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Help with ringing in ears

post #1 of 30
12/28/02 at 10:58pm
Thread Starter 
I have had a slight, but definitely noticeable ringing (tinnitus?) in my ears for about a year or two. More noticeable some days than others. It is a high pitched noise that is only noticeable when everything is quiet. My wife has the same problem. The odd thing about it is that it is most noticeable in my house (I am pretty sure that it is not a noise in the house though. It really seems to be in my head.) Now it could be that I notice it here because it is quiet, but recently I went to Florida on vacation and I never noticed it one bit. It could be that it was there, but I never noticed because I was running around all day and was too exhausted to notice/care at night, but I would think that I would have noticed at least once.


Any one else have the same ringing? Obviously, I need to see a doctor, but any remedies to try out before then? I have heard some success with Ginkgo Biloba. Anything else? Could there actually be something at my house to cause this?
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post #2 of 30
12/29/02 at 2:35am
Tom
Get a wax removal kit and clean them good a couple times.
Still have a problem, see a doctor and get a hearing test.
I have the Bells of St Mary in one ear from a Car accident.
I should be happy to be alive, but at times I could scream.
Silence is not golden; its maddening. Even bought a hearing aid to mask it....not much relief and I very rarely use it.
good luck I sincerely hope it goes away for you
there is no cure otherwise
grant
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post #3 of 30
12/29/02 at 5:28am
I've had tinnitus for about 5 years now. Most audiologists will tell you there is no way to get rid of it. There is, however, a "noise-cancelling" treatment to teach your brain to ignore it. It's an electronic ear device that sends out a noise at the same frequency and tone as your "bells" (I call them my "crickets.") I've never had the patience to wear the one that the Navy gave me, so I just live with the noise.

It counts toward my disability rating, as my tinnitus is a result of my military service (aircraft carriers) and my diabetes!
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post #4 of 30
12/29/02 at 7:39am
I've had tinnitus all my life - some times it's worse than others, but generally like most long-lasting things you can get used to it.

My advice is get to a doctor to get it checked up - just to reassure you, it's very rarely due to anything serious, but it's something you should nonetheless get checked. If it's a simple case of wax in the ear, it's easily treated.
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post #5 of 30
12/29/02 at 8:15am
I have mild tinnitus and my friend has somewhat severe tinnitus. We take Gingko Biloba and mine can be controlled to the point that the ringing is now only ocassional (after 2 years of taking Gingko) and my friend from severe down to mild after 3 years of taking Gingko.

We buy the package from Costco and double the dosage for the first year, 1.5 dosage for the second year, then recommended dosage for the 3rd year.

My friend is still taking 1x dosage and I'm taking 1x dosage for 1 bottle, then nothing for the same period, back to gingko for another bottle and so forth.
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post #6 of 30
12/29/02 at 10:17am
Asprin can cause ringing in the ears. I had a doctor tell me a few years ago while suffering from head aches, that I will have taken too much when my ears start ringing. Some people can be affected by even 1 or two tablets.

No, I did not make this up, the doc actually said it.
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post #7 of 30
12/30/02 at 2:09am
Are there any major transformers or electricity sub-stations in your area? I thought I was going nuts for a while with a high pitched ringing in my ears at night, but seemingly only around my house.

I eventually tracked it down to a local utility power transformer about two blocks away. There was nothing I could do about it until I moved, but at least I knew it wasn't me.

Adam
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post #8 of 30
12/30/02 at 3:58am
Quote:
Asprin can cause ringing in the ears.


So can a lot of other drugs and substances giving an allergic reaction.
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post #9 of 30
12/30/02 at 7:36am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the replies!

I haven't had any aspirin in weeks so I'm sure that isn't it.

Its much more noticeable at my home than at other quiet areas, so I'll have to look into local power transformers.

At work I don't hear any ringing, but there are many other noises going on all day. My basement HT room is very quiet and the ringing can be very noticeable down there. Its definitely most noticeable at night in bed. I'll be trying to sleep and I'm distracted by it and then I can't sleep. I have a "noisemaker" that plays the sounds of ocean waves to help me sleep at night.

Thanks for letting me know its not just me!
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post #10 of 30
12/30/02 at 9:07am
Thread Starter 
Well I was wrong about just noticing it around the house (there goes that transformer idea...), I'm at work and can still hear it, but it is noisier here and covers most of the ringing up.

