Tinnitus, Deafness and Ear Problems Support Group
This group is for those coping with Tinnitus (ringing ears or ear noise), hearing loss, and all ear issues. Join to find support and get advice from others.
I'm the guy whose T is getting slowly but progressively worse.
On Dec. 30 I unloaded my 'grief' to a former pastor/sometimes counselor.
He didn't say anything special.
But since then, I have managed to function without any depressing or stressful thoughts!
To be clear: it's not acclimating. I've had audible T for two years, worse and increasing T for almost 1. Stressed about it part of every day.
It's not getting quieter (like the phony claims of those companies make). I still know it's there and only a high level of background noise can block it out.
I've tried "giving it to God" without success, but now I'm somehow managing to block out the negative thoughts and despair that have plagued me, since April 2008.
Hope someone else can do the same!
On Dec. 30 I unloaded my 'grief' to a former pastor/sometimes counselor.
He didn't say anything special.
But since then, I have managed to function without any depressing or stressful thoughts!
To be clear: it's not acclimating. I've had audible T for two years, worse and increasing T for almost 1. Stressed about it part of every day.
It's not getting quieter (like the phony claims of those companies make). I still know it's there and only a high level of background noise can block it out.
I've tried "giving it to God" without success, but now I'm somehow managing to block out the negative thoughts and despair that have plagued me, since April 2008.
Hope someone else can do the same!
Having a kind and compassionate person in your pastor to listen probably helped to reset your understanding that all we have is ourselves and the people who can relate to help us cope.
I had a particularly loud spike on New Year's night and thought do I have the psychological tools to handle this increase. I got up and felt very alone. If you have a heart attack you go to the ER, but with this they would put you into a psych ward. As I laid there I just believed in myself that I could survive this like I had many times before. I guess my tinnitus skin has gotten a little thicker. Now I can add another victory to the win column. Keep up the good thoughts and mine go out to you today too.
-Mark
I will post starting tomorrow or tonight on this long journey of 18 months with a therapy that combines white noise and zen chimes which amounts to neuromonics inside a set of tiny hearing aids that sit on my ears.
God bless you all. Hang in there Chris - I had a spike that lasted almost a month and I don't know why.
I will say this - when I increased my Seroquel to double the dose - it went down that very week - now the thing is I am taking Seroquel for depression and I have no idea the connection here - and if there is one - or it was a coincidence - I just can't sort this out.
If you are suffering from depression - there are people who have medicated and noticed the tinnitus lowered TO THEM - and here is the caveat - did the tinnitus cause the depression and give the person two demons to deal with - did the depression cause the tinnitus - did the medicine cause the tinnitus in the first place - did the medicine lower the tinnitus - this is a loop that has been debated forever and some people have it figured out and others are as lost as I am.
I will continue to report on this current dose -
Any medicine like this has to be monitored by a psych - closely and you need an accurate diagnosis.
Another caveat, doctors using electrostimulation for tinnitus and doing those brain scans - they found that a wonderful side effect was that the tinnitus area simmered down with the treatments and the area of the brain responsible for depression also changed -
They are now looking very hard at the relationship and also trying this tinnitus treatment for severe depression -
My husband went to a conference and doctors presented a patient who agreed to be presented - he had a severe serotonin deficiency and struggled with severe depression for years and was on disability.
they put the electrodes in his poor brain and using a remote control - stimulated that area of the brain - the guy snapped right out of depression and when they turned the electrodes off - he began to withdraw and become unsociable.
Apparently, they are now getting funding to seriously look into this - but astonishingly - they have run into depressed tinnitus people and are now treating both conditions.
I think in the next five years they will find something to help us that won't kill us.
You hang in there Chris - I think my diary entries under Mandiegrace are still here - read some of them because I really struggled with my faith for months after it came on - I lost 55 db of hearing instantly with no explanation and have to use bilateral digital hearing aids to hear normal things.
Went through a severe depression - went to mental ward - came out of mental ward - almost lost marriage - almost lost kids - almost lost myself -
See if any of my passages resonate with you - would love to correspond with you - I am your age and married with four young children - would love to think my pain can help someone else going through it now.
God bless you out there guys. I hope 2010 brings us blessings and relief. Mandie
PS I found an internet article and boy do I wish I noted it - but was too lazy - this guy had the electrodes in his brain for tinnitus - completely suppressed his condition - they took the electrodes out and his tinnitus returned that day -
He is now doing TRT - and opted not to have the electrodes put back in - I wish I had saved that article - anyone here see it? I was a dummy not to copy and paste it here - I was on someone else's computer when I found it too - well, it's out there in cyberspace - someone may run into it - paste it here - because the article is in his words as he experienced it - that's always cool to find - someone actually going through this and honestly reporting what happened to them.
Pat