[CDBacklash]

Trying to keep it short.
I have damaged hearing. I was deaf at the age of 5 and had surgery which restored my hearing and it will improve if I take care of my ears (and it has done).
I've spent about a week away from my rig and have been having a short ring in my ears (both) for about 2 seconds. It's happened about 2 times in the past week. The sound is very very quiet (details later).
Its not the music, i listen at 56 dB (STUPIDLY quiet, but a point where i think the music starts to sound 'full'. Most people think I am crazy when I let them listen and its down that low)- with the MKIII at about 7.5 oclock on the lowest gain setting (it starts at about 7 oclock and ends at about 5). Any lower and the little dots right channel fades out much faster than the left and I am left with a very uneven sound presentation (and because of this I have my STX outputting at 50% to the LD).
I sleep in silence.
Every day sounds such as talking or a kettle boiling sound too loud.
What are other causes of ringing?
My hearing is improving all the time due to my overly-sound listening practices, so I am curious if ears will ring when frequencies return from temporary damage (from my younger days).
Also curious as to other causes of ringing ears. Wax resonance, whatever.
These are very short rings and very very quiet (about as loud as a leaf scraping on a road as it blows past from about three metres away).
Can discomfort to the outer ear cause this?
I've been having trouble sleeping (due to deflated pads that touch my ears and cause discomfort - which is why i havnt been touching my rig) and also a pillow (which I have since replaced as it was the main offender).
Is it a normal body function (ear cleaning itself or whatever) or movement of moisture in the ear?
I cant really justify seeing a specialist for something that I'd typically associate with hearing loss when my hearing is recovering from temporary damage I caused in my youth.

Anyone want to clear this up?

 

[Judge Buff]

Google: tinnitus causes

 

[CDBacklash]

Most of those results relate to permenant tinnitus or long duration rings.
I have a permenant pulsatile tinnitus due to an artery being too close to one of my ears, but that is not the problem here as that tinnitus is low pitched.
edit: i'll buy some stuff that dissolves ear wax tomorrow and give that a try.

 

[Judge Buff]

hydrogen peroxide is good for dissolving wax... ear wax is one of my family's curses. Tinnitus is also caused by many medications.

 

[CDBacklash]

I'm not currently taking medication other than an ibuprofen tablet i took yesterday and two days before that.

 

[silverr1]

bells

 

[Judge Buff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDBacklash /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm not currently taking medication other than an ibuprofen tablet i took yesterday and two days before that.

Like I said:

SIDE EFFECTS: The most common side effects from ibuprofen are rash, ringing in the ears, headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, constipation and heartburn.

You might really want to talk to your physician... Good Luck.

 

[zotjen]

If your tinnitus is not caused by a loud noise it could be from a number of things:

ear wax build up
an infection
an acoustic neuroma

Damaged hearing itself can also cause it. If it's not constant though it could just be something shuffling around in your eax (wax, excess moisture) that is causing sensitivity when you hear certain tones or pitches. Since you've had prior ear surgery it wouldn't be a bad idea to have it checked out by a doctor.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I think there are a number of possibilities, including things like infections and your blood pressure. I'm not a medical doctor, but if you thing something is wrong, you should have it looked at.

 

[CDBacklash]

My blood pressure is normal. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[bhanja_trinanjan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDBacklash /img/forum/go_quote.gif My blood pressure is normal. Thanks for the suggestions.

Why did you lose hearing at 5? Or were you born deaf and it was corrected? Feel sorry for ya, mate.

 

[appophylite]

Infection can often be a prime cause of tinnitus. I caught something while I was in Oklahoma City back in 2007 which caused something that almost felt like Swimmer's Ear while I was there. I got some drops that combat Swimmer's Ear, but by the time I got back home (about 3-4 days later, it hadn't helped and I began to hear distinct ringing. The ENT specialist I talked to found that I had developed a rather sever sinus infection and recommened antibiotics, which took care of the infection but left me with apparently permanent tinnitus. He said it may go away on it's own, but I've long learned to live with it now.

 

[CDBacklash]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhanja_trinanjan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why did you lose hearing at 5? Or were you born deaf and it was corrected? Feel sorry for ya, mate.

There was something wrong with my earwax and ear canal which was causing hte canal to become glued. They added grommets + did some stuff to the canal.
My hearing is slightly lopsided now because of it (although it was both ears).
Still, stuff is okay now and I am appreciating every ounce of hearing I have. I could hear until the age of 5 at which it steadily got worse until I was unable to hear.

Still, I can read lips now

@ appop yeah I have sinus problems too. I'll go to the doctors when I get the chance.

 

[BradJudy]

How are you cleaning your ears? I learned my q-tip lesson a while back when I started getting ringing in my ears. The "cleaning" was just pushing wax back, which lead to the ringing. I used some of the earwax flushing stuff, then switched to cleaning with an Ototek loop. After a few days, the ringing stopped and hasn't come back.

 

[gspence2000]

When I take Ibuprophen I do tend to get tinnitus for a couple of days. A little background noise in my environment helps me to notice it less. The trick to living with tinnitus is not to let it bother you--once you fixate on it, it sounds much louder.

EDIT: nice Cyberman avatar BTW.