Tinnitus? Am I the only one?

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californiansun
californiansun Posts: 392 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi all,

I have tinnitus. I have no idea why, the ENT said my hearing is perfect. He said something in my ear (I don't remember exactly) is loose, which causes me to have tinnitus.

I am wondering if I am the only one! I feel very alone with my friends and family. I feel like I can no longer go to movies, concerts, etc. which causes me to be very isolated. (I'm only 22!!!) Can you still do things that are “loud?”

Does anyone have any tips on making it better? (I know it never goes away) Does it seem like diet helps you? People keep telling me eliminating salt has helped them.

Thanks!
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Replies

  • californiansun
    californiansun Posts: 392 Member
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    *bump* If anyone has any information, I would appreciate it. :)
  • TheDevastator
    TheDevastator Posts: 1,626 Member
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    http://www.holisticonline.com/remedies/ear/tin_alt_diet-vitamin.htm
  • formersec
    formersec Posts: 233 Member
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    See an otologist, a specialist in disease and conditions of the ear. Sounds like you have a structural problem. The otologist can better take care of it than an ENT.
  • californiansun
    californiansun Posts: 392 Member
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    Thanks all for the advice. :)
  • paigemarie93
    paigemarie93 Posts: 778 Member
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    Is tinnitus like after you've been to a concert & you have that ringing in your ears for a few days, but you have it all the time? I can imagine that's really annoying.
  • BrettPGH
    BrettPGH Posts: 4,720 Member
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    I don't but my gf has it pretty bad. And I wish I had better news for you but she pretty much just suffers from it constantly. At night she makes sure to have a white noise machine or the tv on just to hear some other low sound to cancel it out.

    You have my sympathies. It's really a tough thing to deal with. And you're definitely not alone.
  • peachNpunkin
    peachNpunkin Posts: 1,010 Member
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    I've had it for years. I just live with it. I don't let it affect my life negatively. I just tell people to speak up when its real bad. As a matter of fact, I have had it for so long that when they don't ring, I feel strange. So, It's just one of those things. You'll get used to it after a while.

    Mine is from hitting my head on the steering wheel during a car accident. It knocked the little bones loose in my ears. I can get it fixed, but I don't want anyone messing with my head.
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,250 Member
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    Hi all,

    I have tinnitus. I have no idea why, the ENT said my hearing is perfect. He said something in my ear (I don't remember exactly) is loose, which causes me to have tinnitus.

    I am wondering if I am the only one! I feel very alone with my friends and family. I feel like I can no longer go to movies, concerts, etc. which causes me to be very isolated. (I'm only 22!!!) Can you still do things that are “loud?”

    Does anyone have any tips on making it better? (I know it never goes away) Does it seem like diet helps you? People keep telling me eliminating salt has helped them.

    Thanks!

    Nothing helped me. Mine started when I was around six years old, I am 51 now. I hear it above traffic.

    However, I have a job that entails regular medicals and hearing tests are always in those medicals - I always pass.

    What do you mean about can you still do things that are loud? I go to concerts and watch live bands on occasion, it doesn't lessen the enjoyment. People will say that those two things are what caused mine, but I had this long, long before I even went to my first concert.

    Why do you feel isolated?
  • alyson820
    alyson820 Posts: 448 Member
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    I have it from bad allergies, and I don't think it's really negatively impacted my life. It's just annoying. White noise helps me when it gets irritating, so I use a sound machine when I sleep.
  • Kittie_Kat
    Kittie_Kat Posts: 101
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    I've had it since I was about 10, I went to the ENT when I was in HS and he said it was a fractured inner ear bone causing mine. Sometimes its worse, sometimes its better but during ht day I just ignore it. Mine is a loud ringing. At night when I sleep I have to sleep with a fan otherwise its unbearable. Otherwise I don't have anything that I know of that helps and it sucks! I feel ya!
  • hklaquadra
    hklaquadra Posts: 48
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    I have tinnitus also and sometimes it seems so loud to me that I wish I had an off switch in my ears, I would rather hear nothing than hear the ringing and sssssshhhhhshshshshsh.....I believe mine comes from ear damage because I worked around airplanes in the air force and also because my husband played in a rock band (yes, i was his #1 groupie)

