Hi to you all! My first experience of tinnitus was over 5 years ago, when I awoke one morning to what I thought was the alarm going off in my right ear. I was struggling to find the ‘off’ switch when I realized that this noise was in my head. It was a very scary moment and the start of a journey. After many sleepless nights, dreading going to bed and fruitless trips to the hospital, doctors only told me that I did have hearing loss in my right ear due to working my whole life working in an extremely noisy environment. Then they tell me there was nothing they could do about the tinnitus apart from masking the noise or drugs to help me relax. BUT! I feel once you accept that it is not going to be cured you can move forward. I tried everything at the beginning and was avidly reading of herbal drugs which reduced noise all to no avail and every time I became more depressed. I then made a conscious decision to accept that I cannot cure this and must adapt and live with it. I feel that once you make that decision you will feel better. I do not let tinnitus get in the way and I now do not think about it. I do hope my short story will help you there is a light at the end of the tunnel best wishes to you all -Rob Published: October 16 ::

I was in the military and worked on aircrafts. At the time, using hearing protection just seemed silly. Now, I regret it. I have had tinnitus for about five years now. When I first was introduced to it, I let it consume my life, losing sleep, having anxiety attacks, and becoming depressed over it. It was because it was all I thought about for months on end. I will say this, thinking about it and dwelling on it does in some strange way seem to intensify it. After my first encounter, I struggled to cope with it. Then, one day, I came across an article where the author provided helpful tips to live with tinnitus. He said, “If you’re concerned with the volume of your tinnitus, then try a simple test. Go to your bathroom or kitchen and turn on the faucet. If when the water is running you can’t hear the ringing, your condition is weak in regard to someone who experiences dangerous volumes of tinnitus.” So I tried it. Much to my amazement, the water masked the ringing. That was my “light at the end of the tunnel.” I knew then that it wasn’t something that would control my life. After that, it only got easier for me to live with it. And much to my surprise, for years after that, I noticed my self-awareness of it was minimal. I only heard it if I stopped and “listened” for it, and even then, sometimes I did not hear anything. But four years later, I have picked it back up and find myself lost in its trance. I'll get past this again because it’s what we victims of tinnitus have to do to live. If you’re new to the condition and find yourself lost, try the water test to see if it works for you. The water test won’t cure your tinnitus, but it might just be what you need to get past the shock and learn to live with it. Published: August 27 ::

I had an attack of vertigo 6-8 months ago, the doctor prescribed me some medicine, the room was spinning, I felt sick it was terrible, the high pitched noise in my ears has got worse in the last few weeks, in the day I don’t notice the noise because of the radio, TV set, and everyday noises mask it, but at night when its quiet that’s the worst, it does not keep me awake at the moment I sleep OK, listening to the birds singing in the morning, and the wind, is peaceful, I eat as much fresh veggies and fruit as I can, I don’t smoke, I drink a glass of Perry occasionally. Published: August 27 ::