Tinnitus

I have tinnitus that fluctuates in volume and is pretty loud sometimes. It doesn’t bother me. I mask it with music or driving with the windows open (easy here in L.A). I also meditate specifically focusing my concentration on the tinnitus. I’m curious and investigate it: what are the tones, how loud is it, etc. That reduces its impact on me. This helps because I acclimate to it and don’t crave desperately for it to go away. This is a suggestion from the Mind Over Meniere’s website: Mind over Meniere's
There are many excellent suggestions and resources there.
Blessings,
Becky

 

I've battled with tinnitus for years, but only recently had the pleasure of having incredibly loud, roaring jet engine sounds in my left ear with a loud ringing in my right. I swear to God, the next person who tells me they "know what I'm going through" because they have a soft, gentle little ringing in one ear, I will smack them back to last week. Not really, but I'll want to.

For me, though - it always goes away. Always. How long have you been dealing with it? The longest I've had a flare-up of tinnitus is 4 months. It sucks - but mine always stops eventually and I really hope it does for you, too. I can go YEARS without tinnitus, so there's hope.

How I cope? Loud music. White noise machines. Keeping the TV on. Living my life out loud. As tough as it can be to be around people when it's really bad- especially loud people - I find that the distraction helps.

After weeks of the dual ear symphony, I'm down to just a gentle ringing in one ear which, honestly, I hadn't noticed all day until I read this post. Distraction is key!!

As for hearing loss, I was diagnosed at age 23 & I'm 50 now and I still hear just fine when my ear isn't clogged up. And given how loud I listen to music and how many live concerts I've gone to is saying something.

Hang in there.

 

I've had tinnitus since the end of 2004, so do the math. Some days its mild, some days it's strong...just depends. I have been deaf in my right ear for almost 6 years and have had tinnitus in that ear continually for at least 10 years. On good days, I don't have tinnitus my good ear...on bad days, I do. somehow, you come to terms with it and just try to live. I wish you the best.

 

Mine is though to be autoimmune, too. Do you have significant allergies? I do, and my doc thinks there's a link. I wish I had a magic cure all - it's so frustrating to be told you just have to learn to live with it.

One thing I forgot - a few times in the past when it got really bad, I took a homeopathic remedy called RingStop. One time, I took it daily for 4 months and my tinnitus went away. Now - did it go away because of the RingStop or because it was just ready to go away? It's probably the latter, but who knows? If you get desperate enough, maybe it's worth a shot.

 

For me, whether or not the tinnitus can be covered up and/or ignored depends upon the type of tinnitus and the intensity of the tinnitus. Some tinnitus simply can't be covered up or ignored.