I set up a doctors appointment for today....
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post #11 of 30
12/31/02 at 2:28am
Tom,

I've had tinnitus for 2-3 years now, but lately (the last 3-4 months) it seems to have gotten worse. I've done a lot of research about it online and have been seeing an ENT doctor, to no avail. I've been taking Ginko Biloba and Vitamin B complex for about a month, with maybe only the slightest improvement. From what I understand these vitamin therapies can take months or even years, if they work at all.

There are a lot of causes of tinnitus:

Ear wax buildup
Hearing damage from loud noises
Hearing damage from sticking things in your ears
TMJ
Sinus and allergies
Nerve damage
High Cholestrol
Depression/Stress
Medicinal reactions
Ear infections

I have TMJ, though I don't know if this is the cause of it. I didn't treat my ears kindly as a teen and still have a job that requires me to wear headphones all day and listen to signals of varying quality.

I hear it worst at night, and I can almost ignore it during the day, but can still hear the ringing clearly if I listen for it.

Other treatments I am going to try include accupuncture and possibly hyper-barric chamber/oxygen treatment (very expensive).

I think I have more medical choices here in Germany than you would have in the US though. Accupuncture, homeopathy and "unproven" treatments are very big over here.

ADMINS: Would it be possible to get a wider distrubution of this thread (or one like it)? I think this is a very important topic among HTFers who value their hearing greatly.
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post #12 of 30
12/31/02 at 9:15am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the info. I'm guessing that I have had the ringing for about 1 year (or possibly longer). For a long time I have assumed that the noise was from around the house and not in my head. I was just this past weekend that I discovered it was me. Who knows, I may have had this for a lot longer and just never noticed.

I go to rock concerts less than once a year and don't listen to music or HT at reference level. The last concert I was at was Billy Joel/Elton John last February. It wasn't too loud of a show, but there was one instance of feedback that went through the whole speaker system. I doubt't that could have done in my ears by it self, but if it did I hope to never find the sound engineer that did that show!

My primary doc is sending me to a ENT. He didn't sound to encouraging about treatments. I figure I'll try the Ginkgo for a few months and see if it helps any.

My ringing is not that loud, but my home is quiet and therefore it is noticeable. I enjoy going camping in the summer, but I worry a little that the ringing will be more noticeable there. It depresses me when I realize that I may never hear pure silence again....
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post #13 of 30
12/31/02 at 1:43pm
Hormonal disturbances can also cause tinnitus. Although they are found most often in women, men can have thyrpid problems as well, so you may want to research hypo/hyperthyroidism to see if that is a possibility as well.
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post #14 of 30
3/10/03 at 10:24am
Thread Starter 
Its been awhile since I started this thread, but I thought I'd give an update.

I went to the ENT and first thing he did was give me a hearing exam. There was no hearing loss at all. He told me that my ringing was an "enigma".

Came back a week later to have an inner ear test. The doc said that there was an abnormality on my right side and they would have to do an MRI to check for an Acoustic Nouroma. I asked him to explain the inner ear results and why if there was a problem in the right ear was the ringing slightly louder in the left ear. I never got an explanation on the inner ear test, but was told that the left side noise could just be the left ear trying to balance itself out. He then rushed me out before I could ask anything else.

I had the MRI and came back for the results. The MRI showed no signs of an acoustic nouroma. The ENT then said "so why does a healthy, 28 year old have ringing in their ears..... I have no idea. Come back if anything gets worse.." With that he left before I could ask for any suggestions on at least dealing with the noise. I'm hoping to find another ENT who will at least explain some things to me instead of "well at least its not fatal... deal with it".....

Quiet movies have really brought out the noise lately... I was watching the dialog driven "Road to Perdition" last night and the ringing was distracting.


A couple questions for those who share the same problem:

1. Can you listen to soft music without being distracted?

2. What helps you deal with the noise: during the day and when trying to sleep?

3. Do you know of anyone who has had tinnitus "go away" either temporarily or permanently?

Thanks for listening!!!!
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post #15 of 30
3/10/03 at 3:07pm
Tom, Believe it or not you are not the only young person to have Tinnitus, I'm 17 and I have it I've had it almost all of my life. My problem started in elementary school when a wax ear protector got stuck down my ear, after they got it out I noticed my problem and it's been there ever since. According to the ENT I saw recently, I am the only person he has ever treated whose tinnitus is neurological and most likely has it common from their brain.I can say that once you have it for awhile you almost never notice it. I almost never notice mine anymore unless it is real quiet. To Answer your questions:

1. I am able to listen to all my music and soft HT with ease, my tinnitus doesn't seem to hinder it.
2.During the day I don't really notice mine, I notice it more at night when I go to bed and to cure that I use a alarm clock with nature sounds on it which does the job quite well.

