My experience with tinnitus may be able to help others out there who are suffering from this affliction.

If anyone wants to hear my story, how I managed to get from deep depression to normality, just ask.

I've heard it has multiple causes.  Did you find a cure?  I'd be interested to hear.  Thx.

At the moment in Ireland they are looking for people who have tinnitus to join a research group seeking a cure.

My own AWARENESS came as a result of adrenalin exhaustion. as a farmer for two years I did the work of three every day because my two helpers, one got a stroke and the other a heart attack. Arising from this, I got a severe bout of depression, or so my doctor told me. This in turn made me AWARE of my tinnitus AND I LIVED IN MY EARS FOR FIVE YEARS. No matter what I would be doing I was always listening to my noises. Sometimes they would go from a ringing to something worse, tones that frightened the living daylight out of me.

Tinnitus, something most people have to some extent or another is an AWARENESS problem. I went to eye and ear hospital hoping they would find some cause, anything to explain it for me, no matter what, even cancer. I needed some hope. When I was told there was no cure I couldn't believe it. On the way out one doctor said 'it eases with age.' That was the one thread of hope I was given.

There is a statue of St Philomena in my church, a highly recommended saint for such causes I was told. I placed my problem into her hands and prayed to her every time I was in the church. Slowly I came out of my ears into the real world again and slowly the tinnitus went back into the subconscious. Five years it had gone on for, but St Philomena helped me it in six months.

Occasionally, 20 years later, I wake up at night with a strange noise. I now know how to avoid it getting the upper hand. I do not look for it, do not listen to it, but try to concentrate on something else.

At times the ringing is all over the place, but if I ignore it it goes away, into the background.

So, it is an AWARENESS problem. It will be as bad as you listen to it. I never talk about it to anybody because that reminds you of it and you start listening to see if it is there. Yes it is, always, so don't listen to it. If someone mentions it to me I say do not worry, it will go away. This way I try to get them to stop listening to it, worrying about it, and they soon forget about it.

Today thank God, thank God, thank God, and St Philomena, that depressing time in my life is a memory and I feel I have mastered the 'stop listening tom it' trap. Between it and my depression the most important thing one can give anybody is HOPE. That doctor who told me it eases with age gave me a tiny bit of HOPE, one that helped me. remember there are out there people who have been worse cases than yourself and they have reached normality again. I have and I want to pass on this HOPE to any depressed or severe tinnitus sufferers. God bless.      

Just curious does it also make you feel dizzy.  My father suffered from Meniere's disease and I wonder if it's similar to Tinnitus as you described.  

Thanks for your reply, I will add you to my morning prayers you will have many better days ahead without this condition.  Happy you found some relief and are helping others.

Just today I thought I was getting tinnitus and then I removed the ear buds from my ears and the noise stopped.

That was a close one!