I feel for your situation. Tinnitus feeds on stress, fatigue and
anxiety
and everything does start to spiral over time.

A good night sleep is essential. I take Atavan at times at night
after a particularly stressful day which helps. Most other times,
melatonin and/or Benedryl can be helpful getting to sleep.
Xanax is another good possibility.  People carp that Atavan
and Xanac are benzo's and have addictive properties but I feel
these can be life savers in certain circumstances. So I
think medications are very helpful and should not be discounted.
Set up an appt with your primary care doc and see if you
can get on atavan/xanax for the time being.

Obviously, exercise and something like a therapuetic massage
can be very beneficial  if you can somehow arrange some
free time. The key is to find ways to de-stress with the
limited free time you have. The chiro you're seeing today
may help some, but if the original cause of your tinnitus
is not due to a muscular origin, but don't expect to be cured.

Best of luck. Wish there was some magic formula to treat
tinnitus but there isn't.

frank

I'm sorry you're having such a hard time.  It is difficult not to worry
and to dwell on tinnitus.  I remember when I was afraid, too.  You may be
telling yourself that you're not afraid, but I think maybe you should face
the fact that you are afraid.  Honesty is the best policy.  I think you're
exhausted, and that's not helping your tinnitus one bit.  Stress and
fatigue are, just as Dr. Frank said, very detrimental to you.  I know we
can't always change our lives when we need a break, but I wonder if there
isn't some way to relieve some of this stress.  If you're not sleeping at
night, I see nothing wrong with getting some medication to help you rest.

I know all too well from my own experiences that relaxing isn't as easy as
it sounds.  With me, it's a nagging little voice at the back of my head
that asks all these worrying questions.  One really great way to actually
relax all the way down to being really calm is self-hypnosis.  I have a
hard time getting all the little worry knots out of my system, and a good
relaxation tape can do wonders.  You can tell yourself that you're calm,
but if you're having a panic attack, you may be telling yourself a fib.
IMHO, you need some outside help to relax and get enough rest.  I know
that you've visited a hypnotist, which can be pretty expensive.  But you
can buy a self-hypnosis tape and play it every night before you go to
sleep.  I find it very helpful.  It can't cure your tinnitus, but it can
relieve your stress.  Relaxing isn't as easy as it may sound, and I think
it's very important that you find a way to do it.

Another soothing thing to do for yourself when your tinnitus is loud and
screaming at you is to simply step into the shower and let the water pour
down over your head.  You may notice that you can't hear your tinnitus
very much over the sound of the water.  I suggest a nice, long shower each
evening and a little time to yourself to savor the relief of not hearing
the tinnitus for just a little while.

I always hesitate to mention medication because I don't want to "push" it.
I do, however, take xanax every day.  I have Meniere's, and your nausea
concerns me.  It is connected to vertigo for me.  But I don't know what
causes your tinnitus.  I know that xanax is addictive, and I am dependent
on it -- but I don't feel "addicted."  I have no cravings for the drug,
and I don't sit and think about it during the day.  "Oh boy, can't wait
for that next dose."  It doesn't work like that for me.  I simply take a
small dose when I get up, a small dose at noon, another larger dose at
5PM, and one at bedtime.  The xanax lowers the volume of my tinnitus.
Xanax is also used as an anti-anxiety medicine, so it's a double benefit
for me.  I agree with Dr. Frank that you might want to consult your doctor
about taking something to relieve your tension.  I have been taking the
same dose of xanax for about 11 years now, and I've never had to increase
it.  If you're careful about how you use it, it could do you some good.

A chiropractor is always helpful, but that may not be the cause of your
tinnitus.  It can't hurt to get your muscles loose and relieve tension and
stress.  I see a chiropractor for my aching back, but it never affects my
tinnitus.  Some people will have different results, tho.

I know that you can't just snap your fingers and solve the family stress.
But I would suggest you talk to your wife and ask for her understanding
and help with this.

I went to counselling once, and the man I worked with told me that I would
never be able to "control" my life.  He's right -- we can't control what
happens.  We can manage what happens, and we can control our reactions to
what happens.  But we have to deal with life and what it dishes out.  I'm
sorry -- I wish I could tell you it will all get better.  But I don't know
that.  That's what I wanted to be told way back when my tinnitus started.

I hope this rambling little message is of some help to you.  Know that you
are not alone.  Many of us here have been through this panic stage, and
we're still here.  It does get easier with time.  I hope you can find some
rest.

Peace, Eva

Thank you for all the support.  I was doing so well, but somehow I lost it.
Tinnitus is relentless and even if I make all these changes, recovery seems
slow.

I am sure that the chiropractor can help my left ear, but that one is not
nearly as loud as my right ear.
I actually was listening to a self-hypnotic program on my ipod to try to
reduce the anxiety, but my T was just too darn loud.  I think that I have a
high mental resistance to my T, but when that fails, everything comes down.
My T is better but still quite loud, but I am still on edge and bothered by
it a lot.
Sounds like Xantax is a good drug to try, or at least have on hand for
emergencies.  I have to set up an appointment, but I have melatonin here
right now.

I know that the more I mentally try to run from my T, the more power it has
over me.

Yes anxiety will lead to the uncomfortable nausea, T will lead to
anxiety and panic when it feels like it. Depression too. What type of
masker(s) do you use, is it only one unit? Can one use only one masker
for T in both ears? Is it the hearing aid type or just masker? If one
has high pitch hearing loss would a hearing aid(s) stop the T. Yes a
sedative to sleep will help you be more alive in the day. ativan is
prob the safest and won't give you hang over effects in the correct
dose if your afraid of oversleeping. Start out with half of whatever
your given to test it and there are studies that if the body really
requires the need for the drug or chemical (like a replacement chemical
the brain needs) your chances of addiction are minimal.

Thank you for your advise.  I have been to the chiropractor twice since this
attack.  Things are much better.  In fact, I would say that this week I have
been bothered almost the least of all by my T.  I think it is a little
softer, and perhaps my mental perception of this is what is better.
I would like to get some meds just in case I have a breakdown in the future.
Actually, it's the security of having them that I would like.

I went through exactly the same thing you are going through.  I was
unable to sleep because the pitch was high and sometimes it came out at
the middle of the night, feeling someone was blowing a morning whitle
for exercises at the centre of my head and he kept blowing it...

Try BETAHISTINE.  This med was given to me by my doctor and i found it
to be very good.  It softens the T sound, making me feel
veeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyy sleepy.  Take this before bed
time ONLY!  It is because it makes you very sleepy and it is dangerous
to take it while you are driving.  This drug produced NO side effect on
me and it is NOT addictive at all.  I highly recommend it.  In Hong
Kong, you can buy it OTC, which tells you how safe this drug is.

Your problem now is the lack of sleep.  Don't try to control so many
things with one stroke.  Do one thing at a time.  Get your sleep under
control first and the rest will take care of itself over time.  Believe
me!

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