Anybody had/have Tinnitus?

[TopCatGr58]

Hey folks,

Well, I'm asking if anyone has had, or still has Tinnitus....if you don't know what this is, you don't have it! It's persistent/chronic ringing in then ears!

During my life, I've had an occasional episode of about 30 seconds of tinnitus to occur just randomly, and then would stop. This has been over many years in my life.

I have rarely abused my hearing....once as a teenager attending a concert where I stood near one of the speakers....had it for a while that night due to the excessive loud noise exposure. I had a friend let me shoot his 44 mag in my early 20's out in Texas....no hearing protection....shot it just once.....my ears immediately began ringing after the bang/shot. Only lasted a few minutes. I broke/ruptured 1 ear drum after jumping off a low bridge into a local stream/river.

In my early years of bike riding, I didn't use ear plugs, but always wore a full face helmet which helped reduce the wind/exhaust exposure. The last 14 years I've been riding, I've always used earplugs. I don't play my music at home very loud, don't use headphones or earphones much, and not very loud either. I occasionally play my car stereo up a bit when I have the windows down to overcome the wind noise, but again it's not very long....short 20 minute trip.

I don't take Aspirin...which is known to cause tinnitus when used in high amounts. I do take Alleve, but have taken it at the same and even slightly higher amounts a year ago, and never had tinnitus.

I'm 56 y/o, have read that it's a more common occurance with "US" older folks. It's a fairly high tone.....I recently found a high frequency sample hearing test web site, and I can still hear up to 14khz !

The tinnitus is fairly constant....like for an hour or so....but does sometimes stop. It's rather annoying, I can still hear while it's happening. Just asking if anyone else has experienced it, and did they see a doctor, and what if any treatment was done. I've seen the commercials for that stuff called Lipoflavinoid....checked into it, has not been confirmed by FDA as being effective. I have a yearly physical coming up at the end of the month, and will be addressing it with my PCP. From what I've read online there's not much in the way of treatments.....and that it's sometimes just a matter of conditioning the sufferer to learn to IGNORE it?

T.C.

[madmax-im]

Hey TC...I have been living with Tinnitis over 50 yrs now...In folks with normal hearing Tinnitis is a sign that you have damaged your hearing to a certain extent. Combined with aging and you get the symptoms...As for treating it...I have no clue ..I do know in my case 1) it doesnt bother me 2)I usually only hear it when i am not listening with hearing aids to the world or to people's conversation...but when the aids come out...then the high
pitched ringing is prevalent...at night when I go to sleep I will concentrate on the pitch and meditate to sleep...YMMV

[BA80]

I know jmnjrpa has it but he bought a Harley and went over to the dark side.

Been looking a Harley's lately TC?

[hamjam]

HI T.C. I have about the same as madmax-im and I have stood beside the speaker on stage or sat on it beside the drum kit for a few years and fired 45's in the back 40 with no muffs on. although i get a tick like crickets and a squeal at times and never as long as an hour, I just put up with it as I have other more pressing things to deal with best wishes for finding a positive result for yourself

[donebysunday]

T.C.,
I've had it on and off for 30 yrs. on left ear, then lost all hearing on the left. Kind of a blessing it's gone taking the strange noise with it.
done

[XJOK2PLAY]

Hi TC,
My dad suffered with it for many years. He was diabetic.

He suffered from many side effects for the diabetes, and questioned many doctors for help with the tinnitus. None could give him any help.

Now, 18 months since his passing, I find out through your post that high doses of aspirin can cause it? That was his downfall! He took around 15 BC powders / day! He took so many they dissolved his stomach and almost killed him!

How ironic that the aspirin he was taking for "relief" probably was the culprit!
I know it drove him crazy, and towards the end, he could barely hear me.

I hate to hear you, and others here, are suffering with it, too.
It's gotta be a real drag.

[XJOK2PLAY]

I know jmnjrpa has it but he bought a Harley and went over to the dark side.

Been looking a Harley's lately TC?

I wondered where he went...??
Wow..........

[graybird78]

sorry to hear you have this. i also suffer from this for years. doctor told me no cure for it. mine is from being car tech for 25yrs and not using hearing protection. im partly deaf cuz of it. just learned to live with it.

[DiverRay]

T.C. I've had it for about a year. Went through the VA about my hearing, as I stop at about 5Khz, not the 18Khz I used to hear! VA said nothing to be done, not their problem ( 20K rounds with an M16, and not their problem???) So I just live with it. It's mostly my left ear, and it will get louder/worse if I have a "quiet time" before bed. You will probably learn to tune it out, along with SWMBO.

[MarkD]

TC-- As I write this, I have a "white noise" Small closet type dehumidifier about 6 ft away from me. Simultaneously, I hear an extremely high pitch noise in both ears, along with a lower toned high pitch. Years ago, I prayed that it would leave me, but to no avail. My sister and brother both experience tinnitus, and there is no cure. My E, N, and Throat specialist has been testing my hearing for years, and it has degraded somewhat in the higher frequencies, ( aging process?). He gave me a sample of some bioflavonoid tablets, and the other ingredients are Inositol, and Choline, and I got some from Puritan's Pride. They no longer carry them, but have since bought the 3 tablets separately and take them, although lately I've been erratic on the regularity. My Dr. said some people get relief from these pills, and I guess in my mind, it helps.
History-- (59 years old) -went to live music dance houses sort of weekly as a young man, and a few concerts, too, without plugs. Not really sure the music hurt it much, but could have. I've had tinnitus as long as I can remember, and even went online and found some tinnitus pitches I experience. It used to drive me a bit bonkers when I would concentrate on it, but now I can sort of tune it out. My ears are really sensitive to loud noises, and even the loud conversation at certain places bothers me.
I always use plugs when riding, mowing, etc, and at my son's shows. Good luck with it, and hope this info helps!----
Mark

[b.walker5]

Like many others, I've suffered with this for years. Left ear only, but it's often loud enough to sound like both. I've often described it as a bad symphony orchestra with no off button. Have tried lots of 'herbal' remedies over the years, but so far nothing has alleviated it. Night time, when there's no background noise is the worst, making it bloody hard to get too sleep sometimes. I've never really been exposed to excessive occupational noise, but like many of us, liked my music loud when i was younger, and have ridden many thousands of miles with ill fitting helmets, and lots of wind noise. These days, the wind noise is a blessing, as it drowns out the ringing on long rides. Ear plugs kill the wind noise but enhance the ringing, so no win either way. If you manage to find something that works, please share with the rest of us.

