to think you can live a happy life with tinnitus

[Guesswhosbacktellyourfriends]

The posts on here re: tinnitus have really got me through the last two months, so I'm just back to ask (pleadingly) - if you were really down about it in the beginning, and really fixated, did it change for you? I know it sounds so melodramatic but I just think it means I can't live the same life I did before. I guess I'm worried too that it could all get so much worse (quite mild in the day, no hearing loss, annoying at night)

Can you really learn to block it out? Do most people manage that? I read posts that say people can go for weeks or months forgetting they have it but it's on my mind all the time (and I know, I'm doing what I can to not have a stress response to it but it's so alien).

I've got ETD and fluid in my ears which also make it hard not to overthink it. And I'm a writer by trade, so I miss my silence. Sorry for the whingy post.

I’ve had permanent tinnitus for 9 years, since bad concussion. Sometimes I don’t notice it, but when I do it doesn’t bother me, I think I prefer the lack of silence now.

I think I have always had tinnitus to a degree, I actually thought it was normal to have ringing in your ears until I was about 25!

Unfortunately it got a lot worse with a really horrible ear infection last year and although I can tune it out most of the time, it does get me down when I tune into it and I do think my hearing is affected but haven’t had a test yet. It’s my left ear and quite loud when I tune in!

I definitely think you learn to live with it and can tune it out. Because I’m thinking about it, it sounds really loud but I wasn’t bothered by it until I read this🤣

I've had tinnitus for 7 or 8 years, after I had shingles in my ear and it wasn't diagnosed early enough to treat. So I was left with some nerve damage and the tinnitus. At first it really bothered me and I was very upset. It was loud and I was aware of It constantly. It was and still is a high-pitched whistling/squeaky sound. I couldn't get to sleep at night for ages. But now I hardly notice it any more. In the daytime with other noises around to distract me, it's now rarely a problem. I do notice it at night, but I think my brain is now able to acknowledge it and then move on, rather than focus on it.
If I have a cold, or any eustachian tube dysfunction, the tinnitus gets worse & more noticeable, and my ear hurts a bit as well, but again I think I have learned to notice the feelings and then try to let them go.

I've had tinnitus for years too. I also have moderate to severe hearing loss which I am doing my best to ignore. I will have to go the hearing aid route but I'm not ready!

I’ve had tinnitus for as long as I can remember. I can mostly block it out and I only really notice it when it’s really quiet. Mine is like a constant ringing noise. I can’t remember ever not having it. Would love to have complete silence just occasionally though

I've had it since my 20s, now 57. It's been better and worse during that time. For several years it seemed to be largely controlled by Prozac (which I took for depression, for other reasons). I really noticed the tinnitus again when I had to stop the Prozac. I do find it difficult because I like silence, but I've mostly learned to accept it as part of the silence. I find sleep the hardest but now, after trying lots of different things, I always fall asleep listening to audio books, or sometimes soothing music like Delta waves. I take ginkgo biloba too which I think dulls it a bit.

Yep. Had it 7 years, block it out and only notice it occasionally now or when it suddenly stops/changes. Time outdoors really helps as it's not quiet.

I’ve had mild tinnitus for as long as I can remember. As PP said I thought it was normal for most of my childhood! I don’t really notice it except occasionally at night, so I listen to a lot of podcasts as background noise. Highly recommend the flicking technique someone linked - that was a game changer for me!

I’m so glad I asked now, thank you so much you lot.

Did anyone get theirs as result of ear infection and adult glue ear? It’s basically what I’m dealing with. I guess it might settle at night once the fluid’s gone.

@Globetrote I’ve been wondering about adult grommets but I’m so worried it’ll make the T worse.

@Guesswhosbacktellyourfriends if you have fluid in your ears have you tried an Otovent balloon device? I had grommets about 25 years ago now but when I’ve had episodes of glue ear since the GP and ENT said to try an Otovent first. You can buy them from Amazon or get it on prescription (same price really though), and it’s basically a special balloon with a nozzle and you blow the balloon up switching between each nostril. It sounds weird but they really work, although don’t be surprised if initially you can’t inflate it - it will still work.

@Globetrote Yeah, it’s great! But then the cycle repeats. Ears full again this morning and slightly wet every time I wake up. Apparently not infection but not sure how they keep being wet every morning without an eardrum rupture… I’ve tried a couple of months of becanase, a round of ear spray, a round of ABs for the initial sinus infection and now I feel like I might have been over zealous with the ear popping and just trying to give it all a bit of a rest.

Has anyone gone on to have a baby, move house etc? At the moment I feel like it’s so limiting. But I guess you do with anything at first.

