I Heard Death’s Offer and Refused
Offering Hope For Tinnitus Sufferers Like Myself
If you are reading this and are currently at your wits’ end and feeling hopeless about your tinnitus, allow my story to assure you it’s possible to overcome it. I am living proof that this torturous condition can be lived with, and was, at one point, in your current perilous position.
I’m not an otolaryngologist or a psychiatrist. I’m a regular person who wants you to understand that you too can dig yourself out of the deep, dark, noisy abyss to reclaim your life.
For those of you who may not know, tinnitus is commonly described as a ringing in the ears. It also can take the form of hissing, roaring, or buzzing. The ringing can range in pitch and intensity. It can be heard in one ear or both, and can randomly last for a minute, a few days, or, in my case, for life.
Tinnitus is the silence-killer.
As a musician in the heavy metal and hard rock genre for over two decades, it’s obvious to say I’ve been over-exposed to loud noise. I began singing (yelling and growling to be appropriate) in bands when I was a rambunctious twelve-year-old. Nothing provides me more with a sense of purpose, camaraderie, and connection with the universe than music.
