6 Months Tinnitus Success Story: Tinnitus After Covid-19

Genoveva

At the beginning, it was really loud, it was like a 10, and I could hear it even coming out of my ears. It was just so loud and I couldn’t sleep. Right now, it’s like a two or three.

Ben Thompson, AuD.

Hi everyone, welcome to episode 26 of the podcast. We focus on hearing and tinnitus. In today’s episode, we have Genoveva, who I have worked with personally for tinnitus retraining therapy over the last six months. We met in late January, February, 2021, and we’re making this podcast episode to educate other people on what it’s like to be six months into tinnitus retraining therapy. Genoveva, how are you doing today? Please tell us your journey over these last six months. What’s happened?

Genoveva

Thank you, Dr. Ben for inviting me. I actually got tinnitus after having COVID. I got COVID in early November of 2020, and by November 14 right after my two weeks, when it was, I guess I was clear, I woke up with this horrible noise in my ear, I couldn’t control. My immediate reaction was to contact my doctor and my doctor told me that it was going to go away, don’t worry about it. Two weeks later, it didn’t go away, It was just getting worse. So, I went to see the doctor and they pretty much told me there was nothing they could do, then they gave me the pamphlet. They was just like, “It’s just going to go away, “it’s going to go away.” I was like that for three months. I couldn’t sleep, I was really frustrated, I actually went into depression, very anxious that no one was giving me an answer, and it was a horrible feeling of tinnitus. It was super loud, and it control my mind, and I couldn’t concentrate.

I actually was watching TV, I could hear the noise and the worst part for me with not being present. As I told you, I’m a very active member of my community, I’m super involved with my kid’s stuff, and my, like I shared with you, my husband and I, we were struggling to have… My kid is adopted, but we were struggling to have our natural kids, and we were going through the in vitro process. So, having this problem and that no doctor was giving me a solution was really frustrating for me, really, really frustrated. And the fact that I didn’t know if I had a bigger neurological problem and I was just in a whole, I was really frustrated and no one was giving me a solution. For months, I couldn’t even get up. I was just really depressed, I couldn’t figure it out. And the fact that I couldn’t sleep was more frustrated. And at one point I even questioned if I was going to be a functional citizen, being myself very active, you know, if I was going to be able to go back to work, if I was going to be present.

Ben Thompson, AuD.

Genoveva, so you just told us those first three months, sleep trouble, insomnia, stress, anxiety, questioning what was your future now? Where are you now six months after you started getting help, getting the right resources together? Because the reason we’re having this podcast is to showcase people what can happen in a six month period. So where are you in the last month?

Genoveva

Dr. Ben, I didn’t give up. I actually called all the counselors. Through the American Tinnitus Association, I was able to contact you. The support that I’ve been getting through your program monthly. I met other people who were going through the same experience. I think the frustration was that, not knowing information. So, once I started getting more information, reaching out to all the councilors, through American Association, to you and the support, and that we’re going to to be fine. I went to see a neurologist. I even though, not only was I dealing with tinnitus, but also the long-call effects of COVID, which is fatigue and all this stuff, I still made it very powerful. I fight like a lion to make sure that I get up and make sure that I, even though at the beginning, I couldn’t really hear what you were saying on the Zoom because of tinnitus, but now, thank God, like you mentioned, one of the key things that you mentioned, that I had never tried it in my life, is meditation. Never tried it in my life. So, I actually went to a meditation center to learn and practice how to meditate, and to other counselors, they were telling me the same thing, meditate, meditate. And they were giving me those skills of meditation. And at first, I actually thought like… I was thinking like, I need a pill, or something, I don’t really want meditation. But I did it because I have no option and–

Ben Thompson, AuD.

Did you ever try a pill?

