Tinitus sufferer

I was born hard of hearing -- some hearing in my left ear and profoundly deaf in my right ear. I've always worn a hearing aid in my left ear. I always loved to listen to music.

Back in late 2005, I started experiencing some ringing and shrills. I didn't know what to make of it, so I went to the doctor. He told me that I had an onset of tinnitus. He said there was no cure for it. So, for the last nine years, I've suffered from this. I have good days and I have bad days. The good days, there is practically no noise interference. On these days, I don't even turn on my aid because sound triggers the tinnitus. Even if I turn it on for a mere few seconds to talk with my boss (if I have a hard time understanding her lips), when I turn it back off, the ringing starts.

On bad days, the shrills are so bad that I can't even hear myself think. Sometimes, it's hard to breathe! It is on those days that turning on my aid sort of drowns out the ringing and shrill whistling, because of background noises. But when I'm alone, all I can hear is those irritating sounds.

I've been told that MAYBE a cochlear implant might help alleviate this problem. Would that be the case???

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

there's some CI peeps in the forums so they can pop up anytime

Some people try biofeedback for tinnitus , I get it too and I try to keep my mind of it . When I first got tinnitus I kept asking people what is that sound and they were not hearing anything . I went outside and I was still hearing it and that was when I realize I had tinnitus .

whatdidyousay! said:

Some people try biofeedback for tinnitus , I get it too and I try to keep my mind of it . When I first got tinnitus I kept asking people what is that sound and they were not hearing anything . I went outside and I was still hearing it and that was when I realize I had tinnitus .

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Has the biofeedback really help for tinnitus? I constantly have it, and my friend's hearing aids make worse.. Kinda in the same boat as her with the tinnitus ... :/

I get tinnitus all the time. You are not alone. Many of us get it.

ashleycothren said:

Has the biofeedback really help for tinnitus? I constantly have it, and my friend's hearing aids make worse.. Kinda in the same boat as her with the tinnitus ... :/

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I heard it helped some people , I never tried it. I just try not to think about the sound when get tinnitus , I am hearing it right now. If think about it too
much is could drive me batty.

I think I had that. It sounds like a million cicadas singing in your ear.

Sent from my GT-P5100 using AllDeaf App mobile app

wait'll you get your own personal concert or comedy show...

Tinnitus ain't fun that's for sure.

FinlandForever said:

I think I had that. It sounds like a million cicadas singing in your ear.

Sent from my GT-P5100 using AllDeaf App mobile app

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NO OH! We had posts about posts about people having bugs in their ears . Now that that is an awful thought.

I have horrible tinnitus, at times I feel my head is going to explode like right now. It never ever goes away and 90% of the time it is extremely loud. Definitely interferes with my sleep and hearing quality is diminished in my CI ear from the loud noise in my right ear. My implanted ear has far less tinnitus than my non implanted deaf ear. I am considering getting my other ear implanted but there are no guarantees that a CI will help with tinnitus. Exercising and drinking lot's of water have helped me some. Some people have a mild form of tinnitus and can ignore it, but others have brutal tinnitus that really affects our lives.

Angel1989 said:

I have horrible tinnitus, at times I feel my head is going to explode like right now. It never ever goes away and 90% of the time it is extremely loud. Definitely interferes with my sleep and hearing quality is diminished in my CI ear from the loud noise in my right ear. My implanted ear has far less tinnitus than my non implanted deaf ear. I am considering getting my other ear implanted but there are no guarantees that a CI will help with tinnitus. Exercising and drinking lot's of water have helped me some. Some people have a mild form of tinnitus and can ignore it, but others have brutal tinnitus that really affects our lives.

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I know, I had a friend that was piano concert player and she woke up very sick one morning and had some kind of virus . She lost some hearing and got horrible tinnitus . She was no longer able to play the piano and was so sick from the tinnitus that she had surgery hoping it would stop the tinnitus. It did not help . Her daughter is an acupuncturist and brought her mom to have treatments but it did not help b/c of the surgery . My friend had tinnitus the years and is destroy her life style . I realize some people can get it very bad , I was talking how I deal with mine , it bad not as my friend was.

