Be careful with Internet tinnitus forums!

If you were like me, you probably scoured the internet for advise when you first developed your tinnitus. However, you've probably quickly noticed that most on-line forums and groups are abysmally negative places to hang out. It seems like people go there when they are in the initial desperate stages of their condition and the posts are mostly non-helpful. Occasionally a long-term sufferer will check in with a message of hope, but after reading the postings on many of the online forums I was ready to give up hope for ever living a normal life again.

There are some useful resources online; however, I hesitate to endorse or name any in particular as I don't want to endorse someone who later turns out to be a fraud. But I would encourage you to read as much as you can online and form your own opinions about who to trust and what advice to follow. 

I read the book A Roaring Silence Or: How to Stop Worrying and Learn How to Cope With Tinnitus by Frode Singsaas and found his message to be very encouraging. Frode hangs out on the Tinnitus Support Message Board and you may want to give that site a try.

I also like the YouTube videos from audiologist Dr. Ben Thompson. While he does offer a paid telemedicine service, I find his videos chock full of free useful advice. 

The TinnitusTalk website has a good set of podcasts that have helped me, but I found their forums to be hit or miss - sometimes there is useful information there, but other times I find that forums overwhelmingly depressing. Pick and choose carefully and you'll find some good information

I hope you eventually find this message somewhere: there is hope for someone suffering from tinnitus -  you will eventually get used to the condition, and your life will return to some level or normalcy. But if you are not finding that message, or if you are having a difficult time getting to that spot, please seek out some professional advice from an understanding and sympathetic counselor. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bone Conduction Headphones

Just as tinnitus sound seems louder in the quiet of the night, it also sounds louder when using ear protection (like foam earplugs or 3M industrial  ear muffs ) and this can be very exasperating - you need the ear protection in loud environments but, for some people, hearing their tinnitus unabated for hours on end can cause a disturbing spike in their tinnitus... sort of a catch-22. My attempt to alleviate this condition led me to try AfterShokz bone conduction bluetooth headphones ... these 'phones fit snugly on your temples and conduct sound into your ears through the bones in your head. By playing distracting or soothing sounds through my phone to these headphones, while my ears were securely plugged, I was able to mask some of the tinnitus sounds and make the wearing of earplugs less distressing. Some people (including my family doctor) recommend using noise cancelling headphones such as those made by Bose but I did not have much luck when I tried these. 
Read more

Habituation - the "holy grail?"

You will eventually come across the term "habituation" in your research. What this means is that your brain will eventually get used to your tinnitus and stop regarding it as a threat to your wellbeing. This is what your doctor probably meant when he told you "you'll eventually get used to it". Habituation (getting used to your tinnitus) can take a long time. Every time your tinnitus changes (gets louder, changes pitch) your brain has to start all over again. I've heard to said that it takes months for your brain to habituate your tinnitus. If your tinnitus changes over time your brain needs to go through that process each and every time. Habituation is what will eventually allow you to return to some level of a normal life. All the techniques mentioned elsewhere (sound generators, relaxation, etc.) can help you get to habituation, but you'll want to focus on getting your brain to not regard tinnitus as important. It will fade into the background and, wh...
Read more