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Tinnitus

BJP said:
Yes normally tinnitus is linked to hearing loss and the brain tries to re-create the frequency you should have heard .
1 in 4 have tinnitus of some degree , unless there is a cause that can be rectified the next best thing is to help yourself , tiredness , stress , smoking , alcohol , sugar , salt , medication are all major factors in making the condition worse . I have it in my head constantly and it's got worse with age , I never have a quiet day , I can't mask it out as it is always above what I hear , tuning out is the best method , esaier said than done of course.
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As I sit here writing my tinnitus is probably as loud as it could possibly get with anyone who suffers it. The Ent specialist says I am unfortunately at the wrong end of the scale. Sound makes it worse, even quiet sound, a kettle boiling, the fridge humming, washer, drier, even soothing music of any kind have all become intolerable. I have to leave the room whenever sound enters it when it hits this high level & probably explains why some here enjoy poking fun at my mood changes (which personality is here today ragaman etc...childish bollocks from the usual suspects). I have one day of extreme loudness followed by 2 days of slightly less loud, say from number 11 on the dial down to 9, followed by almost silence for 24 hours, then back again. Has been this way for months now.

Stress, food or whatever has no effect.

I have found only one answer to the torture, alcohol. Seems the only thing which has the ability to lower the volume.
 
Ragaman said:
I have found only one answer to the torture, alcohol. Seems the only thing which has the ability to lower the volume.
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I deeply sympathise with you , alcohol must be doing one of two things either taking your mind off it or numbing something . If it was the latter you would think there would be some pill that replicates the effect but the last time I went to see the specialist the first thing he said was "there is no pill" and then pointed to my date of birth and said " Anno Domini I'm afraid"
 
BJP said:
I deeply sympathise with you , alcohol must be doing one of two things either taking your mind off it or numbing something . If it was the latter you would think there would be some pill that replicates the effect but the last time I went to see the specialist the first thing he said was "there is no pill" and then pointed to my date of birth and said " Anno Domini I'm afraid"
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Oh for a pill :D

I'm wishing my life away at the moment to the next day of silence, a luxury not everyone can count on with this ailment so I should count myself lucky.
 
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Just a quick update to this thread. My tinnitus is still here sadly but I've learnt to live with it over the past 12 months.

In a plus note, I had a build of wax removed yesterday via micro suction in both ears - as soon as the blockages were removed the ringing disappeared! Albeit temporarily, as this morning it's back a little in the left ear. Still, it's significantly quieter than it was.
 
A friend's tinnitus was caused by many years of playing in bands but his doctor reckoned that hard crunching / grinding of the jaw made it worse, so no hard, crunchy food and a mouth guard at night. He says that over two years of following that advice his tinnitus has gone from pretty bad to just audible. Anecdotal I know but I'll offer it in case it might help any sufferers.
 
I developed tinnitus far too young, and have the characteristic notch around 6k on my left side that often accompanies it. Luckily, my hearing is still more than decent elsewhere - my responses at 8k are still up around 0db, for example.

Shame that I went spoiling my good hearing by clubbing, playing music, working in noisy environments and so on. But that's life...

What I can say is that the brain does adapt and compensate over time. It doesn't exactly go away, but somehow it just doesn't affect you like it once did. It takes time.

The body and mind too have a remarkable tenacity to pursue a state of homeostasis. It's almost trite to say, but in my experience it's been very true - do whatever works to take your mind off of it for now. Your body/mind will adjust over time - it's a process that happens of its own accord, and you need to trust in it.
 
daws0n said:
Just a quick update to this thread. My tinnitus is still here sadly but I've learnt to live with it over the past 12 months.

In a plus note, I had a build of wax removed yesterday via micro suction in both ears - as soon as the blockages were removed the ringing disappeared! Albeit temporarily, as this morning it's back a little in the left ear. Still, it's significantly quieter than it was.
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I'm into my third year doubt it will ever go away. TV seems to be the worst for me. Still play my records and enjoy them it's still there but not as bad .
 
Have had it for years. Varies in its intensity. As I age either it is less pronounced or I am getting used to it. You can still enjoy music, on good days quite well. One thing is that I never listen at those stupid volume levels I did when younger. Good luck, hang in there!
 
I developed a high speed drumming sound in my left ear a couple of years ago, only affected me when my eyes were closed. I had to lie with the the affected side on the pillow to be able to get some sleep. Thankfully in the last 6 months it has improved by 80-90% (no idea why) so don't give up hope chaps!
 
PBB said:
Have had it for years. Varies in its intensity. As I age either it is less pronounced or I am getting used to it. You can still enjoy music, on good days quite well. One thing is that I never listen at those stupid volume levels I did when younger. Good luck, hang in there!
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Was doing DJ in clubs in the 80's and 90's my father used say I would pay a price with my hearing. Lived in Alexandria for 6 month the tannoy calling for prayers was what brought tinnitus forward. Like you I'm now weary of loud music though I go to gigs.
 
