Tinnitus Relief

[Dry1000]

Hey Everybody

          Lately my tinnitus has really been acting up. My ENT said there isn't anything he can do for me,I think I'm going to look for a new one, in the meantime. Does anyone have an good tips,tricks or product recommendations that they have found useful for treating tinnitus?

[Prairie Gal]

I've had tinnitus for quite a while now; it's a side effect of Plaquenil.   I guess mine isn't too bad, because the only time I notice it now is when I put my head on the pillow at bedtime.  I think this is because the house is quiet then and there's no background noise that works as a distraction the rest of the time.

I don't know  whether there's an effective treatment, but since mine isn't bad, I ignore it in preference to possibly adding another pill to the ones I already take.

[Dolly Dimples]

  Only thing I can think of Dry, is to wear headphones, which blocks out a lot of the annoying noise.
       I did once read that someone swore by breathing in hot steam every day helps, not tried it tho',
           as luckily I have only ever had short episodes of Tinnitus ..
                                                       its the pits tho', I sympathize, Dolly

[Scottietottie]

Hi Dry 

My ENT doc told me to try to have background noise going all the time. He also told me to go to bed listening to the radio. (Impractical. It would drive hubby up the wall) I suppose I could feed music through earphones.
The tinnitus I get is like 'white noise' rather than a high hum or whine - although that happens occasionally.

I think background noise helps. Silence just doesn't sound silent any more. 

Take care - Scottie 

[deeindiana]

I'm interested to see how people respond to your question. I've developed tinnitus about three months ago but haven't asked the doctor. I thought it was from the plaquenil but when I went took a break from the medication about a month ago it didn't go away. So now I don't know the cause but hate to go to the doctor AGAIN.  I just try to ignore it.

I hope you find relief. Maybe someone here will have some suggestions.
Deb

[Patze]

Hi Dry,

I'm another one with tinnitus, and Scottie makes a good point in that you'd always have to have some noise around to "combat" the noise of tinnitus.  I have it in both ears, and they are different sounds and let me tell you, it can get very interesting especially if I'm on a cell phone or certain phone systems.

I sometimes sleep with a tv or a radio on otherwise I just would not get any sleep.  I try to forgo them because it's too exhausting to always have something or another on (if it's interesting, I'll just watch the show - noise and all ).

I've heard of white noise machines helping tinnitus, but I don't know anyone that uses one so I can't say if it works or not.

Take care of yourself -

Patze

[YYC_ Mommy]

I too experience Tinnitus but it started long before I started on Plaquenil.

I have not yet seen an ENT for the problem as it seems like I have been working through other issues.

I wish that I had something that worked for me but the only thing that helps me sleep is to fall asleep watching tv, otherwise the noise drives me crazy.

Looking foward to hear what others have to suggest.

[Hypermobius]

Tinnitus here too, but in my case I think it's because of my heart problems. Heart/valve problems and tinnitus seem to go hand in hand and for me it was definitely a tipoff something's been wrong with my ticker for quite some time as I remember my ears ringing for no apparent reason when I was a kid.

[ynevar]

I have had tinnitus for almost a year now... I sure hated it at first.  Drove me insane for a while... Now it doesn't bother me like it did the first 4 months or so. 

I do have a better time going to sleep if there is a little noise, but honestly I am so used to it, it doesn't bother me.

-Y

[SueAnn]

If you go to the website for "The Doctors" and put Tinnitus in the search box you will see the new treatment for tinnitus that they had on the show.    I remember going on a message board for this and the treatments are on the expensive side.


Sue Ann

[Prairie Gal]

Someone mentioned a white noise machine and I remembered hearing about an acquaintance who got a similar result by tuning her radio between stations at bedtime.  The static, she said, was almost the same as white noise.

[irish]

I have had tinnitus since about 1996.This is when I started having problems with my right ear. I slowly lost my hearing and could hear only garbage. The tinnitus got worse though. As a nurse I had to talk on the phone with my good ear and could not hear what my staff were saying to me. Then I had the constant extra noise of bangs, booms, multiple voices talking, footprints, music playing on the intercom, tv playing in many rooms, confused patients yelling----the list just went on and on.

