Tinnitus? Am I the only one?

InstantSunshine

EeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

sorry, that probably didn't help.

BarnDogBob

I don't even notice it anymore. Actually, until I read your post and thought about it, I did not realize the high pitched ringing. I sleep with a fan going in the room. The noise from the fan washes it out and I sleep fine. It makes the voices harder to hear anyway so that is good. The voices are more distracting anyway. :-D

smantha32

I have it too. Bad. When I'm really tired my ears ring.

And my ENT also tested my hearing as perfect.

I barely even listen to music anymore because at the end of the day I just want quiet.

mine was from gunshot noise. It's some kind of loud noise trauma. I don't have any actual physical damage that they can tell.

manderson27

You are certainly not alone. Many people suffer from this to some degree or another. I it can be brought on by a variety of things and there are specialists that can help you cope with it.

Make sure there is no build up of wax in your ears as this causes a feedback effect and can make it worse.

Use background or ambient noise when you are relaxing, a radio or television set on in the background can distract you from it
.
There are various kinds of ambient noise gadgets you can get for when you are trying to sleep, some produce white noise others have discs of sounds of nature like whale song, water trickling or the wind in the trees. These noises again can distract from the Tinnitus and have the added advantage of helping you relax.

Stress and anxiety can make it worse so it is worth trying some relaxation techniques as well.

I don't know that diet can help but eating healthily is a good idea anyway as it certainly will make you feel better physically and you will be better able to deal with it.

Do go and see a Tinnitus specialist as they will understand and be able to give you good advice on how to cope with it better.

Do not allow this to rule your life, try and do all the things you have always done, the more you focus on it the more intrusive it becomes so do try and distract yourself as much as possible with things you enjoy doing.

I sympathise so much with your problem and wish you luck with getting some help for it.

manderson27

EeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

sorry, that probably didn't help.

LOL but that is exactly what I can hear in my right ear now. :laugh:

californiansun

If I go to movies (without ear plugs... I haven't tried it with ear plugs, I'm too afraid.) my ears ring SO loud that I can't ignore it. Not even my fan at night will help. This is why I do not go to movies or concerts anymore, I am afraid I'm going to go deaf.

Man that really sucks...I guess my above advice is of no use to you??? I have never heard of the ringing getting worse in presence of noise...

My point I was trying to make when I have loud things going on, like in a theater or a concert, the ringing is louder once I'm in a quieter environment. Right now with the TV on, I don't hear it as much. But if I go to a movie right now, the ringing becomes VERY VERY loud.

californiansun

I had it, with a host of other problems, from my jaw being misaligned with a slipped disc. Google TMJ and see if you have any of the symptoms. Lots of docs missed it. I was misdiagnosed for months until by a freak chance a friend mentioned it. Then it took another 6 months or so before I got the RIGHT treatment for it.

I have TMJ very badly, as stated in my previous posts. I just got a mouth guard from my dentist to try and help with it. I do not have a lot of money, since I am in college to pay for all of these specialists. The specialists in town was over 200 dollars just to see her, which is freaking ridiculous and I need to pay rent. lol

mattdm6969

I had it, with a host of other problems, from my jaw being misaligned with a slipped disc. Google TMJ and see if you have any of the symptoms. Lots of docs missed it. I was misdiagnosed for months until by a freak chance a friend mentioned it. Then it took another 6 months or so before I got the RIGHT treatment for it.

I have TMJ very badly, as stated in my previous posts. I just got a mouth guard from my dentist to try and help with it. I do not have a lot of money, since I am in college to pay for all of these specialists. The specialists in town was over 200 dollars just to see her, which is freaking ridiculous and I need to pay rent. lol

I hope the mouth gaurd helps you. I had one and it didn't do much. My next stop is a neuromuscular dentist. I've heard treatment can range from $1k-$45k depending on hour bad the bite is and how much reconstruction is needed. But, I've heard too many horror stories about the surgery for TMJ and many say it makes the pain worse.

californiansun

I had it, with a host of other problems, from my jaw being misaligned with a slipped disc. Google TMJ and see if you have any of the symptoms. Lots of docs missed it. I was misdiagnosed for months until by a freak chance a friend mentioned it. Then it took another 6 months or so before I got the RIGHT treatment for it.

