Can keeping hydrated and The Tinnitus Clinic h... - Tinnitus UK

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Can keeping hydrated and The Tinnitus Clinic help?

LuverlyLucie profile image
22 Replies

Hello Lovely People. Thanks for all your help so far. I am a month into this scary condition. I currently have about one good day and one meltdown a week. Working helps keep me focused. I went out today but had to come home because the T was so bad and I started crying. Last night I got drunk as it numbs the T but I slept badly. Two questions 1. Does keeping hydrated reduce the volume of T? 2. Has anyone tried The Tinnitus Clinic? They have the BTA logo on their site and some promising testimonials. Luverly Lucie x

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22 Replies
retired66 profile image
retired66

Hi, I have had T for 2 1/2 years. It is much better but some days I just want to scream. I wake up in the middle of the night and I can not believe how this has changed my life.It is a mental and physical torture every moment of ur life.I am so much better than I use to be but some days are bad. I too am crying today and I do get relief from drinking wine. Some people it makes it worse. No hydration has nothing to do with it and yes go to a T clinic. I had acoustic therapy for 6 months and it helped but the progress is slow so be prepared. But u have to keep positive because the more anxious you are and if u cry the higher the intensity it will become. Namaste Keep searching for what can help you but be careful of the internet with diets and quick cures they are cruel people wanting your money

LuverlyLucie profile image
LuverlyLucie

Thank you so much. I was feeling so very low today but my spirits have lifted and this does give me hope LLx lucieagate@gmail.com

JohnJopp profile image
JohnJopp

Hi. Regarding The Tinnitus Clinic, the BTA logo on their site indicates they are a corporate member. I'm pretty sure it doesn't mean that the BTA in any way recommends their clinic. Hopefully Nic Wray will confirm this. Personally I wouldn't advise anyone to go there. They are very expensive and I don't think their treatments have been backed up with any proper medical trials. I would take the testimonials on their site with a pinch of salt also. Please don't think though that this means there is nothing you can do and you are stuck with the status quo for ever. I'm not ashamed to say that when my T first started I had suicidal thoughts and believed that my life was ruined. I felt total despair and there were many tears. When I joined the BTA I found that many others had exactly these same feelings when their T first started but they were were now living a relatively normal life. The tinnitus was still there but they had learned to blank it out so that they were no longer aware of it. I believe everyone can get to this stage but it does take time and a lot of positive thinking. My advice is don't spend time Googling for tinnitus cures. Take the advice from the "regulars" on this forum. Avoid quiet rooms. Use sound therapy at night (listen to nature sounds like rain or the sea with the volume set below your tinnitus). Try to keep busy and active. Try and ignore your T - it's not worthy of your attention. None of this is easy and it might well seem nigh on impossible that you could ignore your T when you have a "jet engine" inside your head. In all honesty it probably is impossible when you first get T and it's just a horrible period that we all go through. Your brain needs time to adjust and in time it will. So don't ever think there is no hope because there is hope for everyone.

John

LuverlyLucie profile image
LuverlyLucie in reply to JohnJopp

Thank you so very much. I was in such a bad way yesterday and yes I was feeling suicidal. Every now and then I think I've cracked it and then it just gets to me. What kept you going through your dark days? How long do you think it takes to really get a handle on this condition? LLx

JohnJopp profile image
JohnJopp in reply to LuverlyLucie

What kept me going is knowing that others had started from the same low point that i was at and that they were now enjoying life pretty much as before. The timescale is going to be different for everyone. For me i think it was a couple of months when i was watching TV. At the end of the programme I was suddenly aware of my T and realised then that I hadn't been aware of it while i was watching the show. This proved to me that it was possible for my brain to shut out the tinnitus sound and it gave me great encouragement. From then on it was very slow progress but there were more and more times when i realised I hadn't been aware of my T. Then just when you think you are starting to make real progress you will get a bad spell that will last for days or even weeks. You will feel that all progress has been lost and you are back to square one. This seems to happen to everyone from the posts I've seen on this forum. The bad spell doesn't last though and you will soon be back on track again (until the next time). It's now about 3 1/2 years since my T started and i still get spikes from time to time but they don't bother me anything like as much as they did in the early days.

