Glenn Schweitzer - Rewiring Tinnitus: How I Finally Found Relief From the Ringing in My Ears

REWIRING TINNITUS

HOW I FINALLY FOUND RELIEF FROM THE RINGING IN MY EARS

GLENN SCHWEITZER

This book contains only the opinions and ideas of its author who is neither a doctor nor a medical professional. It is in no way intended as a substitute for the advice of medical professionals. The reader should consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions in this book and in all matters relating to his/her health, particularly with respect to any medications, supplements, and symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.

Cover design by Popdesign
Copyright 2016 by Glenn Schweitzer

All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission from the author.

For my parents,
Paul and Randi Schweitzer,

Who listen to me go on and on about my latest obsessions, no matter how enthusiastic I am. Who showed me how to face adversity with a smile on my face. Who raised a difficult kid, but never gave up on me. Who offer encouragement when Im down, support when I need it most, and a helping hand when it all falls apart. Their love shaped me into the man I am today.

Writing this book was a lonely endeavor, but it took a village to get it done. I want to take a moment to thank all the people who helped me turn this book into something Im proud of.

First and foremost, I want to give a special thanks to my editor, Philippa Thomson. Her experience, professionalism, and knowledge was invaluable. She took my words and made them shine.

I want to thank my wife, Megan. She has stuck by my side, supporting me through every hardship Ive faced with my health. She read through every draft, editing out my clutter and offering valuable feedback. Thousands of commas died at her hands.

I also want to thank my grandmother, Ellie, who took the time to edit my early drafts, helping me shape my words into something that made sense. Shes one of the few people in my family that truly understands how horrible tinnitus can be.

I want to thank all the other people who read the first draft of my manuscript and gave me feedback. Your ideas and suggestions were so important to me.

And finally, I want to give a special heartfelt thanks to my readers. Without your love and support, I would never have taken on a project like this. Im inspired every day by your comments, stories, messages and feedback. You mean the world to me!

The sudden noise sent a shockwave through my brain and jolted me out of my TV trance.

It sounded like sirens, several of them, blaring over a gust of wind, and caused a terrible pressure to build in my ears.

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. My eyes darted around the room, frantically searching my small apartment for the source of the sound. My roommate was still sleeping, my girlfriend too, and my phone was on silent.

It wasnt the fire alarm either. I was alone with the TV.

Maybe it was coming from outside? I stumbled over to the sliding glass door and went out into my screened-in patio. But nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It was almost 1 am and the air was humid and stagnant. Everything was calm.

I started to panic. My mind was racing, desperately trying to make sense of the situation. Maybe I was hallucinating somehow? I felt dizzy, could it be food poisoning? I had no idea. I was grasping at straws.

Back inside, I collapsed on the couch. The sound had been blasting for several minutes now. I couldnt even hear myself think. Maybe I was losing my mind.

But then something clicked into place. I suddenly knew with absolute certainty that there was no noise, at least not outside my head. I wasnt hallucinating either, not in the traditional sense at any rate.

A word had quietly floated up from the depths of my subconscious mind and was now flashing across my awareness like a neon sign: tinnitus.

My breathing started to slow down, at least a little.

The noise was staggering, but I knew its name, and for the time being that was enough. I had never experienced anything like it before, but at the same time, it wasn't exactly new either. You see, I've had ringing in my ears for as long as I can remember; it had just never been this loud or this violent.

I didn't know it at the time, but everything in my life was about to change. The ground was shifting under my feet, and I wasn't prepared.

The unfortunate reality is that every day hundreds of millions of people around the world are endlessly tormented by noises that no one else can hear. For some, its high pitched tones, whistles, beeps or clicks. For others, its chirps, whooshing or buzzing noises, like the sound of a jet engine.

When you live with tinnitus, the medical term for ringing in the ears, the sound never stops, and it can quickly turn life into a living nightmare.

I've had tinnitus for a long time, but it hasnt always bothered me. In fact, when I was younger it never even occurred to me that other people couldn't hear the high-pitched sound that I could hear when it was quiet. I thought it was normal.

But five years ago, as I sat on the couch watching Seinfeld re-runs late one night, things suddenly got a whole lot worse.

At the time, I was four months away from being diagnosed with a somewhat rare, incurable inner ear disorder called Menieres disease. Its a particularly nasty condition that causes vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss and a feeling of pressure in the ears.

My panicked experience with the sound of sirens was but a small taste of things to come. Meniere's disease changed everything for me. After my diagnosis, my tinnitus was no longer the quiet, high pitched tone that I was used to. It became much louder, and was layered with lower pitched tones and a constant whooshing sound that made it hard to fall asleep, and even harder to focus. The noise steadily added to the already high levels of anxiety that I was experiencing as a result of my diagnosis. The sound tormented me, day and night.

But that was then. Fast forward a few years, and Im happy to report that my tinnitus no longer bothers me at all. Completely by accident, I stumbled onto techniques that radically rewired my emotional, psychological, and physical response to the sound. Almost overnight, it stopped bothering me.

And I know that Im not alone. One way or another, many people do learn to live comfortably with tinnitus. And thats a good thing because its a big problem.

According to the Center for Disease Control, nearly 50 million people suffer from tinnitus in the United States alone. Its also the most prevalent disability among our nations veterans, even outranking post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Worldwide, the number of sufferers is estimated to be close to 600 million. As I said, its a big problem.

If you suffer from tinnitus, I want you to know right now that there is so much hope. No matter how severe it is, or how bad things may seem, you can learn to live with your tinnitus too.

I will show you the way.

Ill teach you everything Ive learned on my successful journey with tinnitus. I will give you all the tools and techniques that finally brought me relief, and gave me back my quality of life. Because you deserve to have peace and a life of happiness, too.

This book is divided into three sections, each one designed to bring you a step closer toward this goal. The first section will give you a detailed understanding of tinnitus. I will start with my personal story, detailing my struggles and ultimate triumph over the noise. I will explain how hearing works and how we process sound. You will understand exactly what tinnitus is, and the underlying conditions that can cause it. You will also learn how tinnitus can become so problematic and what you can do to address the fundamental issues that may be preventing you from experiencing relief.