Genoveva

Well, yeah, the neurologist just gave me pills for anxiety, and for depression, and I was like, “I don’t need those pills. “I need to get better, you know? “In terms of the tinnitus.” And so meditation helped me a lot. You were keep saying that we have to focus on making tinnitus not important. And so I had to, once I start might not, I started seeing the different, I seriously thought I was not going to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I’m seeing it. This weekend, thank God, I was able to move my kid to San Diego State University, he’s actually living over there. I seriously said I was not going to miss that moment, and I was really concentrated. I still have the tinnitus, but it’s not that loud. It actually has lowered and I have function at work. I thought I was never going to… I’m actually at work, and I’m very blessed to say that. I’m still working on getting better. I reach out to everybody who tinnitus wasn’t their subject, to other counselors I was seeing. You know, you recommended also prenatal massage, I did that, meditation. I actually was also, a lot of people in the support group also recommended acupuncture, I did that. Everything, everything that you mentioned, everything that you promoted, I actually… And now, I’m learning that it is not good to get so much into the topic, but I was really desperate for solutions. And one of the things that I was looking, before going to sleep, I will, before doing my meditation, I will look into your videos of tinnitus. When you first get tinnitus, the basics. And just to remind me, and just to motivate myself that I was going to be okay. And at first it was hard for me to believe that because I have never dealt with this in my life. And the fact that there’s no cure, I think that scared me the most at the beginning. But it gave me peace just to know that there is a support group and I want to thank you. God sent you through my way, ’cause I was praying a lot for God to help me, and thank you, by the way, Dr. Ben, for helping me and answering my call when I most needed it, ’cause I didn’t have no answers and also solutions. Like, I am actually now want to be an advocate that more people should know the answer, ’cause it’s really frustrating at the beginning when you experienced this, and you’re like, “Am I going crazy? “Or is it, what’s going on?” You know? But I’m in a better situation, but I’m still learning how to cope with it, you know? I haven’t gotten out of it, but I still have it. And like I told you, I hear it mostly in the morning and at night. But I haven’t been as really bad as before, where it will wake me up every three hours, I couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t watch TV, I couldn’t work. I couldn’t even be a good mom to my kid. I mean, we were even questioning if we were going to have more children. Just really upset. It’s just seems like all my goals were upside down, but now I know I’m in a way better situation now, thank God.

Ben Thompson, AuD.

Yeah, thank you for your kind words, and there’s a lot, there’s a lot that you shared that’s very important. It’s not a black and white thing. It’s not a type of condition where it’s either a cure, or I have it. Either I have it, or I don’t have it. It’s usually some spectrum of, I have some of it, but is it affecting my life? How loud is it? How bothersome is it? In the last six months, what has changed for you? Is it the loudness of it? When you’re in a quiet room and you listen for it, how loud is that on a one to 10 scale, between now and six months ago? Or is it how much it bothers you, or annoys you? Tell us more about that.

Genoveva

At the beginning, it was really loud. It was like a 10. And I could hear it even coming out of my ears. It was just so loud and I couldn’t sleep. Right now, it’s like a two or three. And the skills that I have learned, like you said, like the skills and, you know, the counseling, you know, the support group, several support groups that I have joined, several counselors that I have joined, they have given me the practice, like all the practice that I have mentioned, and they have lowered the volume. I’m still working on it because I’m so new to it, it just happened to me last November, I’m still working on it, and then learning how to cope with it. But the fact that the volume went down, I never believe you when you said, “It’s going to go down, it’s just going to.” I , but it went down, thank God. And it is not controlling me. I think that’s one of those most important, like, I never thought I was going to control the tinnitus, but it’s not controlling, me or my life or my plans. And that’s where I think I was getting really depressed. Now it seems like I’m controlling the tinnitus, and I never thought I was going to be in that situation. Because at the beginning, I couldn’t even figure out what trigger it, or what, you know, so now I know it’s just like, okay, there’s certain I’m learning, I’m learning how to cope with it.

Ben Thompson, AuD.

And through that process of learning how to cope with it, you are reducing it. You are reducing the tinnitus itself.

