Struggling with tinnitus

[Fozziebear]

Ive suffered tinnitus for several years now, lost a % of my hearing due to things that go boom on the side of the road, when I got my hearing aids I was told my tinnitus could reduce or get louder, lucky me it got louder. Ive tried the noise generator things and they just annoy me, the audiologist just told me to man up and live with it, which took me to a dark place for a few weeks, guess lack of sleep can do that. I exercise every day, gym etc, soon to be going back to BJJ which helps. Im just after some help from others who suffer, how do you deal with it?

[DickyC]

This may not be the answer you wanted, but, you sort of get used to it. It's still there, but it doesn't bother you as much. It may take a while. Keep occupied and try and be patient.

[Armitage.Shanks]

I tracked mine down to a concert I went to with a female singer who had a rather loude voice. Came away with the normal windrush through the ears but ended up with tinnitus.

There is no cure but I'm aware there are various research studies going on to try and come up with a solution. It might be worth exploring.

Mine seems to come and go, or maybe I blank it out but in most cases I naturally hear it more when everything is quiet. Some days I find it a complete PITA then on others I'm not aware of it. Having some generated noise in the background helps, whether it be music, radio, TV etc..

Sorry I can't help any further and I know it affects some people really badly.

[Slowboathome]

I had mild tinnitus. My GP put me on Citalopram for my anxiety/depression (which weren't related to the tinnitus).

The tinnitus disappeared. GP was interested as he took Tinnitus very seriously (none of this 'man up' bks)

My understanding is that it's regarded nowadays as a brain problem (ie, your brain is creating the sound). However I know that people have posted on here to say that their Tinnitus is affected by diet (particular alcohol and coffee I think?)

If you haven't already, it would be worth looking at the British Tinnitus Association website.

[xx99xx]

Had it for 15 years now since an infection affected my hearing. As already said, you just get used to it, as hard as that might seem to believe.

I've found it worse if my blood pressure is up, like after exercise. I now no longer like loud environments as that also makes it worse.

White noise machines can help, so I've read.

[Bill]

I think I've mostly got used to it, but it is much worse if I don't use my hearing aids for a day so I'm sure they help.

[Fozziebear]

DickyC said:

This may not be the answer you wanted, but, you sort of get used to it. It's still there, but it doesn't bother you as much. It may take a while. Keep occupied and try and be patient.

Im 52 this year, it's actually as loud as the tv now, I know a lot of it is due to my father passing 2 weeks ago and the stress of it all. I tried just accepting it, just trying to make it part of my day, but its starting to really get to me now.

[MitchT]

I've had it in my left ear since early 2015. It sounds exactly like this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mugykqqyOc

Nothing happened around the time it started, it just appeared. The only thing I might have expected to have caused it was when I went to a concert and someone right behind me in the audience was whistling so loudly that I almost passed out, but that was in September 2014.

It comes and goes. There's no real rhyme or reason to it, other than watching TV via the Firestick seems to make it worse. Go figure! Sometimes I do something that should trigger it, like listening to music through headphones, but it doesn't, then other times it just starts of its own accord like someone pressed a button to activate it. Generally I notice it less if I'm busy or engaged with something and I find that it tends not to be there if I get out into nature, even though the peace should mean it's more noticeable.

Apparently a load of my family on my dad's side have the same, apparently caused by a tiny, benign tumour in the left ear, so mine is probably the same, though it hasn't been diagnosed as such.

I'm 48 BTW.

[Brum_Brum]

I forget about mine until someone asks about it, thanks for starting this thread!

I am sure mine stems from when I cut a paving slab with a grinder, got my goggles on to protect my eyes and totally forgot my ear defenders (stupidly carried on).

Hearing at high frequency seems to be degrading too, last year we had a nest of robins in our hedge. Wife and the kids could hear them chirping at feeding time , even crouched next to the hedge I heard nothing.

[DickyC]

Fozziebear said:

DickyC said:

This may not be the answer you wanted, but, you sort of get used to it. It's still there, but it doesn't bother you as much. It may take a while. Keep occupied and try and be patient.

Im 52 this year, it's actually as loud as the tv now, I know a lot of it is due to my father passing 2 weeks ago and the stress of it all. I tried just accepting it, just trying to make it part of my day, but its starting to really get to me now.

Sorry to hear about your dad. I should have said about tinnitus being worse with stress or tiredness. Losing your dad is about as much stress as you'll find.

I've had it most of my life after abscesses in my middle ears regularly when I was a child - and periodically since - bursting my ear drums. You don't consciously turn it down, it's something your body does, you sort of hear round it. When you hear it again, you know it's been there all along. And the moment you realise, it gets louder and goes up an octave. For me anyway. It's probably different for everyone. I get several different types; off the scale high pitched is the regular one that fades enough for me to forget about for a while, a duller sound that sits higher up in my head and a motor boat sounding one. They are less frequent. And make a change, perversely. If I'm really knackered I get all of them very loudly at the sort of volume you mentioned.

