Update: Five Months After Tinnitus Diagnosis

Hi!
I have been wanting to post on this site for a bit, but very busy and life gets in the way. Please see my original post from March of this year, following my being diagnosed with Tinnitus.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/petrified-anxious-and-despondent.20631/

I re-read the above initial post and it actually doesn't completely describe what emotions I experienced in the initial weeks/short months after the diagnosis.

I was so very depressed/despondent, scared to death and truly did not want to live my life this way. I felt trapped, with these horrible sounds that I could not control. My sleep was terrible and for the first time, I required an as needed medicine for my high anxiety/panic, as well as an over-the-counter pill for sleep. There was zero joy and I had pretty much lost all hope for the future.

I tried acupuncture and I believe it did help at the beginning, but the returns seemed to diminish over time- I decided the time/money were not worth continuing. I also tried Lipoflavanoids, with questionable effect(again, the cost/benefit led to my discontinuing). I was going to try cranio-facial massage, but never got there.

What I finally decided to do was just start living my life and stop letting the T call the shots. I stopped "chasing" the cure and backed away from exhaustive web searches, reading and yes, this forum...sorry I talk about my Tinnitus minimally. My T is not better, but I am. I have had to make some alterations in my lifestyle, but so be it.

Although the sounds are still there, day and night, I tend to forget about them most of the time because I'm living my life as usual. The anxiety and depression are gone. I am not freaking out unnecessarily with noise in general(as I did in the beginning phase). I think I was overprotecting my ears at the beginning, but now I protect my ears under reasonable circumstances. I can't say that things are perfect, but things are pretty darn good. I do require white noise at night...no biggie, I used it before. In terms of motorcycling, I sold my Harley touring bike and went with a touring motorcycle that is much better regarding aerodynamics(fairing), wind protection(windshield) and engine/exhaust noise. I bought the best helmet I could find for wind(noise) protection and I wear ear plugs for every ride. After my T diagnosis, I cancelled a long distance ride(slated for June), because I thought it would put me at too great a risk for further damage. But, my Audiologist(who also rides a motorcycle) believes that I should be completely fine with all of the safeguards in place. I may do the previously planned trip this fall or Spring trip. I have done a decent amount of riding since my T diagnosis and I am no worse for the wear.

I just hope that this helps someone out there. I really and truly believed that I would never be happy again, but man, was I wrong. Do whatever you can to take the focus off the Tinnitus and try to live your life as usual. My best to all, especially anyone who is experiencing pain, suffering and despondence related to Tinnitus.

 

Thank you for the positive story!

 

Hi @NewTDx - This is great news and thank you so much for posting your very inspirational story. No doubt this will serve to encourage and inspire those sufferers who have experienced depression and despair and felt that they would never habituate and go on to live productive and happy lives. You have gone through a dark period but have emerged triumphant over tinnitus.

It was very uplifting to read your account and here's wishing you a happy future.

Barbara

 

@NewTDx I can totally relate to your story. I feel like I stopped living when my T & H started. I was afraid to do anything or go anywhere because I was terrified of making it worse. I am now starting to live my life again and wow did I miss it! I consider myself very lucky as my T is mild for the most part. I mean I have spikes but usually in the am it calms down and can be pretty quiet. It does get louder after I get up in the morning and as the day goes on depending on what I eat or drink...at least thats my assumption. I still have problems with my ears plugging up which stresses me out a bit along with my T & H, but the H is improving slowly. I stopped riding on the motorcycle because i was worried it was too loud and now I regret it because I missed out on a summer of riding with my b/f. I didn't drive my Corvette either until a few weeks ago as it has a loud muffler. LOL I paid a lot of money for it to be loud a few years ago. I decided it's time to start living my life again and enjoy it as life is short! At the end of the day my T is always louder than it was i the morning, but I feel it's worth it to get out there and enjoy my life again! I hope someday to be rid of my T & H, but for now it is what it is. Like you said - do whatever it takes to take your mind off of your T and try to live your life again! Thank you for posting your story...I feel that it will offer hope to others that it can get better! Take care and I hope you continue to improve!!

 

@NewTDx , thank you for posting your story. I know many people here who are frightened that they may not get anything resembling a normal life back. You have shown that it is possible, and sharing your story will, absolutely, help some of our members, present and future.

I am very happy that you have had such success learning to cope with your tinnitus. Please keep us updated and please visit the forum when you can to reassure others seeking support that it is possible to habituate and reclaim your life from tinnitus.

 

It's a shame that you stopped riding your motorcycle. I believe anyone can continue riding if one is sensible about it. I had to scrap the loud pipes, make sure I had a worthy windscreen, got the best helmet for wind protection and wear ear plugs(properly) 100 % of the time. I just did a trip to FL and back last month and all is good. We do not need to stop living, but we do need to be cognizant and take precautions when neccessary. I wish you the best!

 

Thank you. Yes, I feel that I continue to do well. As I sit at my desk now, my ears are buzzing away, but hey, it's just not a big deal anymore- thankfully! I will visit and continue to update periodically.

 

@NewTDx I have my motorcycle license, however, after our friend crashed, I just ride on the back of my b/f's bike. I actually wanted to go for a ride last weekend as the weather was nice, but we didn't get to go. I feel confident though that next year I will be back to normal and doing what I love to do. I feel that I will always need to be cautious with loud noises, however, with proper ear protection as you said I should be able live my life again and enjoy the things I love doing. I wish you the best as well!
Out of curiosity what kind of ear plugs do you use while riding? I have been using the foam ones for everything and they seem to work fine, but I'm curious if there is something better out there. My b/f says I should go to a music store to see what they have.

 

Foam plugs is what I use. The ones I use have a NRR of 32/33. After experimenting with many different plugs, I use a three different brands which seem to fit/work best for me:
Moldex 6800 Pura-Fit(green)
3M(orange)
Hearos Xtreme(blue)
As long as I insert them properly, they work awesome, along with my Schuberth C3 Pro helmet.
Good luck to you and I hope you get back to your riding!