What's new

Tinnitus question (1 Viewer)

Stan

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 18, 1999
Messages
5,177
I think I have it in my left ear. Sometimes very annoying, sometimes very mild and easy to adjust to and other times, completely gone.

It's not like I'm hearing a sound, I can cover my ear and it's still there. Cleaned my ear, soap, hot water, hydrogen peroxide, nothing seems to help. Is it a nerve issue? Problems with the tiny little ear bones?

Seeing my doctor next month for a physical, but it's so strange. Comes and goes, no idea what's going on. I can live with it, no pain, it's just weird and only my left ear, the right one is fine.
 

DaveF

Moderator
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2001
Messages
28,670
Location
Catfisch Cinema
Real Name
Dave
See a doctor to start. Probably see an audiologist to have your hearing tested. But there's no treatment. Just have to learn to cope and try to take care of your hearing to slow any worsening.
 

GlennF

Supporting Actor
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Messages
536
Location
Toronto, Canada
Real Name
Glenn Frost
I suffer from it as well..in the left ear. A long period of silence diminishes it a little, until you hear sounds again and then it is back. You get used to it. You would be surprised how many people have it and it is going to become a bigger problem as we are surrounded by more noise and louder sounds. I usually have a little fan going in my room so the "white noise" blocks out the ringing. It was a bit of a shock when I first noticed it.

Yes, your doctor will send you to an audiologist for a hearing test.
 

Sam Posten

Moderator
Premium
HW Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 30, 1997
Messages
33,671
Location
Aberdeen, MD & Navesink, NJ
Real Name
Sam Posten
I have had light ringing in my ears every once in a while since childhood, like once a month out of the blue. Lately I am having my hammer bone spasm, which according to Dr. Google isnt that unusual, is annoying but not harmful, and cannot be cured. I also have been lying in bed where I hear a, well it's hard to explain, but I call it a 'modulated' ringing that instead of a white noise it sounds like an out of tune radio that is going up and down the spectrum looking for a signal. Yep, I plan to see a doc about those both real soon now.
 

David Norman

Premium
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2001
Messages
9,583
Location
Charlotte, NC
Most an auditory nerve/cochlear or sometimes a middle ear issue though nobody is totally sure of why it happens. I've heard all sorts of reasons/theories over the years -- nerve damage from infections (reg middle ear, meningitis, many viruses), loud or chronic noise exposure (earphones, ear buds are worse), noise explosions (IEDs), head trauma, age, genetics, toxins/drugs, tumors (most commonly benign, but .. ) on the nerve, etc. Best guess for mine was the Measles back in the really early 60's though apparently Mumps is a more common issue with hearing (had that too in 60's before the vaccines existed). It's definitely interally generated -- cover your eyes and it;s louder since all the outside noise is blocked and that all I can hear. Sometimes it's temporary, sometimes permanent.

I've had it for as long as I can remember and shocked me when I found others didn;t have it probably when I was 11-12yo. It can vary from person to person -- rushing wind, low freq hum, high pitched whistle (mine), roaring sound. If you are sensitive to the old TV Flyback frequency whine from CRT's then you sort of know what mine sounds like (also struck me as odd that not everyone could hear that). If it's new and most importantly there are any other symptoms (hearing loss, dizziness, vertigo, numbness of you face/skin, etc) as an adult then absolutely let you Medical people know about it. A poster on another forum has something similar start a few months ago with a couple other symptoms and he turned out to have a benign growth near his Auditory nerve (an acoustic neuroma/schwannoma).

Literally the only time in my life I remember it not being there was a few days in college when it went away for some reason -- it was bizarre and very cool at the same time, but it didn't last.
Most people learn to ignore it if it's constant like mine, but you always know it's there when you pay attention. Some folks it can be very distracting interfering with their normal hearing/balance, some folks find it just flat out life altering/maddening esp if it is severe and intermittent.

I've tried to figure out the frequency, but it seems to be a few different pitches in the 8-14K range that sort of match for me. Some treatments have devised system of feedback sounds finding if they matched or found complementary sounds it would cancel it out and quiet the noise for at least while (never worked on the trials), I've been to many audiologists/ENT since I was a kid for various issues and in college and grad school I was a great guinea pig since I knew a lot of the science so I got to try out all the new equipment. I got to do some experiments with the some of the early Auditory Evoked Response/Potential nerve tests that played a sound and the machines measured the response of the internal auditory nerves (it's the basis now for some of the Newborn Hearing screens that don't require the subject to actively participate). I told many of my buddies about the Tinnitus and they tried all sorts of various thing with no change at all.
 
