I’ve developed a persistent ringing in the ears over the last month or so that sounds like a dentist’s drill. The volume isn’t constant and can noticeably increase at various times of the day.

I had my hearing checked by the occupational health nurse at work and, if anything, it has improved when compared to previous tests 2 and 4 years ago! However, I’m a little run down and stressed and have had a cold for the last week when it has been worse. I perforated the left one a couple of times recently, but the noise is in both sides. Also, some sounds really get to me, tipping dried pasta into a pan being the worst.

If it carries on for much longer I’ll book a doctor’s appointment, but after recent experience when I has being checked out tested and prodded for a cancer (that I didn’t have) I’m loathed to put myself through endless hours of being pissed about!

Anyone else had something similar?

That sounds like tinnitus.

Yep, Tinnitus.

I get it in my left ear if i’m really tired or stressed.

Yep, sounds like Tinnitus. Could be brought on temporarily by a cold I guess.

I’ve had it since I was 17, too much loud music in pubs as a teenager.

I’ve had it since I was 17, too much loud music in pubs as a teenager.

Same. A-level school party was the first time I went to a “club” and have been ringing ever since. Been bad recently for some reason.

try the head tapping thing, see if it goes away

Been bad recently for some reason.

I find alcohol makes it worse as do colds etc. If I don’t think about it I generally don’t notice it. Not unsurprisingly, this thread has made me notice it!

try the head tapping thing, see if it goes away

It’s supposedly caused by damaged hair follicals in the inner ear, so can’t see how that would fix it….

I guess you are in your forties or fifties? Welcome to creeping middle age and tinnitus. You will learn to ignore it.

Yep, Tinnitus.

Yep, that.

I get it sporadically.. in fact I’ve got a bit of it now as it happens.. I’m not stressed, nor got a cold.. I have really bad sinus problems though so thats my excuse.

Sounds very like tinnitus, there can be lots of different causes and can be either ear, nerve or brain based. Apart from loud noise high blood pressure, medication, and illness can all trigger it.

I’m afflicted pretty badly by tinnitus, you have my sympathies.  I went more or less completely deaf in my right ear which really compounded it.  I also have hyperacusis which is the intolerance to certain sounds that you describe.  All sorts of stuff can cause temporary tinnitus – even vitamin deficiencies (how’s the diet?).  Tired, too much booze, excessive noise (obviously), viruses.

I got checked out, it involved an MRI for me to make sure I didn’t have a tumour (because of the relatively sudden hearing loss).

Yes another tinnitus sufferer here, just listen to r4 all day.

If you tell the doc you only have it in 1 side you will be whisked off for an mri, it’s a sign of something much more serious.

I ‘ve had mine for years, don’t even think about it now.

It’s most likely absolutely nothing (stress etc can put it up..I had it TERRIBLY during the early stages of my divorce)…
But… it’s worth seeing your GP about to have a proper discussion and examination.

DrP

Tinnitus. I play in a very noisey punk band and pretty much everyone i know has it.

Always use ear plugs or protectors when doing anything involving loud noises. Its always worse when you are tired or run down. Sometimes it goes away on its own. Ive never heard of a cure though.

Tinnitus can also, fwiw, apparently be associated with iron deficiency, though nobody quite knows why.

footflaps

It’s supposedly caused by damaged hair follicals in the inner ear, so can’t see how that would fix it….

I didn’t say it fixed it, I just said try it.

If it works he knows he most likely does have tinnitus & he also knows a method to quieten it down for a while. 🙂

Brexit. Three years of shite ringing in my ears..

Fellow tinnitus “sufferer” here – except I don’t suffer, I quite enjoy it.  I’ve convinced myself it’s the sound of blood rushing through my arteries and veins – and I definitely don’t want that to stop!

But see your GP soon, as I seem to remember there’s some “treatment” that only works in the very early stages.

I get it in my left ear when I put an earplug in my right for sleep.

I’m convinced it’s related to a clay shooting incident where I knocked the can off my left ear as I shouldered the shotgun to take a quartering right to left. The report in my left was horrendous. It really ballsed up my hearing for a few days and now it’s come back as I’m 50!

Are you on any long term meds Op?
I know first hand that some anti inflammatory drugs list ear ringing as a side effect.

I think it can also be caused by wax build up, specifically if some ends up getting wedged up the ear canal or touching the ear drum. So you could get some ear wax stuff (personally I wouldn’t recommend using olive oil as some people do) from the chemist and see if that makes any difference.

Yep, Tinnitus.

Yep, that.

I get it sporadically.. in fact I’ve got a bit of it now as it happens.. I’m not stressed, nor got a cold.. I have really bad sinus problems though so thats my excuse.

And to add…

It’s almost gone now.. It’s one of those “things” that I’ve come to expect.. during any day, I will get a bit of ringing in my ears..

However, my Mrs has constant ringing in her left ear.

We (She) thought it was 20 yrs of using Makita sanders and drills and stuff, and a very early Drum & Bass passion for sticking her ears in the bass speaker cabinets..and pretty much dancing until dawn..

But recent hearing tests have proven that whilst Yes she has lost a “frequency” (due to the 20 yrs of Makita sanders and the like) most of the hearing “ringing” and loss is down to older age… and she’s been prescribed a hearing aid.

When asked ” what colour?” she replied, “Grey please I want people to understand that hearing loss is a social thing and not because I’m deficient or disabled.”

