..... tinnitus here, or hear???
 

Do believe I have recently, last two weeks, come down with what is a strong case of tinnitus; irritating, constant noise within my head. It is similar to a high pitched sound of steam escaping from a steam radiator vent, or maybe a constant electronic sound made when turning an oscilloscope.

Is definitely a major distraction and constant annoyance either coming from the ears, and centered in the brain ...... somewhere, in there.

If I am able to peddle up this huge health hill of a problem right now, all things considered, coasting down the hill on the good side of a tinnitus relief cure will be a major blessing.

Have I seen a medical doctor ...... not yet ...... will I see one ..... I had better go see the doctor, very soon.

Anyone here have any experience, suggestions, or advice on this very serious health issue I am experiencing ....... tinnitus?

I am age 69 and generally in very excellent health, and look forward to living to age 99 ...... but for now, i need to get this interior brain/ear irritant noise cured! ...... :eek:

tinnitus
 

It's rarely fatal. Only if you listen to it.

Tinnutis
 

I have had it for many years...not much you can do about it. The more you think about it, the worse it gets. It would be worth your while to have it checked by a medical professional as there could be other underlying issues exacerbating the tinnitus...

Good luck!

Dan

Dan beat me to it. I’ve lived with it for about 10 years. Not much you can do about it. I have read there are a few trials going on with medication but that’s not for me. If I don’t think about it I really don’t hear it?

I have it also, and you just learn to live with it. It would be interesting to know what causes it, and of course an easy cure would be welcome.

Any new meds? Even OTC stuff can have this side effect.

Tinnitus is also a symptom of Covid 19. I experienced it (and still have it) when I contracted the virus in September. All BS aside, FLL, call your doctor and get it checked. You may want to get tested as well. You may be asymptomatic other that that.

BT

Glad to hear I am not alone suffering with this insidious problem. I did go to my doctor who referred me to an ENT who then referred me to a neurologist. Brain scan and other tests ensued only to be told, in the end, there's not much you can do but learn to live with it.

Hearing issues
 

I have it also, for years, as did my mother. It bothered her, not so much me. The less I think about it the less I notice it. I'm 73.

tinnitus
 

I've had it since 1986(age 42) so FLL you've enjoyed many good years without.

Try cleaning out your ears. That helps to a certain degree. Good Luck!

Ears
 

I’ve had it for a couple years now. Seemed to happen after I put a cab on my Kubota and the engine noise was pretty loud in a confined space. If you flush your ears out that might be a quick easy fix. I had a $4,000 MRI to make sure nothing was going on inside my head. Doctor said it could get worse, get better or stay the same. I didn’t buy their hearing aid. The noise seems to vary during the day. Doesn’t seem to be a cure and I wear ear protection when using the tractor or power equipment. Just too little too late. Pretty annoying.

Limit caffeine intake...don't take ibuprofen..white noise machine in your bedroom will help you sleep....check blood pressure to make sure it isn't high...wear headphones and listen to soothing music (low volume) when you can...exercise--cardio vascular workouts help.

Interesting comment about ibuprofen, because I take it occasionally and have noticed the buzzing is louder, but thought it was my imagination.....hmmm.

Hi FLL. You might have better luck posting your questions on a tinnitus-specific forum such as www.tinnitustalk.com.

Connection with Covid
 

I also heard it can be related to Covid 19. Recommend testing.

I had all the imaging 20 years ago and was told to live with it. It sounded like a low-pitched motor.

Then, a few months later, I was grousing about it to my chiropractor, and he said it was likely the sound of the blood pulsing through an artery (carotid?) in my neck. (I have TMJ as well, so that could be part of it.) Sure enough, it disappeared with an adjustment, obviously not an option mentioned by the ENT doctor.

It comes back at times, but it's way less annoying when you know it's not a permanent fixture.

This may not help anyone, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

Mac

Welcome to Tinnitus Land
 

I have it too. It started about 30 years ago and I was alarmed at first. Had it checked out by some sort of ear expert. Asked lots of questions. At one point spent lots of time on the Internet researching 'cures'. It's kinda like snoring with lots of snake salesmen selling the magic bullet.