Angel1989 said:

I have horrible tinnitus, at times I feel my head is going to explode like right now. It never ever goes away and 90% of the time it is extremely loud. Definitely interferes with my sleep and hearing quality is diminished in my CI ear from the loud noise in my right ear. My implanted ear has far less tinnitus than my non implanted deaf ear. I am considering getting my other ear implanted but there are no guarantees that a CI will help with tinnitus. Exercising and drinking lot's of water have helped me some. Some people have a mild form of tinnitus and can ignore it, but others have brutal tinnitus that really affects our lives.

Click to expand...

Angel, do you ever hear pleasant sounds, like Gregorian chant, choirs singing, people talking as at a party, or a business meeting? I do sometimes, and it is so fascinating. I have gotten up to see if there are people outside, or maybe a radio left on or something. Doesn't happen all the time, mostly it's that annoying buzzing zzzz sound. I love it when I have the entertaining tinnitus.

Annie09Z said:

Angel, do you ever hear pleasant sounds, like Gregorian chant, choirs singing, people talking as at a party, or a business meeting? I do sometimes, and it is so fascinating. I have gotten up to see if there are people outside, or maybe a radio left on or something. Doesn't happen all the time, mostly it's that annoying buzzing zzzz sound. I love it when I have the entertaining tinnitus.

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You made me smile....When I first lost my hearing and woke up in the hospital after a month, I heard all kinds of what were pretty funny sounds. Barney the purple dinosaur, Flintstones, Bewitched etc. At times I would get a basketball game with the ball bouncing, announcers etc. I would also get talk radio, sometimes in Chinese. I do occasionally get music but it is always with this horrific loud roar. The absolute worst is when I had the sound of a car alarm blaring in my ear. They believe some of mine is brain related from when I was so ill. Some nights I sleep with my CI on and play quiet music, it helps me fall asleep. I'm going to download a bunch of Christmas music and try that soon.

"Entertaining tinnitus" cracks me up, but makes me feel I'm ready for the looney bin.

whatdidyousay! said:

Some people try biofeedback for tinnitus , I get it too and I try to keep my mind of it . When I first got tinnitus I kept asking people what is that sound and they were not hearing anything . I went outside and I was still hearing it and that was when I realize I had tinnitus .

Click to expand...

What is biofeedback? As for cochlear implants, my sister found a website that says that it could cure tinnitus for single-sided deafness. My left ear has some hearing, but my right ear is pretty much useless. So I'm afraid to drop all that money on a CI, only to find out it doesn't cure the tinnitus. It's really affected my way of living. I don't socialize with anybody, especially if I'm not wearing my aid (since noise triggers the tinnitus), because I can't follow them.

Angel1989 said:

You made me smile....When I first lost my hearing and woke up in the hospital after a month, I heard all kinds of what were pretty funny sounds. Barney the purple dinosaur, Flintstones, Bewitched etc. At times I would get a basketball game with the ball bouncing, announcers etc. I would also get talk radio, sometimes in Chinese. I do occasionally get music but it is always with this horrific loud roar. The absolute worst is when I had the sound of a car alarm blaring in my ear. They believe some of mine is brain related from when I was so ill. Some nights I sleep with my CI on and play quiet music, it helps me fall asleep. I'm going to download a bunch of Christmas music and try that soon.

"Entertaining tinnitus" cracks me up, but makes me feel I'm ready for the looney bin.

Click to expand...

Oh Lordy, the shrills are the WORST! It drives me absolutely insane. I was about to strangle somebody because it JUST. WOULD. NOT. STOP. And it's hard to breathe on those days.

i haven't met anyone who got cure with tinnitus by CI. But some of them said reduce their tinnitus or some of them said it didn't work. It didn't work for my hub when doctor suggested him to get CI in reducing his tinnitus. His tinnius got worse than before when he has ci. I'm sure some ci users will share here.

