re: Tinnitus (ringing of the ear)

Had it for a couple of decades. Loud music has dampered my hearing and led to constant ringing. I just have to turn the music up louder.

Same issue with left ear. Started about 6 mos ago. No real cure, but dr told me to look into several different hearing aids that may cancel out the ringing.

I’ve had tinnitus in both ears for 41 years. I’ve tried everything, been to many ENTs, had numerous MRIs looking for aberrations of my auditory nerves and brain, tried many different prescription drugs and employed cognitive behavior therapy.

Personal discoveries:

1. Difficult to make it better;
2. Very easy to make it worse;
3. You get used to it but never accept it;
4. White noise is essential for sleep and quiet environments;
5. There is no single cause for tinnitus;
6. There is no cure for tinnitus;
7. There are very few clinical trials or research programs for tinnitus treatments;
8. The Universities of Michigan and Oklahoma have federal grants for researching tinnitus;
9. There are varying degrees of tinnitus, the most severe cases can require severing the auditory nerve;
10. The most common causes of tinnitus are damage to the cilia in the inner ear and a brain defect that registers sound when there isn’t any external noise;
11. There are many scams regarding tinnitus “cures;”
12. Diet can have a major effect upon the severity of tinnitus;
13. Hearing loss in the high frequencies is usually associated with tinnitus;
14. Tinnitus is more common in men than women but more severe and hereditary in women;
15. Tinnitus can be temporary or permanent, depending upon the degree of damage to the inner ear or if inherited;
16. About 10% of Americans are affected by tinnitus at some point in their lives; and,
17. Tinnitus sucks.

20 years and it has never completely stopped. volume goes up and down but, never really stops.

I have had this since 1974 when my aunt and I were dove hunting, she fired with her muzzle about a foot from my right ear, lucky she didn't kill me.

I can generally ignore it unless something draws my attention to it, such as a posting in TD. Here are some hints at dealing with it:

1. Avoid loud noises in the future, no sense making it worse.
2. Some people take Lipo Flavonoids, an expensive OTC drug. It didn't help me, but I have a bias that OTC things like this are a scam.
3. I spend as much time as I can in a quiet places. I don't turn on the TV unless there is something I want to watch. When I do, I listen at volumes that most people find too low. This may draw attention to the ringing while you are doing it, but over time it has lessened a lot.
4. Some people like a white noise machine, listen to rain or beach sounds, helps to draw your minds attention from the ringing.
5. Instead of listening to music while you drive, listen to audiobooks, this will draw your attention as you focus on the story. Free from the library.
6. Avoid NSAID's such as aspirin, ibuprofen, a high dose will set tinnitus off.

Good luck, relax, be patient, over time you can control the level of distraction. Since I'm older a lot of my friends are getting deaf, if I go watch a game with them, I have to bring ear plugs to lessen the high volume from the TV.

Sounds like Monkeypox

Yes millions of people. You'll get used to it. For most people, it is worse in silent environments, such as sleeping, I used a sound machine to overcome this. It really effects my hearing when there are multiple competing sounds.

Doctor told me tinnitus is in fact NOT damage, in the traditional sense. He explained the ringing you are hearing is actually there, but no one else can hear it.

He also said "Prove me wrong".

He possibly was not a doctor, so he may or may not be right.

He right ya know..only last a few minutes