Just read that back and it doesn't sound as upbeat as I'd hoped. But if I'm right, you will be able to get round it. Keep occupied to distract yourself and keep sound in your life with music, TV, conversation, crowds even.

Sorry to hear your dad. That gets easier too.

[AndyAudi]

Brum_Brum said:

I forget about mine until someone asks about it, thanks for starting this thread!

Haha, I’m exactly the same!! Read the thread title & remembered I had it - You do get used to it!!!

I’m also high frequency “noise loss”. Although I think it’s more I hear high frequency pitch all the time so can’t distinguish.

[bloomen]

Impossible to know how anyone else's affects them, or what it sounds like.

'You'll get used to it' may not be very helpful at all.

I've had it for many years after catching some sort of inner ear infection down Tesco off some little st. I too have pretty much tuned it out even though it's loud if I concentrate on it.

The only time in all those years it has ever let up is after removing noise cancelling headphones which stopped it for a few minutes. And I think happened only once. Hearing silence was a highly strange sensation.

There are people who advocate tapping the back of the skull in certain places. Never bothered myself but it might be worth looking into.

[WelshRich]

Brum_Brum said:

I forget about mine until someone asks about it, thanks for starting this thread!

I’m much the same, it’s a bit like getting a song stuck in your head - I’ll be fine for days but once I notice/think about it I need a distraction to let me forget about it again. I also find that it periodically seems to change tone/volume and it can take a few days for my brain to get used to the new sound and tune it out…

Mine is a legacy of Covid but isn’t materially any better 18 months later so I’m resigned to the fact that I’m stuck with it now. Only real tip I have is that I use Bluetooth headphones to listen to podcasts when I go to bed - Something slightly dull so that I don’t get engrossed, but sufficiently engaging to distract me from the tinnitus which is most annoying when there’s no ambient noise.

[jules_s]

I'v had this a few months now too

Oddly enough - if I pull the skin down on my face (like you do to wake yourself up) the pitch increases, is that usual?

[limmy01]

I'm the same as most, majority of the time I forgot about it until someone reminds me. These days I only normally hear it in the morning when first waking up. I once had the pleasure of pulsatile tinnitus for around 8 months, that was living hell on a whole new level

[President Merkin]

Years of playing in rock bands has done for me. A Marshall stack seemed so cool at the time, I regret that now. Mine creeps up on me, a crescendo hissing noise like the sea in my left ear that instantly turns into a weird sound like someone has turned off all the treble in the world. It feels violent to the point it can make me jump. There's nothing I can do about it except to recognise it when it comes on & rationalise it, thankfully it's episodic & not constant.

[dingg]

[quote=MitchT]I've had it in my left ear since early 2015. It sounds exactly like this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mugykqqyOc

I'll bite or it may be my tinnitus, but I can only hear the normal whistling I've had for years listening to the clip, now is that my tinnitus or is the clip buggered?

Moving the volume up or down has no effect

Can anyone advise?

Had quite a few bad ear infections when working as a diver and then a few years working next to turbines and screaming gas compressors hasn't done me any favours....

[GiantCardboardPlato]

I always had it mildly, periodically worse, from being in ‘rock’ bands and not wearing hearing protection for gigs or practices when younger.

It got a lot worse when I started taking amphetamines every day.

I had my hearing tested and it’s still above average apparently. So no hearing damage, just the ringing.

Mostly it doesn’t bother me but it’s a bit annoying when I do notice it (like now).

Interestingly the 12000Hz clip is quite a lot higher than my tinnitus.

Edited by GiantCardboardPlato on Saturday 28th January 11:30

[MitchT]

dingg said:

I'll bite or it may be my tinnitus, but I can only hear the normal whistling I've had for years listening to the clip, now is that my tinnitus or is the clip buggered?

Moving the volume up or down has no effect

Can anyone advise?

The clip is fine - it sounds exactly like my tinnitus - a 12,000 Hz sine wave, or "high pitched whistling sound". Different people have different experiences of tinnitus - that's mine.

[DickyC]

MitchT said:

dingg said:

I'll bite or it may be my tinnitus, but I can only hear the normal whistling I've had for years listening to the clip, now is that my tinnitus or is the clip buggered?

Moving the volume up or down has no effect

Can anyone advise?

The clip is fine - it sounds exactly like my tinnitus - a 12,000 Hz sine wave, or "high pitched whistling sound". Different people have different experiences of tinnitus - that's mine.

I can't hear it either.