Genoveva

Correct. Correct, and I think one of ’em is just confronting it where not… I don’t fear it. ‘Cause at the beginning it was just so new, and the fact that we’re not giving to me any solutions, I don’t fear it no more. Through the group and through the support group, through America Tinnitus, if I have found really doctors that understand like yourself, what is tinnitus? So I have able to actually feel more confident that I’m getting the right information, I’m going the right path, and that also also has helped me not to be so stressed out about the situation. And so I think that’s one of the things that I highly recommend to get the support. You the support and all the tools and skills, and everything and fight it, you know, fight it. Like, when I learned where people were sending me… Because in March about the older man who committed suicide in Texas because of tinnitus, is I was like, “That’s not going to be me, all right? “We have to fight it, there have to be a solution “and we have to fight it.” And it was hard, it was really hard. But thank you, Dr. Ben, for providing the space because it has given us hope that there’s something that we can be done, and it’s not going to control our life, tinnitus is not going to control our life. Like, we can continue on with our life and having this problem.

Ben Thompson, AuD.

You’ve been a great example of putting the practice to work. And I remember at the beginning that we were focused on very basic, very fundamental things, but I knew that it was in your long-term interest to focus on the very basic, fundamental things first. And earlier, the first three months, you were in what we now call the urgent care phase, where you had a serious problem, and it’s as if you needed emergency help, or urgent care help, and you weren’t sure what to do. So in that urgent care phase, it’s very confusing and overwhelming. And when you’re not sleeping well, when you have high stress, high anxiety, I wouldn’t expect you to do much. I mean, just waking up, eating three meals, spending some time with family and going to sleep, that’s a full day when you’re operating on low energy from the tinnitus, insomnia and the stress, and anxiety. So, I’m so happy you were able to transition out of that phase. And like you said, “I told you it was possible.” The reason we’re making this podcast is to showcase people that, okay, even when the first few months are very tough, there’s still hope. You’re not finished with this. You’re not done with tinnitus retraining. You’re not done with keeping to work on the practices that you’ve learned, but you are definitely at a different spot than when you started. And I wanted to bring you on to showcase that positivity and that hope, because we’re not just talking about you coping with it and dealing with it. We’re actually talking about your volume went from, what did you say? Eight out of 10, to two or three out of 10.

Genoveva

Where I couldn’t even, I couldn’t… Remember Dr. Ben, I couldn’t even do a sentence without even crying ’cause I couldn’t figure it out. The noise was very, very loud, very loud in my head, and I was almost felt like I had a radio in my head controlling my head. So I couldn’t really concentrate, or read, or paid attention to even a movie in a TV. I really appreciate your support group, and my story can give hope to anyone out there. Please reach out to help for help, and there is hope. There is hope, and I understand the frustration of when you don’t see that solutions. And I think part of it, Dr. Ben, honestly, it’s because of the lack of information that a lot of doctors out there don’t know. It’s really frustrating. I actually shared with you that I changed insurers to get more private doctors. I went all over San Diego, over the nation, and there were other counselors too, who helped me a lot in those skills, you know, like a local doctor, Dr. Sarah, and you know, my counselor, Dr. Franco, and Dr. Hubbard also. Dr. Bruce Hubbard was also very key and essential in my therapy and my concentration and getting up. And in your support groups, just like hearing other people who are going through the same experience and that’s really validate me to like, make myself stronger that if other people went through it, really bad, like myself, and they got all right, I can do it too. And so, I want to share with the group that I adopted my nephew when my brother got murdered, when he was eight and my nephew is now the first man in our family to go to college, and I seriously thought I was not going to see that ever in our lives, moving my kid to college. But this weekend I have the opportunity to, and I was really focused and tinnitus was not even in my head, or my subject or anything. I was concentrating in moving my kids to college. And so I’m very happy that I was able to live that and really appreciate, and thank you from the bottom of my heart, Dr. Ben, for helping me find me in the support. And all the doctors that I have mentioned too, for helping me through the process and my neurologist too, Dr. Barry. And don’t discard anything, like, do everything everything possible. Like, you know, I always say, “I fought like a lion to get back, you know?” But it was hard, it was really hard. But Dr. Ben, the first call that I remember of finding hope, was your call. ‘Cause it was really late when I call you, I remember, I didn’t even thought you were going to answer your call, but you did.

