Tinnitus Aaaaaaaaaargh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi All
I have had Tinnitus now for 10 years or so, just lately it seems to be getting louder and louder. Its a high pitched whistle in each ear that is getting out of hand as its louder than the TV.

Does anybody have any ‘cures’ or remedies to help? I have been to the hospital and theres nothing they can do other than tell me my hearing is worse than a 60something year old man.

Any suggestions at all would be appreciated.

Thanks

A friend of mine is also a tinitus sufferer. His is related to stress so when it gets bad he has to try and reduce his stress levels. I am pretty sure he gets medication for it, too.

I’m in here with you, wind rush on the bike and in ear headphones are making it worse I think, but a bit of light music or classical for a couple of hours at low volume keeps me sane. Have had a jaw infection (abcess/boil) since Thursday and it’s been hell, worse than it’s ever been.

Unfortunately stress is pretty much unavoidable for me unless I win the lottery and give up work!

Would be interested in the medication though I will have to look into that, thanks.

I have tinnitus myself – loud tonight but not as loud as yours at a guess.

I don’t think there is much that can de done directly to reduce the noise. a few things might help.

White noise generators can mask the noise and make it less noticeable
It can be linked with alcohol – if I have been drinking I get the tinnitus worse the next day
cognative behaviour therapy CBT) can help some people learn ways of coping
Stress makes it worse for me as well – so be relaxed.

I was hoping it might go away over time, no such luck.

TJ, I was wondering about alcohol as I had a couple of pints earlier this evening.
But then again alcohol helps me relax! Its a double edged sword!

Nope – you have it for life. 🙁 sorry

Mine was caused by motorcycling and loud gigs.

edit – alcohol – it does seem to make mine worse.

I’ve got it too – drove me mad for a while, found it really hard to get to sleep and it really messed me up. I can mostly tune it out now – I think stress is a big thing for me as well though. Alcohol definitely can make a big difference too.

Too much DJing is what caused it for me, though I think it was made worse by an ear infection.

I think mine was caused by going to see My Bloody Valentine, jeez they were loud!

No, I’ve had tinnitus since about 2002 after a dunking in cold water (waterskiing in November) triggered it. Was initially fairly quiet, these days it’s loud enough to cover the TV fairly well and my brain has started to filter out that frequency range so I now am losing hearing in that approximate area, but primarily in one ear. It’s a royal PITA. The slightest noise makes it worse – I’m hyper sensitive to things like electric drills, hoover noises, stuff like that and if I go out to a loud pub I know about it for about a week afterwards.

I’ve been through all the hospital routes (of which there are not many) and there’s sod all that can be done it seems. Best I can do is ensure I have an mp3 stereo to listen to to get me to sleep (can’t sleep otherwise) and try to ignore it during the day.

On the positive side, mine doesn’t seem to be made worse by anything other than sound.

I hadn’t noticed it today until a read this thread. Now its howling and annoying me! Usually I does not bother me at all.

However fairly randomly it seems to change and sometimes annoys me much more than others. I think cbt / relaxation / meditation might well be worth trying if it bugs you badly as certainly for me there appears to be some psychological component that varies.

I seem to be able to live with mine without it actually bugging me much. Maybe its not as loud as some but its so hard to quantify as its totally subjective.or maybe its just I can relax and cope with it better. My dad has it badly but once he retired it stopped bugging him so much.

My Mum has it, but she’s never been a drinker, never been subject to regular loud noise (retired teacher), never been subject to a one off extreme loud noise environment (to her recollection) and always been financially sound (don’t know about any other stresses). For whatever reason, some people just suffer from it. I don’t think she has ever found a solution, hers is manageable tho, a certain pitch or noise level triggers it. I’ve ended up with loads of free stuff that unfortunately have caused her problems, TVs, vacuum cleaners, CD players etc

Sorry the thread started off your tinnitus TJ. I think thinking about it makes you more aware of it and in turn makes it seem worse.

For whatever reason, some people just suffer from it.

There’s a school of thought which says that everyone has it to some degree, but the extent to which you are aware of it is very different.

I know from experience that when you start to get it, you focus on the noise and you’re always listening out for it – which makes you more sensitive to it and can make it seem genuinely louder.

Nae worries Oxboy – its fading again – I am used to it now after 15+ years of it. it was more of an observation than a complaint

I do think there is something in that Grum. certainly either mine varies in volume or I vary in awareness.

It would appear to be connected with the filters in your brain that control your hearing threshold / sensitivity as well. Learning not to listen to it helps for sure

long term sufferer as well. I had a mastoidectomy some 2 yrs ago this help greatly, not cured it but it helped. Exercise brings it on for me, seems to be the extra blood pumping around my head. 😥

playing in a rock band…pretty un-avoidable unless you wore earplugs from the off…cymbals are the worse for me…especial when I’ve got a head cold. Got a ringing now, typing and watching telly….