John

Giraffe70 profile image
Giraffe70

I have had annoying tinnitus for 4 years, a hissing sound. I too was desperate when it first arose and found the Tinnitus Clinic as NHS had very little to offer. The TC had some wonderful reviews so I gave them a shot. They are very expensive £3500 for my treatment for 1 year. The message was habituation which they suggested should occur within that period using their hearing aids with a tuned masking sound added. Needless to say it didn't come to fruition for me albeit the masking sound helped and still does. The thing that really got me about The TC is there was no follow up after the 1 year and no interest to unless I coughed up £180 a time. I would not therefore recommend The TC. If I was starting again as you are I would first get my hearing tested and if required get some good quality hearing aids. I would then use masking sound apps readily available through Google and Apple as my treatment during the day and overnight for habituation.

I hope this helps

Keep smiling and don't forget Tinnitus does no stop you or any of us from enjoying life it just means we have to accept the sound and find ways of managing it to our satisfaction.

LuverlyLucie profile image
LuverlyLucie in reply to Giraffe70

Thanks so much. This is really helpful advice. This is such a supportive group and is really keeping me going through my more challenging moments. LLx

Angela-H profile image
Angela-H

Hi Lucie, yes this forum has friendly, informed, supportive. positive people. Fortunately I found it shortly after getting T 2 yrs ago (after a major op). I wholeheartedly agree with everything that John has said- many of us follow the same journey of disbelief and being in a very dark place for the first time in our lives. The regulars on the forum helped me realise that there is still a good life with T, damn annoying though it is. Love and best wishes, Angela xx

NicBTA profile image
NicBTAPartner

Hi Lucie

Sorry I'm a bit late in replying to this.

Keeping hydrated helps your hearing, and therefore your tinnitus. So, if you go to a club, or a gig, as well as using hearing protection, drinking water/soft drinks will help. Apparently it's all to do with the fluid in the inner ear!

As John rightly said, The Tinnitus Clinic are Corporate Members of the BTA (hmm, they need to update that bit of their website, says Corporate Members 2015!). We don't endorse any particular company or device. The Tinnitus Clinic are properly trained and registered audiologists, and they do offer some treatments that we know work - hearing aids, sound generators, relaxation sessions. They also offer treatments for which we'd like to see more extensive and independent clinical trials, because that evidence is limited. To their credit, they will say that. These treatments do work for some people, but they are very expensive (around £3000).

Nic (BTA Communications Manager)

LuverlyLucie profile image
LuverlyLucie in reply to NicBTA

Hi Nic. Thanks for getting back to me. It was helpful. I get about one day's relief a week from this terrifying condition. And it's loud. I've had it for a month and still not seen an audiologist. Best wishes LL.

Socalapt profile image
Socalapt

Lucie, has your Gp actually referred you to audiology? I've had tinnitus since January ( after a bout of flu). GP referred me to audiology for hearing test which I've just had. I didn't have to wait long ( I didn't go to Gp immediately). Now I've got an ENT appointment to talk about management strategies.

Mine's in one ear only, and sounds like a loud dawn chorus.

LuverlyLucie profile image
LuverlyLucie in reply to Socalapt

Hi Socalapt. I've got tinnitus in one ear too - my left. It's a high pitched fuzzy whine which varies in volume. I had my hearing test today and they did a pressure test which really seems to have set the tinnitus off. I'll be seeing the audiologist in a couple of week's time. I got my tinnitus from playing loud music in my car. How did you get yours? LLx

Socalapt profile image
Socalapt in reply to LuverlyLucie

Hi. Mine's also in my left ear and seems to have been sparked off after having flu 4 months ago. At first I hoped it would go away, but that hasn't happened and I'm finding it more rather than less intrusive.

