gave me, and the pain was completely gone the next day! I was to take those tablets for 3 consecutive days, which I did. All 3 days, no pain! T? Sadly, the sound was still the same. The course of medications were over, and I finally started reading. There it was again, the annoying neck pain. As horrible as before. That, coupled with the T sound, an absolute nightmare. I lost all concentration on my studies for a few days. I NEVER had any problems sleeping, but now, my sleep was constantly getting interrupted each day. I'd wake up randomly lots of time after I'd slept. My studies were affected very badly. The pain, I could stand it. But the sound? Unbearable! I wouldn't mind experiencing the pain throughout my life, but the sound, even for a minute, was terrible! Sometimes, I'd lose my thoughts about the sound n forget all about it. That used to be splendid! But every few minutes, the uncontrollable mind would remind me of the sound that existed. A few days later, when I was awake early in the morning, I concentrated on the sound & found that the sound was generated from my left ear. I scheduled an appointment with the ENT, he performed a micro-suction on the left ear, and it didn't help much, it had a temporary relief. The doc just wrote it off as a mere 'pressure on the ear drums'. As everyone here knows, a person who doesn't have T will never really understand how it feels like. So, I knew the Doc wouldn't be helpful in any way, and frankly, it wasn't his fault anyway.

So... everything was still bizarre and unspecific, all questions unanswered. I still spent my days with neck pain & the sound ruining my studies & pretty much everything, including my peaceful sleep. There was no way I was gonna talk about what I was going through with anyone except my mom, she was the only one who'd understand. I did mention about my T faintly to a friend, but she brushed it off over her problems that involved something about her lousy boyfriend & her exams. All those problems seemed so petty & lame that time. That's what the T does to you. So, I figured it'd be best not to talk about it with anyone. Few more days passed by, and I gradually got 'used to the sound'. Didn't get better, but I got used to it. I really lost count of how many times I immersed my head i side a bucket full of water. Ah, the ONLY time I could block the noise. I wished I could live underwater my whole life! I'd block my ears with the fingers & submerge my head into the bucket, I'd hear the water pressure, but no 7000hertz annoying sound. I would never admit something like this in the other world out there, but here, I'm very sure you all would understand.

Note: I'm typing all this on my iPhone (Yeah, I'm a fanboy, big one!), and my fingers are numb right now. So I'm gonna skip the details & try to mention only the important stuffs from now.

Few more days went by, and I started walking & jogging everyday, this did give me a bit of relief. Not from the sound, but from the stress. It helped ease the neck pain for a while too. Hence, I started increasing my jogging sessions and I also started out with some basic neck relief exercises. One week, damn, that's all it took to reduce 50% of my neck issues! Did it have any effect on the sound? YES! Finally, an improvement! The sound was reduced by about 30%. This was great news to me. So I assumed the neck had everything to do with the T, so I started exercising more. 2 weeks passed. Results; 70% neck pain reduced, 50% noise reduced. It did affect my studies a bit, but not as much as before. At this point, I found that the 'Head-in-the-Bucket' was not needed anymore. My tests were gonna start in the first week of November. I was not prepared as good as I had to be. But I attempted anyway. Did my best. Results are gonna be in February next year. Damn the T... What if I fail? Well, 'If I have tried my best n failed... Well, I have tried my best' -Steve Jobs (Now you see why I'm a fanboy!)

The tests got over in November, and holidays started. Threw away all my books for a while, and relaxed a bit. Exercised. Reduced computer usage. All this helped ease the neck pain more, and now, as of 28th December, I've no neck pain. I haven't had that dreadful neck pain since 2 weeks. The sound? Yes... I can still hear it. But, it has reduced about 90% now. I can hear it only when I'm in a very silent environment. So... that's what progress was!

Alright, that pretty much is the 'story of my T'. I can surely say, like everyone else here, that I shall never wish this upon anyone, not even my worst enemy(I don't have one actually). It has been both, a terrible & amazing experience to me. Terrible, because of what I had to go through. Amazing, because it's changed me in many ways, better ways. When it all started, I couldn't read, I couldn't concentrate, I couldn't watch the telly, couldn't listen to songs, I couldn't play the guitar too. I'm not a pro at guitar, I'm still an amateur. But I still loved playin what I knew, and I couldn't do that as well. The neck pain would flare back up and also, I'd fear it would increase my T. And from that scenario, I've improved a LOT now, and I have no problems dealing with the sound. It has reduced significantly, and I hope it goes away completely... not just for me, but for everyone! The journey from being miserable to recovery stage has been splendid! I hope everyone experiences it.

Finally(keeping the best for the last here), I'd like to thank a few people, in no particular order; Markku, for creating this wonderful forum. Cher, Karen, Amelia, DezDog, CarLover & others who provided lots of support. I'm quite sure I've left out a fee more, sorry, it's hard to remember too many names. And thanks to all other member of Tinnitus Talk for providing info, support & motivation for everyone on this forum. Also, thanks to the 'Staff' team here on TinnitusTalk for maintaining everything on the site!

