The struggle of tinnitus

Ive had it for about a year now. I swear I got it from sitting in front of my computer.

I went from using a computer for about 1/2 hour a day in my previous life in Canada, to using it well over 5 hours a day because of taking a year off work. When I finally started working again, I got a job that requires me to be on the computer a lot...So Im always on my computer.

I dont bother meditating anymore because meditation turns up the noise.

a reply to: donktheclown

Same here, nothing really helps it and it never eases up. A doctor I saw about it told me that there is treatment for it, but he won't do it anymore. He said a Novocaine injection through the ear into the part of the brain that causes it stops the ringing. He said he has done this many times with success, but the last time he did it caused the woman receiving the shot to vomit for 3 days straight. It had gone into the balance center of the brain. He said he will never do it again.

I think my tinnitus is a result of industrial toxins from being a welder; Heavy metal poisoning and that combined with Heavy Metal music is a double whammy.

However I have lessened the ringing considerably with a complete kelation regimen to help rid my body of the toxins I breathed when I was working. I hardly even notice it now....

originally posted by: Bloodydagger
How many of my fellow ATSers have tinnitus? Its the ringing in your ears. Its non stop 24/7 365. How do you cope with it? How bad is your ringing?

For me personally, silence isn't silence. I need background noise, always. I run a box fan 24/7 (even during the winter) while I sleep. If its pitch quiet, my ears ring at their loudest. Its not painful, its just extremely annoying. Ive had this condition ever since I had a concussion playing Football back in High school (I was 17 at the time) and a week after I was concussed, my left ear starting ringing constantly. Several years later, it moved to my right ear while leaving the left ear. So strange. Anyway, these days its back in my left ear again and my right ear is back to normal. Ive noticed that when it switches, I get bouts of vertigo for 1-2 weeks afterwards and then it kind of settles down.

Ive read studies that around 55% of earths population suffers from some form of tinnitus. Its not life threatening and from my knowledge, no cure has been found. Its just learning how to cope with it and deal with it.

Some cases though are so bad and loud that its driven people to suicide. That is a scary thought.........

I actually read an article once that made me laugh. It said that people should embrace tinnitus and treat it as an orchestra in your ear, LOL

I also heard that Jesse Ventura has an extreme case of it. He said its so loud at times that he cannot even hear himself think, much less hear people 3 foot in front of him.

Anyway, does anyone else share the constant ringing? I'd like to hear your story on how and when you got it and how you cope with it.

I have Meniere's disease with 50% hearing in both ears. It started with severe tinnitus. I need hearing aids but my Medicaid doesn't cover it and I don't have $3000 just dropping from heaven to pay for it myself. So we call it SOL. S*** Out of Luck. *Shrugs* What can you do? For me the tinnitus isn't as bad as the water in the ears and the dizzy spells. I either feel like I've been swimming or I feel like I'm about to black out constantly! I can deal with the ringing because it's a come and go thing. The dizzy spells are every single day at least 7 times a day. I'm waiting for the day when I do black out. I was diagnosed with Meniere's about 7 years ago when I was 38. I was told I was too young to have Meniere's but the way I see is the rest of my body is in it's 90's (bon scan results), so why not my ears.

originally posted by: Tucket
Ive had it for about a year now. I swear I got it from sitting in front of my computer.

I got mine from the concussion and the sjogrens, but when I am on the laptop for a few hours, it'll get much louder. So I wouldn't doubt that sitting in front of a computer could do it to someone. It makes mine worse.

originally posted by: skunkape23
I have a perfect F# constantly ringing in my ears. I tune my guitar to it.
Too much loud music and gun fire with no ear protection.
I also get the phantom music and murmuring voices every now and then.

