Not So Gloomy

[Gloomster]

Hi All

Been a while, since I have posted , I previously posted as gloomster. Last year the T had thought long since defeated came roaring back As an old hand at this I tried to do all the sensible things with varying degrees of success but there were some grim times. There still are

At such times it feels as if there is no end to it and little hope, for someone like me the loss of control alone is deeply disturbing . A few months on I can report decent progress albeit with plenty of ups and downs along the way.

So just checking in really but just to share something I find helpful is this catechism ( if you will....)

Here it is

With Tinnitus you will have good days and bad days , you will have good periods and bad periods you will, even have good years and worse years . What you will not get is misery for the rest of your life .A bad day is just a bad day , that's all.

I find remembering this help me not to catastrophise. Hope it helps someone else

Take care

[Happyrosie]

Gloomster, please change your name to something like mine!! This is uplifting, thank you!

[Maya_83 in reply to Happyrosie]

Looool

[Bridgettt]

thanks that’s just what I needed to hear at the moment

[Bellyboo]

Hi i completely agree. I retired 14 months ago . I’m 71 next and find I have too much time on my hands which in turn I focus on my T more. I don’t like things that I can’t control health wise so this makes me sad. I’ve thrown myself into cycling and gardening which distracts me.

VERRY occasionally my T stops altogether but in this period I find that I am no more happier than with the dreaded T? Alcohol can mask it but makes the following day spike and I now only drink alcohol when on holiday. I used to drink far too much whisky. I’ve habituated now and accepted it. I always focus on others who have such a hard time with disability and pain and that keeps me humble. Corresponding with fellow T sufferers helps me to know I’m not going mad. Thanks for listening.

[bantams]

Hi Gloomster, great post and advice for us with T. 2 weeks ago I had a bad spike when my T seemed a lot louder. Whatever I did I could still here my T, struggled to sleep for a few nights, but slowly after about a week my old methods of living with T started to work again and now I am just about back to living a normal life with my T again.

[Maya_83 in reply to bantams]

Please share your method.. anything worth trying, T is taking over my sanity ..

[bantams in reply to Maya_83]

I`m over 3 years into my T now, the first 2 years were very tough, at times I even thought is life worth living with this constant noise in my head, but slowly things started to improve, I am retired but I just try and keep busy, spend a lot of time outdoors, use my hearing aid masking sounds when in a quiet situation, and try and not let my T get me down. Also this forum and my local T support group as helped me to live a normal life most days, Fingers Crossed!!!

[surreycccfan]

Thanks for sharing, I think your recognition of unhelpful thoughts (catastrophising) and reframing to 'A bad day is just a bad day , that's all' really helps in living well with our tinnitus, plus it demonstrates you are being kind to yourself which i feel is core in helping to manage our T. Stay safe

[Sonnybee]

The same thing happened to me recently. Its so disappointing when it happens, but what you say is so true. I just feel that second time around we have more weaponry to fight it👍

[Gloomster]

Thanks everyone its interesting to hear what people experience . One problem I have is that I am absurdly sensitive to any sort of volume which really cuts down on your social life .Generally , though , there so many different stories. Its a slippery devil isn't it

[Darren6 in reply to Gloomster]

Hi Gloomster,

Sound sensitivity could be hyperacusis which is linked to Tinnitus. I had Hyperacusis which has now 99% gone but did last for 18 months and overcome by use of sound therapy.

If you are suffering from sound sensitivity, counterintuitively the answer is sound exposure. I used to use silicon ear buds when i was in a place that would feel too uncomfortable such as a busy road or around my kids, but as much as i could i would remove the ear protection and let sound in albeit at low levels. This worked also through a hearing aid that would play constant low level noise, this i wore for 18 months and was the main driver to me overcoming the sensitivity. This is known as sound therapy, may be worth looking into, or it may ease naturally over time.

[doglover1973]

Hi G. Thanks for sharing. That's very good news! I like your catechism too 🙂