Honestly, I don’t think I’ve been more proud of her.

I’ve developed a persistent ringing in the ears over the last month or so that sounds like a dentist’s drill. The volume isn’t constant and can noticeably increase at various times of the day.

Are you within earshot of binners?

I have menieries disease and am going deaf in one ear, have massive dizzy spells and permanent tinnitus. Living the dream.

Good piece on Radio 4 on learning to live with tinnitus.
Worth a listen  Inside Health
Starts at about 7 mins in.

Not just a punk/rock/drun ‘n’ bass issue. It’s quite common amongst orchestral musicians, especially the woodwinds sitting right in front of the brass and percussion. Quite normal these days to see earplugs and/or acoustic screens.

Aye, sounds like tinnitus. I’ve had it in both ears since I was about 23 years old (34 now). It can get you down and for years I struggled with it. Nowadays I’ve managed to just tune it out and rarely think about it. It’s definitely still there.. and just typing this in a quiet room I can hear it if I listen. I also have hyper-acusis as noted above. If I’m in a busy bar trying to follow a line of conversation with all that background noise is horrendous.. I tend to just avoid such places TBH!

I didn’t ‘do’ anything as such to tune it out.. I just made sure I was always busy with something and using my mind for constructive projects (family/work/hobbies/DIY/etc.) and always planning the next thing.

Tinnitus isn’t a condition, it’s a symptom. It’s like someone whose leg hurts being diagnosed with hurty-leg syndrome.

The actual cause is likely to be a mystery, and good luck getting a doctor to take it seriously.

I had a really bad ringing in my right ear for the last 3 weeks and went to a local clinic that perform “microsuction” (not to be confused with liposuction).

They basically put a tiny Hoover with a camera down each ear and suck out the earwax. The ringing went away immediately. Took about 15mins and cost £60.

Might be worth a shot.

When asked ” what colour?” she replied, “Grey please I want people to understand that hearing loss is a social thing and not because I’m deficient or disabled.”

Honestly, I don’t think I’ve been more proud of her.

Sorry, don’t want to derail this (or seem like an arse) but why is this a big deal or something to be proud of? You can’t see properly, you get glasses; can’t hear properly, you get a hearing aid. Whats it got to do with not being disabled?

PS Asking this as a tinnitus suffering hearing aid user.
PPS I’d get it checked, though mine is worse if I’m dehydrated, run down etc. Tinnitus that is, not the hearing – that’s always ****

Duggan that’s free on the NHS thought there is a waiting time – which is useful for using drops or oil to soften the wax. I have paid for it once when I was in desperate need of my ears quickly. I’m not keen on that hoover method, I prefer the old fashioned irrigation with warm water.

I had a really bad ringing in my right ear for the last 3 weeks and went to a local clinic that perform “microsuction” (not to be confused with liposuction).

They basically put a tiny Hoover with a camera down each ear and suck out the earwax. The ringing went away immediately. Took about 15mins and cost £60.

Might be worth a shot.

Ditto. Still ringing though.

I used to paint cars and the hiss of the airfed mask had made us all deaf at a certain frequency.

Had tinnitus since a car curtain airbag went off about 1cm from my ear.

Had tests, MRI etc. & told there’s nothing ‘mechanically’ wrong.

If I’m in a crowded place the background noise drowns out anyone speaking directly to me. Also, any droning noise such as aircon, washing machine, dishwasher, extractor fans drive me over the edge. Oddly my hearing ability has barely changed when measured in the cubicle at work’ OHU.

Looks like it’s here to stay too.

And as if taking the piss our new neighbour has a dog that barks continually whilst they’re out; to sleep I have to shove ear plugs in yet when I do this the shushing whistle is amplified 🤬🤬🤬

Anybody else find it’s worse when you think about it?

Anybody else find it’s worse when you think about it?

Yep. Right now.

Sorry, don’t want to derail this (or seem like an arse) but why is this a big deal or something to be proud of? You can’t see properly, you get glasses; can’t hear properly, you get a hearing aid. Whats it got to do with not being disabled?

S’allright, no problem.

To her I think the stigma of wearing a flesh coloured hearing aid at school (by her sister) caused lots of childish remarks a piss taking.. It was the late 70’s BTW so I guess back then being seen to wear glasses (as an example) was an acceptable for of “spekky-four-eyes” piss taking..

Thats stuck with her and she thought back then it was cruel, so she’s made the decision to go for Grey to let everyone know.. so it’s easy to spot.

Thankfully we don’t live in the 70’s (well, maybe some attitudes do)

Anyway, I’m very proud of her… she’s been hard of hearing for years..

Anybody else find it’s worse when you think about it?

just got worse reading this thread………

Will try the head tapping later tonight, nothing to lose I suppose.

Depends what you tap it with.

bikebouy 👍 fair enough, that’s understandable. Grey hearing aid here too.

Its also surprising how many people don’t spot the hearing aid anyway so it’s not a bad thing that you can see’em, reminds people to speak up/look at you etc. Mind you, my kids and mrs seem to forget I’m deaf regularly. Maybe suggest she wears a sign or something.

Similar here, have lost some frequencies due too excessively noisy things in the past and have had tinnitus on and off most of my life but tooth infection that spread to my jaw and ear triggered it to continuous. Infection long gone, visit to the Doc and he said may go, may stay, sort of getting used to it but wish it wasn’t here, distractions are good, thinking about it ( eg this thread ) don’t help.