Ben Thompson, AuD.

I remember answering that call very well, because I was driving back from the grocery store. This was early on in my business when I was answering all the phone calls coming in. And it was after driving home from the grocery store, and I answered, and we had a long conversation while I was in the car. And, yeah, so what did that mean for you?

Genoveva

It meant a lot doctor. It was really late and I was giving up all hope. I was going with this not in my head and it meant a lot. And I, you know… Like right now I’m being the biggest support coordinator in my office. You know, I’m in charge of the San Diego office, where the members are janitors, they’re fighting for health benefits, better raises, better working conditions. And I’m helping in here support 3,000 members in San Diego. And without you knowing you’re also being supportive of that by supporting me in my health, you know? Now I’m able to be strong for them, and be able to help them, and get that support for them to be stronger fighters, for them to find a good contract here in San Diego, especially ’cause they were essential workers. But it now, I also want to let you know that there’s more people that know about tinnitus. I have no idea about tinnitus. There’s more people, and I know there’s more people out there, you know, I was able to also connect with a group in Argentina and there is, you know, the word in Spanish . And now I also got to know more friends that I recommended you because they’re my friends because we share now this problem, tinnitus, but, I mean, I wouldn’t have met them, if it weren’t for this issue. But they also got tinnitus after COVID.

Ben Thompson, AuD.

Yeah, I want to say, I want to acknowledge that we’re so happy that your son was able to move into college, and that’s an amazing feeling. So, congratulations to you and your family and him.

Genoveva

Thank you, Dr. Ben.

Ben Thompson, AuD.

Yes, and how did that go? How did it go to move him into the freshman year of school?

Genoveva

No, it went well, it was smooth. We dropped him off. Good thing is that he stays in San Diego, so we get to check on him . But he was really happy and I was very happy too. They’re very happy. It was an emotional day, because, like I mentioned, I’m not embarrassed to tell my story. You know, I was the first generation to go to college, and then my brother got murdered. And Philippe, my son, is actually my nephew. I adopted him when he was eight, and when my brother got murdered. And he’s the first man in our family has break tradition that here he has gone to college and not to jail, or on the streets, or using drugs. And I’m very proud of that. That we are moving on, I’m very proud of that. I’m also a woman of faith. And at the beginning, Dr. Ben, I was really fighting with God and letting him know like, “Why me, you know? Like, “What’s going on?” Like, you know, “You put a lot of obstacles “and I have overcome everything, and what was going on?” And that night is when I reached out for the American Tinnitus Association booklet, and that’s when I found your number. So, you know, I’m very thankful to God too, that there’s resources out there, and then you’re working really hard to provide those resources, because it seems like it’s not a big problem, it can be a big problem. It can be a big problem, and when we’re hearing out there that people are committing suicide for having this problem, it shows that it can be really frustrating to have this problem. And I’ve been through a lot of challenges, Dr. Ben, in my life, but this has been one of the hardest ones. One of the hardest one. Not able to be present to my life because of this noise in my head. But now it’s just that I overcome, and I’m getting all the research to overcome it. But now I can see that I can overcome anything, because if we can… You motivate me to go to this meditation center, which is called, Southern Palm Meditation Center. It’s like, if we can control our mind, we can control anything, you know? And I think that’s what I was reading about tinnitus, is that a long time ago, they thought that that’s the way that God speaks to you. This was a noise. And I was like, “Maybe God is speaking to me, “In a way that maybe the new way, you know? “To bring hope to other people, yeah.”

Ben Thompson, AuD.

Okay, so tell us more about the work that you do and how moving past tinnitus and getting out of that fight or flight urgent care phase, how that allows you to serve your community and how it’s rippling and affecting so many other people. Tell us about the work that you do, and how it is doing that work now, when you have to balance your stress and your anxiety, and also managing your tinnitus too.

