Was always bothered by sounds, habituation

[Leah]

I did live near a small airport and had to move because of the noise, always bothered by traffic noise and stopped a family clock that chimed. The following book describes me even before tinnitus started.
Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight by Sharon Heller.

I found it helpful in understanding what was happening to me, even explaining some childhood quirks.
Many years ago I bought a TV and had to return it because it had a high pitch squeal that drove me nuts, no one else in family heard it.
All this before T!! What tools can I use to help with habituation when I did not habituate to the other common noises?
Thank you very much I have learned so much from you about T and the emotional support is priceless.

 

[Dr. Nagler]

What tools can I use to help with habituation when I did not habituate to the other common noises?

Hi @Leah -

I have been struggling with how to answer your question in a general sense - but I find that to be very hard to do. You see, as I have come to understand habituation of tinnitus, it is a natural process that proceeds very nicely on its own unless its progress is impeded by one or more factors, factors that I refer to as "barriers to habituation." In that sense, the role of the tinnitus clinician is to identify the factors that are impeding habituation in any given case and recommend how to best address them. Since I have no way of the factors that are impeding habituation for you - be they factors that you can directly control or be they the sorts of limbic/autonomic factors that require an indirect approach - I am unable to respond to your question in a meaningful fashion.

I hope this response clarifies more than frustrates.

Dr. Stephen Nagler

 

[Leah]

Thanks for your reply, never good to stump the doctor. Had a frustrating appt. I wanted to ask the
doctor who dispensed my hearing aids about TRT. First saw his assistant and shared my questions and concerns about my tinnitus. Instead of doctor coming in to discuss my options he sent message through his assistant to "just continue with the hearing aids". Never even came into the room, hard not to feel "blown off".

 

[Dr. Nagler]

Thanks for your reply, never good to stump the doctor. Had a frustrating appt. I wanted to ask the
doctor who dispensed my hearing aids about TRT. First saw his assistant and shared my questions and concerns about my tinnitus. Instead of doctor coming in to discuss my options he sent message through his assistant to "just continue with the hearing aids". Never even came into the room, hard not to feel "blown off".

That's because you were!

As a member of the medical profession, I really hate when that happens.

But in the final analysis, medicine is a service industry. If you don't like the service, fire your doc and hire another!

Dr. Stephen Nagler