When I first developed tinnitus several years ago, I was very distressed and felt I was moving in the direction of insanity.
My goal was to do whatever I could to take my mind off it, but this just did not work for me. The harder I tried the more intusive the tinnitus became.
Instead I learned that through practicing mindfulness, my tinnitus seemed to become diluted and less invasive. The practice involves spending time intentionally paying attention to ones tinnitus in a meditative way. The outcome, for me at least is that by becoming more familiar with my tinnitus, I have developed a less adverserial relationship with it. In a way I have welcomed it to my world, as I know its not going away any time soon. Nowadays I tend to smile towards it, as opposed to react in an antagonistic fashion.
I have found this approach helpfull with coping with psoriasis also. At the end of the day such afflictions are only preparing us for tougher battles down the road. Everybody gets something and I am prepared to accept tinnitus and psoriasis into my life, when it could be something much worse
 
Ragaman,
Sorry, your story is really quite sad and alarming.
I find mine is least noticeable when busy with something and that the Ginkgo Biloba has had no notable effect on my tinnitus. It does seem however to have improved my absent-mindedness and ability to think "straighter" without the mind wandering when I need to concentrate. I also noticed that when I have accidentally missed a tablet it takes a couple of days to "get back on song". Didn't know about the effects on the liver mentioned above tho'
 
I have tinnitus for over 10 years, a 8khz sinus I learned to live with it, so it’s not maddening for me. Some people get severe depression from it and could be incapacitating. Last month I went to a ENT doctor specialized in Tinnitus, he told me Tinnitus is an audial allucination and in most cases is not a physical issue, but mental or neural problem. He prescribed me two pills that are used to treat epilepsy and migraine, they are anti-convulsive drugs. Clonazepam and Gabapentine that I’ll have to take for 6 months. The point is to tell the brain it doesn’t exist. It’s well documented on the web and studies say Gingko Biloba is useless against a placebo.

The worst thing about this is that I’ll have to avoid alcohol for 6 months.
 
Fulci said:
I have tinnitus for over 10 years, a 8khz sinus I learned to live with it, so it’s not maddening for me. Some people get severe depression from it and could be incapacitating. Last month I went to a ENT doctor specialized in Tinnitus, he told me Tinnitus is an audial allucination and in most cases is not a physical issue, but mental or neural problem. He prescribed me two pills that are used to treat epilepsy and migraine, they are anti-convulsive drugs. Clonazepam and Gabapentine that I’ll have to take for 6 months. The point is to tell the brain it doesn’t exist. It’s well documented on the web and studies say Gingko Biloba is useless against a placebo.

The worst thing about this is that I’ll have to avoid alcohol for 6 months.
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Please keep us informed.
 
Fulci said:
I have tinnitus for over 10 years, a 8khz sinus I learned to live with it, so it’s not maddening for me. Some people get severe depression from it and could be incapacitating. Last month I went to a ENT doctor specialized in Tinnitus, he told me Tinnitus is an audial allucination and in most cases is not a physical issue, but mental or neural problem. He prescribed me two pills that are used to treat epilepsy and migraine, they are anti-convulsive drugs. Clonazepam and Gabapentine that I’ll have to take for 6 months. The point is to tell the brain it doesn’t exist. It’s well documented on the web and studies say Gingko Biloba is useless against a placebo.

The worst thing about this is that I’ll have to avoid alcohol for 6 months.
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Best you do your homework on Gabapentine and its side effects before diving in. It’s often prescribed to chronic pain sufferers and the outcome is often not great. Also not something you can just quit cold turkey.
 
Yes, it got me scared when I first read about it but the dosis is the bare minimum, at least for now. Side effects were harsh the first few days, specially clonazepam. It was a very long weekend.
 
Fulci said:
I have tinnitus for over 10 years, a 8khz sinus I learned to live with it, so it’s not maddening for me. Some people get severe depression from it and could be incapacitating. Last month I went to a ENT doctor specialized in Tinnitus, he told me Tinnitus is an audial allucination and in most cases is not a physical issue, but mental or neural problem. He prescribed me two pills that are used to treat epilepsy and migraine, they are anti-convulsive drugs. Clonazepam and Gabapentine that I’ll have to take for 6 months. The point is to tell the brain it doesn’t exist. It’s well documented on the web and studies say Gingko Biloba is useless against a placebo.

The worst thing about this is that I’ll have to avoid alcohol for 6 months.
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Tinnitus is a common problem normally kicked off by sound. Some sort of audio part of the ear is damaged. For me that means the tinnitus is not something my brain can switch off. I dont think your doctor has got this right. Fully understanding why any of us would try anything so please keep us up to date.
 
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