Genoveva

I represent… I’m a coordinator from the San Diego office for SEIU-USWW. We’re known for the Union of the Janitors and the Security Officers. Our members are janitors, and they worked from six to three in the morning. So, mostly work at night and having a union like, you know, I’m also the one of the Vice President of the San Diego Labor Council. So, we represent all the, you know, like the teachers have a union, the firefighters have a union, the police officers have a union, and the janitors in San Diego have a union. And right now we’re renewing our contract. So, every four years we renew our contract. So, you have benefits in the State of California so as a worker, you also have benefits, a federal benefit, but with a union you have more benefits. So that’s what we renew every four years. I’m one of the leaders here in San Diego to help our janitors to get a good contract, but we’re negotiating statewide. So, there’s more than more than 20,000 members that we have at SEIU-USWW have statewide. I’m in charge of the chapter here in San Diego and our members, well, a lot of them got sick. Many of our members passed away because they were essential workers. There were right in the front. They’re the ones who cleaned the airport, they’re the ones who clean all those buildings. So they were in the front line when this whole pandemic happened, they never stopped working. And so a lot of our members even lingering effects and side effect after COVID, one of them being tinnitus like myself. And so I basically empower them not to fear for them to renew their contract. So if you see us in downtown San Diego, or in downtown LA picketing, and it’s because we need a better contract. And one of the big things that we fight, is for us to have more… The health insurance for everybody, ’cause health insurance was very essential right now with this pandemic. So, I think that’s one of the big things and better salaries. And also respect and dignity for our workers. Like, that’s what I do, that’s my job. And I’m very humble and blessed to work with strong women, mostly immigrant women. But they’re not afraid. They’re not afraid to come up with the broom and their mops and ready to fight because we need benefits, you know? They’re fighters like me, you know? And they were my motivations too Dr. Ben, because I see them how they worked from six to three in the morning, wake up at seven, give breakfast to their children, and then they’re ready to come to a picket, or an action, or a march at 11. And they’re like walking, like if they, or they only have like two hours or three of sleep. And here I was having so much hard time waking up, having this load in my head. But, I mean, the little if I had, I think, you know, God gave me a little of lift and I did that, and to make that phone call to get our resources to little by little, you know, making baby steps to be where I’m at right now. But I’m in a better position because I couldn’t even speak and a Zoom without having the noise of Zoom. I couldn’t really concentrate. That’s how loud it was in my head. That’s how loud it was. But now I can. I’m very blessed that I’m able to say that I can speak and I can speak to you and I can talk how of a wonderful job I have. I’m very blessed to have this job, because I get really motivated to see all those women out there and fighting. And they’re my inspiration, my inspiration of the work that I do. It’s great. And so, right now we’re in contract negotiations for renewal in… Like I said, when you were a contract every four years. So, you know, to empower all those workers to fight for their rights, and fight for dignity and respect at work, that’s what I do.

Ben Thompson, AuD.

I support you 100%. San Diego is lucky to have you, and we’re lucky to have essential workers, we’re lucky to have everyone in your community who is cleaning, who is working for large institutions that unfortunately, most of the time take them for granted, but you’re sharing their stories. You’re sharing their humanity, and that’s really important here. Thank you so much for sharing that. I know that our audience supports you, and I’ll certainly support you. Do you have any final words for the community? And remember, this is us talking six months after starting tinnitus retraining with sound therapy, with professional counseling, with also a focus on mindfulness, meditation and the holistic path. So, this is where you’re at now. Six months ago, you were in a different place. Do you have any final words, Genoveva, for the community here? What you’ve learned? Any lessons, any tips or recommendations for someone else who might be in a similar position?

