Anyone here had trouble with tinnitus?

SVreX wrote: I always thought tinnitus was caused by chronic long term exposure. Sounds like some of you are referencing an acute injury or incident. Can it also be caused by an acute incident, or is that different?

Short answer, Mine is brain damage.

Longer answer. I don't remember a time I didn't have it. Always made hearing tests hard. I've always thought it was my ears, for various reasons. And there are some inner ear problems, like lax muscles holding the bones together in the left ear. I've also got meniere's disease like symptoms.

Chasing this around some years ago, I happened to be at an audiologist when my ears weren't shrieking (sometimes happens, clue #1). I could hear her through the walls. We discussed things, including my MS, and she told me the problem was really quite likely my brain (clue #2). Mental training to help, but I didn't bother, and wanted to argue that it was still my ears.

Doing physical therapy after the motorcycle crash, they tested the heck out of my ears. Where they move you around and watch your eyeballs. I passed with flying colors (clue #3) Huh, no loose rocks in my semi-circular canals.

My physical and cognitive therapists kept insisting my balance, vision and hearing problems were brain damage (clue #4). Crash or MS or both, who knew. Finally my cognitive therapist basically forced me to see an Optometrist who specialised in TBI patients.

The gold ring clue was the eye tests the Optometrist did. She could turn the noise on and off with the different lenses, as well make me almost throw-up and try to crawl out of the chair. To my surprise, she wasn't surprised by any of this. In fact, I'm sure one time she said "ears on, ears off" as she flipped through some lenses.

Well shoot, so it is all in my brain. Or nearly all. I still like to pretend something is sorta wrong with my ears, somehow. All evidence to the contrary.

Not that I don't have physical triggers, as well some others. Caffeine, particularly coffee will make the shrieking louder. Gunshot type sounds will completely turn my right ear off. Psychedelic artwork can literally knock me down sometimes, and set my ears to screaming. Blue stage lighting plays hell with my mind and ears.

Mine scream all the time, especially in a quiet room. Every once in a while, it all goes quiet and its like heaven, then it comes back.

Yep, and my hearing is further degrading, I can't distinguish individual conversations if there are several folks talking. It's sounds like a muffled, Charles Schultz adult character. SWMBO has caught me subconsciously reading lips a few times, I didn't realize I was doing it until she pointed it out. I'm not agoraphobic, though I don't like crowds, or most people in general, but I'm even less likely to go to a crowded bar/restaurant as I've gotten older (I'm only in my early 30s), because I can't understand what people are saying.

Child labor in a machine shop, I was on a tractor by age 10, cutting fire wood, decades of shooting firearms without hearing protection, mowed about everyone at church's lawns as a kid, the ear bleeding bass phase of my teen years, etc.

eeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, What?

bigdaddylee82 wrote: Yep, and my hearing is further degrading, I can't distinguish individual conversations if there are several folks talking. It's sounds like a muffled, Charles Schultz adult character. SWMBO has caught me subconsciously reading lips a few times, I didn't realize I was doing it until she pointed it out. I'm not agoraphobic, though I don't like crowds, or most people in general, but I'm even less likely to go to a crowded bar/restaurant as I've gotten older.

Holy cow, we are the same person.

My wife tells me I turn my "good" ear towards somebody when I am listening to them.

I had a rocket blow up a generator near me. I've gotten pretty good at tuning the "eeeeeeee" sound out.

Yep. Too much time standing on a stage in front of a 100-200W tube half-stack will do that to you. My co-workers often make fun of me as I bring hearing protection with me all the time. I survey chiller rooms and won't go in unless I can get ear plugs. The constant high-pitched drone will really make my ears ring. My classic Mini is rough on long hwy stints as the little engine is literally screaming at 60-70 mph (someday I'll install a tach, but part of me doesn't want to know...) and will make my ears ring as well.

Most of the time I don't notice it... except right now when most people have left the office and it's quiet and I'm thinking about it.

Cures are all over the internet now. QED. Just buy the magic pill, all is good.

I just feel better knowing I'm not the only one. It contributes to my overall crankiness but the worst part is hearing the TV or conversations. I can't hear certain frequencies so depending on the person speaking, I can't understand what the hell they are saying.

Had it most my life. Ringing comes and goes. Worse after 20 years of flying helicopters and being around jet engines most of my life. Certain noises will set it off worse, like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum hurts my ears and sets off loud ringing in my ears. Typical for most of us that work in this field though. They tell me my hearing is pretty good considering. I attribute it to being a musician before getting into helicopters. Trained to hear tones but often have a hard time understanding what people say, especially if there are other noises. I can hear them but can't understand, sounds like a muffled noise to me.

And what is said above is right. Dizziness is not a symptom of tinnitus.

Curmudgeon wrote: Tinnitus is ear noise.

Huh.

I thought it was a more precise diagnosis/ condition.

Learned something.

Dizziness and ears are inner ear problems. But dizziness could be something worse. Go to a doctor.

SVreX wrote:

Curmudgeon wrote: Tinnitus is ear noise.

Huh. I thought it was a more precise diagnosis/ condition. Learned something.

Tinnitus is a catchall term to describe a constant noise the patient complains about hearing which is not present in the environment. For instance, as I type this I can hear a low 'eeeeeeeeeee' kind of sound in my left ear only, it will 'drop out' for sometimes hours at a time for no reason that I can discern. I am pretty much deaf in my right ear (ear infections as a kid) but at times will hear something similar from that one.

Now, tinnitus can have many different causes such as what foxtrapper and others have described. If ear noise is present along with dizziness or an inability to stand due to loss of balance, there's a good chance the tinnitus is a byproduct of whatever is causing the balance issue.

From someone who's had his ears poked and prodded WAY too many times over the years...

I usually have the 'eeeeeeeeeeee' sound in my ears. I too notice and appreciate the times when it it actually quiet and the ringing goes away. The sound of opening a pop top can will start it ringing again and then it will persist for days. I think I got mine from too many hours in the engine room while in the navy. So, since it seems that everyone has it, maybe there should be a thread here titled "Tinnitus - who doesn't have it?"

Tinnitus affects at least 17% of the US population, some figures place it closer to 30-35%. It has a LOT of different possible causes. I've had it as long as I can remember, so I guess I was born with it. I gotta say the MVAC has made it worse, though.

Well, the good news is that I now know the cause of the problem. The bad news is that it's Meniere's Disease:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9ni%C3%A8re%27s_disease

Had my second episode at work and this time I had vertigo and nausea to boot. If you read the symptoms I can check 'em all off. Looks like I'm done with Chinese food, frozen pizza, soda and real coffee from now on...

somehow, working with cars, heavy equipment, and being backstage for many many concerts, I still have hearing better than most 20 year olds.. not bad for somebody more than twice their age.

I had tinnitus for a while due to drug interaction.. but it slowly went away. It was a maddening few months.. not sure how you guys put up with it for years

stroker wrote: Well, the good news is that I now know the cause of the problem. The bad news is that it's Meniere's Disease: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9ni%C3%A8re%27s_disease Had my second episode at work and this time I had vertigo and nausea to boot. If you read the symptoms I can check 'em all off. Looks like I'm done with Chinese food, frozen pizza, soda and real coffee from now on...

That's a nasty one. I've an aunt with it. Sometimes it lays her out for days. It's almost gotten her killed several times.