hello

[PMJ01]

I have recently been diagnosed as suffering ( and I’m really suffering) from Tinnitus. The constant high pitch is unbearable at time. I am due to go on holiday next Monty and I am getting very anxious about spending 5 hours on a plane with the noise levels possibly making the “ ringing” a lot worse.

I am a 60 year old type 1 diabetic and this Tinnitus is all thought consuming as it’s constant I work by Heathrow and the planes taking off are not helping Anyway wanted to say hello and hopefully pick up some hints and tricks on how to deal with this. Thanks all

[Happyrosie]

hello and welcome.

I’ve found that being on a plane masks the tinnitus, so whilst you are travelling it fades into the background. But when I’ve landed it’s worse because the brain is still looking for the noise. But this reduces after a day or so.

You are finding the tinnitus all-consuming, and that’s natural at first. The primitive part of your brain thinks that an unusual noise means danger, just like it did when we were cave-dwellers. In time, you get used to the noise. There are many ways you can help yourself, some may work for you and some may not. Don’t believe any advertisement for cures - they are just after your money! The best resource for information is Tinnitus UK, the charity devoted to the subject. You can go to their website or give them a ring - details of this on the website.

Other posters might give their tips on what works for them.

[beaverwood in reply to Happyrosie]

Oh dear

[perlcoder]

Hello,

Onset of my T (23 years ago), occurred between two trips to the USA and very close to the second of those. It is fair to say that coping with the T did interfere quite a lot with my enjoyment of the trip, but the air travel itself (as far as the West coast, with two changes of flight), did not make my T any worse. In fact it was a helpful distraction by comparison with quieter surroundings.

Most of us here understand that all-consuming time around onset and it is never helpful to be advised at that stage to "just ignore it", of course you can't - but you can perhaps tell yourself that this is a holiday, that there is nothing to be done about your T while you are away, and that it is very unlikely to get any worse while you are abroad. The ordinary range of ambient sounds, including on aeroplanes, are safe for the vast majority of us. Don't cringe and put your fingers in your ears every time something a bit louder than usual is heard - I speak from experience on that.

[bantams]

Hi, I have had T for nearly 4 years now and I have been abroad many times in this time. My T is constant 24/7 but after 2 years I eventually learnt to live a normal life with my T still there, but when I fly abroad I find the plane noise masks my T, also being on holiday my brain does not focus on my T as much and seems to always be in the background and very low. As other people will say is that with T what works with one person will not work with others.

[Threeminuteboy]

Take the holiday and don't worry about the plane , as Happyrosie said the first few hours or maybe the first day can be loud after a flight but if you can relax and de-stress on holiday your anxiety level should come down and that should lower the tinnitus volume . Tinnitus feeds on stress .

[surreycccfan]

Hi, I have flown many times with my T and had no problems but I understand your concern as I was exactly the same when I first flew and had not really 'accepted' my T and was still fighting it. The BTA have some great information here tinnitus.org.uk/understandi... . When I flew when I was struggling with my T, I made sure I had some decent ear plugs if lots of noise (I use alpine but plenty out there), I also had some good podcasts/music downloaded to my phone so I could 'distract' myself not just from my T but also from any anxiety I had from my T getting worse, I made sure I had a good relaxation technique to hand which I used before I flew (and could also use if I got anxious when I was on the plane and was focusing on my T) I had a progressive muscle relaxation and a breathing exercise in my 'toolkit' and lastly if I was flying with someone I made sure they understood my concerns and made sure we chatted or played cards to take the focus away from my T and any anxiety. Hope this helps in some small way, stay safe