By the time I got home from work my tinnitus was beyond the ceiling. I would have to change clothes and lile down with a pillow over my head to block out all the noise and try to take a nap. If I could get some rest I would feel some better.The stress of this when you work is really lousy. I feel sorry for those of you who have it in both ears and still try to work.

Years ago I read that Kenny Rogers had tinnitus in both ears and had contemplated suicide at one time because of it. This article was about the hearing aides that he got that had a white noise in them that helped tremendouly in masking the tinnitus. I have never even thought to check on this so if someone does a search on this please post what you find.

Also, my tinnitus got so bad that my doc (who is a (ENT) with a neuro otolargngologist specialty) did a surgery on me where he destroyed the otic nerve by drilling it out and destroying it where is came through the base of the brain. He did a labryinthectomy at the same time. In other words he destroyed all the hearing mechanisms of my right ear. Also did the mastoidectomy on the right side. My tinnitus got less.

However, it did not go away entirely. I have to add that this is a very delicate operation and when you destroy the hearing nerve on the right side you also destroy 50% of a persons balance. I had to go to rehab at Sister Kenney and learn to walk again. Took a lot of exercises and just plain living life to get my balance back. I still have the balance issues, which I had prior to the surgery anyway so who knows what causes what.

It was pretty traumatic in some ways as I could not drive for a long time and hubby had to take me to work. I also had a lot of trouble walking but managed to do better at work because of the narrow hallways which give a persons brain some landmarks.

I started to develop more tinnitus the past several months along with more dizziness. Have had some nausea also. I don't know what the deal is at this point, but when my doc does my sinus surgery he had the nurse tell me that he is going to put a plug in my oval window. I had a cat scan with landmarks last month and I am guessing he found something on the scan. I don't know which ear or why but I am sure I will find out November 9 when I go for an appointment.

I am back on another antibiotic just one week after finishing the last one. The ENT is also having me finish this antibiotic and then he is having me start Biaxin 500 mgm once a day for 3 months. This was interesting. Nurse told me it is for the antibiotic effect plus it also has an anti-inflammatory affect. I had never heard that before.

I do have to add that as the years go by one becomes more accustomed to all that garbage that is going on in your ear. Also, some of the sounds one hears are weird. The most common is the sound of static on the radio. Also, birds chiping is interesting and the sound of jets taking off is so real you think that you are on a plane.

I would love to hear any comments that others have about the noise they hear. The thing that is so interesting is this noise is just something that the brain sort of spits out at us. Has nothing to do with what we hear, etc. So really, you could say our brain is talking to us Irish

I wonder how many thousand that was.

[Patze]

Hi Irish,

I don't know how you did it!  Wow, working as a nurse and having to put up trying to hear out of one ear! 

It's interesting that you mention that the noise is something that the brain spits out at us, I just wish it would either let me choose a radio station to listen to or just shut up already!   Dang!

Take care -

Patze

[Scottietottie]

The majority of the time my tinnitus just sounds like white noise. It possibly would not be so disconcerting but it's in my 'hearing' ear. My other ear hears very little and never has done.

[Carolina]

Dear Sjogren's Angels:

Tinnitus is the bane of my life.

I DO find that wearing my hearing aids reduces my awareness of the noise during the day.

One otolaryngologist told me that:

Tinnitus is the result of your brain trying to HEAR sounds that aren't coming from your ears.   The brain tries to get sound, and when it doesn't get sounds,  it produces sounds, like tuning a radio to a setting that has no broadcast.

In other words, you get tinnitus because you are beginning to lose your hearing.  And sure enough, that's what's been happening to me.

In fact the deafest ear has three part 'harmony' in tinnitus now.   The ordinary static sound, a lower drone like a bee hive, and a high pitched whine.

When I take out my hearing aids, the symphony starts.  The world goes silent and my ears go ballistic with tinnitus.

People have been known to commit suicide to get away from the noise.

I manage to ignore it most of the time, after the first assault.

Just like I mange to ignore my background pain most of the time.

Aspirin and other medications will cause ringing of the ears, by the way, not to be confused with the sort of tinnitus I have.

The best solution is a soothing noise which covers the tinnitus sound, for me a fan in the summer and the humidifier in the winter.

Here's the Mayo Clinic on the subject of tinnitus:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tinnitus/DS00365/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs

Keep us posted on how your Tinnitus is 'going', Dry.

Kisses

Elaine