Tinnitus :(

[John Phillips]

My vertigo can be so bad I can only crawl to the bathroom on my knees, constantly falling over as I go, and I cannot see because the room is just flicking backwards and forwards.

I'm sorry to hear that. I see you have had diagnosis but for others it's essential to ask has the particular type of vertigo been diagnosed?

When I developed vertigo a long time ago, my GP was not well informed (no criticism intended - GPs cover so much ground they are naturally not able to know everything). I had short-lived episodes of strong imbalance and nausea. He gave me medication for the nausea which proved ineffective.

I had to do more specific research and diagnosis myself and found (fortunately) that my form was benign paroxysmal positional vertigo which can be treated by repeated application of the Epley manoeuvre over a couple of weeks. That worked. I subsequently had a couple of mild recurrences, lasting a few days, a couple of years apart. Again, the Epley manoeuvre worked. I have had no problem now for many years. Knowing how it feels, I am hoping you can find improvement.

 

[dweezil]

Had tinnitus for years as have my brother and mother.

I find decent noise cancelling headphones help keep the volume down and wear them for all work in a loud environment.

Avoid anything like shooting or hitting lumps of metal with a hammer; i find that almost painful.

On a good system the tinnitus is unnoticeable, on anything with squeaky, distorted treble it's horrible.

Had to leave a live performance a couple of years due to it being played through a loud shouty cheap Carlsboro PA horn system.

My ears seem to like peace and low blood pressure so i monitor stress levels and heart rate.

 

[Bob McC]

I'm sorry to hear that. I see you have had diagnosis but for others it's essential to ask has the particular type of vertigo been diagnosed?

When I developed vertigo a long time ago, my GP was not well informed (no criticism intended - GPs cover so much ground they are naturally not able to know everything). I had short-lived episodes of strong imbalance and nausea. He gave me medication for the nausea which proved ineffective.

I had to do more specific research and diagnosis myself and found (fortunately) that my form was benign paroxysmal positional vertigo which can be treated by repeated application of the Epley manoeuvre over a couple of weeks. That worked. I subsequently had a couple of mild recurrences, lasting a few days, a couple of years apart. Again, the Epley manoeuvre worked. I have had no problem now for many years. Knowing how it feels, I am hoping you can find improvement.

Thanks for that.
I use the Epley and the Brandt-Daroff manouvres regularly.
Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t.
What is worrying If it is Meniere’s, suspected because of the pressure build up in the ear which other conditions seem to not have, is that it is a chronic condition that over time will lead to permanent deafness in the affected ear.

 

[leroyd]

So I visited the Audiologist yesterday and discussed the possibility of hearing aids. I have considerable hearing lose in both ears that came about as a result of playing in bands over many years, together with developing tinnitus in 2010.
Can anyone comment on whether hearing aids enhance the listening experience when using hifi?

 

[AnilS]

So I visited the Audiologist yesterday and discussed the possibility of hearing aids. I have considerable hearing lose in both ears that came about as a result of playing in bands over many years, together with developing tinnitus in 2010.
Can anyone comment on whether hearing aids enhance the listening experience when using hifi?

For me, initially yes. My hearing aids were the independent type either side but I needed a Graphic Equaliser to balance/compensate for each side.
Later, as my hearing got worse, I have lost the HiFi sound.

I have to resort to a decent set of headphones to get close to what I had. Every case is different. I now have new hearing aids that have 4 settings.

1. Speech
2. Speech and noise (background I believe)
3. Music (goes quite wide range and isn't too bad, provided there is no other noise in the house)
4. Spare

I did, for a short time, have bi-cross aids but they were awful.

Send me a PM if you want to chat further (on mobile), and I can talk you through it. Easier than typing

 

[Elephantears]

Now last few weeks I am getting a pretty regular / constant but very faint high pitched sound (think dog whistle!)

A speculative question, but do you suffer from hay fever and/or other similar allergies? I ask because I had an episode of tinnitus a few years ago. I thought it had been caused by a combination of using large speakers that pressurised my small room, and one too many My Bloody Valentine gigs (I'd been to one a week before it started). However it went away after a while.

Then it recurred, the same time the next year - at some point in May. I think that hay fever was playing havoc with my Eustachian tubes and causing pressure problems - well, I know it was, because I could feel it specifically in that area.

Ultimately I think there were a combination of issues; trauma from a ridiculously loud gig (for f**ks sake Kevin!), inappropriate hi-fi choices, all setting the conditions for my hay fever to trigger it at that time of year. It's self-diagnosis, but it's difficult to do more with a condition that's not well understood. Fortunately it hasn't recurred since.

 

[leroyd]

For me, initially yes. My hearing aids were the independent type either side but I needed a Graphic Equaliser to balance/compensate for each side.
Later, as my hearing got worse, I have lost the HiFi sound.

I have to resort to a decent set of headphones to get close to what I had. Every case is different. I now have new hearing aids that have 4 settings.

1. Speech
2. Speech and noise (background I believe)
3. Music (goes quite wide range and isn't too bad, provided there is no other noise in the house)
4. Spare

I did, for a short time, have bi-cross aids but they were awful.

