To You That Write / Read, How Do You Manage It with Tinnitus?

To all you that write or read a lot, how do you manage this with tinnitus? Do you always mask the writing process with music, or are you used to siting in the quiet with your tinnitus and just write? Maybe you've habituated?

And reading seems a little tougher because you want quiet when reading, at least I do, and nothing else that will distract me.

I haven't been reading for a while now, mainly due to tinnitus. And one of my biggest dreams has always been to write, but I have just given it up entirely and feel no happiness or excitement over it as I once did.

 

I found reading difficult for the first year, but it has got a lot easier as I've habituated. Low background music has helped. Strangely enough, writing has never been a problem - I suppose it depends on what you are writing. Give it time and your focus and motivation will return.

 

Pink noise on low volume is my friend.

 

reading with tinnitus is not all that bad, I am focused on the reading material and im distracted...It actually helps with my tinnitus a lot

 

I write for a living. I don't hear my T in sound environments with at least 65 db, so if it gets below that, I turn on a fan or AC when I'm at home, or play a white noise track on my phone when I'm at the office.

 

If I could mask my tinnitus with music I wouldn't be writing words on a computer.

 

I understand the sentiment here, but this isn't a suffering contest.

 

Ok, to clarify, I do have difficulty reading and writing because of my tinnitus, but the constant tinnitus tones are not as intrusive as external noise triggering hyperacusis and hearing distortion. This is all in addition to the fact that not only do my symptoms make reading and writing and concentrating on anything difficult, but that reading, writing, using the internet, working at a library are all things I don't even want to be doing in the first place, the one thing I want to be doing is making music, and I have a constant reminder of why I can't. I can't even stand the quiet music in department stores, the screeching resonances at certain frequencies make my stomach turn.

Instead I am left making crap posts on a tinnitus forum, which ironically has probably improved my writing, but I can't concentrate on reading. I keep having to bookmark threads to read later, and i never get through the ones i bookmarked.

 

HI @Raphael7713

You have asked a very good question because reading and writing are part of the Three Rs and are the foundations of learning: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. Like anything the more they are practiced the better one becomes skilled in them and the same applies in reverse. I have always liked to express myself through writing and would find my life unfulfilled if I weren’t able to read.

Tinnitus can be a devastating and cruel condition and affect a person’s life in such a way that no one can fully understand unless they have experienced it at a severe level. Whether the tinnitus is fluctuating or constant, if this is sustained over a period of time it can become seriously debilitating. I say this because most people eventually habituate to tinnitus and will be able to carry on with their life doing everything that they want to although initially it might be problematic.

In 2008 I suffered my second noise trauma and was unable to read a book for two years and thought I would never be able to read again. I resumed reading in 2010 but it was a very slow process, as I lost interest very quickly in each book I tried to read, mostly due to the large fluctuations in the tinnitus from: silent, mild, moderate, severe and extremely severe. I never gave up and hadn’t yet habituated but was determined not to let tinnitus stop me from reading. By chance I bought a book by an author that I had never heard of and didn’t know he was famous. It took me four weeks to read the novel because the intensity of the tinnitus fluctuated so much that no two days were the same.

The author’s writing style and story captivated me. This led to buying the second; third and forth book in the series. Eventually I wrote the author just to say how much I enjoyed his novels and explained about my tinnitus and how it affected me and thought I would never be able to read again. I have since attended a number of his book signings and have recently finished book thirteen in the series.

It took another two years to habituate to my tinnitus until 2012. My tinnitus has improved but still varies a lot in intensity but I can live with it because I have been a lot worse. My article: Tinnitus, A Personal View, took me many months to write because of the large fluctuations in my tinnitus. Many times I gave up, as it’s difficult to be creative when the intensity of the noise is so intrusive. However, each time I threw the towel in something kept willing me to continue and I couldn’t get any peace unless I continued writing it. I am pleased that I finished it and didn’t allow tinnitus to get the better of me. I usually have my sound machine or music playing softly in the background but this is used as sound “enrichment” and not to mask the tinnitus, which should not be done.

Please do not give up on your dreams of wanting to read again or being able to write. They are both wonderful things to do and help to broaden the mind and keep it on an even keel. Because something is difficult to do don't let that stop you. Our greatest glory is not in never falling but rising every time we fall. You are in the early days stages of tinnitus. I read your first post to this forum and noticed you mentioned using headphones at high volume. Headphone use is one of the most common causes of tinnitus. I advise you not to use them again even at low volume and keep away from loud sounds. Read my post: Hyperacausis, As I see It and my article: Tinnitus, A Personal View. Please click on the links below.

It will take time but you will improve.
All the best

Michael
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/