I get the phantom music and murmuring as well. I see a therapist for PTSD and every time I go they ask the same standard question, "Are you hearing voices?" Ummm, nope! LOL Last thing I need is to be placed in a psych ward over tinnitus!

a reply to: Anyafaj

Yeah, last thing you want is to be placed in a psych ward of any kind. I was once trapped in such a place and couldn't get out till I could prove to them that I wasn't going to harm myself or anyone else... and the whole reason I was there in the first place was because I had recently separated from my ex-wife and was kind of depressed over the fact that I wasn't seeing my kids as much as I thought I would. I had gone to the doctor complaining of depression and from there it just got out of control.

I've had it for about 25 years now. I played guitar in a garage band for a few years and was also into drag racing. Now I have high pitched ringing that is 24/7. It is always irritating, but there are times that are really terrible. Sometimes the tones are just a bit off...and they start to phase. That's the kind of thing that is intensely irritating - right now. No reason to rethink that one.

I also have a kind of vertigo that is somewhat unusual according to my MD. I don't feel dizzy or anything unless I am in a large room with a very high ceiling, like a stadium or a shopping mall. If I look up everything starts spinning. As long as I look down I am fine. If there is no roof, like an open air stadium, no problem.

The only thing that has ever given any kind of relief at all is the application of a VERY weak vacuum or negative pressure. As soon as that stops, I can look forward to 15 to 20 seconds of blissful silence. But if I do it too often, it stops working for a while. I was desperate to find anything that worked and I found a way to do that successfully once in a while to get a few seconds of relief. My MD said I was lucky I didn't injure my ear drum permanently or make the tinnitus worse. I don't know why or how, but that one thing helps me a few seconds at a time. Its not much, but I'll take it.

Good luck. I hope you find some peace with it if not relief.

a reply to: Bloodydagger

Thank you for the space. Eternal flaming screaming dual lemming
colonies running off the cliff here... and your thread duly,
gratefully bumped. My monitors are just right when my nose warms.

CHECKLIST:
Strike 1
Got my first bass at 13, playing gid a long time before that.
Regularly had to replace power tubes in dad's Fender DeLuxe.
Poor little Tweedy...
Felt almost like buying stock in Jensen (loudspeakers) by 16.
Strike 2
Wrestled in high school, and although not as batted around
as Dan Marino, took a couple Outa Heres as a wide receiver.
I redefined point shaving at my high school with my IQ instead.
Never stopped playing strings, just got louder than the Troggs.
Strike 3
Did I mention bass? Think of that inimitable 24oz ballpein
smacking the Steinway thick ones with the sustain pedal floored.
God I love that sound, ThunderFingers. More SVTs, I can almost
hear the guitar player... unacceptable. Here comes 30.
Strike 4
Design your own horn loaded stuff. Oh BOY I can tri-amp now.
After I was 35 nobody would want to even rent a VFW with me
unless I bought all their liquids. Die maggots. No guys, da BAND
Strike 5
Here's a switch. After I got rid of the '56 BelAir gasser when I
was 24 there was still the Chevy monkey; and I found out the
new drummer was a dirt racer. Super late, Schoenfeld over the
top headers. Built him two 355 small blocks, they both had 14:1
exactly. Didn't want to burn out the Super Starters getting the
pigs lit. But boy, Pamela woke up and screamed pretty after 5000.
The throttle bar was my brain salad bar. "WHAT??!!"
24 degrees more valve overlap and you might have a ballad Eddie.
Strike 6.66
Tool and die maker for a lifetime. Nothing like flat grinding stainless.
Or boring some nice pearlitic hard stuff. Dance you green elephant...
Here's that ballpein Lars. Now break your 12" thin crash right here.
Puppy.

Results: [GLOSSARY] sound frequency in [Hz=cycles per second]
It was estimated at the time of his death Beethoven was -92dB
(down) after 2KHz, or 2000 cycles. Two years ago I was -84.
If I got hearing aids now they'd have to be cranked up so far the
blowby would set Dave Lynch's nose hairs on fire, much less mine.
God I loved that movie too.. "OR--E--GON!". (Twin Peaks FWWM) ROFL

To those of you that can't stand it anymore, find a louder hobby. It works.

originally posted by: wtbengineer
a reply to: Anyafaj

Yeah, last thing you want is to be placed in a psych ward of any kind. I was once trapped in such a place and couldn't get out till I could prove to them that I wasn't going to harm myself or anyone else... and the whole reason I was there in the first place was because I had recently separated from my ex-wife and was kind of depressed over the fact that I wasn't seeing my kids as much as I thought I would. I had gone to the doctor complaining of depression and from there it just got out of control.

