anyone here suffer from tinnitus/ ear ringing?

[Lathum]

I have had this ringing in my left ear that comes and goes for a while now. Looked all over google and seen mostly what could be causing it. I have a doctors appointment in a couple of weeks for it but man it can get annoying. Some days I don't notice anything other days it is really loud. The worst is if I wake up at night and it is ringing it can be hard to get back to sleep. No pian, loss of balance, headaches or anything, just the ringing. My concern is it will be something permanent I will have to learn to manage.

Anyone suffer from this and have any advice?

[panerd]

It comes and goes for me. I really set it off one day while watching a friend play at a bar and sitting right by a speaker. Any time I do go to a concert or use a leaf blower or work with heavy machinery it sticks around for a few days. The good news is that it goes away for most people but the bad news (in my circumstance so you may have a different result) is the doctor really wasn't much help.

I have found that when it first happened I used to think about it a lot and it would make the ringing seem worse and you kind of have to put it in the back of your mind. Right now if I really think about it I can kind of hear the ringing but it does go away.

[booradley]

Eh? Can you speak up, sonny?

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

I've had it since I was young. Not all that often, not all that loud (so it doesn't disturb me), but it is very much a presence in my life.

Wish I had some advice, but since it doesn't bother me it is just more of a curiousity. But it certainly has never gone away.

[panerd]

I should add that sleeping with a box fan has helped a lot. I think white noise is good anyways for creaks in the house but it also help when my ears are really ringing.

[RendeR]

Yup, Navy Engine rooms did it to me. The high pitched 200+ decible noise levels will do horrible things to your ears.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by panerd

I should add that sleeping with a box fan has helped a lot. I think white noise is good anyways for creaks in the house but it also help when my ears are really ringing.

I usually fall asleep with the TV on and that helps, the problem is when I wake up at night.

The ringing pretty much correlates with a root canal I had, so I am going to also call the dentist who did it and see their advice.

[Breeze]

I was recently diagnosed with the same thing. I was at the doctor for what I thought was a sinus infection that was causing me significant pain and headaches (not uncommon due to the fact I've broken my nose 7 times), but there was no infection and he determined I was suffering from TMJ...

He gave me some muscle relaxers which really helped.

I can say that I've had a slight ringing in my ears for years, but it never really bothered me. The recent pain was apparently because the ringing started to become more pronounced and I developed muscle spasms in my neck as a result (hince the need for the muscle relaxers).

By the way, the box fan works well for me at night too...been doing it for years, and it started as a way to deal with the constant ringing...

[A-Husker-4-Life]

I use white noise to help me sleep with the fucking ringing in my rings.. uggg, there's really nothing the doctors can do for ya man..

[Kodos]

I have trouble sleeping without a white noise machine or a fan. This one is great:

Amazon.com: Sound Conditioner Sound Screen SleepMate Electro-Mechanical White Noise Machine: Health & Personal Care

[MCK]

I've had it for the last 6 years. Went to the ENT doctor for a hearing test, results came back that I've loss hearing in both ears and the ringing will probably be permanent. At first the ringing was very annoying but I've learned to deal with it. I have a fan on every night to help with it.

I can't hear whistles or bells. The positive thing is the doc said I would have problems hearing people with soft or high pitch voices so I might not clearly hear my wife and kids all the time.

[duckman]

I've had tinnitus since my Air Force days working around aircrafts. It's usually a low hum, but it can sometimes sound like a tuning fork right by my ear. Very annoying, especially at night when it's quietest and the ringing is more pronounced.

There's not a lot of treatment options either.

[GrantDawg]

I have had this since my surgery. I have no idea what is causing it. One of those things I'll bring up when I see the doctor at the end of the month. I thought it might be medication related, but I have since changed meds and it is still happening.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Suffer from it? Hell, I enjoy it!

spoiler alert i'm lying

[dawgfan]

I have a mild case of it - or at least, I assume it's mild. Haven't had it formally tested. But I definitely have a certain level of background noise that won't go away - too many concerts in my youth without adequate hearing protection, plus several years working in a paint store in a loud tint room with paint can shakers constantly going.

One thing you might try is to monitor your salt intake - I was told by a doctor that there's a correlation between salt intake and the intensity of the tinnitus symptoms.

[RendeR]

Yeah and too much sex causes diabetes too. I'm so tired of doctors finding the slightest 1000th of a percentaile change in relation to something and saying ""there's a correlation!!!"


Sorry DF, not ragging at you directly, just that whole genre of info-tainment that scientists like to call statistics.

[Senator]

I am not even going frighten you with what I found when I went to the doctor for one sided tinnitus.

[RendeR]

You have ear ticks?

[Senator]

that would have been ok

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by RendeR

Yeah and too much sex causes diabetes too. I'm so tired of doctors finding the slightest 1000th of a percentaile change in relation to something and saying ""there's a correlation!!!"


Sorry DF, not ragging at you directly, just that whole genre of info-tainment that scientists like to call statistics.

Except that this isn't some case of a random statistical connection, there is actually a physiological basis for why they can be connected. Same with caffeine intake and smoking.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Senator

I am not even going frighten you with what I found when I went to the doctor for one sided tinnitus.

i would be curious to hear, I'm not the type to get overly freaked out anyway. If it isn't something you want to post you can always PM me.

[21C]

I have tinnitus as well and found this "treatment" on the internet. I don't think that it is meant as a cure but does seem to work short term.

To perform this technique, put the palms of your hands over your ears. The fingers are on the back of the head. The middle fingers point towards each other and are on the base of the skull just above the point where the skull ends. Now lift the index fingers and place them on top of the middle fingers and then snap the index fingers off the middle fingers so that they beat the skull like a drum. In fact, with your hands covering your ears, the sound may be quite loud and may indeed sound like the beating of a drum. Click here to download a video clip demonstrating this procedure. (The video clip can be played using either Windows Media Player or Quick Time.)
Repeat the drumming about 40 to 50 times. Depending on the severity of the condition, one could repeat the technique several times a day.

[panerd]

If it starts bothering you think to yourself that you dont have it as bad as this guy thought he did...

Rock Fan Kills Himself After Concert Left Him With Tinnitus | Fox News

[chinaski]

I have it pretty bad in both ears. Usually I can only hear it when i'm trying to go to sleep, ie total quiet in the room. I tend to keep a movie on or the tv when trying to fall asleep. One too many punk shows im afraid.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by panerd

If it starts bothering you think to yourself that you dont have it as bad as this guy thought he did...

Rock Fan Kills Himself After Concert Left Him With Tinnitus | Fox News

Sad story. I really wish more sound engineers would turn it down. Most concerts really are louder than they need to be. When you have to feel like it's a requirement to wear earplugs to a show - yeah, that's a sign that it's too loud to start with.