Stacey Bryant said:

What is biofeedback? As for cochlear implants, my sister found a website that says that it could cure tinnitus for single-sided deafness. My left ear has some hearing, but my right ear is pretty much useless. So I'm afraid to drop all that money on a CI, only to find out it doesn't cure the tinnitus. It's really affected my way of living. I don't socialize with anybody, especially if I'm not wearing my aid (since noise triggers the tinnitus), because I can't follow them.

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http://www.tinnitusformula.com/library/biofeedback-neurofeedback/#.VIUu3OktCM8

I read about biofeedback it said to help much for some people

I think most of us with a hearing loss experience some degree of tinnitus. I find keeping busy by doing something tends to help me ignore it. Some folks claim taking zinc vitamins in the morning will help, but that may not be for everyone. Just doing a google search and trying out all the remedies until you have found the right one to suit you is your best step in finding a solution!

Stacey Bryant said:

I was born hard of hearing -- some hearing in my left ear and profoundly deaf in my right ear. I've always worn a hearing aid in my left ear. I always loved to listen to music.

Back in late 2005, I started experiencing some ringing and shrills. I didn't know what to make of it, so I went to the doctor. He told me that I had an onset of tinnitus. He said there was no cure for it. So, for the last nine years, I've suffered from this. I have good days and I have bad days. The good days, there is practically no noise interference. On these days, I don't even turn on my aid because sound triggers the tinnitus. Even if I turn it on for a mere few seconds to talk with my boss (if I have a hard time understanding her lips), when I turn it back off, the ringing starts.

On bad days, the shrills are so bad that I can't even hear myself think. Sometimes, it's hard to breathe! It is on those days that turning on my aid sort of drowns out the ringing and shrill whistling, because of background noises. But when I'm alone, all I can hear is those irritating sounds.

I've been told that MAYBE a cochlear implant might help alleviate this problem. Would that be the case???

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Click to expand...

There is no cure for tinnitus. There are tons of suggestions to alleviate it or mask it.

I believe a CI is totally extreme and not viable suggestion for tinnitus. One of the known side-effects from CI can be (it doesn't happen in all cases) tinnitus - that beast you're trying to get rid of and at a cost that could range to about $100k for surgery. I'm looking a the illogic of the suggestion because the CI may make it worse.

The purpose of the suggestion was likely to mask the noise. I have my CI on now and on one side of my head has a constant noise. But without the CI, it gets worse.

Frisky Feline should probably weigh in here as her husband is also going through it.

My experience that I told Frisky Feline is I've been dealing with it on a 99% constant basis for going on three years. It began before the CI likely due to otosclerosis that probably worked its way into the cochlea killing off celia that exists to send sounds to our brain.

The CI made it a lot worse. Taking it off at night increases the noise tremendously. But that's probably because it is (the implant) alleviating/masking some of the ringing (it's not ringing but it's a common word for tinnitus). So, when you take it off, BOOM ... the masking it did isn't masking any longer.

I would nix the CI.

The sounds drive me pretty batty. I'm always fighting through it. I understand about good and bad days. But now, mine are not good and varies in "badness." I've tried different benzodiazipams (valium - bad for me, ativan - no good, etc.) one sort of helps to ease me a tiny bit to give me a chance to close my eyes at night and it's a struggle.

When the noise level is at a peak, my spouse has to do the hearing and communicating for both of us.

I wish I had a better experience but it's an unfortunate part of life. I no longer ignore those who say they have tinnitus because I know what it's like from my own and others' experiences. But it boils down to what you were told - there's no cure as bent or ossified celia happens for various reasons and cannot be fixed.

I am sorry. I also know that my breathing becomes labored when I've gone for days at peak levels.