I have TMJ very badly, as stated in my previous posts. I just got a mouth guard from my dentist to try and help with it. I do not have a lot of money, since I am in college to pay for all of these specialists. The specialists in town was over 200 dollars just to see her, which is freaking ridiculous and I need to pay rent. lol

I hope the mouth gaurd helps you. I had one and it didn't do much. My next stop is a neuromuscular dentist. I've heard treatment can range from $1k-$45k depending on hour bad the bite is and how much reconstruction is needed. But, I've heard too many horror stories about the surgery for TMJ and many say it makes the pain worse.

Yeah, I'm way too scared to do the surgery. My teeth are a tad bit crooked, so maybe braces will help. i have no idea at this point. I just miss being normal.

emalbright

I have not heard of any side effects, we have given the trial info to many patients and have not heard one way or the other. I know that is not much help for you, sorry!!

marms1219

No, you're definitely not the only one out there.

I had an upper respiratory infection that apparently traveled to my left ear. I woke up one morning in December 2006 close to my 50th birthday with my ear completely stopped up (thankfully no pain). A day or so later it started ringing and hasn't stopped since. I went to the ENT and he told me that he would see 3 or 4 other people just like me that day and that there's nothing that could be done.

It is hard to accept when it first happens but that being said it is something that you eventually get used to. When I am at work or in other situations where there is background noice I don't notice it at all, in other words I have to think about it to notice it. Sometimes when I first wake up it is barely there and other times it is louder but I don't have to have a sound machine to sleep. Sometimes it sounds like crickets, sometimes a high pitched whine. I have had my hearing tested and it is within normal for my age except for very high frequencies.

I too hope and pray that medical technology will one day soon come up with a cure. I would also suggest ear protection when around loud noises to keep it from getting worse. Like others have said, don't let it affect your qualtiy of life, you can lead a nornal life with this condition. Best wishes!

sjohnny

Mine gets louder when I'm sick or stressed but it's there all the time. The quieter it is around me the more noticeable it is. I have to have a fan on to sleep. Mine was self-inflicted. Lots of shows in my teens and twenties, riding motorcycles at high speeds with loud pipes, lots of gunshots - without hearing protection from time to time. I still go to shows and shoot guns (with ear protection now). I have a subwoofer and amplifier in my car and still listen to my music real fckin loud. I don't let it slow me down I just deal with it when it gets too loud.

californiansun

Mine gets louder when I'm sick or stressed but it's there all the time. The quieter it is around me the more noticeable it is. I have to have a fan on to sleep. Mine was self-inflicted. Lots of shows in my teens and twenties, riding motorcycles at high speeds with loud pipes, lots of gunshots - without hearing protection from time to time. I still go to shows and shoot guns (with ear protection now). I have a subwoofer and amplifier in my car and still listen to my music real fckin loud. I don't let it slow me down I just deal with it when it gets too loud.

Yeah, I got sick and woke up with it. I have no idea what happened. It's just depressing. I'm going to the ENT again (hopefully) for a hearing test so I hope all is well.

Mine gets louder when my jaw is more stiff, or if I'm stressed. I'm trying to stay stress free.

FlyByJuly

I"ve had tinnitus for about 11 years now. It just started one evening, don't know why. It was maddening. In the beginning, it almost drove me to suicide. But I have a family, so that wasn't an option. I cried many nights because I got no relief whatsoever from it. Constant. I saw my doctor. From what I've been told, they don't know cause, and there's no cure. I always have to have background noise to keep me from going insane! If I'm ever in a place that is totally quiet (luckily, there aren't many places), I feel like something is closing in on me, like the ringing is getting louder and louder and louder until something's gonna blow. I run a fan in my bedroom all night long, every night. I also set the timer on my tv so that I will fall asleep before it turns off. My newest addition to my white noise collection is a cool, mistless humidifier. I've tried several "remedies" that I"ve heard about over the years, gauranteed to stop the ringing. None of them worked. I saw something in the drugstore the other day, don't remember what it was. I didn't even pick it up to read about it, because I know it won't work. If anybody has been cured of tinnitus, I'd sure like to hear about it.

carissaaurora

Hey, I'm sorry to hear it...I have it too. In addition to the reasons mentioned in previous posts, I have also been told it can be caused by high blood pressure...so maybe take your blood pressure at one of those free machines at the drugstore just to see?

i_dont_want_2_be_fat_anymore

I've had this for about 25 years now (i'm 37). When i was young, i had constant ear infections which lead to inverted ear drums (they would pull in due to the pressure). Afterwards the drums perforated, which caused a cholesteatoma to form.