I can't really answer your last question because no one else I know has tinnitus. Hope this helps. Good Luck.
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post #16 of 30
3/10/03 at 3:33pm
Quote:
basement HT room is very quiet and the ringing can be very noticeable down there

Can you folks describe the ringing? High, low, etc... When I'm a dead quiet basement for say 10 minutes, the hearing threshold progressively goes down and down until I can hear a hum that's as loud as a conversation. It sounds like an electric motor in the next room. Low to medium pitched hum. Weird
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post #17 of 30
3/10/03 at 4:10pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Can you folks describe the ringing? High, low, etc... When I'm a dead quiet basement for say 10 minutes, the hearing threshold progressively goes down and down until I can hear a hum that's as loud as a conversation. It sounds like an electric motor in the next room. Low to medium pitched hum. Weird


For me, I actually hear two tones: The more prodominant one is higher pitched, mostly in my left ear and a little in the right. In my right ear I also have a quieter mid-ranged "fluttering" sound.

Back before I knew I had tinnitus, it was noticable only in very quiet rooms and only after a period of time. I also thought it was an electrical noise in the house until one day it hit me that it was all in my head! Thats when the sleep problems started...

Bring someone else in the basement with you and ask them if they also hear the noise... If they can, its not you.
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post #18 of 30
11/22/03 at 3:26pm
Unfortunately, I might have joined the club of people suffering with this. Last night my girlfriend and I went to a concert. Of all bands that it could have been, it was Duran Duran. Now, the right side of my head sounds like I have a machine in it. I'm really hoping I get lucky and it goes away in the next day or so. I just didn't think that that band would play that loud. It didn't even cross my mind to think about my ears. I feel really foolish because I don't even cut the grass without wearing ear plugs. Right now, it's not quite as intense but the ringing is quite loud.

Stacey
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post #19 of 30
11/22/03 at 4:22pm
Right now, it's not quite as intense but the ringing is quite loud.


That can be a symptom of hearing damage, though it doesn't necessarily mean permanent damage. The ringing should subside in a day or two as the ear recovers. Just make sure you don't subject yourself to that kind of volume too often.
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post #20 of 30
11/23/03 at 3:22am
I second (or third) the notion of getting the ringing checked out by a qualified ENT. I recently was diagnosed with Acoustic Neuroma a few weeks ago. However, I might add that I did have episodic vertigo as well. Since your wife has similar problems I doubt this is related to a tumour.

Take care,
Darren.
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post #21 of 30
11/23/03 at 9:36am
I find I have mild Tinnitus pretty much all the time. However, for a while in the summer I was camping for the weekend and near the end I couldn't even notice the ringing in quiet areas anymore. I guess my everyday life is just loud enough to do this, but it doesn't seem to be any permanent damage. Anyone else find that the ringing goes away after a few days in a quiet environment?
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post #22 of 30
11/23/03 at 1:13pm
Well, my ears have improved dramatically since Friday night. I was really worried on Saturday when I had to ask my girlfriend to repeat about half of everything that she said. I still have a slight ring but, it is something that I can live with. I'm hoping that even this slight ring will improve over the next couple of days. I fully intend to not get caught at a loud event with out earplugs, ever again. It's a shame that there isn't more public awareness about the dangers of loud concerts. I had never even heard of Tinnitus until this weekend. A friend of my told me that most venues sell earplugs but, I was totally unaware of this. Does anyone else know if this is the case?
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post #23 of 30
11/23/03 at 2:26pm
I'm 18 and can't stand to be in quiet rooms because there's this weird very low hum or ringing that I wish would go away. I listen to a lot of loud music and play my Strat pretty loud. It doens't bother me at all and I can't even notice it while I'm talking or listening to music.
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post #24 of 30
11/23/03 at 2:45pm
Interesting that this topic came up now, and how many people are affected by tinnitus. I've had a fairly loud, very constant ringing in my left ear since I was about 12 (8 years). I recently went to TN to see, supposedly, the best ear doctor in the nation, John Shea III at the Shea Clinic.

