Tinnitus gets better in time.

[starshine53]

Hello all, some of you may be having difficulties with your Tinnitus, at this time of year it is at its loudest as the cold weather makes it worse, it can only get better from now on, and it does improve with time. Slowly your mind adapts to the noise and learns to ignore to such a degree you start to sleep longer and it becomes a mere nuisance instead of a life drain . It does get better soon.

[Lindsay6]

Thank you for this positive post. For a lot of people , it does but not for everyone . It depends on a variety of things related to their personal circumstances , causes , health , relationships, access to support. This Forum is great at helping all of us ☺

[Ruud1boy]

To paraphrase Morrissey, how soon is now? No-one can tell me when it's going to get less distressing, the best the T professionals can offer is that people usually habituate in time. It might get better, but it might not - it might stay the same forever more, it might get worse. Sorry to be negative, but it's really grinding me down lately.

[Xene in reply to Ruud1boy]

Yay Ruud1boy, I wouldn't call that being negative, I would call it being realistic!

[MrsLifechange in reply to Ruud1boy]

Hello Ruud1boy my T is quite literally driving me mad so I can empathise. I have had it now for about 18 months with no escape or let up. I have tried everything but to no avail. It makes me despair.

[NoisyWorld in reply to MrsLifechange]

My sympathies for your ongoing struggle with T. I am curious can you tell me what you've tried to ease the noise? I, too, struggle with this affliction, maybe we can compare notes on this board and share them with others.

[les24preludes]

My tinnitus suddenly got worse as a result of some experiments I was doing with my audio system - an oscillation must have crept in. It was 100% noise induced. That was around 10 days ago. I get the impression it's now improving a bit. Why? Maybe it actually is improving? Or maybe it's just stages of habituation? Or a combination?

I'm a musician and also familiar with the sound of tones at different frequencies up to 20Khz. The mental trick I have been doing is to re-classify the type of noise I hear. For several years before it got worse I heard it as a very high pitch - like 15-20Khz. Up there it was out of the way and I was able to blank it out quite well. Then when it suddenly got worse it came down in pitch to what sounded like 8-12Khz. This was dramatically worse for me since it was then quite intrusive. It went from a "ssss" to a "shhhh".

So what I have been doing is to try to trick my brain into hearing the 15-20Khz "ssss" component as before. I seem to have done this now, and I hear 2 tones. First is the high pitch "ssss" which is tolerable. Second is the lower pitched "shhh" which I now hear as more a background noise and without the sharp edge to it, which is higher up.

By doing this I've restored my previous habituation, and I feel better. I'd told myself it would be unbearable for the rest of my life, but I think I can live with this now. I still think there has been an increase in overall tinnitus, but my brain seems to have dealt with it. I learned long ago that I had to accept my T and even feel positive about it in the sense that I could live with it.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has used this strategy to re-classify what they think they are hearing.

[clivekeen]

I have had tinnitus for over 8 years now she my anerysm and traumatic brain injury took over 4 years to get hearing aids for both ears caused hearin problems aswell as tinnitus mine has not got better just able to deal with it better now

[Ruud1boy]

Les24's comment about accepting it is quite important I think. I read a piece recently that the BTA contributed to that said, as a general rule of thumb, for anyone currently struggling with T, 'it's unlikely to go away, but its probable that the distress will reduce significantly over time'. I guess that's as good as we're going to get.

The notion of accepting the T is very difficult, but I'm coming around to a concept that you're never going to get rid of it until you accept that you're never going to get rid of it. Sounds absurd, but most things are with this condition.

[starshine53 in reply to Ruud1boy]

Tinnitus rarely completely stops of its own accord, what happens is the condition becomes your norm background sound. This happened to me after around a year and my attitude changed towards it completely after I realised the fear I associated with the sound magically disappeared entirely from my senses. Now I wake up each morning to my Tinnitus and I don't even think of it as anything other my normal background noise, it is part of me and then my thoughts then go to whatever important business I have on the day ahead.

[starshine53 in reply to Ruud1boy]

I,d ,like to point out that just accepting Tinnitus in its early stages won't work. You're own subconscious mind makes the decision for you as it comes to realise the sound is harmless and should be ignored. When you realise this has happened you get on with your life. Of course learning auto-suggestion or self hypnosis might quicken the process. Don't waste your time paying a hypnotist to do this for you.

[Marty71]

Thank you

[yogibear62]

Thank you for these kind words.

[Hidden]

you never get use to it , you cant ignore it , and it never get s better ,

[Lindalinked in reply to Hidden]

I'm so sorry this is how you feel right now. It is different for everyone though and we must give hope to every sufferer even if what you have tried so far hasn't helped. I assume you have worked through the BTA website, signed up to Take tinnitus and had extensive treatment options via your GP and ENT dept? If not please look into all of this and hopefully you can find some respite. Wishing you all the best, but please have hope.xx

[Ruud1boy in reply to Hidden]

Nah, that's not true. It is possible to learn to live with it and learn to tune out the noise so you hear it less. May not be possible for everyone, but let's live in hope eh?

[Xene in reply to Hidden]

Yay pebblepebblepebble, I totally get where you're coming from but I guess as we are in the minority we just have to suck it up and get on with it!

[Hidden]

i cant hide what I feel , every one s tinnitus is different and if your s is possible to control that s great , but to tell some one about their tinnitus and they should give it a name or put it back of you when they don't know what that person is copping with every day is trying to make out like were not brave enough to stand up and fight it , I think that if you can find anything to help is good but you have to find it your self , I don't fight it because it only stresses me out you might last day or two then you cant cope ,brave people in America come back from fighting war lost limbs and finding the tinnitus is the hardest thing they find to cope with , if you say anything about tinnitus that s your opinion , I hope I'm not sharp but I like to say it as it is

[Ricecake73]

This is good to read. So much negativity surrounds tinnitus and everyone is different so it's good to read this positive comment. Thank you

[Hidden]

Hi I agree mine doesn't both me at all after some 7+ Years only when I take my hearing aids out at night to sleep and I never sleep all night long I wake up several times but never feel tired during the day I know for some even after years it can be bothersome you’re either lucky or unlucky .

Elliot

[MRDeaf]

Wish it was soon, but it never is for many, I’ve had Tinnitus 65 yrs now since I was 5 yr old.

It is very very annoying, I cant shut it up as I’m Totally Deaf.

I can only wish you good luck.

From CJ

[Finnitus]

Pencil Hill

I have enough lead in my

head to commit suicide.

A plumb bob pendulum

a metallic metronome

a tinnitus of titanium.

Noisier than Niki Lauda's

Ferrari at the pitstop.

Eternally on the last lap

a paper chase leading to

a summit where there is

a meeting of insomniac

poets, on Pencil Hill.