How I would love to go back to being free of it. Just shows what we take for granted.😕

drumcraw profile image
drumcraw

i find drinking just a little bit more than you would makes you feel terible in morning so the T seems or is louder, mines loud evry morning anyway but it des seem to get worse after afew drinks but does sometimes get quieter having had them vicious circle drink to get it down then it comes back ,louder because you have drunk a few??????

Paul17 profile image
Paul17

Hi, Lucie, I've had T for the last 12 years (for me it is a constant high pitched ringing in both ears) and I'd just like to let you know that it does get easier - even though some days it's (much) louder than others I do have days where I think it's gone completely and you may not believe it, but having gotten so used to it, when I notice it's not there, my brain actually tries to hear it (which is why It's only "I think it's gone"!!!!).

In terms of coping with T, I can tell you what worked for me, but everyone's different and what worked for me might not help you, but, if it's any help, here it is.

My best advice is for you to accept that you have T and (unless you're very lucky) it's not going to go away. Stop fighting it, stop even wishing for the day that you will have acclimatised to it, it just makes it much harder to cope with it right now. I just accept that for most of the time, ringing is the new silence and I don't let it consume me. I still watch TV, still listen to music, still have conversations and ENJOY doing everything I did before - I do not let T spoil my life (and yes I do occasionally drink, even though, as others said, it often means it's a "loud day" the next day. I don't stress over it, it's just means today's "quiet" is louder).

If you can do this, then after a while It will be like any other background noise - you frequently won't notice it's there until you "hear" it and when you do, don't make it a problem, just say "Hi T, I was so busy I forgot you were there!" and carry on.

Finally (and back to the subject of your post), just in case it helps anyone, I have recently started trying "superhydration" - drinking a gallon of water a day (it's actually not too difficult - I just have a 500ml bottle which I sip from and refil throughout the day) and one of the things I have noticed is a definite reduction in the volume of my T. It may not work for you, but my experience so far suggests it would be worth a go.

Paul.

Tinnitus clinic is sooo expensive

hazyfan profile image
hazyfan

Why not try spec savers they sell hearing aid maskers too I think, I’m 3 months in and hate ever moment of living at the moment ,

Socalapt profile image
Socalapt in reply to hazyfan

I’ve got a hearing aid masker on the NHS. I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks and have follow up appt in April. I haven’t spent a penny so I wouldn’t bother with Specsavers.

You need to be reasonably well hydrated for normal function. Personally I have not found it useful to hydrate too much as it leads to nocturnal loo visits. It took me a long time to get back to a normal sleep pattern by the way but I have succeeded.

jbradford42 profile image
jbradford42

Hi pet I know it’s really difficult at times but be positive and remember you are not alone. We are in the same boat my T is really loud and even I get times when I think how much more can I take then I think F this I’m fighting this come hell or high water. I’ve tried a few things and nothing yet but I will not give up. Sorry I’m going off the question you asked I’ve not tried this clinic I have tried acupuncture this does help to calm you down and I do think it helps but I think I had to go twice a week a £45 a session not cheep. So I had to stop also vitamins B12 and zinc now I’m trying magnesium only starting today so not sure yet. Remember I have looked up these and it’s says that they don’t work for everyone. But I have to keep trying someone said that there are a lot of people out there that are only after your money be careful this is true. Next I’ve made an appointment with a company a friend told me about called amplifon witch are doing a free ear test and check to make sure the ears are ok plus a free trial for a month they are on most high streets. They are advertising saying they are treating T sufferers. Il let you all no how I get on unless someone on here has tried them and think they are not good but I’m not a mug I won’t be ripped off. So for now it’s lets keep trying. Thanks

Delianne profile image
Delianne

I’m interested in The Tinnitus Clinic as well.

oisinabu67 profile image
oisinabu67

Hi LuverlyLucie you are 100% right it is a scary condition I’ve just recently got this condition and it’s driving me crazy I went to an acupunturist and said I have a blocked channel I’ve already had two sessions no difference at all he said it would take more sessions to unblock the channel @ £30 a session does anyone know am I wasting money?

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