He said that my hearing was perfect and there was no physical reason for the ringing. What can make it worse is caffeine and aspirin, so I stopped drinking anything with caffeine in it and stopped eating things with chocolate. That was a month ago, and I noticed no difference.

My dentist said that a misaligned jaw can also cause irritation of a bone in the ear and that can cause ringing, so he's got me on this mouth guard-type thing that is supposed to correct the misalingment. Nothing has made an impact so far.

I can't stand being in quiet rooms either, and being in a sound-proof booth doing the hearing tests was torture. Unfortunately there's no real cure for tennitis. There's medicine that can make you not care about the ringing (a form of anti-depressant, but very mild), and there's the device someone else mentioned that's supposed to isolate the ringing, but Dr. Shea said that didn't work.
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post #25 of 30
11/24/03 at 8:47am
I'm still battling my tinnitus. I've had it for 3 or 4 years and everything I've tried hasn't worked. I read recently though that some treatments using magnetic fields can help with sufferers of chronic (long-term) tinnitus. But it's still pretty new.

Quiet rooms (especially reading at night) can be maddening, I agree. I often wear headphones to go to sleep, since it helps mask the ringing and take my mind off of it.

Don't abuse your ears! There is no shame in playing in a band or going to a concert with earplugs. In fact, there are earplugs that allow you to pretty much hear the full spectrum of sounds evenly, just at 15-20 decibels reduced volume. Get them, use them, love them. The world is too loud nowadays to not.
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post #26 of 30
11/24/03 at 7:26pm
I have Meneres Disease, which causes a ringing in my ears. My ears can't regulate the fluid pressure, so I often feel like my right ear is clogged. When it is really bad, I get all types of noise in that ear, as well as a feeling of pressure, and sometimes pain. The only thing I can do for it is diaretics (water pills) which dehydrate me to the point the fluid goes away. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. I get about 5 flare ups per year, it seems, and they last about 3-4 weeks each. Very annoying.

For sleeping, get a white noise generator. I can help mask the ringing. I have to use a CPAP to sleep with, so that masks the ringing quite nicely.
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post #27 of 30
11/24/03 at 7:59pm
I would have to describe it as another poster did with " Very high pitched, yet very distant, Crickets" but not the throbbing kind of critter you hear at dusk, more along the constant unbroken shrill of the late night variety.
It is annoying in the extreme during the quiet of the night but is hardly noticeable during the background hum of day to day living...except of course for my increased usage of the word "HUH?".
Would like to be rid of it. Not medically possible as of yet.
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post #28 of 30
11/25/03 at 5:13am
Try:

www.ata.org

www.halhen.com


ATA=American Tinnitus Association.

HalHen=Company that sells tinnitus maskers, etc...
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post #29 of 30
11/25/03 at 8:36am
I am very glad to see that this is an important topic on both this forum and on AVS recently.

I too suffer from a very slight ringing in the ears, most noticably in my right ear. I never hear it in normal activities, just when the house is extremely quiet and/or right before I fall asleep.

I tend to watch movies and listen to music on the louder side, but nothing too drastic and I am very cognizant of the volume level and duration of my sessions, so where that could be the cause, I doubt it.

Recently I went to a Queensryche concert without ear plugs. Normally I bring them, but forgot to this time around and might have paid the price. I did notice the ringing before attenting the concert however, this show probably exacerbated my problem.

I am going to try the ear wax removal thing as my ears do feel slightly pressurized, which I assume is not that normal either. Hopefully that releaves the problem.
Quote:
A friend of my told me that most venues sell earplugs but, I was totally unaware of this. Does anyone else know if this is the case?


This is totally false. In my experience, most venues DO NOT have earplugs for sale and the only way to get them if you forget to bring them upon arrival is to ask a bartender/aisle attendant to spare a pair. Usually they will do so if they have extras but that is not always the case. They are required to wear them due to OSHA regulations but not all of them do.
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post #30 of 30
11/26/03 at 4:57pm
I have ringing in my ears also. Im almost 100% shure its wax buildup. I dont have medical incurance so going to a doctor is out. My wife told me that hydrogen peroxide works good, so i've been doing that & rinsing my ear (left) with hot water while in the shower.

Still some ringing, but my hearing seems to have gotten better in that ear. 'im gonna continue & hopefully i'll cure myself from "the damn ringing"

P.S i was freaking when i was loosing my hearing in my left ear. I thought about not being abel to fully enjoy movies anymore.

jot this one down to "dont know what you got till it's gone" like the song by cinderella states.
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