Genoveva

I think, Dr.Ben, I definitely don’t give up. Don’t give up, fight like a lion for your life because so many people depend on you. Don’t give up. I think that we’re very blessed to have you Dr. Ben, and other doctors out there who are very knowledgeable about tinnitus and used you as a resource, and call you, and just don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t give up. Don’t give up the fight and be a fighter. And I think we need more fighters in this fight, so one day, we can say, “We left “the next generation, the cure.” ‘Cause that’s the thing. There’s no cure, like, we have to figure it out. And we left the generate… I think that’s our responsibility. That we need to figure out what happens, so our kids don’t go through what we went through. And I think that there’s need to be more research on what happened to us after COVID, and why we were dealing with this, and there needs to be an explanation. And I know it might sound a little funny, but I always would tell everybody in my family, “If I die, at least I want to know why I died, you know? “I’m not going to give up, you know? “I’m going to come back as a ghost and I’m going to find out.” But I think that’s my message to everybody. Don’t give up, don’t give up. We need to have the answer. Don’t give up, don’t give up. Fight, fight, fight, fight, fight back until we figure out the solution, and if anything, we can support each other, and there is research out there and things are going to get better. I think that’s what we have to have faith. Faith that things are going to get better .

Ben Thompson, AuD.

Thank you, thank you, yes.

Genoveva

Thank you for providing this space and your… And thank you so much for dedicating, after your medicine school, dedicated to this big problem, because it sounds like a small problem, but it’s a big problem. It can be a huge problem if we let it. But I think that’s the big message, don’t give up. don’t give up and call Dr. Ben.

Ben Thompson, AuD.

And where you’re at right now with your tinnitus? Can you live a normal, healthy, happy life at the current sound levels you have? And if yes or no, where do you aspire, where do you hope to be 12 months, or six months from now?

Genoveva

Right now, yes, definitely. Like I said, I’m way better than I was six months, and my goal is to improve more. I still hear it in the morning, so I have to figure it out where, you know, it doesn’t let me down, like I snap out of it. I think a lot of what you have mentioned, is like, don’t consider it important, So, I’ve been practicing my priorities, like, it’s not important, let’s just focus on where I need to focus. And then allows me, I think I’m good. I think I’m working on, like, where it doesn’t bother me. I think that’s where I want to be, where it doesn’t bother. Hopefully it’s six months, I’ll be like, “It doesn’t bother me no more, I can focus on it.” I also don’t want to give up the fight. I think we definitely… Our generation’s to find out . It should be in our time. I still haven’t successfully… I function, I still haven’t successful of being, where I’m not at the stage where I can say, “It doesn’t bother me,” because in the morning, sometimes it does, you know? But I still hear it, but I’m working on it, doctor, I’m working on it. I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m always there, I’m a perfect attendance at your future support groups. You know, I don’t miss any of my appointments, you know, I reached out to everything. And so, but right now I think that I need to be at the stage where it doesn’t bother me. It’s like I have it, and I move on, you know?

Ben Thompson, AuD.

Yes, everyone, you heard it here first. Don’t give up, be the lion.

Genoveva

Don’t give up.

Ben Thompson, AuD.

It’s a balance.

Genoveva

Be that lion.

Ben Thompson, AuD.

It’s a balance because we need to fight for our own health, we need to put in work. But we can’t fight tinnitus expecting to punch it out and actually fight it in a negative way. But we need to have the motivation, and the energy to keep going, keep pursuing better health. So I’m completely with you. Genoveva, thank you so much for sharing. I know many people will really appreciate hearing your story and support you as a strong woman, as a strong human doing great things in the world. Thank you so much for being a guest here.

Genoveva

No, thank you, Dr. Ben, and I just want to let everybody know, ’cause I didn’t let them know, I did continue with in vitro, so hopefully, my husband and I do have a child. So, hopefully in six months, I can share that too. So yes, I didn’t give up my dreams, and my hopes, and I think I would have never given that tinnitus so much power. And I think the bottom line, don’t give them so much power. Continue with your life.

Ben Thompson, AuD.

Thank you so much. Say hi to everyone, talk to you soon.