Will It Ever Stop?

[Andrew H]

I first got tinnitus after a bad cold about two years ago when I was only 16. I'm 18 now and I'm losing all hope that it will ever go away.

I felt like I had such a great life ahead of me but now all I see is a hell of listening to a ringing that will never stop.

Usually I'm able to tune it out if I'm doing something and it will get quieter but it's always there.

It's only in my left ear and it's especially bad right now, it's keeping me from sleeping and I feel like there's no hope left.

I'm too young for this I just want to be able to hear silence for once

 

[Samantha R]

@Andrew H
I'm sorry to hear you are feeling like that.
Do you have any idea why it might have got worse? Any noise exposures, new medications you've been taking?
Are you able to mask at night to help you sleep?
The fact that it gets quieter when you are doing something, means you are actually tuning it out, the sound is probably not actually quieter, it's just that you are not paying it any attention.
There is a great thread here "back to silence". Key is not to focus on how loud the sound is, rather how it is making you feel. Acknowledge the how the sound is making you feel and then continue on with your day.
I think a lot of people with tinnitus grieve for silence, I know I do.
You are still young and I'd be hopeful of at least some kind of treatment (if not a cure) becoming available in your lifetime. It's not the end for you.
We are always here to support you.
Samantha.