Imagine you attend a sporting event, arena concert, or any large indoor event with cheering and clapping. At the conclusion, you walk out to your car and notice the sounds around you are muffled. Inside your head, a loud ringing noise, so annoying!, fades away by the time you get home. Now imagine it never goes away. Ever.
I was diagnosed with tinnitus 40 years ago. You say ti-night-us, I say TIN-nit-us. In the early years (feel like a little old lady telling stories, oh wait 😳), the volume of my ringing was as low as it could go and still be heard constantly in the background. I saw all the same remedies y’all saw, but not one made any impact. Presently, I’m relieved that tinnitus established itself in my teens. Having it suddenly turn on as an adult would be startling and adjustment very difficult.
Over time, the volume has turned up, particularly with intense stress. 2009 was a crap year. The loudness increased markedly and I didn’t know if I could cope. My sons were 11 and 12; the noise they and their friends made constantly was a distraction. The volume is pretty high now, maybe medium-high.
When I go to sleep, I like to fade off with the t.v. or a podcast low in my ear. That ringing is amplified most in silence.
SurvivingSara 