Tinnitus..............Do You Speak It ?

How many people here have Tinnitus ?


  • Total voters
    44
Dec 30, 2018 at 5:33 PM Post #46 of 64
If you do suffer from this extremely annoying medical condition, what do you do to try and get some relief from the symptoms ?
...
How do you all cope with it, any tips ?

I cope by having some sort of sound always playing around me, if possible (only hard to do at work). It doesn't remove the ringing but it is distracting and gives my mind something else to think about. In the evening, rum also helps. :wine_glass:

This year has been particularly hard for my hearing. Starting last January, my right ear started getting congested and lost significant hearing. I tried antibiotics and ear drops (which had helped in the past), but this time those cures did not work for me. I've stumped my main doctor and an ENT so far. All I know for sure is, I have a cyst in my right maxillary sinus that's totally blocking it (which I am told is unrelated), nothing obvious on the CAT scan of my head, and only Fluocinolone Acetonide drops have had any effect at all (they do tend to bring the hearing back temporarily in that ear, but not permanently).

I've done my own audiology tests at home using generated sine wave test tones and playing them in various equipment. A year ago, I already knew my hearing above about 12000 Hz was mostly gone (of course depending on the gear), and I have had an obvious dip in hearing response around 4k Hz, thanks to working around cooling fans at a former employer for 14+ years (without using hearing protection). I had a professional exam a few months ago, which just confirmed what I already knew.

My parents got me started playing in school bands at an early age (4th grade), which continued through my first year of college. Suffice it to say I was exposed to lots of loud sounds. I also went to lots of concerts back in the 70's and 80's, and never used hearing protection. Oh and as a plus, I rode loud motorcycles for about 9 years in my teens and twenties. And have always had some kind of audio system at home or in my car.

Having just turned 60, one might chalk all this up to poor choices over the last 50 years, and just plain growing old. Perhaps I should be happy that I can hear what I can hear. On the bright side, I won't have to worry about buying high end audio gear any more (not that I've ever had any).

Had I worn hearing protection daily at my former employer, and had the good sense to avoid all the loud music, perhaps I would not have tinnitus today (or perhaps it would not be so bad). I am concerned that my right hear is exhibiting the symptoms it is, as it is starting to resemble a nasty irreversible condition that I recently read about. I am going to continue investigating that, so hopefully I can get my right ear in better shape. Also, thanks for the reference to the tinnitus forum, that could be useful.
 
Dec 31, 2018 at 4:56 AM Post #47 of 64
I cope by having some sort of sound always playing around me, if possible (only hard to do at work). It doesn't remove the ringing but it is distracting and gives my mind something else to think about. In the evening, rum also helps. :wine_glass:

This year has been particularly hard for my hearing. Starting last January, my right ear started getting congested and lost significant hearing. I tried antibiotics and ear drops (which had helped in the past), but this time those cures did not work for me. I've stumped my main doctor and an ENT so far. All I know for sure is, I have a cyst in my right maxillary sinus that's totally blocking it (which I am told is unrelated), nothing obvious on the CAT scan of my head, and only Fluocinolone Acetonide drops have had any effect at all (they do tend to bring the hearing back temporarily in that ear, but not permanently).

I've done my own audiology tests at home using generated sine wave test tones and playing them in various equipment. A year ago, I already knew my hearing above about 12000 Hz was mostly gone (of course depending on the gear), and I have had an obvious dip in hearing response around 4k Hz, thanks to working around cooling fans at a former employer for 14+ years (without using hearing protection). I had a professional exam a few months ago, which just confirmed what I already knew.

My parents got me started playing in school bands at an early age (4th grade), which continued through my first year of college. Suffice it to say I was exposed to lots of loud sounds. I also went to lots of concerts back in the 70's and 80's, and never used hearing protection. Oh and as a plus, I rode loud motorcycles for about 9 years in my teens and twenties. And have always had some kind of audio system at home or in my car.

Having just turned 60, one might chalk all this up to poor choices over the last 50 years, and just plain growing old. Perhaps I should be happy that I can hear what I can hear. On the bright side, I won't have to worry about buying high end audio gear any more (not that I've ever had any).

Had I worn hearing protection daily at my former employer, and had the good sense to avoid all the loud music, perhaps I would not have tinnitus today (or perhaps it would not be so bad). I am concerned that my right hear is exhibiting the symptoms it is, as it is starting to resemble a nasty irreversible condition that I recently read about. I am going to continue investigating that, so hopefully I can get my right ear in better shape. Also, thanks for the reference to the tinnitus forum, that could be useful.

Sorry to hear that :frowning2:

If you still have 12k hearing, you may still get enjoyment out of high end gear, if I recall I was 12 or 14khz, and listening to chord dacs is an ear opener. It really is.

