Something happened to me back in November. I've had Tinnitus for a while, but this is a different development.
In Jan of 2010, tinnitus hit me like an explosion while I was asleep at 1am in the morning and didn't go away. At first it was just ringing and surprisingly didn't prevent me from getting a good night's sleep. About a year later, I managed to get used to it to the point that it didn't bother me. It took a long time, but it worked.
Then in November of 2013, something happened. Like the intensity of the "feeling" of Tinnitus was greatly increased but not the loudness. I actually feel this in my head. And the worst part? This keeps me up at night. I literally have difficulty sleeping through it and despite my best efforts, it's always on my mind during the day. It's like the tinnitus decided to affect my muscles. it's just intense. My head feels worn out and the back of my neck reacts to it like nails scrapping a chalk board. Some days it gets so bad I'd call it painful, and it hasn't gotten better. Even my doctor told me I never looked so miserable.
Yes, I have chronic tinnitus, and I've had it for about 3 years now. I hear it every waking second (the sound is akin to the sound you hear when you turn on old televisions). This means that a) I can't enjoy silence the way I used to (I use a sound pillow to sleep, for example) and b) that I can't listen intently to music anymore. Rather the music must be in the background while I'm online etc. If I focus too much on the music, I'll focus on the tinnitus too.
It HAS affected the enjoyment of PURE listening to some extent, but music is still vital in masking complete silence, which is even worse.
I just came across this thread. I have had tinnitus for about 35 years now. Mine is like yours, like the sound when you turn on an old television. I just woke up one morning and was aware of the sound. I have learned to tune it out but when i am tired I become aware of it.
Using headphones and listening to music do not exacerbate it fortunately.
I am amazed at the number of members who have this condition.
I truly appreciate members sharing their experiences. I would say misery loves company but I don't want to describe myself as being miserable. Disappointed? Yes. But if I have to live with this utterly annoying situation, I am going to go about it by trying to find out everything I can about it. Taking it a day at a time!