I got a new LCD TV from my mum last year, she still goes on about the slight ‘background noise’ from it, I have no idea what she’s on about. They got another TV with no problems.
About 12 months ago, I started grinding my teeth at night, again, said to be stress related, but with absolutely no change in my life/circumstances what so ever (as far as I know).

+1 tinnitus sufferer here. Mine caused by too many nights in loud clubs/working in loud environments.

Things that help me: have computer on as I fall asleep so fan masks tinnitus to some extent, use noise cancelling headphones when in unavoidable loud environments (aeroplanes), keep busy all the time whether at home or work – helps to focus on something and makes me more tired when I get to bed!

No real pearls of wisdom just little things that help me forget about it. I just hope there’s some real advances in medical technology in my lifetime as I would give just about anything to hear silence once again!!

Strange as it might seem, I quite enjoy my tinnitus

Perhaps it’s really the sound of blood rushing through my arteries and veins . . . and I don’t want that to stop anytime soon 🙂

A very good mate of mine is an EN&T consultant and the bad news is that generally there’s not a lot you can do…. some surgery can help but is no way guaranteed.

Exercise brings it on for me, seems to be the extra blood pumping around my head

some of these posts are making feel good about my tinnitus!!!

for me the main problem seems to be narrow eustachion tubes and lack of ventilation to the inner ear. Plus some loud clubs/DJing when younger.

If I pinch my nose and pop my ears it helps a little – I have a decent hifi so can hear the change in sound balance.

mountain biking/climbing up hills and squash all help due to the way it makes me breath/pant, but jogging doens’t help and serves to block up my tubes.

I listen to in-ear phones all day as I am sensitive to sound and can pick up conversations from the other side of the open plan office.

At night I sleep with cotton wool in my ears as plugs would make the ringing an issue.

Lack of exercise combined with heavy workload/stress would make it appear worse.

I’ve had it for around 15 years – one night in a nightclub in Newcastle was all it took.

I’ve never worked out the extent to which my hearing is reduced, though I’m sure that cycling, ipod use, driving an open-topped car for 5 years have all contributed to its worsening.

I managed to f=go through a bit of a mindset shift, and became quite accepting of the ringing. Sometimes it does feel more noticeable than at others, but generally there’s enough background noise in my life that I don’t notice it. I go to bed so tired there isn’t time for me to listen to it.

Sorry, can’t help, but I hope it gets better..!

I had it for three months following an ear infection caught surfing. It was dreadful, and you have my sympathies. I also had a brief episode last week after a loud party. I have the very sensitive hearing of a teenager (just three times older!) and the episode has passed. I suspect however, that if you can relate the emergence to prolonged exposure to loud noise, then it is likely to be more permanent. As TJ says, distraction, white noise or music will help.

for everyone – carry earplugs always. wear them on aeroplanes and trains and in cars on the motorway – all high enough noise levels to do damage. Always have them in in nightclubs and at gigs or when using power tools or anywhere else noisy.

The aspect that really gets to me is poor noise discrimination – in a quiet room I can hear a pin drop but in a noisy pub I cannot follow a conversation – I mainly have to lipread

I do think for those that are bothered by it CBT / relaxation techniques / meditation would be useful. It certainly helps me to go thru a set of relaxation exercises

I get it every now and again, blame years of glastonbury clubs, gigs, whatever. Comes and goes for me.

I’ve had it for a few years, but don’t really notice it any more. This thread has made me notice it again, but I’ll soon forget to listen!

Oh, and it’s so good to have a calm, sensible, helpful thread for a change, without the usual bitching 😆

for everyone – carry earplugs always. wear them on aeroplanes and trains and in cars on the motorway – all high enough noise levels to do damage. Always have them in in nightclubs and at gigs or when using power tools or anywhere else noisy.

Definitely, I bought a set of the musicians ones that deaden across the range evenly so you can still converse with them in. Helps a lot, but takes a bit of getting used to putting them on in loud public places. And I can’t leave them in when it’s quietened down or I notice the ringing more due to the silence. Which is an issue as I then need to concentrate on whether it’s noisy or not, which makes me notice the ringing more. Ughhh

Which musicians plugs did you buy? I bought some about 4 years ago now but they don’t seem to offer a lot of protection compared with the bespoke moulded ones I got from work, but with these you really can’t hear much at all! I’m looking for a comprimise between the two.

It is a pain when it quietens down again as the ringing is ten times louder with plugs and little background noise!