My 'cure' was to accept it and since then it hasn't bothered me at all. Sure, I wish I didn't have it but it hasn't impacted my quality of life at all. As with others here, it's worse at times than at others. Such as right now, as I type, it's about as loud as it ever gets. Yet, if I didn't see this post, I wouldn't have been aware of it. The one thing I do remember being told or reading is that it doesn't affect your hearing which, in my case, I agree with.

After you get over the initial alarm, you can get used to it. Good luck.

My wife and I both have this condition. Hers worse than mine. We both have hearing aids which help tremendously. Mostly I don't wear mine all
the time. The condition is intermittent and sometimes lasts for a short period.
We both were tested with some hearing deficiency many years ago. My wife takes Lipo Flavanoid which may aliveate somewhat. If you need hearing aids I recommend Costco. They will check your hearing and give you the aid needed. Their cost is unbeatable, warranted and if you lose one it is replaced for free. The subsequent one is nor replaced free.

_____________________________________

I am a retired workaholic and continuing aquaholic

Im 56 and have had it for more than 10 years.

If you are familliar with Reddit, there is a subreddit for everything under the sun including tinnitus and hearing loss.

There is some very interesting reading that would lead one to believe there is a drug on the horizon for hearing loss and possibly tinnitus. I think it might be out before you hit 99. Lets hope much sooner.

In general what causes it???

There are a few known causes but I think the biggest is simply hearing damage from excessive loud noises. Mine was brought on from 35 years of competitive rifle shooting as well as working on loud construction sites for many years.

Keeping your blood pressure in check definitely helps. Any way to strengthen your cardio also seems to help. The healthier you are the less you seem to be aware of it.

Somebody delete this thread so the ringing stops!! :laugh::laugh:

Dan

Thanks for all your comments, at least it is a little bit of encouragement to know it is not so uncommon a problem, tinnitus.

The sound I hear right now inside my brain, or inside my ears, is a hissing white noise sound that on a scale from 0-10 is about a 4. It seems like it is worst after sleeping all night and waking up to it. If it gets any louder than a 4, it will probably be seriously disruptive.

During the day when engaged in activities it seems to dissipate and not be so noticeable. For the past three days I've been hula-hooping with a weighted 6-lb health hoop down on my dock in the lake, with a "Caliente" Hispanic classic hits cd booming out the latin beat for exercise as a way to help escape the tinnitus terror that happens when not distracted by either chores or exercise ..... with Gloria Estefan!

Never-ever had this problem before? On Monday, November 9, I had my ears cleaned by a local hearing professional and got poked in the ear drum at the start ...... have no clue if this is related?

So I went to Walmart and spent about ten dollars on ear cleaning items; water spritzer, ear drops, and cleaning tool, and taking long showers, and cleaning out the ears. If anything it seems like my cleaning effort is making it worse, but it seems to me like tinnitus must come from some type of inner ear issue.

It seems like it is mentally distracting, the white noise lulls you into a too relaxed state and you become forgetfull ...... you forget to take a left turn, or go to the store, or leave a bag in the car ..... stuff like that. It seems like just simple outdoors walking is a good escape.

As for now .... it is very bad .... distracting, annoying, depressing, dismal ..... and I definitely look forward to getting over this very bad health situation.

Contrary to my forum name, fatlazyless, am actually 6'2", 207-lbs and athletic, and have always been able to get over health issues in the past, including a large melanoma cancer tumor removal from my left upper arm in 2017 ...... so's I will get over this, too.

And, thanks again for all your comments, it makes me feel like I am not so alone with this problem.

I have had it for about 12 years and it is only on one side. It started after a motorcycle accident that I struck the left side of my head on the pavement. Among other injuries I had a brain bleed, something a helmet would certainly have helped. I lost about 15% of the hearing on that side too but that may be due to the ringing.

I have read about some solutions but have been told by professionals that there is really no good cure.

If I do not think about it I can ignore it, so I guess I should stop reading this thread!

It's That Free Coffee! But Live with It...
 

