But i am feeling very sad and lonely with it. I know this community is fabulous, so please forgive my moan. I have a lovely husband who also has T but has, to some degree, come to terms with it, and i am fed up moaning to him.
I am 53 and have worn hearing aids since 2012 and have had Tinnitus diagnosed in Jan 2022
I have sea sounds set on my hearing aids and have been trying those more but I can still hear the T through them. But it's worse at night and when i wake up in the morning when i can't wear them.
I have various apps and podcasts that i listen to , to help relax, and weirdly, watching tv causes sufficient distraction from it. But not practical or desirable for someone who works.
But sometimes i just get tired of noise all the time, music, words, wave sounds , when i just want to sit and think.
I am working nearly full time and studying for an MA so i need time when i don't have sounds, when i want to focus. And i just want some peace.
I have had MRI scan, ENT investigations, and talking therapies, but nothing has made it any better.
I stopped taking HRT recently due to side effects, and I was on Sertraline which wasn't much help either and I wonder if that contributed to my T , as it's one of the side effects.
I just want the noise to stop and some days i want to bang my head until it stops, which is scaring me. I know there isn't a lot more i can do. I have tried CBD oil, Magnesium, Anti depressants, etc and nothing touches it.
Am I doomed to be so very miserable. Its been around since Jan 2022- so in the scheme of things, its not long, but its just so flipping annoying. How do i tell my brain that this sound is something to ignore and it will all be ok? Do i just keep repeating that over and over?
sending positive vibes out to anyone else in the group. Thanks for reading and letting me have a moan
cheers
LL
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LyraLilly
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lyraLilly, I had a quick gallop through your earlier posts as well as this one.
You’ve been doing all the right things to ensure there’s nothing serious going on. It’s just tinnitus. Now, you say, how can this poster say is “just tinnitus” when it’s having such an effect on my life?
The noise may stop. Or maybe it won’t. But, longing for time when you don’t have sounds isn’t going to help your progress. Tinnitus loves such feelings and feeds on them.
There’s a book called “tinnitus, from tyrant to friend” by a doctor, Julian Cowan Hill, from which I quote ““Most people develop tinnitus if they are left in silence for too long. This may sound surprising but put anyone in silence and ask them to listen out for anything, then the majority will start hearing noises in their heads.”
I’d recommend you get hold of this book. Whilst I don’t agree when his diagnosis of why tinnitus starts in the first place, there’s a lot of I for there about how to make it. It’s a tiny part of your life instead of a major part. You can get the book as a kindle download. You ask “how do I tell my brain to stop “ - this book helps.
Other posters might have more thoughts for you, but I would recommend looking back on earlier posts and getting hold of the book.
I could have written this post. I'm going through a spike. It's important to share your worries. I posted a couple of weeks ago and the guys were great. So, good on you for sharing
I have hearing aids with maskers too. I wear a headband speaker at night and headphones in the day at work when doing admin. However, I've been over using them and increasing the volume which can make T worse. Sometimes, when you have a quiet minute or too you need to be mindful which includes focusing on your tinnitus then draw your attention away by focusing e.g. on your feet or hands, then things around you (btw that's advice taken from tinnitus.org.uk and it works for me). Think to yourself T isn't going to kill you. I've been getting a very small amount of sleep lately probably (undoubtedly, in fact) due enormous pressure at work. Several of my colleagues are feeling the pressure too, so it's not just me.
The volume of our Tinnitus is an indicator of stress and worry, which is stressful. I think you're doing pretty much all you can for tinnitus. So look at strategies to help manage your workload. Speak to your professor/lecturer. As a lecturer myself, and especially this year I'm constantly telling students, if you have any worries or problems speak to us.
As for me I've spoken to my line managers (who are previously aware of the challenges my hearing problems cause). I've tried a couple of suggestions, but now I'm more or less dictating to them how I manage my workload, and how much extra work to take on. I'm lucky as they've been absolutely fantastic. Although I'm very outspoken, especially when I'm tired.
thanks Dave. I think the changes i am going through with my hormones is not helping and work has been a bit stressful too. Add on top getting to the final stages of my MA and preparing my dissertation is probably all adding up.
I am lucky i have great support at work and via the Open University. My tutor is really supportive , so i think i need to be more open with them and discuss strategies to help me cope.
Hello LyraLilly you are in the same place as many of us have gone through on this site and yes we all still get scared and lonely at times but its that magic word again habituated i go on about it alot because it really works and we do not haft to do anything, it just happens. I can not give you a timescale but it will happen. my T is still loud but apart from when i get spikes it doesn't bother me much and i can here my T all the time. Being active is something i highly recommend, for me its going for long walks and finding a nice pub to relax in, also i have a new job which helps me and also watching something interesting on tv.I will say it took me about a year to habituate so it will soon happen to you.
777john Spot on! Good advice about being active and Habituation. As you say it just happens . I've just found recently that due to stress it can still have it's moments. The lesson I've learnt is that I have more control over my stress levels by managing my workload, or learning to say 'no".
I also ensure I go to the gym 3 or 4 times week and go to my local on a Sunday evening, where there are just 3 of us at the bar and the landlord (Incidentally, I no longer drink in the house because I can't always say "no" 😐).
There is some great advice offered by members already and i would like to offer my own. Spikes are common, the severity can be linked to the stress levels in your life, physical and mental but they are spikes, they do recede. When you have a spike there os a felwing of anxiety, fear, sadness, helplessness and more and thats what can keep the spike going for a while. Ive had T for over 2 years now and the spikes at the beginning used to take about a week to calm but after many of these and becoming more accepting my spikes will now only last a day at max.
hearing T is draining of your body, you will long for the quiet times but that should not be your focus. In my opinion you need to keep the focus on the fact that T is now a part of you and most likely a permanent part of you. Once this is embedded in your mind the T will probably be kess intrusive as you are not fighting for something that seems impossible such as a peace and quiet.
Most people habituate and if you look at similarities of the people that speak out it is generally acceptance and lowering stress as much as is possible.
Its not easy but have the belief that this spike will pass (and probably return and pass again) and that this is just the cycle of dealing with tinnitus as you progress toward habituation.
Hi Lilly. Everything feels worse at the M as I'm starting to realise. I don't take HRT either . Take it easy. Be kind to yourself. Tinnitus isn't easy to manage at the best of times. It's still early days for you. It does get easier to ignore the sound(s). The best thing to do is stop trying to stop the noise. Lean into it - if that makes sense. It just becomes a part of you.
I wear hearing aids in both ears and obviously at night don't have them in. It took me ages to retune my brain to cope with tinnitus. Now I know it is around but it isn't as invasive as it first was. Had everything checked out too with no explanation for tinnitus other than stress. I play gentle piano music overnight through an Echo Dot and have found that the most comforting and distracting. Hearing aids in both ears for fifteen years but tinnitus didn't start until the death of my husband two years ago. Think as that was very stressful (happened during lockdown) that that is what triggered the tinnitus.
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