If you suffer sinus problems, it can and does affect your hearing, I lost mid’s and high’s for about 3-4 weeks due to a sinus infection that wasn’t getting better, even with antibiotics. It got to the point where everything sounded muffled. One morning I woke up still with muffled hearing and I decided enough is enough and I started blowing my nose as hard as possible to get all the junk out of my sinuses. Only small stuff came out and I was just about to give up and I said I will give it a couple more big blows and the next thing I know a single piece of ..... came out of my nose in one go and it was all in one ball and was the size of a tangerine.

I could not believe it, I didn’t think it was possible for all that to be up there. Once out it was instant relief, face pressure was less and more or less all the hearing was back, but not my full hearing.

It took time for any inflammation to subside before my hearing was back to normal. Your cyst could very well be the problem. The cyst itself might not be the actual problem, but the inflammation surrounding it could ?

Warning, do not blow your nose to the extreme’s, as it can cause damage. One being posterior epistaxis, aka the worst nose bleed possible. Nose tampons are sore going in and coming out.

I hope you find out the problem in your right ear, fingers crossed its something easily treatable,
 
Jan 3, 2019 at 4:23 AM Post #48 of 64
Sorry to hear that :frowning2:

If you still have 12k hearing, you may still get enjoyment out of high end gear, if I recall I was 12 or 14khz, and listening to chord dacs is an ear opener. It really is.
...
I hope you find out the problem in your right ear, fingers crossed its something easily treatable,

Thank you my friend, I appreciate your kind wishes.
I am also getting some vertigo as well, which is what really worries me.
I haven't given up hope yet, especially since my symptoms seem to keep changing. I plan on seeing another ENT soon, so we'll see...

Happy new year to you.
 
Jan 3, 2019 at 5:00 AM Post #49 of 64
Thank you my friend, I appreciate your kind wishes.
I am also getting some vertigo as well, which is what really worries me.
I haven't given up hope yet, especially since my symptoms seem to keep changing. I plan on seeing another ENT soon, so we'll see...

Happy new year to you.

I would see an ent asap.

This does exist and it caused me to have balance problems and felt like I was on a boat out at sea even though I was in my bed.

There is tiny ear crystals that can be dislodged from where they are meant to be in the ear and, when they move out of their area, they cause us all these weird issue’s. If your problem is related to that, a doctor can perform some sort of move with your head to try and force the crystals to go back into their proper place and curing the symptoms like that.

It causes vertigo, dizzyness etc etc

I hope this helps you

https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/...-bppv-dizziness-caused-by-inner-ear-crystals/
 
Jan 9, 2019 at 9:33 PM Post #50 of 64
Slowly but surely the yes vote is climbing. Looking at the percentages, it looks like everyone has tinnitus and, the 4 no votes just don’t realise they have it yet :)

Happy noo yea’s evelybody!
 
Jan 10, 2019 at 1:32 AM Post #51 of 64
I've had that for a while now. A combination of working on airplanes in the Air Force, going to concerts with no hearing protection, and working around various types of power tools, farm equipment, etc has all added up. Luckily it doesn't bother me but it's always there. For me, it's a high pitched sound, kind of like the high frequencies on a hearing test. When I went to the audiologist last year, she said my hearing had gotten every so slightly worse (aging) but not nearly enough to warrant hearing aids. When I told her it seemed like the tinnitus was worse, she explained that the tinnitus doesn't really get better or worse, but as our hearing gets worse, the tinnitus becomes more evident.
 
Jan 10, 2019 at 5:40 PM Post #52 of 64
I've had that for a while now. A combination of working on airplanes in the Air Force, going to concerts with no hearing protection, and working around various types of power tools, farm equipment, etc has all added up. Luckily it doesn't bother me but it's always there. For me, it's a high pitched sound, kind of like the high frequencies on a hearing test. When I went to the audiologist last year, she said my hearing had gotten every so slightly worse (aging) but not nearly enough to warrant hearing aids. When I told her it seemed like the tinnitus was worse, she explained that the tinnitus doesn't really get better or worse, but as our hearing gets worse, the tinnitus becomes more evident.

That could be true, as your hearing gets worse, your tinnitus becomes more noticeable. Thats probably why they offer cognitive behaviour training, as they can’t offer anything else and maybe focusing on something else will help take your mind off it.

Hopefully one day they will find a cure or something that can reverse it or slow it down.
 
Jan 11, 2019 at 6:28 PM Post #53 of 64
I have it in my right ear. Comes around before I get to sleep maybe a few times a week. I spend about 20 minutes focusing on the ringing in my ear beside the tinnitus and it goes away then ringing stops after I rest a bit. I can most always hear a light ringing in my ears if I focus on it during work. I am hoping it does not get worse, I am just 40 years old. This is probably because I have been testing and selling in ear headphones for 7 years now, there was a time I would spend atleast an hour a day testing music at max volume to make sure each set works ok. Ringing is one thing, tinnitus sound is just horrid. Mine is this wah, wah, waaahhh, waaahh, wah... really annoying! Like an alien is controlling some sound torture machine on me.
 