I heard random high-pitched beeps at age 11. I was sure that Jupiter (not Mars) was trying to contact me! About age 17, it turned to "real" tinnitus, and became especially annoying when at a silent and frozen Lake Winnipesaukee at Christmas, before snowmobiles were a "thing".

No reason could be ascribed to having developed it, nor any relief proffered. After 60 years, it's still annoying, but only when I think of it.

Like now! :fire:

It hasn't interfered with "birding by ear", and generally, my hearing is still very good. Attention, however, does affect the first few words of a conversation.

Several hearing tests produced many high-pitched beeps, but none have landed on the exact high frequency I am constantly "hearing".

Another ear problem I have is attributed to "tensor tympani". Its a "rushing" sound in both ears that surfaces when watching someone getting hurt! :confused: It's sort of an aural version of an empathy signal, like Deanna Troi suffers at Star Trek--TNG.

Adding recently to that, is Anisometropia in eyesight, which is far more annoying than tinnitus!

Lately, tinnitus gets much more intense after the evening meal. The doctor says it's caffeine, but I'm not giving up coffee! :mad:

The Product — Synapse XT...
 

I just watched a very long presentation touting a Tinnitus cure. (The problem is a generalized brain disorder and not an ear problem).

Ultimately, the producers wanted to sell a half-dozen bottles of an exotic "cure". I thought it was pricey, so I checked Amazon for reviews.

Overwhelmingly, the reviewers rejected Synapx XT as a waste of money! :eek: :(

I have had tinnitus for about 12 years. I had a motorcycle accident (Self defense: the responsible party plead guilty in court) and struck my head on the pavement, in addition to other body parts that took a beating. Brain bleed, broken ribs, slight hearing loss Etc.

The tinnitus started then and I do not believe anyone who says they have a cure. I have been to the best:Mass Eye and Ear Etc. After some time you learn to accept it and ignore it.

It comes back when I think about it after reading posts like the recent thread from FLL, or anything else that reminds me it is still there. Otherwise I am fortunate to be able to ignore it.

The cure?
 

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https://www.bing.com/search?q=Fact+c...ANNTA1&PC=HCTS

Tinnitus
 

Been profound hard of hearing since birth. I suffer from tinnitus and treat it as a normal part of my processing.

As hearing aids become more powerful and micro processing of sounds become the norm, tinnitus also increases. There is no known cure, but I found positive thinking and relaxation helps tremendously. Thinking about it or dwelling on it makes it worst!

Please expand on this idea. I was given hearing aids a few months ago for loss on the high end after my hearing was measured as part of a visit to understand newly discovered tinnitus...

.... unbearable tinnitus!
 

There's a lot more that I do not know about tinnitus than what I do know as a tinnitus sufferer.

Starting July 25 I have been taking Nortriptyline HCL 10mg cap, one pill at bedtime to help get a better night sleeping, what with the big, bad tinnitus waking me up, and making sleep difficult. It was prescribed to me by an ENT doctor at the Mass Eye and Ear in Boston, and it does help but puts me into a daze in the early morning, like till about 10-am. I usually go for a two mile walk and wander around Waterville Valley as a way to walk off the Nortriptyline daze and for mental health purposes.

You know there can be a dark and deadly end with tinnitus that makes some tinnitus sufferers go off the deep end, and actually do it to themselves ..... http://www.forbes.com/sites/ninashap...h=b630a8529403 which is a very good reason to not have a hand gun ...... is too easy ..... is too deadly. People with suicidal thoughts can get over it and regain their sense of well being. Sticking a gun in your ear is not a good way to fix your tinnitus problemo ....... like NO kidding .... ;)

Kent Taylor, age-65 ..... tinnitus suicide .... http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2021/03/20/k...-founder-dies/ .... September 27, 1955 - March 18, 2021

I believe you may find that if you take your Nortriptyline several hours earlier in the evening then you may feel far better each morning. This could help you out substantially (you may want to double check this with your Doctor).

Glad to hear you are doing better these days! Keep thinking positive.