    Definitely see someone who specializes in the inner ear. I have also heard that sometimes it's a vitamin deficiency.
  • Akijade
    Akijade Posts: 210 Member
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    I've never been diagnosed, but I always have a faint ringing in my ears. I've always had it as long as I can remember, and it's completely normal for me. It doesn't stop me from going to concerts or anything. The worst I get is sometimes I can't sleep because of the ringing (very rare), or sometimes it gets really loud, but for the most part... it's just a thing. It happens. I continue on with my life.
  • marquesajen
    marquesajen Posts: 641
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    My husband has tinnitus. He's a musician,has played guitar for 15 years, and it doesn't get i the way of that, but at night when it is quiet that is all he hears. We have a fan going in our room to block it out for him. His dad had it and it just went away one day. I think it is different for everyone, I saw an article on the BBC a week ago about an official who has it and to him is almost sounds like voices.
  • hipdrummer1
    hipdrummer1 Posts: 1
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    Hello, I am a musician (Drummer) and developed Tinnitus in my left ear two years ago. The ear has folicals that gent bent over and cause a ringing or in my case crickets at certain frequencies. Diet does play a large part in Tennitus and I have refrained from sugar, caffine and chocolate. It did take some time to subside but it has gone into remission. In addition to diet I have also protected my ears from loud music, machinery or other things that i may even think would trip the Tinnitus off. I use ear filters to limit the volume of anything to 12 decibels. They have helped tremendously and are very economical. Hope this helps. Good luck.
  • twkelly
    twkelly Posts: 91 Member
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    I've had tinnitus for the past 5 years. Its a symptom of the Menieres disease I have but could also have been cause by a car accident I was in when the driver-side window shattered. Tinnitus is a pain in the *kitten* but it doesn't stop me from enjoying movies or doing anything else involving noise. I'm pretty much used to it now so I don't use white noise or anything. I just live with it.

    I drastically reduced my sodium intake upon learning I had Menieres. This helped lessen my vertigo but really had no effect on the Tinnitus. I have also been taking a 1000 mcg of B12 supplement daily for the same ammount of time which also has not improved my Tinnitus.

    Don't let Tinnitus stop you from enjoying life and don't feel alone. Your hearing is still fine, you may just have to concentrate a bit harder to distinguish conversation from the ringing. I find that if I turn my head slightly my non-Tinnitus ear is strong enough so that I don't miss any words during a conversation.

    Good luck. Be strong.
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
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    I have tinnitus in my right ear. What other symptoms do you experience, besides the ringing in the ear?
  • TheDevastator
    TheDevastator Posts: 1,626 Member
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    I would try vitamin therapy first. 50 mg of zinc gluconate / picolinate a day got rid of my noises. you can get 360 pills for about $10. If that doesn't work I would go to a specialist.
  • Meggles63
    Meggles63 Posts: 916 Member
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    I've never had it "officially" diagnosed, but I have swoosh, swoosh, like a pulse in my left ear. Never sure when it started, and sometimes it's worse - head colds, allergies, etc. I have to run a fan at nite so I don't have to listen to it.
  • biggerted
    biggerted Posts: 2
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    Nope you're not the only one. It's a real pain isn't it?
    I've had it for a few years now, cause = old age.
    Apparently cutting out the salt is a big YES, also look up Meniers, hope that you’re not affected.
    My big worry is the possibility of not hearing the grand kids chatter and not hearing music in the future.
    Never mind enjoy it when one can and keep on with the weight loss.

    Meditation is supposed to help, I can't really say as the maditation just sends me to sleep, it's a hard life!

    Stay happy
  • biggerted
    biggerted Posts: 2
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    Nope you're not the only one. It's a real pain isn't it?
    I've had it for a few years now, cause = old age.
    Apparently cutting out the salt is a big YES, also look up Meniers, hope that you’re not affected.
    My big worry is the possibility of not hearing the grand kids chatter and not hearing music in the future.
    Never mind enjoy it when one can and keep on with the weight loss.

    Meditation is supposed to help, I can't really say as the meditation just sends me to sleep, it's a hard life!

    Stay happy

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