3 surgeries later, the tumor's been gone 7 years now and the hearing has improved through an implant however the ringing will always be there although it's not nearly as bad as it used to be.

It's noticeably worse in my right (surgery-side) then it is on my left, and seems to get much much worse in the evenings, when i'm sick, or sleep-deprived. Unlike most people that have it though, i can only fall asleep in complete silence. Something i guess i just grew accustomed to over the years.

If your TInnitus is due to hearing loss, then sometimes the ringing will subside or go away when the hearing is repaired. Other times, the Tinnitus is a result of nerve damage. If it's the latter (which i have), i think we are just screwed...

Oh yeah...to help relieve some TInnitus symptoms, lay off Caffeine. Caffeine causes your Eustachian tubes to tighten, thereby messing with the pressure in your inner ear which will cause your ringing to increase and/or give you that underwater feeling.

Rocking_Robin

Bump

My Hubby has it, he also has MS...nothing seems to help...some days is better than others...some days soft noise some days unbearable.

Good Luck!

californiansun

I"ve had tinnitus for about 11 years now. It just started one evening, don't know why. It was maddening. In the beginning, it almost drove me to suicide. But I have a family, so that wasn't an option. I cried many nights because I got no relief whatsoever from it. Constant. I saw my doctor. From what I've been told, they don't know cause, and there's no cure. I always have to have background noise to keep me from going insane! If I'm ever in a place that is totally quiet (luckily, there aren't many places), I feel like something is closing in on me, like the ringing is getting louder and louder and louder until something's gonna blow. I run a fan in my bedroom all night long, every night. I also set the timer on my tv so that I will fall asleep before it turns off. My newest addition to my white noise collection is a cool, mistless humidifier. I've tried several "remedies" that I"ve heard about over the years, gauranteed to stop the ringing. None of them worked. I saw something in the drugstore the other day, don't remember what it was. I didn't even pick it up to read about it, because I know it won't work. If anybody has been cured of tinnitus, I'd sure like to hear about it.

I agree with you. In the beginning I was like "what is the point of this anymore?" I still get VERY frustrated. I think I know what you're talking about, it's like flavanoid plus or something... I didn't even bother.

californiansun

I've had this for about 25 years now (i'm 37). When i was young, i had constant ear infections which lead to inverted ear drums (they would pull in due to the pressure). Afterwards the drums perforated, which caused a cholesteatoma to form.

3 surgeries later, the tumor's been gone 7 years now and the hearing has improved through an implant however the ringing will always be there although it's not nearly as bad as it used to be.

It's noticeably worse in my right (surgery-side) then it is on my left, and seems to get much much worse in the evenings, when i'm sick, or sleep-deprived. Unlike most people that have it though, i can only fall asleep in complete silence. Something i guess i just grew accustomed to over the years.

If your TInnitus is due to hearing loss, then sometimes the ringing will subside or go away when the hearing is repaired. Other times, the Tinnitus is a result of nerve damage. If it's the latter (which i have), i think we are just screwed...

Oh yeah...to help relieve some TInnitus symptoms, lay off Caffeine. Caffeine causes your Eustachian tubes to tighten, thereby messing with the pressure in your inner ear which will cause your ringing to increase and/or give you that underwater feeling.

I can never sleep in complete silence! I go nuts! But maybe when time goes on it wont bug me as much anymore.

I just hope it's nerve damage and not hearing loss. I've had a lot of ear infections (I get them when the seasons change) When the tinnitus started I supposedly had a bad ear infection. I guess ill just have to see what the ENT says!