Goodness, yes. My audiologist was brilliant. I went from being quite angry and desperate to accepting and largely untroubled practically overnight. I rarely think about it actively any more, only when threads like this come up.

I’m so sorry your DH didn’t get the help he needed.

I've had tinnitus for around 25 years - I'm 59 now, was diagnosed mid-30s. Mine is in both ears and I have a hearing loss of 20% in my left ear, 25% in my right ear. I've also had several horrendous 'attacks' of SSHL which over the years have resulted in my 'actual' hearing loss increase after each episode. The last attack was so bad I had to have steroid injections in both ears and there was a chance I may not get my hearing back at all 😵‍💫😲

So...yeah...knackered ears!

With the tinnitus I no longer notice it much of the time (it's raging now, but only because I'm talking about it so it's become prevalent in my mind!!) I'll be able to 'switch it off' once I stop thinking about it.

Nighttime is worse, but I use a white noise app to help me shut it down so I can sleep.

If I'm ill, however, or stressed, I can't shut it down at all. Possibly because my energies are all about getting well, or dealing with the stress. At these times it's unbearable, but as (thankfully!) this doesn't happen often, and I know it will improve, I just sort of 'ride it out' 🤷‍♀️

@saraclara I’m so sorry about your husband. That sounds tough. I think I’ll ask for an audiology referral too.

@MereDintofPandiculation Great advice thank you. I’ve already started using it to talk myself down.

Thank you @Goingncforthisone! It’s so hard to believe you can all just zone out but it gives me massive hope.

I'm 65, have had Tinnitus every second of every day since 2007, when I had a car crash. My life has been fine

My father has been living successfully with Tinnitus for over 40 years.
I remember in the 80’a he struggled with it as the dr’s saying ‘ nothing we can do’ affected him negatively.
He paid for treatment by a homeopath which reformed how he coped. I don’t think for a minute that the small white pills he took did it, but the cognitive belief and hope ment his mind blocked it out. Best money he ever spent.
When I talk to him now he says it is like white noise, that he does not notice until he actively searches for it.

I developed tinnitus after covid. Had all the checks and usual advise etc etc and have learned to live with it. Definitely gets worse when I'm tired or have a cold/virus of some sort. I'm aware it comes from the brain signals and I know to do something such as reading / do a crossword / bake a cake or basically anything to tell my brain I'm too busy to take any notice of it !

I've had tinnitus for about 20 years now, and more recently partial hearing loss.

It is a variety of weird sounds, some constant, some intermittent and loud.
I remind myself that it is a comms error in my head, NOT something evil from outside attacking me - I have to be very careful not to succumb to that, I think that would threaten my mental health.

There's an old Irish saying: 'When trouble comes knocking, ask it in', which is how I deal with my tinnitus and also chronic pain - I face it full on instead of distracting myself from it.

I focus on it very hard -I try to find words to describe each sound, try to identify the pitch of the hum/whine and imitate it [quietly, in private!], and make up identifying labels, like the 'next door are moving their furniture around again' sound, or the 'there's a HGV parked outside with the engine running' sound.
The most annoying is the 'relax, it's not actually a picture falling off the wall at 4am' sound because it wakes me up and startles me.
It domesticates and tames it.

Your tinnitus is part of you, and I hope you manage to find your own way of dealing with it. It's definitely liveable with, so don't get discouraged.

I have tinnitus and some hearing loss from infections.

I listen to music all day long, and the sound of my children whinging mean I dont hear it (joking but it’s true) At night I can hear a big road so there’s never a moment it’s quiet enough for me to hear it. I cope just fine; barely registers with me.

My husband had tinnitus for years. Was desperate for a solution despite NHS saying there wasn't anything they could do.

He went to Hidden Hearing. Whilst the initial test was free the aids are ££££. However, they've sorted it. He wouldn't leave the test without buying them - He didn't want to take them.out.

He doesn't even like taking them out at night!

Sorry, I just realised yours is from infections too.

Basically I presented in a&e having gone deaf. It was a big infection and hole. They sent me to ENT as I’m allergic to antibiotics who gave me some different drops which could only be used for a week, after that I had to heal alone. Took about 5 months. Then they microsuctioned it twice and advised me never to get my ears wet ever again. It’s worked 🙌🏻 so far of course. That was 2 years ago. I’ve lost some frequencies but all in all I was massively pleased with the outcome, rather than sad I was left with tinnitus, if you see what I mean. I reframed it I guess? Good luck (and don’t get your ears wet!!! Ever!!!)