Trying to cope with Tinnitus

[Carol]

Hi everybody,

I've had tinnitus for 5 weeks now. I think I'll remember the exact date my problems started for ever ... it was 1st June. I went clubbing for the first time for many years (a friend's 40th birthday so we were reliving the old days). The music was SO loud and I left the club with my ears ringing. I wasn't worried straight away because that was normal. But over the next couple of days the general ringing subsided and was replaced by a really high pitch tone that seems to come from the middle of my head. It's been there ever since and I can hear it over everything.
I feel really frustrated that I've done this to myself. Some days it's louder than others and on the loud days I am really struggling to cope. I've got some sleeping pills which I'm using but waking up in the morning is awful because it's the first thing I'm aware of before I even open my eyes.
I know from having a look round the forum that there's a lot of people who find ways to cope with this, but at the moment I feel like all the joy has been taken out of every aspect of live.

Carol

 

[James White]

Welcome on board Carol,

First of all, tinnitus is usually considered permanent after 1 year.
There are lots of cases of people with tinnitus that lasts for months and dissapears.
Even though, research is very active today and maybe in a forseeable future, some new compounds or techniques will be available and highly effecient.

 

[Nana99]

Carol, Ivan relate to how you feel. Tho I've lived with mild ringing for a few years the last 2 wks it has become worse and now pulsates. I too have anxiety and have been a wreck for 4 days with panic and anxiety. Today I had a friend take me to ER where they discovered high blood pressure and put me on a drug for that and anxiety. The ringing is still not gone, feel like I'm in a fog because of lack of sleep, but hopeful tomorrow will be better. Just know you're not alone.

 

[Robert Fahey]

Getting mad at yourself is hard to avoid but is a step in the wrong direction. Life causes tinnitus, period. So many people have it, and learn to disregard it. Are you going through an anxious time in general, aside from the T?

 

[Karen]

Carol,

Welcome to Tinnitus Talk! We all understand how you feel; tinnitus certainly does make you feel anxious, and you wish you could go back in time and change things. But, I agree with Robert that getting mad at yourself isn't the best solution. The best thing to do is go forward from where you're at right now, with a positive attitude.

Right now, in the early stages of tinnitus, the main thing to do is to try to get some sleep, and find ways to calm yourself down, so that you can face the next day with renewed calmness and strength.

Do you have anything that you can take for anxiety? Also, have you tried any sort of masking/calming sounds to listen to when the tinnitus is at its worst? Look around on this forum, and you'll find sounds you can use to help mask your tinnitus, plus lots of suggestions for things you can try that may help you cope better.

When my tinnitus first began, I decided not to go with prescription drugs, and have been using natural supplements to help with sleep and with anxiety. One thing that has worked for me is magnesium. I take two tablets of magnesium chloride about 1 hour before bedtime, and it helps with sleep and overall calmness. Magnesium is available in many forms, and may also help with tinnitus. Another thing that may help is taking melatonin before bedtime. If you use these supplements, don't use the sleeping pills at the same time.

We all wish you well, and are here to support one another. Best wishes, and I hope you have a quiet and calm night!

 

[Karen]

@Nana99,

I'm sorry you're having problems, too. I also have pulsatile tinnitus, plus ringing tinnitus. My pulsating started 3 years ago, when it was discovered that my blood pressure was high. It happened after I was put on blood pressure medication. I've gotten my blood pressure under control now, and the pulsating, while not gone, is much better. I do think there is a connection between pulsating and blood pressure, and it may be that after you've been on the medication for awhile, your pulsating will subside. As you become calmer, your tinnitus may become calmer, too.

Take care, and I hope you begin to feel better soon!

 

[Robert Fahey]

It seems everyone hits their nadir after one or two months of T, then slowly recovers back to their old selves again. The T might still be there, but it becomes just another idiosyncrasy instead of an assault. You simply sidestep it after a while. But at first it seems impossible to sidestep something so intrusive, even aggressive. That's where meds can help you as they helped me through the first year. Then I tapered off.

Karen and I differ on meds. Do whatever works, but do something besides stewing in your own broth. That never works.

 

[john73]

hi everyone, i've had mild tinnitus since 2001 after coming back from holiday in spain,in which i swam a lot.it first felt like my ears needed clearing of water,but 12yrs later still have it.the last 5-6 months it seems to have trebled in volume and there seems to be a high pitched ringing and a low pitched hoover like sound,obviously this is massively affecting my life,cant stand to be in a silent room and cant go to sleep without tv on.im naturally anxious although have no serious worries,my doctor isn't a great help either,just says nothing can be done and thats it.dont really want to go down the meds route but a the same time know i cant go on much longer without some kind of help.thanks peeps ,great site.

 

[Carol]

Thank you to everyone for such supportive messages. I was feeling very down yesterday but a bit more positive today. I'm going to try some masking sounds to give me a break from listening to the ringing. I suppose it's early days so it might get better but I guess I'd better not pin my hopes on that. One thing I will try to do from now on is stop being angry with myself and wishing I could turn the clock back. Thanks for your support.