I got the ACE ones, though I can’t see the same ones on their site anymore:

You have my sympathies, as I’ve had it for years. Sorry, but I haven’t found any ‘silver bullet’ cures that I can pass on. I guess the only thing I can suggest is to try and identify things that can make it worse – then try and manage or minimise effect.. As others have mentioned, booze can have an effect (makes mine worse). I’ve found that even half to two hours of moderately loud music or cinema soundtrack type stuff can make mine worse for 12 to 24 hours afterwards. Someone suggested wearing ‘medium density’ type ear plugs when in the cinema – not tried ’em, but apparently, they reduce but don’t totally block out the volume, so you can still follow dialogue easily.

p.s. just seen above replies that mention ‘plugs, I think those are the ones I was thinking of.

ACS maybe, that’s what mine are – survived a freakin loud DJ Shadow concert recently with them.

ACS ones:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/er20-musicians-high-fi-earplugs-case-er-20-ER20-/250884909651?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Access_RL&var=&hash=item801136aa0e

etymotics

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Etymotic-Research-ER-20-Ety-Plugs-Earplugs-ER20-BLUE-/190579339489?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c5f69f0e1

Elacin ones:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Drummers-earplugs-ELACIN-ER20S-FREE-SHIPPING-/360380321230?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Access_RL&hash=item53e8574dce

spot the difference…

(search for ER20 on ebay)

I have a link at home for somewhere that does custom molds for something like £160, but I think the attenuation is exactly the same they are just comfier.

It does depend on how severe it is, but my mum got very bad tinnitus in both ears due to an infection, which caused permanent nervous damage. She now uses hearing aids in both ears and she says that the whistling is lessened when wearing them, as they make the brain concentrate on the sound coming from the hearing aid instead. I presume the OPs symptoms aren’t quite that bad, but if they worsen it is worth investigating.

To midlifecrashes, if the tinnitus is a lot worse due to infection, you should ask your GP for something to treat it. My mum’s permanent damage might have been preventable or at least not as bad if she’d taken something against the infection, apparently.

for everyone – carry earplugs always. wear them on aeroplanes and trains and in cars on the motorway – all high enough noise levels to do damage. Always have them in in nightclubs and at gigs or when using power tools or anywhere else noisy.

This^^^

I was aware of what tinnitus was when I developed it, as my mother has it. Hers is different though – all whooshes and gushing. Mine’s just ringing.

All gigs, nightclubs etc I went to for years afterwards I would wear earplugs. I have also worn them on planes (but prefer in ear headphones for attentuation and entertainment). I have worn them on ling motorway journeys when we had a Mazda MX5, but don’t normally. My motorway mileage has recently increased significantly, and I’m aware of the additional noise.

Everyone with tinutus should consider the above plugs if they don’t use some already – especially seeing how cheap they are.

The ones I linked to above just attenuate the sound but leave the balance alone – at the loud concert I mention above I could follow the conversation of the guy I went with who was standing next to me behind the mixing desk – possibly easier than without the plugs as they cut the volumne of his raised voice. The music was also correctly balanced.

The plugs above have a triple flange earpiece just like on normal etymotic iem phones. They can feel hard to start with – but you get used to it. You might be able to retrofit some of the other types, like the soft silicon ones that Shure do, but I think you might struggle with the foam ones.

The triple flange bit fits into a clear plastic tube which folds back on itself so the sound has to enter at the bit closest to the ear and then travel back out towards the end of the clear plastic tube and then back round on itself before travelling down the central pipe that feeds into the triple flange and your ear.

At the point of the fold back there is an angled cut which probably helps keep the sound balance.

Anyway – highly recommended – I wear them if I go to a concert, cut the grass, trim the hedge, go to wimbledon, etc. Not to sleep through as they stick out a little.

I felt that caffeine made mine worse. Stopped drinking it and feel that has helped but still suffer from it. Never thought about where it came from, but I saw my bloody valentine a couple of times, I think so that could be he lead. +1 for white noise on the grim days / through the grim nights. I like rain sounds.

Here the custom link:

http://www.acscustom.com/uk/

I developed tinitus following an ear infection. I work offshore and the constant background noise tends to cover the squeel, however putting ear plugs in makes me notice it again and the first couple of nights at home are hellish, especially with the absolute quiet of night time when lying in bed.

Nothing makes it better and if someone is talking to me from the side with the tinitus then I usually miss the first half of what is said. This does come in useful when I want to ignore my wife……..

Suffer here too.

Out of interest, when people are wearing ear plugs, like the ones talked about, do you find that all sorts of vibration cause a big drum like sound. ie walking barefoot on a hard floor, or going down some rough bits on the bike. Sometimes it sounds like this drum sound is worse than the sound I’m trying to block out.