And now, right now, I'm in a bus that's taking me somewhere far away from the city. I'm gonna be away from all traffic, noise, dust, pressure, phones, computers, internet, etc.(you get the idea). I'm taking a trip to the country side, lots of it here in India(Yeah, as some of you know already, that's where I'm from). I'm gonna stay there for a good amount of days n relax, check if that can maybe reduce my T completely! I do envy others who can feel, hear the 'sound of silence'. It's been too long, staying away from silence. I'm gonna update about any changes, if any, after I get back from my trip. So, here's me wishing y'all a very Happy New Year, and hoping that everyone's gonna magically feel better & everyone gets rid of the terrible-T! I've experienced what it's like, for a while, the ill effects of T. The worst part about T is not just the sound, it's your thoughts that are worse. I'd often think what would happen if the sound kept increasing & one day I wouldn't be able to stay under control? I'm sure everyone's thought of it... Well, here I am, I successfully made that journey from there. Is the sound completely gone? No. The sound may get worse someday? Yeah. Would that bother me? No. I'm better prepared now, upto some extent. All I could do was hope that the sound would go away. I hope everyone can experience silence soon. I'm gonna end this thread now. Thanks for reading(if you did). Good luck to everyone, and have a wonderful new year!


"Faith is to believe what you do not yet see; the reward for this faith is to see what you believe." - Saint Augustine

 

By the way, please excuse any typos or sentences that may not make any sense. I typed the whole thing on the bus, on my phone. And, it's 12:18am now. I was half asleep too. So... go easy on the mistakes.

 

Hope you have a great time ! Thank you so much for sharing, and do please keep us updated , when you return to city life.

 

Thanks @MT09, You give the rest of us hope! I may have to revisit my neck problems as a source of my noise.

 

Thanks for sharing @MT09, could you please detail your neck relaxation procedure ?

 

Many thanks for taking the time to share - I am am sure there are other successes who don't bother to come back and share.

 

hi...

I have read your above story..and it is very similar to mine ....I have also got T after Neck pain (15 days neck pain)..I also consulted with orthopethic doc and he said that i have spondylosis problem (spin problem) , and he explain one exercise to do lifetime (I did for one month only) and some vitamin tablets for 2 months. whereas he also said the same that u got T problem because of your ear problem not because of Neck Pain. Now i don't have Neck Pain ..but some time if i continue work on computer then i m getting neck pain. I have T problem in right ear. Since 20 to 22 days, my T voice is become low..i can sleep well..I am staying in Mauritius and i m traveling to India in Jan mid week for 1.5 month. so i will do neck ayurvedic massage for few days and let's see what heppend. I thing i got T because of too much stress on neck/neck pain and hope when this neck problem will cure completely then T also should be improved. I also consult with ENT, he test everything and said u don't have major problem. Did MRI also whereas found nothing...

 

Hello , do you have neck problems, I do from whiplash, I have a hard time sleeping in the night, I had physo done, and two weeks after my ringing in my ears started , please let me know ..thanks!

 

Hello , do you have neck problems, I do from a car accident ..whip lash, I did physo and the t started..please let me know thanks..much appreciated.

 

Hello I do have neck problems .whip lash.started phyuso and my t started April15th/2014..please let me know Thanks
Looking for anything that can help.

 

Hello bhavin, I have a neck problema few years now , started physo, maybe they did not do it right, I have T since April 15 th/ 2014 , please let me know what exercise you did..much appreciated..keep intouch..would love to knoq thanks

 

Hello, I do have neck pain from two accident , I have them a few years now, I get a lot of pain decided to go for physo, My t started a few weeks after, not sure if this cause it, could let me know what exercise you did..much appreciated..having a hard time..let me know.

 

Please let me know the neck procedure , I have neck pain a few years now from an accident. tried physo a few month ago and noe I have T April15th/24.much appreciated ..thanks !

 

I have to do that too, I did have whip lash a few years ago, a few month ago, did do physo, maybe they did something wrong. because I have T since April15th/2014..let me know if you you were successful with information..much appreciated. Thanks

 

Have the same problems with my neck..did physo. a few month ago and my T started..please let know if you find any info..much appreciated.Thanks

 

@MT09 great story, very positive. What "neck exercises" did you do? Kind of curious. I try to execise every day but maybe I'm doing the wrong things. I need to add walking/jogging to my daily routine.

 

Hopefully the OP will get back to us on what worked for him, but I did some googling and came up with

Fix Your Neck Pain DVD Pt 1 Full Extended Version

, which among other things details the McKenzie neck exercises. I definitely feel my symptomatic right ear moving more than the left, but no idea if this means anything.

 

Hi alifali. Sorry i hav log in after long time .As you asking for the exercise . I suggest to consult good orthopathic doctor. He will suggest u well to which exercise u should do for ur neck problem. U took any medicines when u went for physo ?

 

No I did not, and thanks you for the information! Take care.

 

@MT09 - you have no idea how happy I am to see you posting in success stories!!! There is nothing better than seeing someone in my T family dealing with this so well!
Enjoy your time away, and it hope the relaxation helps xxx

 

I wish @MT09 would come back a detail his exercises here... might help some of us out. But I hope he's enjoying his time away too!

 

I have neck problem too. I will also see my orthopaedritist to check whether my T is also due to neck problem...