Last edited:

dvdclon

Second Unit
Joined
Mar 28, 2013
Messages
387
Location
The "Where Are They Now?" File
Real Name
David
I have this condition as well. One of my doctors likened it to "phantom pain," where amputees still feel itching, etc. in their missing limbs. In our case, the brain is "generating" tones because ours ears are sending less information than the brain expects.

But then again, she might just have been pulling my ear.
 

DavidJ

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2001
Messages
4,365
Real Name
David
Did you start a new medication recently? Temporary tinnitus can be caused by some medicines or interactions.
 

Stan

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 18, 1999
Messages
5,177
Thanks for the info. I go in for a physical next month and will mention it. Probably get referred to an audiologist as several have mentioned.

It's just so strange because it's only the left ear, right one is fine, and it come and goes, with different levels of volume. Sometimes loud, sometimes nothing, but mostly a very low volume, high pitched ringing that you just adjust to. Maybe it's
some odd brain generated sound, not actually there, but your brain thinks it's real.

White noise doesn't help, it's just always there. The only time I don't notice it is when taking a shower, must be enough noise that the water flow gets priority over the bizarre ringing.

Not terrible to deal with, just annoying. Hopefully there is a medical cure for it.
 

DaveF

Moderator
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2001
Messages
28,670
Location
Catfisch Cinema
Real Name
Dave
Good luck. I started developing tinnitus about five years ago. It was the worst thing in the world. Then I began adapting and learned to manage it. It's gotten worse the past year; but I though I had handle on how to manage it and minimize subsequent worsenings. But it inexplicably got appreciably worse the past two weeks and I'm back in the worst-thing-in-the-world mode again and I struggle to re-habituate to constant noise in my head.

Unfortunately, there is no treatment -- but there's a lot of snake oil out there. There are methods and approaches to helping a person habituate and live with it. Fundamentally, as far as I can tell, it's about how you deal with stress and anxiety. If you're the person that is upbeat, and troubles are readily encompassed and you deal with it, then you'll be easier to roll with it. If you're more a high-stress person, that doesn't easily take to upsets in life, then tinnitus can be a real challenge. (It's made more difficult by being a hidden; it's not something your friends or family can see and can be difficult for them to understand how it impacts you.)

In the scope of things...I'ver got a colleague with testicular cancer. A boss in his 60s whose wife is dying of cancer. Another colleague with long-term spinal disc degradation. I know another guy who avoids driving on business trips whenever possible, just in case his decade-managed epilepsy recurs. Of the various problems a person could have, I'm doing ok. But when I'm struggling through another worsening, I'd do about anything to trade for a "conventional" problem. (And don't get me started on that 'time-machine wishlist' we've all got, to prolong the really acute onset of this.)

I'm a believer in modern medicine; I pay money in exchange for diagnoses and treatments to make my life better. But on this issue, there's nothing. It's a little maddening.

Sorry for being self-pitying but this thread came up as I'm in the thick of a funk on the issue. :)
 

Stan

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 18, 1999
Messages
5,177
A bit off my own topic, but also a believer In modern medicine, but be careful. Learned to avoid sleep-aids like Ambien and Lunesta a few years ago. I had gotten to the point of going over four days with no sleep, not good so had to get some help.

But the medications were almost worse. I did all kinds of things in my sleep that I would notice the next day. Sleep walking, eating, cleaning, some very bizarre things. The worst was when I apparently drove five miles to my favorite grocery store, shopped, and while pulling out of the parking lot, bumped a woman's SUV. Witnesses reported me and a policeman showed up at my house the next day. Described everything and it was obviously me, but no memory of it.

Went to court to try and get the fine reduced. The woman never showed, turns out she was trying to scam my insurance company for all kinds of damages that I couldn't possibly have done. Geico insurance, actually very nice, measured my car, the height, etc. and it was impossible I could have done what she was claiming. The judge tossed it out.

Ambien caused what I believe was called retrograde amnesia. I'd be up reading, studying, watching TV, etc. Might take an Ambien at 10 p.m. Next day I'd get up and have no memory of about 4-10 p.m. from the previous day. Almost always exactly a six hour gap. Obviously stopped taking it, especially after the car incident, once I figured out what was happening.

Thankfully no sleep problems since, just kind of went away.

Sorry to ramble on, just figured this info, in some small way might help others.
 

Clinton McClure

Rocket Science Department
Premium
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 28, 1999
Messages
7,749
Location
Central Arkansas
Real Name
Clint
My wife used to take ambien and would wake up in the morning with food in her hair and all in the bed from where she would raid the fridge or actually cook something and eat it in bed. Ambien is amusing but dangerous.
 