I have a friend who has lost hearing on the high end, like babies crying and women screaming. He says his hearing is now perfect! :)

Glad that FLL is finally getting some relief.

As an aside, the medication FLL is on is one of the older antidepressants known as tricyclics which have been shown to help both tinnitus and depression.

On the other hand, the newer and usually more effective antidepressants, known as SSRI’s, such as Prozac, may aggravate tinnitus.

This is important, as depression and tinnitus frequently come together; and the usually more effective antidepressants, the SSRI’s, probably are best not used for tinnitus.

Every patient is different and you need to consult your physician if any of this applies to you.

( Yes, this is the usual CYA comment, but it is important.)

WOW, strikes me as an odd concept that tinnitus would be the cause for anyone to commit suicide,,, :eek:

I have suffered it for decades, highly variable from modest to almost fever like ringing and never thought enough about it to even seek medical treatment. Like most things I suffer medically there is usually no relief from the medical industry.

You go to the doctor for a pain in the neck and they tell that you are overdue for a colonoscopy and you need BP meds, then you go to the doctor for a painful knee and they tell that you glucose is too high and you need meds, then you go to the doctor for a pain in your foot and they tell that you again that you are overdue for a colonoscopy and you need thyroid meds.

You never get what you complain about fixed, but you get a bunch of meds for something you didnt complain about and you are constantly being sold on colonoscopy or other invasive things even if you have no family history, you problems related to the suggested actions, and no other tests indicate a problem. :(

So for tinnitus I have never considered seeing a doctor myself.

I suppose it could be so bad you couldnt hear other people or sounds, but I have not yet met anyone that told me they suffered so.

Is there some other impact than just the ringing in your ears???

Suicide seem like such an odd thing to be talking about in conjunction with tinnitus I feel like I must be missing something here, as I sit here with my ears ringing like crazy today,,, :confused:

Is it believe that the depression is caused by the tinnitus, or they are separate problems that appear to happen with overlap???

Trying to understand cause and effect and relationship of these two afflictions, if there are in fact any actual connections between the two.

Thanks

This is not my area of expertise, but there does seem to be a complicated relationship between tinnitus and depression.

Many patients with no prior history of depression, can become depressed after developing tinnitus. Seems logical. This is real and has been known for a long time.

On the other hand, being depressed does appear to be a risk factor to developing tinnitus. If you are depressed, you have a greater chance of developing tinnitus.

Neuroimaging, such as MRIs and more sophisticated equipment, are being used to investigate the depression/tinnitus relationship.

It’s a little like the “chicken and egg” discussion and the answers are not yet clear. But it is relatively new information on both of these unfortunately common problems.

I didn’t really know about this “new stuff” so had to do some Googling when FLL started discussing his problem.

For someone to kill themselves with a hand gun to escape their tinnitus suffering, it must have been a very loud and constant hissing/ringing that drove him to actually do it.

Ever hear this saying?

"It's better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it." ..... :rolleye2:

So's in a moment of total desperation he actually pulled the trigger on himself?

Well I'm sure if anything is severe enough it can cause people to reach their limits, and at that point does it matter if its a bottle of BP meds of driving a car off a cliff or a gun. The notion that the gun is critical to the option of suicide doesn't make sense to me. I personally think if there comes a time when I have outlived my ability to care for myself or are suffering some awful medical problem that there is no fix for that a chemical option is best. The gun option is too risky, things go wrong and you could end up much worse off if you survived. But thats all way too far off topic.

Hoping the tinnitus being so bad it causes suicidal thoughts is something that only happens to the very few and only under the worst situations.

For the rest of us one would we each find coping methods.

I certainly hope none of you fellow sufferers reach such a point of desperation from tinnitus.

Sorry I have no meaningful coping methods to share. My tinnitus is really annoying, but I mostly just ignore it and focus on my many other problems and working on being a cranky old guy driving my family (and I guess sometimes you all) crazy and trying to enjoy that.

ATB

It must have been a loud irritating hissing/bell sound inside his head that went on for hours and days and weeks and months that was seriously annoying?

For him, the Texas Smoke House guy, it was no joke.