- This topic has 23 replies, 19 voices, and was last updated 10 years ago by nickewen.
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Anyone suffer from tinitus?
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organic355Free Member
Ive had it pretty bad for a year or so now, after a very loud gig in a pub, sat too close to the speakers and band was far too loud (and crap).
Constant ringing in left ear, cant hear it most of the time but worst when I try to go to sleep.
Got bad sinus problems, hayfever etc, blocked up etc which doesn’t help. i think blowing my nose makes it worse.
Also seem to find its worst when I am dehydrated/tired.
Considering getting microsuction, but worried it could make things worse.
My dad has it also, and has suspected menieres disease, and is just getting over a period of pretty bad vertigo.
Just wondering what I can do other than live with it?
grumFree MemberTrain yourself to tune it out is the only thing you can do really. It used to really bother me a lot when I first got it but it’s not generally a problem now. It’s still there pretty much all the time though.
sweepyFree MemberI’ve heard of white noise generators helping some people with tinnitus sleep. No direct experience tho.
nickcFull MemberI’ve got it. Left ear caused by nerve damage. Did have a quick look at a Hearing aid, but whilst it made my hearing a bit better, it also made the tinnitus louder as well, so I’ve learned to live with it.
footflapsFull MemberI had it for a long time, years after too many loud pubs in my teenage years. It came on really suddenly and lasted for a year or so. It’s pretty much gone away now, but I have to be careful to avoid loud PAs etc or wear ear plugs, otherwise it comes back.
whatnobeerFree MemberMy Dr told me to cut down on caffeine and other stimulants. It certainly made a difference to how bad it was at night. Other than that the advice I got was learn to ignore it, which is easier said that done a lot of the time.
Forge_MasterFree MemberI got it after being involved in an explosion about 15 years ago.
Cutting down on caffeine helped but tbh after a couple of years you get used to it.organic355Free MemberI got it after being involved in an explosion about 15 years ago.
intrigued…
Cutting down on caffeine helped but tbh after a couple of years you get used to it.
dammit I love my coffee, and drink a lot of it to give me a boost for training sessions too. It does seem to have gotten worse since I started drinking more right enough.
ekulFree MemberYeah i’ve had since i was about 8. Used to go to a lot of Motorsports etc, in particular Tractor Pulling. 3 Allison Engines with no silencers on get pretty noisy!
Its one of those things i’ve just got used to now, although if you’re lying in bed and notice it, it becomes bloody annoying!
CountZeroFull MemberI’ve had it, since 1982/3, I think. Phil Lynott’s Grand Slam at Golddiggers, Chippenham. Stood in front of the speaker stack taking photos, and they were chuffing loud! Ears never stopped whistling, louder in right than left, but I really only notice it when it’s really quiet. It doesn’t bother me, tbh, and my actual hearing hasn’t been degraded by it; hearing check at work confirms its on a par with a 25 yo. I’m in my 50’s… 😉
McHamishFree MemberI have quite severe tinnitus and I’m pretty much deaf in one ear.
My tinnitus is caused by excessive pressure in my inner ear (in the chamber that regulates balance, I think it’s called the Labyrinth). My tinnitus is not due to damage caused loud noise or anything, although that’s what I suspected as I went to a lot of clubs in the 90’s.
I was also advised to cut down on caffeine, dairy products, chocolate etc…but that was to help reduce blood pressure in my ear. Some of what I can here is blood rushing through vessels in my ear. Not sure if that would help for people who’s tinnitus is due to damage to your ear. Note that giving this stuff up may help, but might not. Western medicine isn’t great at treating tinnitus so giving stuff up is the best they can do.
I’ve also been prescribed Betahistine dihydrochloride (also known as serc), it regulates pressure in your inner ear. In recent years it hasn’t helped and I haven’t taken it for ages. About 8/9 years ago I was treated with serc and my tinnitus and hearing loss went away…I ended up passing the army medical hearing tests. Not sure if that wasn’t just a placebo effect rather than the serc.
I have also suffered from dizziness (unable to move, unable to see, throwing up dizziness), a few years ago I was signed off work after being shipped out of the office in a stretcher and taken to the local hospital in an ambulance. I used prochlorperazine tablets to try to control it…buccastem is good as it’s over the counter and faster acting.
The combination of all the symptoms – tinnitus, dizziness, deafness, and inner ear pressure, is sometimes termed Meniere’s disease. If you’re diagnosed with that you have to hand back your driving license and you’ll only get it back when you’ve been dizzy free for at least 6 months. The key indicator of Meniere’s is that those symptoms must be coordinated, i.e. you get dizzy, your tinnitus gets louder, you become ‘more’ deaf etc. If they act independently (like me) then this isn’t termed Meniere’s.
Fortunately I haven’t been properly dizzy for years, but my tinnitus and hearing loss is still here…it’s a bit bad at the moment as I’m a bit stressed and haven’t been sleeping due to the hot weather. If I’m looking after myself, i.e. sleeping well and exercising regularly etc…my tinnitus and hearing loss isn’t bad. A couple of months ago I was getting back into my music, but recently I can’t hear music properly as it sounds all distorted and everyone sounds like they’ve got a cold.
DolceredFull MemberYeah I’ve got in my left ear. I think it relates to a bout of Labyrinthitis I took in April. 6 weeks off work, 4 of them i had constant vomiting when I moved too much. It went away for a month, then it came back, though not nearly as bad. Looking down or to my right seems to trigger dizzy spells.
