Tinnitus: When Do I Have To Act ?

Copyright 2006 "My Best Friend Tinnitus"

There are 2 important milestones you need to try to identify. Like any other puzzle you are trying to solve, you start at the beginning.

The first step is trying to remember when you first started hearing whistling or buzzing sounds that shouldn’t really be there. Was this in any way connected to an acoustic disturbance from the outside i.e.: an explosion or loud bang which left a ringing sensation in your ears?

If this isn’t the case then the primary element will be trying to determine the point in time where the noises you were hearing began to be a nuisance and started affecting your ability to concentrate.

This procedure can take months, if not years, until you start to acknowledge and finally conceive that you have tinnitus. I have to admit my ignorance in this matter, but I had never even heard of the word "tinnitus" until I was diagnosed with it.

I have heard of cases and even met people that waited in excess of 10 years before seeking medical help. This is important to comprehend. Tinnitus is a phenomenon. It doesn’t just burst into existence, tap you on the shoulderand kindly introduce itself.

"BOO!!….made you jump huh?…….yep that’s me…I’m Tinnitus and I’m gonna mess around with you for a while"

This is the strange thing about it. According to questionnaires, most people aren’t aware of when they actually started to take notice of their tinnitus. They can’t remember the day they acknowledged its existence or even the time when it started to influence their everyday lives.

If you want to hear a sample of my own Tinnitusm go to my homepage and click start on the embedded player.

To a healthy person, this sound is uncomfortable, if not absolutely annoying, and normally ceases a few hours after visiting a loud pop concert or hearing a loud explosion. At the most one day, but nonetheless, it IS a very unpleasant sound to most of us.

Imagine being lumbered with this sound permanently, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Eventually something somewhere has to snap if it goes untreated. You don’t have to be a doctor to apprehend this.

The sound you heard matches my own tinnitus. I created this audio using synthesizer software which I finely tuned until I found the right frequency which is more or less identical to the sound that fills my head.

However, there are more definitions of tinnitus sounds:

The most common noises include a sound of crickets or roaring, buzzing, hissing, whistling, and high-pitched ringing. Some other types of tinnitus include a clicking or pulsatile tinnitus (meaning it’s consistent with your heartbeat)

Being able to hear this sound as an audio play back won’t help you much, but it may help you to explain to others what you have to endure…..…day in….and day out.

It is vital to understand the nature of tinnitus and how it gradually makes itself present.

I, myself, noticed the tinnitus about 5 years ago. After about a year it bothered me enough to take the case to my doctor who referred me to an ear, nose, and throat specialist. After a thorough hearing test, I was told I had a slight loss of hearing in both ears and should undergo a CAT Scan to make sure there wasn’t a tumor growing somewhere in my head.

Thank God the results were negative and I was given a clean bill of health. Nice to know, huh?

Basically that was it. I was informed that everything was okay and the doctor requested I come back in a year or two for another hearing check. To be honest, I forgot the matter entirely and carried on with my life in all its routine. I mean, didn’t the doctor say I was okay?

The noise was still present but it wasn’t affecting my life in a negative way or anything. The readiness on my part to accept the doctor’s words and carry on with my life would soon prove to be my primary and biggest mistake.

IMPORTANT – ACT NOW !

As soon as you notice high pitched frequency or ringing noises….act! This is your starting gun. The minute these noises become persistent, get medical help. Don’t believe and don’t trust anyone that insists you can live with these noises and not to worry. If you are told this by your doctor, FIND ANOTHER DOCTOR !

The body is a fine tuned instrument. Like every other symptom, with tinnitus, your body reacts and takes counter measures to protect itself. In fact tinnitus sounds can be compared with pain. You are being told that something is wrong. A toothache will send you to the dentist, a back ache will send you to chiropractic, and constant headaches will eventually send you to a neurologist. In all cases though, you are being warned!

In the case of tinnitus, you are also being warned. It’s a warning signal and should be taken very seriously. 95 % of tinnitus patients will probably act the same way as I did and wait too long before consulting a doctor. If you haven’t acted already don’t make the same mistake most of us do. Get moving!!

So why is all this so important now that you have been diagnosed with tinnitus? Isn’t too late to be told that you missed all the warning signals?

Understanding the reason you are suffering from tinnitus is the key to understanding its existence and the ability to learn from it. Understanding WHY YOU have tinnitus is the very first step and the backbone of self-treatment. You have to be willing to learn.

IMPORTANT – YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO LEARN

Compare tinnitus treatment with a simple toy called the "Rubik’s Cube." I don’t know anyone who can solve the puzzle in less than 30 minutes. Most people will twist, turn and rotate the cube until they eventually realize that it’s not possible to solve unless you know the trick. Well it’s not so much a trick as a pattern. Anyone can solve the Cube once they’ve learned how to. It’s just a matter of practice and patience.

Coming to terms with tinnitus involves learning and getting the known facts into perspective. No more twisting and turning and going down one way roads. You have to stay focused on what you want to achieve.

That’s what my book is all about.

If you are suffering from chronic tinnitus (with or without hearing loss) you have probably been down every one way road there is in your quest for a cure. That’s it though. There is no patent cure. It’s that simple and that complicated. YOU are the cure.

This concept sounds too easy to be true. Not only can you learn to accept tinnitus as a part of your life but YOU can teach IT to be a part of YOUR life. You can take control by reducing its importance.

Tinnitus can be tamed and manipulated. Tinnitus has incredible power, if you give it authority. Think about what it has achieved by taking over your life. Why not turn the tables and learn from it. Get yourself in the driver’s seat and take it for a ride.

Remember the title of this book…………………………… My Best Friend Tinnitus!

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