Jan 17, 2019 at 11:32 AM Post #54 of 64
I have it in my right ear. Comes around before I get to sleep maybe a few times a week. I spend about 20 minutes focusing on the ringing in my ear beside the tinnitus and it goes away then ringing stops after I rest a bit. I can most always hear a light ringing in my ears if I focus on it during work. I am hoping it does not get worse, I am just 40 years old. This is probably because I have been testing and selling in ear headphones for 7 years now, there was a time I would spend atleast an hour a day testing music at max volume to make sure each set works ok. Ringing is one thing, tinnitus sound is just horrid. Mine is this wah, wah, waaahhh, waaahh, wah... really annoying! Like an alien is controlling some sound torture machine on me.

Mines sounds like a 56k modem or morse code. I also get the total sound block that goes hhhhHMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM and blocks out all sound but they last 20 - 30 seconds before I go back to being able to hear real sounds again.
 
Jan 17, 2019 at 9:37 PM Post #55 of 64
I have moderate tinnitus in both ears and vertigo. Some sort of inner ear problem affecting more than one system. I cope by having some constant lowish level background sound (music, usually).Doing pretty well at the moment. Trying to sleep is the hard part for me--it is just so annoying not to be able to turn in off. :frowning2:
 
Jan 20, 2019 at 10:19 AM Post #56 of 64
I think I have tinnitus though I had my hearing tested and it was normal. For a while I seem to be getting a very low hum sound in my right ear. The sound is like a distant truck parked with its engines still running. However, this sound is made worse and I hear it in both my ears after listening to music on my headphones. After a couple of minutes the sound settles and I only near it in my right ear. It is quite upsetting because I love listening and producing music on headphones but this has freaked me out.
 
Feb 4, 2019 at 12:31 PM Post #58 of 64
I've had tinnitus since I was a kid in the '90s. Here are the events that have lead to it and made it worse:
1) Early '90s eardrum rupture.
2) A friend and I are playing with firecrackers. One goes under a pickup. My friend and I panic and simultaneously think we can fish the cracker out before it explodes. We can't. It's loud. Our hearing doesn't come back for several seconds, which feel like minutes. It sounds strangely like a heavy rain in a forest. Whoooooosh!
3) A really loud, really long Lightning Bolt show when I'm in my mid-twenties. I want to leave because my ears are hurting, but stay because I'm with friends. Plus it's an insanely good show. My friends scrounge some earplugs, but I have none. I try toilet paper, but it doesn't work. My hearing doesn't come back fully for three days. Surprisingly, my tinnitus is only a very tiny bit worse.
4) The worst: while on vacation, I catch a cold from my toddler nieces. A 2.5 hour flight home. Cabin pressure in a plane is not anything like barometric pressure at sea level. It's much, much lower. It's not like SPL levels at an art metal concert. It hurts. Like, a lot. A lot, a lot. I think my eardrums are going to rupture. I think I'm going to go deaf. I put my fingers in my ears and try not to cry. It doesn't get better when we land. It doesn't get better after three days. Everything sounds like I'm under water. It lasts for a week or more. I'm pissed at my sister because her kids are constantly sick and constantly contagious. Finally I regain my hearing fully, but the tinnitus is worse. In retrospect, I wonder if my eardrums actually did burst. The lesson learned is to always travel with serious decongestants on hand. Always. Always, always.
Also, never trust a sick two year old.
5) Every year, come November or so, I get that winter congestion, which often lasts until March. My ears are particularly sensitive (or else I'm particularly sensitive to my ears) and they get congested and the ringing gets worse during this time. Even though I wasn't really more congested than usual, it was particularly bad this year, to the point listening to headphones was unpleasant. Thankfully, though, it only lasted a month this year. (*knock on wood*)

I've considered Tinnitus Retraining Therapy, but it's not so bad that it's come to that yet. There's also a new treatment called something like Notch Filter Therapy, wherein the frequency of your tinnitus is measured and a notch EQ of that particular frequency is applied to white/pink noise and/or music files which you can listen to over headphones. Several hour long sessions are supposed to have some positive effect.
 
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Feb 4, 2019 at 12:41 PM Post #59 of 64
I have heard of hearing aids that have a special frequency built in that will send the sound into the ear, sounds like waves at the beach. After a while, it tricks the brain and the tinnitus goes away for up to a couple hours. I believe @HiFlight has some of these.

I saw that Bose has something out that are in ear that do something similar. I would get a pair to try, but I have a toddler that I need to be able to hear at night.
 
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