My daughter was in one FIVE times for behavioral problems related to autism. 3 of the times they put her in a mixed ward with guys coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. She was 15! As far as the state is concerned, autism is a mental illness, and 15 is an adult. I was PI**ED!!!

I have 4 different distinct tones of tinnitus, and one of them is so loud I always hear it.

Looking into this, the reason why it is not curable is because the brain is creating the noise. When you have hearing loss in a frequency the brain is trying to fill it in with fake noise. I would love to find a way to stop it...

a reply to: Xtrozero

plug it with more noise
takes a while to get used to but it wont drive you insane when it changes frequency

a reply to: Xtrozero
I'd love a way to get my HF hearing back. That would get rid of the tinnitus and I would be able to hear cicadas again. Funny, I never liked hearing cicadas much when I could. Can't hear the stupid little alarm on my watch either.

I too have suffered with this constant and ever changing ringing in both my ears. I have had this since a small child and only noticed it when I was diagnosed with severe cluster migraine headaches. Before the diagnosis it was just normal to never have true silence.

I also experience vertigo and general dizziness out of the blue, and so far I'm perfectly healthy, as far as the medical society is concerned.

Occasionally the ringing will stop in one ear, but then my hearing is muffled in that ear for a minute or two and the dizziness sets in. I sleep with a white noise maker and that seems to help create a quiet zone for my ears.

I have never been a fan of loud music, and yes I was that annoying kid that acted like an old person saying "turn that down! It's too loud!"

So far this is just something I have learned to live with....I couldn't imagine what life would be like without the constant sounds.

Mine is just a, odd ringing noise. It sounds like a high powered electric fence...you know, that sound those make, LOL....about as best as I can describe it.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: Xtrozero
I'd love a way to get my HF hearing back. That would get rid of the tinnitus and I would be able to hear cicadas again. Funny, I never liked hearing cicadas much when I could. Can't hear the stupid little alarm on my watch either.

Come to think of it I can't hear them either.... In a way I feel blessed.....I think....

The funniest thing I ever read on this subject was about school children setting their IPhones to 20,000 plus hz ring tones...The teachers were oblivious...

I was bored in Afghanistan one time and I set my phone to 25000 hz on this annoying dog whistle tone. A few of the young people were saying stuff like "what is that noise" etc. Everyone else thought they were crazy....

I do find that it is louder when I drink and for some reason 18+ year old scotch really sets it off...go figure...

a reply to: Bloodydagger

I've had tinnitus for as long as I can remember. I actually remember where I was and everything the exact moment that I realized that the ringing never stopped; I was 6 years old. I've always had hearing problems, and when I was younger I remember an audiologist told me I hear "phantom noises" after a hearing test. Over the years I continued to see ear doctors for what I eventually learned to be Patulous Eustachian tube (en.wikipedia.org...). Unfortunately it was misdiagnosed for nearly a decade so the remedies only made it worse.

My tinnitus is severe in both ears. Sometimes the pitch will change suddenly and it can be temporarily debilitating. I have problems with balance and sometimes experience vertigo. Sometimes my hearing will completely dropout in one of my ears for a few seconds then slowly fade back in, and I fear I've gone deaf... truly horrifying.

Running a fan or other background noises does help, but I don't always have something going. It's extremely difficult for me to comprehend speech, discern electronic sounds and tones/pitch, or just concentrate. I know some basic sign language, and it helps when people use it... unfortunately I don't know many people who know any sign language. Anymore I find myself reading peoples faces, gestures, and energy to understand what they're saying. I don't do phones well, and it takes me awhile after meeting people to understand what they're saying at all. It can be frustrating, and I hate constantly asking people what they said. However, once I'm used to how an individual speaks and their facial expressions and gestures, I tend to understand them better than people who can hear really well. Being able to see people is pretty important though, and I often hear people talking when they aren't really talking. I guess in the end, I just kind of stopped trusting my ears.

