Tinnitus, any new hope?
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easysurfer
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I've had tinnitus pretty much on and off as long as I can remember. For me, I've noticed there seems to be a correlation with that and ear wax buildup.
By coincidence, before logging on, I had just done my every two week or so ear wax cleaning with peroxide. I had noticed tinnitus before the cleaning and at this moment, none, nada.
As for masking, one can always white noise, such as having a fan running nearby, etc.
By coincidence, before logging on, I had just done my every two week or so ear wax cleaning with peroxide. I had noticed tinnitus before the cleaning and at this moment, none, nada.
As for masking, one can always white noise, such as having a fan running nearby, etc.
Telly
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I have it in both ears, have had it for years, don't really know when it started, just crept up on me I guess.
High-pitched tone, never changes in frequency, but it can change in amplitude. The tone in each ear is not synchronized with the other, so they are always individually dancing up and down some in amplitude.
That is interesting, because of an effect that I have noticed. If I take more than a few sudafed (generic equivalent of the real stuff) for sinus pressure over a day or two, the ringing goes UP in volume, and stays up there for days before slowly going down to the original volume level.
Pseudoephedrine reduces blood flow in soft tissues. If I have to take them for a few days, I often get "the chains". Besides the ringing, occasionally will hear the clinking of chains, like link by link by link. Will go on for a minute or two, then quit, then restart again later. Happens many times per day, then trails off slowly over week(s), to the point I forget all about the chain sounds. Until I use sudafed again in a high enough amount. And that amount isn't very high, as I stay below the max per day amount listed in the fine print.
One morning a couple of months ago, I suddenly noticed something strange... quiet! Total silence except for very low-level internal head sounds which I had as a kid, assume we all do. The ring-free period lasted a few days at most, then back to ringing business as usual.
High-pitched tone, never changes in frequency, but it can change in amplitude. The tone in each ear is not synchronized with the other, so they are always individually dancing up and down some in amplitude.
That is interesting, because of an effect that I have noticed. If I take more than a few sudafed (generic equivalent of the real stuff) for sinus pressure over a day or two, the ringing goes UP in volume, and stays up there for days before slowly going down to the original volume level.
Pseudoephedrine reduces blood flow in soft tissues. If I have to take them for a few days, I often get "the chains". Besides the ringing, occasionally will hear the clinking of chains, like link by link by link. Will go on for a minute or two, then quit, then restart again later. Happens many times per day, then trails off slowly over week(s), to the point I forget all about the chain sounds. Until I use sudafed again in a high enough amount. And that amount isn't very high, as I stay below the max per day amount listed in the fine print.
One morning a couple of months ago, I suddenly noticed something strange... quiet! Total silence except for very low-level internal head sounds which I had as a kid, assume we all do. The ring-free period lasted a few days at most, then back to ringing business as usual.
powersmo
Dryer sheet aficionado
Tinnitus issue
I also have this due to overexposure to the usual 30 years worth of military hardware. Drives me nuts to sit in a quite place, especially going to bed a nite. I recently saw a audiologist for a hearing check and discussed possible cures for the condition. She basically said there are no known cures right now. She did say that there were reports of a patients that had some auditory nerve clipped in the brain but it essentilly makes you deaf. Extreme cases I guess. Anyway, she said that most patients having this procedure still reported that they had the sensation of tinnitus.
I also have this due to overexposure to the usual 30 years worth of military hardware. Drives me nuts to sit in a quite place, especially going to bed a nite. I recently saw a audiologist for a hearing check and discussed possible cures for the condition. She basically said there are no known cures right now. She did say that there were reports of a patients that had some auditory nerve clipped in the brain but it essentilly makes you deaf. Extreme cases I guess. Anyway, she said that most patients having this procedure still reported that they had the sensation of tinnitus.
marko
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I mentioned this earlier in this thread, but accupuncture fixed it for me, big time!
On a bad bout, I'd completely loose hearing in my right ear...sometimes for months. Within 36 hours of my first accupuncture treatment it was gone.
If nothing else is working, why not try it with a reputable accupuncturist.
On a bad bout, I'd completely loose hearing in my right ear...sometimes for months. Within 36 hours of my first accupuncture treatment it was gone.
If nothing else is working, why not try it with a reputable accupuncturist.
powerplay
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In the latest Reader's Digest (July/August 2012, page 34) there is a brief mention of a device that helped reduce tinnitus in 75% of patients in an early study. It's described as an iPod size device with which the user listens to a sequence of quiet tones that are believed to quiet or stop abnormal brain rhythms. The developer is ANM Adaptive Neuromodulation (German company).
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ERD50
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I post at great personal risk, since so many have mentioned that just talking about it makes it worse, but...
I did read about this study earlier. IIRC, this was for the kind where you hear specific tones (frequencies). They would filter those tones out of the music on the iPod, and the idea was that by hearing other tones, your mind/nerves would somehow 'shut down' it's sensitivity to the tinnitus tones.
My tinnitus developed abut 6 months ago. I always feared it, as I was exposed to a lot of noise on the farm from ages 10-20. No OSHA people protecting kids on farms, and some of that equipment is like a buzz saw (hay choppers), and you run it for hours on end.
And I always feared that tinnitus would drive me absolutely bonkers, but fortunately, the type I have I seem to tolerate pretty well, so far. Mine is like some have described - like very distant crickets chirping. No specific tone, but not like white noise (steam sound) either. When it first started, I was going around the house trying to find the source (fridge running? toilet running? noisy light dimmer, or TV circuit?). Mine is of the 'in the head' variety, rather than 'in the ear'. I have very occasionally had an 'in the ear' type - that was always a definite pure high pitch - sinusoidal, like a test tone, but would fade away in seconds.
The worst part for me is when I want to do some critical/serious music listening. I used to have a noise just like this in my pre-amp, and have since bypassed the pre-amp by going directly from a computer and hard drive, through USB to a DAC directly to my amplifier. The noise is gone from my pre-amp, but now it is in my head!
-ERD50
Notmuchlonger
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Recently, I got hearing aids for a severe hearing loss on high pitched noises. The hearing aids mask the ringing in my ears. I had my doubts how much they could help. Wow the things I hear now with basically no ringing in my ears. I'm still amazed how well they work. Really not cheap though but if you have insurance it should cover them.
There are several newer excellent therapies which have been developed over the last five or so years. Most involve a small device which is a synthetic sound generator fit exactly to your type of tinnitus. It is NOT a hearing aid and has a prescriptive fit. Sort of expensive though. I'll get some referral URL's here.
At this point, no drug therapies offer long term relief. NONE as in Nada. Data has shown over many years, that current drug combos are ineffective.
There is some promising data on several drugs but none are out of testing yet.
At this point, no drug therapies offer long term relief. NONE as in Nada. Data has shown over many years, that current drug combos are ineffective.
There is some promising data on several drugs but none are out of testing yet.
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