Tinnitus: What Works For Me

Here is what I do to manage the tinnitus. This is about managing. It is not a cure.

1. I participate in a Pilates class twice per week. This exercise regimen keeps my blood pressure low yet yields core strength results.

2. I eat hot oatmeal prior to going to sleep every night.

3. I use Resound TS hearing aids with maskers built-in, throughout the day.

4. I avoid alcohol, caffinated coffee, secondary cigarette smoke, chocolate and salt as much as possible. I try to eat color (green, red, orange, yellow, orange, purple). Subway sandwich shop is a good choice.

5. I take Lunesta as needed to sleep. Tolerance can build up and so my treatment team recommended that I take a holiday from it a few times every other week. That is really hard to do because I absolutely cannot sleep without it on most nights.

6. To reduce noise pollution I use a system that I call the Noise Pollution Reduction System (NPRS). David Werkheiser and I integrated and innovated existing technologies to create the system. The system components are hearing aids with maskers built-in. (Resound Live TS), noise cancellation headphones (Bose Quietcomfort 15), and a professional recorder (Samson H2next).

I bring the system to movie theaters and can control the noise of the movie before it passes into my outer ears. It works. I avoid excessively loud events like concerts, air shows, and music festivals because the vibration of extremely loud noises can still have an affect on the ears. I also avoid certain noises that are in my damage range (e.g. sirens, crying babies, etc.).

7. To add more masking options, I use an iPhone App called White Noise. Heavy rain mixed with thunder works best to mask my tinnitus as best as I can.

8. I joined the American Tinnitus Association. ATA members often social network and it really helps to be able to talk with people who are also suffering from the same condition. I spent years suffering without support and they were there when I really needed them.

9. I use a Nook tablet to reduce eye strain while reading. I adjust the letter size to extra large. This helps to prevent tinnitus flare ups that occur because of eye strain.

10. I remain realistic about my condition. I understand that it limits me and creates really awkward social situations at times. At this point, I'm used to the awkwardness. It comes with the tinnitus. One example would be not drinking alcohol at a social gathering. It can really put people off.