I don't know about others, but I feel the hardest thing to cope with T is the extent that you cannot meanfully describe it to anyone. A "sound" or "sensation in your head that can be there all day and night. Everyone understands pain but T? It is very hard to even understand it yourself so it is so hard to effectively deal with.
What do others feel?
yes I agree with you completely, however because there are quite a few people out there that do have T, think it’s 10% and there’s always someone that knows someone , this is the best site to chat on to others with it and we all understand each other .. your not alone.
feel exactly the same as u have described - yes others dont understand as we physically look ok .Its a lonely place to be as i my T is quite severe , even those with normal T cannot understand how restricted i am because of it . Lots of support and understanding on this forum, though
Spot on i had normal T for 20 years yes i had spikes but when my T hit the roof after my head injury i had no idea how it would change my life, i fell in to the deepest hole you could imagine . Thankfully habitation eventually came to my rescue. From having mild tinnitus for 20 years to having high to very high tinnitus changed my life and you are right people who do not have it do not understand, its a very lonely and scary place to be. thankfully i have my life back now. my T is still loud 24/7 but i am ok
a few people I’ve talked to outside this forum have tinnitus. I’ve not talked in depth at all with any of them, but the brief chats have revealed that the T doesn’t bother them very much and they just regard it as part of life’s rich pattern.
As do I.
the majority of people with tinnitus can cope and its not too bothersome - but about 5 % or less of T sufferers have extreme or very severe, debilitating tinnitus for years without habituation - which impacts their life hugely - and we can see that on this forum.
absolutely. I’m saying, I think, that in most cases we habituate eventually.
On re-reading my post it sounds as if I’m saying it’s not much of a problem. I didn’t mean it that way! I’m meaning to give hope to anyone reading this, that mostly we habituate.
yes thats true , the vast majority do habituate, with many bumps in the road along the way
So basically, I'm doomed.
its a very very small percentage who cannot habituate - vast majority do , even if its severe - but its a very bumpy road with setbacks
Not from what i have read here. Doesn't give me hope of habituation at all. So basically, my life is over at 33
Not at all Utd. All we are saying, I think, is that it might not go away but you learn to live with it and life goes on.
How can i learn to live with something that takes all my attention and ability to relax, and I'm constantly depressed, And all i read is people who have been suffering for years. How can i live with that? How do you keep going on knowing I'm going to suffer for the rest of my life.
Utd there are many on this forum so much more able to give you valuable advice and guidance than I on how you can deal with it effectively. The Tinnitus UK site contains so much valuable help and advice to deal with it more effectively. All I would say is that there are so many more important things in our lives than T and it won't necessarily be a lifelong condition. It is, after all, allegedly just an artificial sensation created by the brain - not "real".
this book is good "Rewiring Tinnitus" by Glenn Shweitzer - not too long and full of practical tips - he has some good vidcasts on youtube as well
It's a good question. One I asked myself many times in the early days of troublesome T . As I got used to loud T it no longer took all my time and attention though I'm still working on ways to fully relax. I was anxious and depressed too but no longer feel that way. Give yourself time to adjust and adapt. Take one day at a time. Things will hopefully improve for you.
hi Utd - have u found Treble Health on Youtube - Ben Thompson Tinnitus Audiologist and his team (based in USA) I would say one of the very best T resources for info and advice - and very positive about all types of T. They have regular updates about new treatment developments, which looks positive for the future. Lots of shortish videos , too many really as some of these repeat info from previous videos.
No, many people's Tinnitus suddenly stops. I said in another post that it doesn't go away but I should have clarified this. Many people have T for the rest of their lives to some degree. But also, many others' T suddenly stops. Tinnitus is a conundrum of a condition. There are so many reasons and questions why we get it and why it suddenly may stop one day or, opposite. The biggest challenge is to figure out "why" it has developed and then work on getting rid of that reason of why. But T is not necessarily a forever condition. Do not lose hope 
I think HappyRosie has hit the nail on the head. Lots of people out there with tinnitus, my partner and several friends have it. Most of them just get on without any bother only one of my friends had troublesome tinnitus - now resolved with hearing aids.Because tinnitus is impossible to measure I can only assume troublesome tinnitus is partly to do with volume and intensity. The other part being how an individual reacts to having unwanted sound in the head I guess.
Yes I agree that steady T or sometimes very loud T comes and goes. But any stress in life exacerbates T to a frightening state. My T changed about 2 years ago during covid. It now alternates between buzzing T and pulsatile T sometimes musical T. I had never heard of these types of T until I used the website. No idea why T has changed like this. Docs not interested. I find it very very difficult to cope with. Has anyone else experienced this change in T
I hear you; yes my T has changed and changes in a variety of way. Hissing, cricket or bird sounding chirps, frequency sounds like tuning transistor radio, and also, another one is very difficult to describe...imagine a paper bag being shred with your hands but in the distance. The frequencies change all of a sudden, most often because of my neck snapping if I turn the wrong way. Other times, the frequency changes without me moving my head or any sudden noises happening. The range can be low frequency to very high pitched. Anger, stress and excitement will increase T for me too. I also have pulsatile but I'd say I don't notice it as much unless stress becomes high. Docs not interested, I agree. I did have a CT Scan of my head to ensure there are no tumors or blockages. It came back clean, luckily. I would suggest anyone with T get Venus Doppler US of the neck arteries to rule out blockages. A stress test and heart US is also good to rule out the blood flow blockages or tightening of the arteries.
Spot on. I believe troublesome T comes down to volume and intensity.
Yes people are sympathetic and try to say the right things but at the end of the day they can't really understand that we never hear quiet like they do.My hissing has doubled in volume in the past 6 months after being relatively low level for 15 years.
Hi Peejayache - this really resonated with me - excuse pun!! I think you have a strong point - it is so very hard to explain … I sometimes say to people when there is a noise that resembles the kind of tinnitus I experience - like just yesterday! Sitting in a lovely ‘Brasserie’ for a special lunch wiv my Cousin…Suddenly a loud piercing tuning signal type noise went off - I blocked my ears and thankfully after several bursts it went off - people applauded! Including me!! I said to my Cousin - that’s what ‘my’ tinnitus is like if it were magnified. Mind you I still think (inevitably) it was probably hard for her to comprehend … so yes, the condition is kind of inevitably ‘hidden’, yet I do try to explain it by comparison - as above!! Enjoyed the meal though-thankfully it failed to be the alarm signal for ‘evacuate’ - ha ha! VeeCat.
Of course the degree and severity of T varies hugely and fortunately, for most, it is more of a nuisance than anything. However I would say that most users of this forum do so because it is much more than that to the extent they are seeking support in dealing with it. We all know that T can vary between the annoying light "sound" of a whistle and the full "blast" of an orchestra. Expressing how that feels and being able to deal with it on a daily basis is extremely challenging for those so affected.
yes coz even people with mild or moderate, less severe T , dont understand those with very severe - coz some people think T is the more or less the same for everyone - when there are a variety of causes, sounds, experiences etc etc
Totally agree Pjay. I had mild T for decade and didn't think twice about it. Troublesome T - as I now know - is something else altogether .
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