This is essentially what I do. I've had it tinnitus for some 20 years now. Both ears, a constant high pitched ringing.
Most of the time I honestly don't notice it, even in quiet rooms. As soon as something reminds me about it, or I'm trying to listen for something quiet, or certain high pitch sounds go off (my least favourite is flashbang like effects on TV or in games), it'll come back with a vengeance. So e.g right now because I saw this HN post, it's feeling especially loud.
It'll probably be about an hour before I'll forget to think about it (for want of a better description), and I go back to not noticing it.
It’s always there for me but I usually forget about it and only notice it when something draws my attention to it.
According to an app I’ve used on my phone (Mimi Hearing Test), I have about 14db HL in each ear.
Somewhat related, but I just cannot follow conversations in a noisy environment, like a pub. All the background noise and chatter just washes out the voices of people I’m around.
Anyway, I now bring earplugs every time I go to a show.
The invulnerability of youth.
I used to do sound / PA stuff for live bands for some local events for older teens. One time we realised the kick drum was moving towards the edge of the platform it was on, with every kick. Dumbass that I was, a ran on stage with my trusty roll of duck tape, but without ear protection, and proceeded to duck tape the kick drum legs to the stage to provide extra resistance to movement. While the band was playing. I'd had a little bit of tinnitus before then, but that particular incident made it much worse, unsurprisingly enough.
As for the loud show thing I was already wearing ear plugs back in 1980, never got into the blasting the speakers/headphones, and now I have both significant high frequency hearing attenuation and a 25 year old case of nicely balanced tinnitus. Oh well.
As a small silver lining, my tinnitus now serves as an audible “alarm system”: too much stress in my life? Drank too much coffee? Overdoing it at the gym? All of these will raise the ringing volume and signal me to make changes.
I think this is a good approach to many mental & physical ailments, however it is easier said than done.
The very first time I noticed it at all was during a bout of the flu.
> So e.g right now because I saw this HN post, it's feeling especially loud.
Exactly..
Honestly I didn't think I actually had tinnitus because I don't notice it for weeks or maybe even months at a time, at least not for more than a short moment, although I've have it as long as I can remember. It's not all that loud, but after concentrating on it for a while it's been there constantly and consciously for a good 10min already and it's not going away!
Is this correct and not physiotherapy? Psychotherapy (if send via gp and dianosed) is at least 75% reimbursed if done at a non-contracted practitioner unless you have the shit-insurance, then it's only 50%.
That's not what this recent book [1] says, at all. In Ducth, but [2] is a translation of the main point in an interview. As far as I'm aware, this guy is rather far away from snake oil. What is true though is that not all audiologists are caught up yet. Which is a bit weird because I already read about multidisciplinary approach working a couple of years ago IIRC. Which does obviously not mean it works for everyone, but also not 'there is no permanent relief'.
[1] Bart Vinck: Tinnitus, een schaduw van geluid
[2] Can tinnitus disappear completely?
"Absolutely, it happens very often. It's to say: we all hear sounds in our heads, only we don't experience them consciously. After all, the brain forgets sounds that are not relevant, just like I don't feel the glasses I'm wearing now.
"Our brain does nothing but sort out stimuli: this is important, that is not important. Logical too, otherwise we would go crazy with all the stimuli constantly coming in.
"My message is not to learn to live with that beep, but to train your brain to classify that sound as harmless, allowing you to forget about it. Feel free to call it an auditory reset of your brain." What does such a treatment look like?
"It has been proven that a multidisciplinary approach works well. Through an intense therapy bath, we try to reset the brain so that that beep or squawk is no longer threatening: patients receive 20 hours of therapy over four days.
"You also have to find other ways to vent tension and take care of yourself. Physiotherapists and osteopaths additionally work on the physical problems. Our patients often suffer from other psychosomatic complaints: they clench their jaws or have tense neck and shoulder muscles.
"Some 96 percent of our patients report afterwards that the impact of the tinnitus has been greatly reduced. Unfortunately, psychotherapy is barely reimbursed."