Is Tinnitus DANGEROUS ?

Introduction

Is tinnitus dangerous for your health? This really does depend on a number factors such as the intensity with which one has the tinnitus. Then another crucial component is the individuals mental health in coping with the tinnitus. Lastly,  the availability of resources such as support groups to the person. These factors can determine whether tinnitus is ultimately a threat or not to his/her life.

If you have to look at conditions such as cancers or heart disease or even diabetes you will find that the same stages takes place to classify whether they are dangerous or not to the person.

If the cancer is spreading rapidly or the heart is beating too fast or too slow, or the sugar levels are way above normal, then these conditions have a high probability of becoming dangerous to ones health. If the person does not have family and friends for support along with the necessary medical treatment, then recovery or healing will seem less likely .

Tinnitus, on the other hand does not have a single injection or pill that will just make the ringing go away.(At least not just yet, but they are working on it). From my own experience and a lot of other sufferers, we will tell you that is a psychological battle more than a physical one.

This is where tinnitus can be dangerous, if the psychological problems that one is going through spirals out of control and is not addressed promptly or efficiently things can become fatal.

What am I talking about?

Here is the psychological cycle I am talking about. When someone has ringing in the ears, it can either be mild or not. If it’s not mild, then the person will start having difficulty coping in social settings, be it at work, with family and friends and finding listening to music or watching TV, a painstaking mission.

The person begins to feel anxious causing them to withdraw from social interaction and abstain from  multimedia engagement. He or she gets frustrated and angry and can display a lot of mood changes.

The person can then likely fall into a depression. The brain is an absolutely powerful thing and works with chemical balances to function at its best. Depression causes an imbalance in the brain and must be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible.

So what happens if this depression is not treated properly?

If not picked up early, then it may be too late. The individual starts getting suicidal tendencies and the last straw is drawn and LIFE comes to an END.

So is tinnitus dangerous? Yes, if the mind finds the tinnitus really unbearable,then it can be a threat to the persons life.

How significant is Tinnitus in our community?

According to the American Tinnitus Association, there are roughly 2million people who find tinnitus to significantly affect their lives.

Just out of interest, did you know that famous tinnitus sufferers include Star Trek actor, William Shatner, Comedian Steve Martin and Singer/songwriter Bob Dylan.

Suicide and Tinnitus is a reality

There is a tragic story of a sister who had a brother who suffered from tinnitus for 3 and a half years, which led him to depression and severe anxiety. His sister mentioned that her brother was doing well at managing this tinnitus for some period, but with the more pronounced depression which was linked to his tinnitus suffering,  he eventually took his own life.

Another incident years back tells of an elderly gentleman who was suffering from tinnitus and attended a meeting where other tinnitus sufferers would share and discuss their challenges. He met a lady here who could not bear noises in her head and would call him up daily asking about how to commit suicide. She also took her life. She left behind her two young children.

“Nobody can understand it , but Me…”

This is the truth. Nobody can understand the distress more than those who are actually going through it. I know, I am living it and I can tell you it is not easy. My answer to the question, is tinnitus dangerous? Yes it can be, as mentioned above. However, it does not have to be. I would like to offer you some hope, some light and maybe put a smile on your face even if its a small one……its still something.

Deaf in my Right Ear

I had mentioned before in an earlier post that I am completely deaf in the right ear. So I have to depend entirely on the left ear for the rest of my life.

What got turned around upside down in my life?

Now added to this scenario, I get tinnitus which makes life a whole lot more challenging.

My Work

My profession being a pharmacist demands constant verbal communication both with peers and customers alike. I had to strain my ear over those dreaded and persistent noises in order to hear my patients.

Can you imagine the anxiety I was going through, as I am dealing with medication and dispensing the incorrect tablet is certainly not an option. So, its vital that I hear everything 100%.

Movies

Since I was a kid , I always loved watching movies. Going to the cinema is what I would die for. I am proud to say that I am a movie buff. I can probably tell you the director , executive producer and producer of not only the movie you’re watching, but of another movie or two that they were previously involved in.

Now the picture is different.

I can’t remember the last time I was in a movie-house.At home, I bury myself into reading and spending lots of time on the Internet.

Maybe this part is a good thing, because ironically I used this time to start up a website to teach and help people with tinnitus.Guess what, this is that very same site.(By the way, if you are interested in building your own website visit this link,http://bit.ly/1NeWDxd, it’s free to start up)

Socializing

I love braais( barbecues), parties and games night.Just getting together with family really made me happy.Not to say, that I don’t do theses kind of things anymore, but I don’t do them as often as before.

Even when I do go out, I withdraw from circles of 3 or more people.I tend to have one or two people at the most to keep up with the thread in the conversation.

Music

I am a huge Michael Jackson fan and love to listen as well as dance to his music. Not being able to clearly identify the beats and different instruments, made me switch the radio off.

To Summarize tinnitus, has affected my life in these ways

• It was hard to do my work,
• Stayed away from Movies and stopped listening to Music
• Cringe at, and avoid attending family functions or other social events, as some individuals do not have the compassion to even try to understand my position. 

As you can see, it has affected me to a point of feeling despondent, sad and depressed.

My Message To you :   Help is here…..We are in this Together.

I was calling out for help and people were there to answer. It may be possible that your tinnitus is more severe than mine, but the fact is that we are both suffering from it. I remember the understanding and patience my colleagues gave to me and that in turn gave me the confidence to carry on and not give up.

Some of my immediate family who were worried sick about me, done whatever was in their power to make things easier. They accompanied me from one ENT to the next, and to various audiologists as well.

MY OFFER TO YOU:ITS FREE

The main point here is to get us talking. I always feel better if I can share with people the way I am feeling and the thoughts that are going through my mind. I feel it makes things lighter when the problem is shared. Most importantly I don’t feel alone. This is what I offer to you.

To use this space and talk and share with us the thoughts and feelings about your tinnitus , about your struggles. What is working for you what is not working. Let us create this SAFE environment whereby no-one is judged or ridiculed about their tinnitus but rather helped. So that we don’t have to ask, why is tinnitus dangerous, anymore.

If you feel uncomfortable talking in the comment box, then you can drop me an e-mail at roopesh@dealwithtinnitus.com. and we can chat.

Its about sharing and helping and helping some more.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones.

Thank you for reading my article and take care.  If you know of anyone who will benefit from reading this article, I urge you to kindly share it. You never know, it could make a difference.Hope to hear from you soon.

Kind Regards

Roopesh