I'm sorry that you're experiencing it though. Like you said, there's no cure, so the best thing to do is just adapt. Find out what works best for you and work it. I've heard a lot of people have had success with magnesium supplements to lessen tinnitus, but it hasn't worked for me. They also say smoking cigarettes makes it worse, if that applies to you. If you start being more careful with your ears now, it's less likely to get worse.

originally posted by: sine.nomine
a reply to: Bloodydagger



I've had tinnitus for as long as I can remember. I actually remember where I was and everything the exact moment that I realized that the ringing never stopped; I was 6 years old. I've always had hearing problems, and when I was younger I remember an audiologist told me I hear "phantom noises" after a hearing test. Over the years I continued to see ear doctors for what I eventually learned to be Patulous Eustachian tube (en.wikipedia.org...). Unfortunately it was misdiagnosed for nearly a decade so the remedies only made it worse.



My tinnitus is severe in both ears. Sometimes the pitch will change suddenly and it can be temporarily debilitating. I have problems with balance and sometimes experience vertigo. Sometimes my hearing will completely dropout in one of my ears for a few seconds then slowly fade back in, and I fear I've gone deaf... truly horrifying.



Running a fan or other background noises does help, but I don't always have something going. It's extremely difficult for me to comprehend speech, discern electronic sounds and tones/pitch, or just concentrate. I know some basic sign language, and it helps when people use it... unfortunately I don't know many people who know any sign language. Anymore I find myself reading peoples faces, gestures, and energy to understand what they're saying. I don't do phones well, and it takes me awhile after meeting people to understand what they're saying at all. It can be frustrating, and I hate constantly asking people what they said. However, once I'm used to how an individual speaks and their facial expressions and gestures, I tend to understand them better than people who can hear really well. Being able to see people is pretty important though, and I often hear people talking when they aren't really talking. I guess in the end, I just kind of stopped trusting my ears.



I'm sorry that you're experiencing it though. Like you said, there's no cure, so the best thing to do is just adapt. Find out what works best for you and work it. I've heard a lot of people have had success with magnesium supplements to lessen tinnitus, but it hasn't worked for me. They also say smoking cigarettes makes it worse, if that applies to you. If you start being more careful with your ears now, it's less likely to get worse.

You have pretty much explained my life with this post. It's good to know there's other people out there like me. Hearing aids may help to hear better but definitely don't solve the problem. I, too, stay away from the phone (thank god for texting!) and I have balance problems, oftentimes smacking my shoulder against the doorway while walking through.

Tinnitus is just a part of me I have learned to accept but it's amazing how many people experience it.

Repeated loud and semi-automatic snaps from a tool held close to my ear several years ago led to my tinnitus. I have learned to push it into the background over the years, but even as I type now it is ever-present that I am thinking about it. I have about 22% of my hearing left in one ear. But the cruel thing is the buzz/ring does not fade with the hearing loss. High Frequency sound is gone.

In restaurants and parties I am at a complete loss, and as many of you who suffer know "Excuse me, Pardon me" gets tired - fast - for everyone involved. If I am not careful it can lead to an overly solitary existence.

While it is a "hearing" problem, it resides in the nervous system and not the ear. It is not something fixed with any form of hearing aid.

On YouTube a few channels have popped up that program hours of different frequency background noise that some may find helpful.

Early-on it can be enough to drive some to consider suicide. I can only offer coping gets easier. The buzz will never go away, but your ability to live with it will get better.

I only hear it when there's pure silence. I heard it all my life, I thought it was something everybody heard until the past year. At night I listen to audiobooks to sleep. It's a nice alternative to music or a fan.