I was referred by GP. ENT nurse check came back with a negative pressure in that ear, I can’t hear certain tones now. Awaiting a follow up appointment with ENT doctor.
Worth getting it checked out with GP.
beanumFull MemberMy Mum has had tinnitus for a long time now. A couple of years ago we were in Chamonix and we went up the Aiguille du Midi which is 3800m high. Her tinnitus instantly got a lot better and stayed better after the descent… After reading McHamish’s post it certainly sounds like hers was caused by inner ear pressure, which makes sense as she’s never been to a loud gig in her life…:-)
DibbsFree MemberI’ve had it for several years, probably caused by 40 years working in noisy power stations. I find background noise helps mask it when I’m trying to sleep. I use a Roberts Pillow Talk Speaker at a low volume.
HohumFree MemberI’ve had it for over 30 years.
Mine sounds like a flashgun charging up 🙁
I try to forget about it and de-tune it out, but it is easier said than done.
I did a bit of research on it recently and some medical documents said that if you have it purely in one ear you should get it checked out by a doctor as it could be a symptom of something more serious.
There was talk 20 years ago about using Ginkgo Biloba extract to help reduce it (I was almost involved in the clinical trial for it, but moved house before it began), but I guess the results were not conclusive as it doesn’t seemed to be marketed today as a cure for it.
glenpFree MemberThere is tinitus caused by damage or disease, usually signified by being present or worse in one ear – and then there is the other kind which is equal in both ears and is effectively your brain telling you there is a hissing noise. I have the latter, and it is friggin’ annoying. No cure except to not be stressed, but that eludes me these days. Music on headphones masks it a bit. 🙁
pennineFree MemberOddly, I’ve started noticing mine whilst reading this thread!
nickewenFree MemberYep, had it since I was 22 (28 now). Not really sure on cause as it came on gradually; left ear first and then the right (although the left is worse). Might have been combinations of working in heavy mfg and trips to Ibiza etc. who knows..
I definitely think it is worse now than it was 6 years ago but I think I notice it less now as I am better at tuning it out.
Never used white noise generators for sleep etc. My strategy is just to keep really busy (work and home) so by the time I go to bed I’m wrecked and get to sleep quickly.
McHamishFree MemberMy Mum has had tinnitus for a long time now. A couple of years ago we were in Chamonix and we went up the Aiguille du Midi which is 3800m high. Her tinnitus instantly got a lot better and stayed better after the descent… After reading McHamish’s post it certainly sounds like hers was caused by inner ear pressure, which makes sense as she’s never been to a loud gig in her life…:-)
I’ve been told that atmospheric pressure affects your middle ear not your inner ear. I work on the 40th floor in an office in That London, and I asked the ENT if travelling up and down in the lift (it jumps very quickly to the 35th floor) would make my tinnitus worse. He told me that affects a different part of the ear.
McHamishFree MemberRegarding tuning it out…apparently it is possible. A huge number of people suffer from tinnitus (i.e. some form of noise that isn’t externally generated), many people are able to tune it out. Your brain will automatically tune it out if it can.
My tinnitus is too loud…I can hear it at all times even when in pubs/clubs etc. But I’ve got used to it, it’s just the hearing loss that frustrates me particularly as it fluctuates. I was on holiday in Italy once and the people we were with were going on about how quiet it was…one day I’d like to be able to hear silence again!
It does have it’s benefits though…our neighbours can be a bit noisy when smoking outside their front door late at night. I just roll over onto my good ear and I can’t hear them anymore.
bigGFree MemberYup, had it for about 20 years now. Exact cause is unknown but likely to be a blow to the head playing rugby.
mine sounds like a high pitched whine, that I can usually ignore as long as there is background noise (I always have the radio on or music playing) The same issue, or something else, has left me partially deaf in my left ear (my tinnitus is in both ears) but I do as the above and roll my deaf ear up if I’m sleeping somewhere noisy.
The problem I find is in busy / noisy pubs keeping up with conversations taking place on my deaf side, or a few feet away at the other end of a table. It quickly gets dull saying, sorry,, what did you say? I tend to avoid noisy pubs or clubs.
McHamishFree MemberThe problem I find is in busy / noisy pubs keeping up with conversations taking place on my deaf side, or a few feet away at the other end of a table. It quickly gets dull saying, sorry,, what did you say? I tend to avoid noisy pubs or clubs.
Yeah, same here. When my tinnitus is playing up I can’t hear conversations, it’s all distorted so I look like a bit of a loner as I’m not saying anything or contributing to conversations. Sometimes when it’s bad I don’t really like going out with strangers as I feel a bit awkward. Sometimes nodding and laughing randomly doesn’t really work as I’ve had some funny looks.
Him; “My grandmother passed away last week”.
Me; “hahaha, yeah”.My close friends understand though and will stand to my right as they know that’s my good ear…or they might suggest going somewhere quieter.
nickewenFree MemberI have the same problem in pubs/bars. It is very frustrating, as when I’m in a quiet room I can hear a pin drop but listening to what someone across the table says in a pub and pulling it out from the background noise is very diffiult indeed. It seems really counterintuitive but as above I just avoid the really loud places now.
On the VERY rare occasion I find myself in a club I stick the earplugs in and dance like a prat so I don’t have to talk/listen very much.. 😀
I have some of the moulded custom ear plug things from a previous job and they really are very good.
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