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Dear all,
A while ago I wrote about my struggle with tinnitus and hyperacusis and how trying to cope with it.
I learned a lot about myself and listened to all good advices given by ao Thomas.
My T started in April and my hyperacusis short after it.
Finally last month I had the idea that it was possible to learn to live with it.
I had 3 rather good weeks in which I could play my guitar again and was able to sing and listen to music. My hyperacusis was much better and I started to make appointments to see some friends again.
But 2 weeks ago my hypacusis came back and another spike of tinnitus, but I did not pannick and waited and tried to accept it, which helped.
After a week I had a better day, I was happy. But next day I woke up with an extremely new very screaming Tinnitus sound, a sound I never had before, I was used at hissing and buzzing, but this is so loud and my hyperacusis is back as bad as ever.
This is going on now for 6 days 24 hours every day. I can not bear any sound because of my hyperacusis, but silence drive me nuts.
Please please what can I do? Is this normal? I think this is the end, it never goes away, the noise does not change at all , only louder as soon as any other sound like my own voice or running water.
I am desperate after 7 month, it is unbelievable that it will ever go away....
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Hi Eilleor,
Yes, such bad periods can be frustrating, but you shouldn't let it demoralize you. There is always a reason for this, so you should try to figure out what might have caused the setback (it could have been stress, food, medication, weather changes etc.). Don't worry, it will eventually improve again. Try to take it easy in the meanwhile and tell yourself that there are worse things that could happen to you.
Thomas
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Thomas,
Txs again for your words, I am struggling so much right now...
I try to live from day to day, but when T is so loud and H makes it impossible to mask it with other sounds it is very difficult not to start panicking again like I did in the first couple of month. I know when people have a set back they find it hard to believe it will ever go away. I tried to be busy with nature photo's on my computer, but it is difficult to stop my brain focussing on T.
Eilleor
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Hi Eilleor,
Yes, it is difficult to concentrate, but if you have something that occupies you enough, it is possible. Just try to set yourself a long term project (several weeks or even months) that you feel positive and passionate about and try to pull this through. The more ambitious the project is the better. You need something that takes over your life and pushes the tinnitus in the background. I did a similar thing in the early phase of my tinnitus when I started to develop a website over a few months. This helped me a lot to push the tinnitus back even though it was still a problem for several months.
Thomas
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Hi again,
As I have problems with sleeping since my setback I am always late every night before trying to go to sleep.
I am very anxious because this spike is so bad and so loud and it is also a complety other sound and it does not change it is there 24/7.
My 'normal' T fluctuated, but this noise doesn't.
Every day I try again to listen to music,or tv, but it makes it worse. I don't know what is wise...sometimes I think about listening to loud music to fight it, but even talking iso whispering makes the volume of T higher.
What a strange live am I living now, I do not recognise myself anymore..I am alone by myself day after day and that is what I prefer...
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Hi Eilleor
I'm wondering: Do you battle your problem on your own or do you see a doctor reguarly? Do you take some meds to support yourselve in a very troubling phases? Maybe something that releases some panic/anxiety relation issues or maybe something that my supporting your sleep?
Compared to you i have only two weeks of an acute tinnitus behind me; but it destroyed my sleep in this time and this is generate further problems like massive panic/aniexty attacks.
Are you alone day after day because of all of this or have you always been a alone? Meaning: did you start to isolate yourselve becasue of all of this? If the second is the case it sounds to me like a vicious circle which has to be broken.
Tomson
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Hello Tomson,
Txs for your reply.
Like a lot of T suffer's I have visited an ENT doctor without any result, got a bottle of nasal spray and I had to learn to live with it.
As it was getting worse I visited an audiologist, he advised to live as normal as possible, no earplugs etc. and I could see a psychologist working with him, but as I am seeing another psychologist already I did not take the offer. I am taking one oxazepam every evening, but I do not feel a lot of difference. My family doctor advised me not to bother about stopping taking them, because one 10mg each day is not too bad....I am not a fan of drugs at all, but the way I am feeling now I don't know what to do.
I am used to live alone for a lot of years, but I used to go out and visit friends a couple of times each month, but since this misery started April this year, I am not doing that anymore. Contact with best friend and family continues, but during a set back like this I can not have company, can not call, because I can not handle my own voice, it makes my T louder and louder.
For now it is the most difficult time since the beginning of my T seven month ago and I really do not know where to find the strength to be positive again. The love of my family keeps me going, but I am not me anymore....
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Eilleor,
You shouldn't resign to your present situation. There are a lot of things you can try to improve it: of you still drink regularly alcohol, then by all means stop this for a while (a few weeks at least); you can also stop taking the oxazepam and see whether it makes a difference (if it makes things worse, you can still go back to it); or try taking some Paracetamol {or Aspirin) again for a few days, which should help to calm down your nervous system (although it would be better to have stopped the medication and alcohol before this).
And as I said already, try to find something to work on for at least a couple of hours a day. Every minute you can manage to get your mind off the tinnitus will be beneficial.
Most importantly, don't let other people tell you what's best for you; only your own experience should be your guide here. Other people can merely give you some tips what to try. The rest should be up to you.
Thomas
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Hi Thomas,
Still everything is very bad, my T is screaming in one ear, it fluctuates in volume constantly from loud too louder and every evening around 9.30 it goes up more.
Every day again I try to listen to music, watch tv, but it makes it worse, but reading or other activities in silence are impossible, I can not concentrate, it is too loud.
I am desperate, because I thought I had reach a kind of turning point after 7 month, I worked on my self and did what I could, it was hard, but at least things improved slowly. Now however nothing happens, 12 days in a row constantly the same sceaming T and very very bad hyperacusis.
I stopped drinking any alcohol and coffee and I also stopped oxazepam now. No effect.
Very bad times are coming here with all the free street firework for new years eve...the young boys already have been started with throwing the firecrackers around. I am really afraid of it.
Don't know it anymore, who knows what is wise?
Sometimes I think that I will make a lot of noise and than my T and H will go up and up and up ... And then? What will happen?
Eilleor
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Eilleor,
By all means, use earplugs to protect you from any excessive noise. If you know there will be extremely loud noises (like at firework events), use foam earplugs (like http://www.earplugs.de/Cont/Plugs/Ohropax-Soft.asp ). For slightly less loud events, and if you want to hear at least something (like concerts or cinema, or playing your guitar)) use musicians earplugs (http://www.earplugs.de/Cont/Plugs/MusicSafe-III.asp ). They still let you hear something (you can use them even when speaking to people) but they reduce everything to a less damaging level.
Even if the noise is not really damaging, it is still better to protect yourself, so that you are not getting afraid anymore (which in itself makes the tinnitus already worse).
As for the alcohol, coffee and medication: after you have stopped taking these, you may probably not notice any effect before 2-3 weeks. This is how long it can take before these have cleared from your system.
Thomas
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