[mack]

Hearing

I've had it for 38 years. Result of military occupation. Too many explosions and small arms fire. Mine is constant, day and night. I've resorted to having a fan by the bed , providing white noise so I can sleep at night. My hearing isn't great at the best of times, but if I'm trying to talk with someone , one on one I can get by but if I'm in a room full of people and everyone is talking it's impossible for me to hear much of any conversation. It's just noise to me. I've sort developed a technique of using the bits of speech that I do hear and lip reading then trying to interpret what might have been said and try to keep up that way. Has been embarrassing a few times though. People think your anti social, when in fact you just can't make out whats being said.
Since you have been able to protect your hearing, I doubt yours would be the result of damage to the ear. I'm sure you've looked into this, but stress can also cause tinnitus. That may explain why it comes and goes.

[JeffH]

TC
As you are noting from all the responses; a very common problem.
It was Jet Engines that did me in. Plus all those motorcycles miles didn't help much either.
24x7 that high frequency tone is ringing in my ears. My overall hearing is fine, low to high frequency.
Some white noise source at night helps. Ditto on everyone's comments.
Bad diet, elevated cholesterol or high trans-fats likely suspect too for many people.

That's why I hate to see kids around loud noise sources over 95-98db.
We live in a 'its got to be LOUD to make it good' society. Too bad.
Even things like those hand blow dryers in wash rooms, that's insane amount of noise.
Save the planet (paper towels) but ruin your ears in the meantime!!
There are more & better hearing protection products available now but we don't ever want to give up LOUD.

Jeff

[TopCatGr58]

Hey folks,

Thanks for the comments. Yeah, the statistics are quite high....~50 million Americans have it, 16 million severe enough to seek medical eval, and 2 million to a point of deblitation to where they can't function normally, ie. job.

Yes, the "STRESS" angle is one that I'm aware of more NOW. I work in the Medical Field...but EYES...but there is a condition that we see with YUPPIES as well as other mid age 30-40 y/o's that are under consirable stress....they develope a leaking of fluid from a vessel/tissue in the retina which can cause swelling of the retinal tissue which then makes things more blurred in the affected eye. It's otherwise benign and after finding the leaking fluid/diagnosis ruling out other pathology, we just instruct folks about the fact that THIS is how excessive stress is manifesting itself in their body...an early warning type situation that may help them to make lifestyle changes to better manage their stressors....vs. not and then succumbing to a heart attack/stroke from excessive blood pressure!

I have recently had to deal with my 87 y/o mom and her developing Dementia, her increased inability to care for herself, and that she had been living alone in Ala.. On this recent XS SouthEast Rally trip, I first went to her place, and got her all packed up into a 16' moving truck, and then my cousin(a nurse/retired) came up from Fla. and picked her up and moved her down to her house just north of Orlanda(Grand Island) where she can be around family, and have someone with professional medical training/experience to help care for her. She has her family burial plot in Ala. and so that's part of the reason why I couldn't move her up here to Va. with me...that and we are still both working, and also the cost/trouble of getting her shipped back down to Ala. whenever she eventually passes away! Still dealing with getting her settled in there....and the stresses involved in getting her to "GIVE UP" her independence some....we don't want/ let her drive anymore.

So...I can't say that this stress isn't a contributing factor, but it's not really bothering me. My job stress isn't any more than it has been for the last 30 years either. However, I am older now and so perhaps the same level of general stress is having a higher/stronger affect on me???

I've used white noise....gentle fan in the bedroom to help me sleep for decades. Being in the Medical field, I learned about excessive noise levels causing hearing damage decades ago. As I mentioned, my informal hearing test showed I could still hear the 14K range which is fairly normal for the aging condition Presbycuspis(Old Ears) similar to the term Presbyopia (old eyes) which is the normal stiffening of the natural lens of the eye that prevents folks from being able to focus on objects up close like they used to when they were younger. So it's normal to have some loss of high frequency hearing. I'll be looking into getting a formal hearing test but I doubt that it will reveal much if any abnormal hearing loss.

More rare causes of tinnitus are benign tumors of the auditory nerve but this is usually related to tinnitus on one side. Excessive calcification of the inner ear bones is another...and can be treated with surgery and artificial bone implants/replacements. Reduced circulation of the arteries to the middle/inner ear is another, but I have no history of arteriosclerosis(hardening of the arteries/cholesterol buildup. The meds/supplements like Lipoflavinoid are supposed to increase circulation in the middle/inner ear....and so IF those help folks, then that can indicate circulation problems.

As BNE stated, the most common cause is severe hearing loss/damage, and many of you with prior military/combat exposure have suffered the most, but also occupational machinery noise damage is right up there. I'm fortunate that I haven't experienced that level of damage, so I can only hope. Will keep you all posted on evals and such, but as you/we have seen, it's rare that a particular treatment will help.

T.C.

[BA80]

I wondered where he went...??
Wow..........

Still in touch with John on FB.

His new ride (the bike I mean).