This might seem strange, but i am due to move house in a few weeks and where i currently live there is constant background noise from traffic, birds, my neighbour etc and where i'm moving to is in a really quiet area with no noise. Recently my tinnitus has massively increased in volume which is very distressing and hard enough to habituate a second time round. this may sound odd but In my current house i have a gas fire and i find the sound of the flames soothing and although it doesnt mask my T it offers a distraction. Where i'm moving to has no fire and no chimney for one as its a more modern house, i know in summer u wouldnt use a fire but thats ok as i'm on holidays and doing stuff but in winter when i'm stuck in i can see myself going mad. I have a bedside masker which i use at night (even though my T is so loud it doesnt really mask) and my radio and i pod/speaker set up. What ideas do you suggest for coping strategies during the day/evening when i'm relaxing, watching tv, i have been looking for behind ear maskers but can't find any only custom ones which i cant afford.

right, a few things come to mind. firstly have you thought that it could be the stress of the move that has flared up your T and that it may well settle down once you settle in? as for the gas fire i hear you! its one of the few things that masks my T so my hubby is going to try to record it for me so i can have it 'on' in the summer! and you can buy sound machines with nature sounds so you never have to be in silence. and i got my hubby a dvd for xmas which is a 'real fire' which crackles away like the real thing, i think i got it from play.com or amazon. i am also looking at an indoor water feature for the lounge as i find that relaxing. try to keep positive, you may find it settles right down when you relax in your new home.

also, i have a little wind up ticking clock which i put on the back of the sofa and when the T 'invades' my concentration while watching t.v etc i force myself to listen to the ticking instead. its a trick an old T sufferer gave me years ago when i first got this rotton thing.

hi again debs. thanks for you positivity, i guess i can always move my sound pyramid into the lounge and have it play. the water feature idea is fantasitic i would never have thought of that as i too find the sound of water very relaxing and thats good for the T, think i will have to purchase oneof those. also like the clock idea too u have been more than helpful. tinnitus is a living hell but why should we let it win.

Also you are so lucky to have a supporting understanding hubby. my boyfriend soesnt understand T at all or the distress it causes he moans about my soothing bedtime music when i'm over at his houseand i keep it as quiet as possible, bearing in mind its his fault i got this blasted thing in the first place i think he has a nerve. your prob wondering why am i even still with him, well i guess we have been through a lot together and well love is a terrible curse really. its a good thing i dont live with him though as it means i can enjoy my nature sounds and play what i want at night.;-)

have you seen the sound pillows in argos? they have a speaker in them so you can listen and not your partner. i got one but my hubby moaned that he likes listening to my sound machine too! so now we go to sleep to the sound of rain (which i play all night to keep me asleep) and a hypnotherapy cd by a guy called Glenn Harold who in my opinion is much better than paul mckenna! i also have relaxing music cds that i play if i wake in the night. How did you get you T? what did it have to do with your fella?

I just posted about this is another thread but if you have an iPhone or Ipod Touch check out an app called Ambiance - perfect for setting up background sounds with lots of configurable options.

Hi Debs, not seen them pillows will have to look in the catalog. what sound machine have you got? did u get it from here? i got my T from going to a heavy metal concert that i didnt even want to go to as i hate that music but my boyfriend dragged me to.and as he came to one of my concerts the year before i felt i owed him. he got off scott free without T even tho he didnt wear earplugs and i eneded up wit the loud T. go figure.

Moved from a flat with an amazingly noisy fridge (was great!) to a quieter flat with less noisy fridge! Believe it or not that was worrying me more than anything. I realised the stress of moving was actually worse for my T, which went up noticeably about a month before having to move anyway. After the paranoia of all the different noises to get use to (planes over head, pipes and fittings, idiot neighbours) i went back to just worrying about the T going up few months before!
I use a BlackBerry with a white noise app. I stuck this under my pillow the other day and it's great. Hoping will habituate once again (went up after a painful ear syringe which made me think about my T again).
Worse is an ENT now bruised it so waiting for that to heal (yep, loud again!). Best of luck and soon you won't need these tricks to cope. I had T for 20 years and after habituating (took a year or so i guess) i stopped listening to it. In fact, if i wanted i culd listen then shut it off!! Complete control. Miss those days but they'll be back :D

Hi halo83.

Did you wear ear plugs at the metal concert? Did you notice anyone else wearing ear plugs at the concert?

Just wondering how many people know the risks.