BobO'Link

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 3, 2008
Messages
11,441
Location
Mid-South
Real Name
Howie
I've had tinnitus in my left ear as long as I can remember. It comes and goes - or maybe it's always there and my noticing it comes and goes. I noticed it again as soon as I read the title of this thread. Mine is 1000 cycles and I've actually used it to get pitch for a song I'm about to sing - kind of like a internal tuning fork. I've had it so long that it really doesn't bother me but I *do* notice it from time to time. I've always suspected mine was caused by constant ear infections when I was 2-5 but it *could* have been measles (early 60s as well). I've never seen a doctor about it as everything I've read indicates there's typically little they can do.
 

Stan

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 18, 1999
Messages
5,177
I've had tinnitus in my left ear as long as I can remember. It comes and goes - or maybe it's always there and my noticing it comes and goes. I noticed it again as soon as I read the title of this thread. Mine is 1000 cycles and I've actually used it to get pitch for a song I'm about to sing - kind of like a internal tuning fork. I've had it so long that it really doesn't bother me but I *do* notice it from time to time. I've always suspected mine was caused by constant ear infections when I was 2-5 but it *could* have been measles (early 60s as well). I've never seen a doctor about it as everything I've read indicates there's typically little they can do.

Oddly, mine has nearly faded away the past week or so. Quite sure it will be back, but like you said, little that can be done.

Like you, only my left ear. Why not both? After a while you do seem to adjust and you don't really notice it.

Maybe it is related to singing, I have perfect pitch. American Idol, or live performers who haven't been "auto tuned" are sometimes painful to hear. Some of the singers can be so bad and nobody seems to notice. Often more fun for the laugh factor (how bad they are, yet so much support from families and friends).

Call me snooty, but when somebody's off key, I can tell.
 

David Norman

Premium
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2001
Messages
9,583
Location
Charlotte, NC

Probably yes and no depending on how much they claim. The feedback/cancellation idea has been around for a very long time and it does work for some people at least temporarily, but most certainly not everyone and most frequently it's temporary. For the most part it seems to be minimal side effects and if the cost is minimal it may be worth a shot.
Certainly in the early to mid 80's it was one of things I worked with in the labs (mostly on the guinea pig side) though no real benefit to me. I've know some people who did report
a significant improvement in the symptoms at least for a time period though most reported less and less benefit over time. It seemed more effective for people who had short term
tinnitus in which always seemed to be the case.
 

ChristopherG

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2003
Messages
3,039
Real Name
Chris
I have pretty severe tinnitus. First noticed it 8 years ago and it has gotten worse over time. Even worse mine is self inflicted through loud music in my younger days. Quite a bit of high frequency hearing loss as well. I'm probably looking at hearing aids in the near future.
All that said I have to agree with Dave that there are lots worse things that happen to folks but carrying this noise around 24/7 can be tedious. Most of the time I don't think about but every so often it really begins weigh on you.

As far as ambien goes I've had it in the past had zero ill effects. Just a good solid 8 hours of zzz.
 

DavidJ

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2001
Messages
4,365
Real Name
David
A bit off my own topic, but also a believer In modern medicine, but be careful. Learned to avoid sleep-aids like Ambien and Lunesta a few years ago. I had gotten to the point of going over four days with no sleep, not good so had to get some help.

But the medications were almost worse. I did all kinds of things in my sleep that I would notice the next day. Sleep walking, eating, cleaning, some very bizarre things. The worst was when I apparently drove five miles to my favorite grocery store, shopped, and while pulling out of the parking lot, bumped a woman's SUV. Witnesses reported me and a policeman showed up at my house the next day. Described everything and it was obviously me, but no memory of it.

Went to court to try and get the fine reduced. The woman never showed, turns out she was trying to scam my insurance company for all kinds of damages that I couldn't possibly have done. Geico insurance, actually very nice, measured my car, the height, etc. and it was impossible I could have done what she was claiming. The judge tossed it out.

Ambien caused what I believe was called retrograde amnesia. I'd be up reading, studying, watching TV, etc. Might take an Ambien at 10 p.m. Next day I'd get up and have no memory of about 4-10 p.m. from the previous day. Almost always exactly a six hour gap. Obviously stopped taking it, especially after the car incident, once I figured out what was happening.

Thankfully no sleep problems since, just kind of went away.

Sorry to ramble on, just figured this info, in some small way might help others.

I'm glad things got better for you and that nothing bad came of it. Your post reminded me of a short film I made with some student filmmakers a few years ago. It had a character who ended up dealing with parasomnia side effects from a medicine he was taking.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Forum statistics

Threads
356,710
Messages
5,121,077
Members
144,145
Latest member
treed99
Recent bookmarks
0
Top