Send me a PM if you want to chat further (on mobile), and I can talk you through it. Easier than typing

Many thanks. I will pm you over the weekend

 

[Minio]

as my hearing got worse, I have lost the HiFi sound.

I have tinnitus in the left ear which although annoying becomes less so in the general noise level of everyday life.

More annoying is the unbalanced effect listening to the stereo. My left ear cannot hear above 8khz. The right ear can hear 12khz. Cymbals just disappear when I cover my right ear.

Any ideas from hearing aid users welcome.

 

[Yank]

I've had some degree of tinnitus for most of my life. I suspect it was induced by the Briggs & Stratton lawnmower, since I was the designated lawn slave from age 10 until I left home. I would describe mine as narrow band filtered white noise. The frequency has gradually decreased with age - it was ~15KHz when I first checked it in my 20s, now it's around 10-12KHz. 12KHz is also my upper limit at present.

 

[B-Ark-610873]

I too have tinnitus. Irritatingly mine was brought on by having an ear syringed due to a very painful build up of gunk

Very frustrating!

 

[quickie]

Another long term sufferer here.

For most of my life I've coped really well, but recently it has gotten louder to the point where I'm thinking about it a lot of the time which isn't good.

Mines at the top of my hearing range which is around 12.8k atm

 

[Seanm]

A speculative question, but do you suffer from hay fever and/or other similar allergies? I ask because I had an episode of tinnitus a few years ago. I thought it had been caused by a combination of using large speakers that pressurised my small room, and one too many My Bloody Valentine gigs (I'd been to one a week before it started). However it went away after a while.

Then it recurred, the same time the next year - at some point in May. I think that hay fever was playing havoc with my Eustachian tubes and causing pressure problems - well, I know it was, because I could feel it specifically in that area.

Ultimately I think there were a combination of issues; trauma from a ridiculously loud gig (for f**ks sake Kevin!), inappropriate hi-fi choices, all setting the conditions for my hay fever to trigger it at that time of year. It's self-diagnosis, but it's difficult to do more with a condition that's not well understood. Fortunately it hasn't recurred since.

That's interesting about the large speakers. I've had tinnitus on and off since getting Covid, but it's been worse recently - wonder if the Tannoys are to blame. I'd hate that.

 

[Elephantears]

That's interesting about the large speakers. I've had tinnitus on and off since getting Covid, but it's been worse recently - wonder if the Tannoys are to blame. I'd hate that.

I very much doubt it, because you've given them plenty of space and you're driving them modestly. I was pressuring a small room and not realising how loud I was listening for a while.

 

[Bob McC]

That's interesting about the large speakers. I've had tinnitus on and off since getting Covid, but it's been worse recently - wonder if the Tannoys are to blame. I'd hate that.

Tinnitus is a known post covid symptom.

the ZOE app also has it as a post vaccination symptom too.

 

[Seanm]

Tinnitus is a known post covid symptom.

the ZOE app also has it as a post vaccination symptom too.

Thanks, hadn’t heard about the vaccine connection - fits.

 

[JTC]

Update: my “geiger counter” left ear symptoms are playing up a bit. In terms of perceived volume, they’re roughly perceptible 45-50dB* clicks, as many as maybe 12 per second, sometimes quiet for several seconds. Most annoying but strangely the brain mostly stops me from going crazy during these (often month-long) episodes. I can imagine this could drive some people to suicidal thoughts, but fortunately I can mostly deal with it. It’s way worse than subjective tinnitus although quite different. The “geiger counter” description is the most appropriate; imagine the exact sound of a geiger counter being in your ear, at (like I say) about a perceived 45-50dB*. Not great. Current hypothesis is that it’s a spasmodic ‘tic’ affecting one of the tiny muscles in the inner ear, so a (fairly unusual) presentation of objective tinnitus. I’ve had an MRI and seen some Bupa ear specialist but he reckons surgical intervention is too risky.

* I measured this by finding music of approximately the same perceived volume as these internal clicks, and measured it from my listening position.

 

[Seanm]

I'm finding it quite comforting to hear that others are continuing to enjoy music despite their tinnitus. Currently mine's mostly a mild irritation - until I put a record on. It's pretty much killing any desire to listen to music. Hopefully that will pass even if the tinnitus doesn't.

 

[Frizzy]

Had tinnitus and mild vertigo for about 9 years. Reason I can be specific as is it’s from Ramsey hunt syndrome, after chemo I got a bad attack of shingles in sinuses and this caused nerve damage, left eye weeps and end of tongue and bits of face numb as well.
I find I have tuned system to not irritate/antagonise upper frequencies , then agn good hifi shouldn’t hurt, I also some days just have a quiet one, no hifi, quiet tabletop radio, sit in garden and listen to Tms.
It’s intensity varies, bad day loud dog whistle, good day feint whine. I suppose like most people my brains got used to filtering the low level stuff.
Doesn’t help I popped a eardrum at a sugar cubes gig, Bjork hit a loud high note and bang.