Tinnitus

Over the last two years I have started having the high pitched wine and clicking in both ears known as Tinnitus which sounds similar to the sound emitted by high voltage power lines or apparently like cicadas (we don't have them here).

It's been slowly getting worse and I've been to the doctor and had hearing tests, but apparently there is nothing to be done about it.

Anybody have anything that has helped them?

Note Bender,

I have Tinnitus started many years ago, I had a set of digital hearing aid about 4 years ago and it improved the Tinnitus no end, not saying it would do it for you, why are your ears damaged, what have you been doing to damage your ears, it would be nice to know, mine have been damage with shot gun shooting without using ear defenders and noisy plant rooms in large buildings.

Tony

The tests showed that have a dead spot at a certain frequency which may possibly be attributed to hunting when I was younger.

There doesn't seem to be anything else that I can pin it on.

Although Tinnitus can often precede deafness, my hearing is still pretty good.

Notebender

Likely to be in one ear more than the other, more on the side the rifle was held, I have the same damaged section of the frequency range, a rifle would damage a difference frequency to that of a shotgun, one a boom and one a crack.

Tony

Mine began at age 17, while in the employ of the United States Navy and being a first loader on a 3-inch 50mm anti-aircraft gun. No hearing protection was available, or even considered in 1957. Didn't take long for permanent damage to take place. You just live with it.

Gary

I have it too in both ears. I think I sat too close to the drummer for 35 years. My doctor said there is nothing he can do. I've heard hearing aids help.

What did you say Tom ???? my hearing aid batteries are flat..

Merry Chrisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss mas


Tony

Monty? "Notebender,

Damn, I hate when someone mentions this malady!! Don't bring it up again. I forget all about mine until someone mentions it. Like Gary said, "you live with it.

At first it like to drove me nuts. Just stay busy with things. Do Sudokus, watch movies, listen to music. I hope for you, like me, it will disappear. Once you realize you have to live with it and quit worrying about it, it will gradually go away. Hang in there.

I'm sure mine started soon after an anti-depressant I started taking in 1988-89 somewhere about.

It's just like not being able to sleep. It gets worst if you linger on it and worry about not sleeping. That happened to me also for a couple of years until I read about a man who was over 110 years old. He said he never slept more than 4 hours a night. When I read that it helped me to stop worrying about not sleeping and eventually my sleep pattern increased as time went on.

Hope this gets better for you too.

Brickboo,

A one armed bricklayer with tinnitus is no use to anyone, too much tapping of a trowel will set the ears ringing, put a little less mortar on and less tapping down.. but you already know that..

Happy New Year Brickboo

Your right Brickboo, the more attention I give it the more irritating it is.

Yep, just live with it. I'm beginning to resign myself to that.

Merry Christmas to one and all.

I can tell you about a couple of things I learned about this subject the hardway.

Obviously excessive and continuous exposure to noise, this includes music, does cause tinny and frequency loss too, but there are over 700 drugs identified as causes as well.

My loss began in my early 20's while flying multi-engine prop planes for the USAF. In my 60's I started taking a common blood pressure medication that completely destriyed what little hearing I had left. After 8 years of total deafness and one last thing to try before taking my life, I received a cochlear implant in my right ear. Born again to the human hearing world and once again able to carry on a simple conversation with my wife and grandkids and join the local community as a participant.

Treasure your hearing - you only think you can imagine what it will be like without it.

Bill G

So many physical changes come on gradually that we often don't notice...or, if we do, tend to live in denial. Such was the case with my ears. Not realizing that my ability to hear the upper reaches of EQ, I was adjusting the settings in my keyboard and on the mixer. It wasn't until a visiting musician in an audience told me I was "killing the audience with my highs" that I took a hard look at my EQ settings. YIKES...the high ends were maxed out on my mixer and in my keyboard.

Only after a comprehensive test by an audiologist and purchase of BTE (Behind The Ear) aids was I able to hear what the audiences were hearing...or pretty close to it. My hearing deficiencies could have been caused by any one of a number of things from my youth...or combination of culprits from playing in loud rock'n roll bands, working in construction, prescription drugs...and genetic. Serious hearing loss is common among the males in my family.

Tinnitus is a factor...but, as has been pointed out, you can learn to live with it.

Even with my hearing aids, I am eternally grateful for speaker phones.

On a totally Political Incorrect note, I mentioned to a friend once that I had trouble hearing female and children's voices. He said..."Don't worry about it. They don't say anything important anyway".

He was just kidding.................I think.

Eddie

Some many tears ago, a very comprehensive study was conducted on 100 married couples and it was discovered that exactly half of the participants reported the wife was the first the husband could no longer hear correctly. ;-)

Bill G

No, you do NOT have to "just live with it."

Hearing aids DO HELP! AND...The more attention
you give to the tinnitus, the more attention
you will give to tinnitus.....

My hearing aids even have a remote control to
adjust if needed in different locations!

Merry Christmas to all the Zonies!