New to Tinnitus and hoping I can learn a lot about it and how to manage it.

[Inraj]

Hi, I'm new here and diagnosed with Tinnitus on 10 Aug. 2018, been having it since April '18. It's a very disturbing experience - a high pitched whistling sound, not very loud, but loud enough to trouble me. I am 65 years old. I'm here to learn more about Tinnitus as I live in Bangalore, India and I cannot find an Association or any online or offline support group in India. I've been told that there is no cure so I'm here to learn, as much as I can, about how to cope with and manage my Tinnitus. I hope I can achieve this.

[KazuJin]

hey there inraj, im from malaysia. i got mine around last year. we called it T here. mine is meniere like symptom it comes with vertigo and feeling like hang over everyday. was hospitalized. the vertigo eventually goes away but the T is still.

I started embracing it and the coping is a lot more easier than resisting it negatively. what i do is on a bad day (when the pitch is high) i would use some app (available in google and apple store) called tinitus masker.

if possible get a good headset like those bone conductive type (one that vibrate music to your skull) choose the one that comes with relaxing water sound like rain and drips or wind blowing sound. it distracts your attention over the pitch after a hour listening to it. i noticed my bad days with T is related to my anxiety or feeling uncertainty or stressed over something “unfinished”. i just get a shoulder massage and spa or work myself off on a workout session to reduce the stress level.

ocassionally, if i can, ill also swim, i found that i felt better after swimming simply because, the sound dampens alot in the water. in water is just you and the T with some splashing of water in a quiet pool. plus is a great workout. i really hope this help. good luck.

if it distract u from sleeping, depending on the pitch try to do some sound meditation, one that focus on one particular sound from far away. and nothing but that. project thoughts to that sound. as for mine. most of the time, it sounded like the night skies (u know the night hissing sound at the park.);so i just imagine myself sleeping outside the park night skies.

[HissingSid]

If you can try to obtain hearing aids with masking sounds fitted. Listen to app sounds from Sound Oasis and Chillax where most of these are free. Keep yourself occupied as best as possible like going for walks or being busy at home. Natural sounds of traffic or noises from local surroundings can help to distract you. Even playing games on your phone or laptop can help to concentrate your mind on other things than your T. Best wishes and good luck Inraj.

[embecmom2]

I have had tinnitus for a short time (about 3 months) I was really depressed at first and struggled to sleep and at times would want to cry and pull my hair out (if I had any). For me it was about just ensuring I was busy and there was enough distracting noise going on that eventually I would not listen/focus for the tinnitus, Id do the garden, clean the house, play music, pc games, anything just to make me forget the noise and it now seems to be working. At night I think is the worst for most and I invested in a pillow with a speaker which really helps or used to wear headphones playing whatever got me off to sleep ( I would put the headphones behind my ears not directly on them)...What makes it worse is focusing on the tinnitus, not getting sleep and you end up in a vicious circle lack of sleep makes you focus more on the reason why. Now my tinnitus is like the sound of crickets which i actually love that sound at night so I think I may have convinced my brain that I need my tinnitus to fall asleep!

[KazuJin in reply to embecmom2]

hahaha yeah the night sound right. that helps me sleep too