Teri S.
My tinnitus started approximately 12…
My tinnitus started approximately 12 years ago. I was told there was nothing they could do to help me, at my first audiologist appointment. I will be honest I was in panic mode hearing this. I decided to make another appointment at Mass General in Boston. The audiologist I met with said he also had tinnitus due to serving in the military. He gave me a prescription for an antidepressant that I filled, but never took one pill. I thought this makes no sense to me, and I don’t want to be taking a psycho tropic drug for an ear ringing issue. I decided at that point I needed to get used to this ringing. I had to self coach myself a lot over the years. I had long durations when I could deal with it ok & then times where it was all I could think about. Over the years I had another couple appointments with ENT’s. The end result was the same… nothing they could do. In 2023 I had another intense spell of tinnitus. Over the years I had spent countless hours researching the cause & possible solutions for dealing with tinnitus. Since it was apparent there was no cure for tinnitus I decided a trip to an audiologist I was my only hope. I went to a brick & mortar audiology establishment & I was completely blown away at the cost of their maskers. They wanted just under $8k for these completely out of pocket!!! I did get equipped with a pair to take home and try for few days(small deposit) I wore them home. In my mind I am thinking this is waaaaay more money than I want to spend! I took the hearing aids off & returned them to the store the very next day. My husband was very supportive & said you need to find relief so he wanted me to do whatever I needed to do, regardless of the expense. We are retired. 8k is a ton of money out of pocket. I decided that I owed it to myself & my husband “to do my homework”. I did a lot of research and found Treble Health. I liked their story how it got started and signed up for a zoom info group meeting. After this meeting we broke off into one on one meetings if you wanted a more personal meeting. I met with Dr. Ben and was literally “in tears” describing my tinnitus misery. Dr. Ben was empathetic and encouraged me to consider trying the Treble Health maskers. He was pretty certain they could help me find relief. I will admit I was skeptical but hopeful, knew I HAD to do something to help myself with this ringing. I decided to go with Treble Health because it was more affordable, but was initially hesitant to go with them because it was not a brick & mortar store. I was also worried it could be an online scam. BUT I liked the story how Treble Health started, the great reviews & the full money back guarantee if the maskers didn’t work for me. I ordered the maskers, & from there it is a happy & positive experience. I met with Dr. Ramsay Poindexter in zoom meeting. She provided knowledge, support & calm during my angst in this new situation. It made me feel secure that she understood tinnitus because she had it herself. It was weird at first getting used to wearing maskers, but it quickly got to where I actually looked forward to wearing them, Lol! After a few zoom sessions with Dr. Ramsay, I felt like I am ok now with my tinnitus & hyperacusis … that it’s finally under control. I no longer think about how miserable it is to have to deal with constant 24/7 tinnitus. I recently told Dr. Ramsay that I don’t think I really need to meet with her again unless it was required! She was happy for me and said I had graduated & if I ever needed help with anything to circle back to her with questions or concerns. My training wheels are off so to speak & I am cruising happily on my own. I am happy to say that I more at peace now than I have ever been with my tinnitus/hyperacusis issue. I am no longer obsessed with it. It is no longer a daily “mental” struggle for me. ~Teri