If Only There Were A Cure...

Hear Again

Hear Again

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Hi everyone,

For the past several weeks I have been hearing what sounds to me like many people talking, but I can't understand the words. I don't know if this is tinnitus or another one of my voices. I only hear this at night when my CIs are off.

Lately I've also been hearing a very high pitched tone (only at night when my CIs are off) that will not stop. It's painful to hear and gives me a headache.

My CI surgeon was going to put me on Prednisone to help my tinnitus, but I refused due to the possible side effects of depression and mood swings.

However, I'm strongly thinking about changing my mind because I haven't been able to get a decent night's sleep for several weeks now and I don't know how much more of this I can take. :(
 
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Went through the same thing about a year or two ago. Was terrible! It lasted about a week or so, then gradually got better, but still "pops up" occasionally.

I just got as much rest as I could, which was not much. I've been able to program or train my mind somewhat to ignore it, and do something or go for a walk, even exercise. Even this AM, I have "shrieking" sounds...which I'm ignoring, but are there. I take no meds for this.

I'm totally deaf, no aids and no CI. And as I've said before, I don't hear voices, just music and instruments.

It's hard to deal with! And I'm sorry! You are not alone! And surely not crazy, as some people would think as they know knowing about this problem.
 
rockin'robin said:
Went through the same thing about a year or two ago. Was terrible! It lasted about a week or so, then gradually got better, but still "pops up" occasionally.

I just got as much rest as I could, which was not much. I've been able to program or train my mind somewhat to ignore it, and do something or go for a walk, even exercise. Even this AM, I have "shrieking" sounds...which I'm ignoring, but are there. I take no meds for this.

I'm totally deaf, no aids and no CI. And as I've said before, I don't hear voices, just music and instruments.

It's hard to deal with! And I'm sorry! You are not alone! And surely not crazy, as some people would think as they know knowing about this problem.
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:ty: rockin'robin! It's nice to know someone else understands and that I'm not alone!

What is so frustrating to me is the fact that I also hear voices due to my bipolar which makes it difficult for me to differentiate between them and tinnitus.

I e-mailed my CI audi and surgeon to ask them what this is. I'm at a loss because I don't know if this is considered another hallucination of mine or tinnitus. Whatever it is though, I wish it would stop.
 
I am sorry to hear you are struggling. When I have my HA out I hear low bass sounds, like the foot pedals on an organ. I have found that Zen meditation has helped me alot. I hope your situation improves for you, thinking of you, Moon~child
 
Moon-child said:
I am sorry to hear you are struggling. When I have my HA out I hear low bass sounds, like the foot pedals on an organ. I have found that Zen meditation has helped me alot. I hope your situation improves for you, thinking of you, Moon~child
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Thank you, Moon-child! :)

I hear 4 different kinds of sounds: A/C motor running, high/medium/low pitched beeps, a continuous high pitched tone and many people talking at once although I can't understand the words.

How do you practice Zen meditation? What does that involve?
 
Am I allowed to post on Zen meditation? I don't consider it a religious thing, but some might?? I will await an answer from our terrific mods and if I can I will post here, if not, I can let you know in private if you like.
 
Moon-child said:
Am I allowed to post on Zen meditation? I don't consider it a religious thing, but some might?? I will await an answer from our terrific mods and if I can I will post here, if not, I can let you know in private if you like.
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That would be great. Thanks! :)
 
Hear Again, is it possible that your CI is too loud? Right after a mapping, I realized that the audiologist put the "power" way too high for high frequencies. So I would hear a high pitch tone that kept me awake (with CIs off) every night for 1.5 weeks. The audiologist put down the high frequencies just a bit, and within a few days, the tinnitus went away. I still get it once in a while but I noticed that it only happens if I put on the CI at volume 7 in the mornings. I put it at volume 1 or 2, then after 30 min, I ramp it up to volume 5-7. Try that?
 
Daredevel7 said:
Hear Again, is it possible that your CI is too loud?
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Loudness isn't the problem. My audi turned down all of my remaining electrodes several notches. I'm not having a problem with sounds being too loud. I'm hearing indistinguishable voices in my head and can't tell if they are auditory hallucinations or tinnitus. As for the continuous high pitched tone I hear, I have no idea why that started, but according my CI surgeon, tinnitus can change from one sound to another over time.
 
I don't have CI's but I have two hearing aids and I have had tinnitus since I was 18. I still remember the day it started, I was in the kitchen and all of a sudden I could hear these noises, ringing noises in both ears. I have learned to ignore and not focus on those noises or else they would drive me bonkers. I have never told my doctor about it, I didn't realize what those noises were until many years later. It really is just a pain to deal with I know...
 
Melissa,

I honestly don't know how to ignore the sounds I hear. They are too loud for me to do that. I can't see, so there is nothing I can focus my attention on when I'm in bed ready to go to sleep.

By the way, I asked someone I know who is knowledgeble about hallucinations if this is what it might be and they said no given the fact that I can't understand what is being said.

That's a relief to me because I'm taking an antipsychotic for my voices and I was afraid that it was no longer working.
 
Hear again I do hope it gets better for you. We are here for you if you need us. Hugs!
 
bebito831 said:
Hear again I do hope it gets better for you. We are here for you if you need us. Hugs!
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Thanks again, Melissa! :)

I heard from my CI surgeon this afternoon via e-mail and he said what I'm experiencing is tinnitus -- not auditory hallucinations since I can't understand what is being said.

He suggested I try sleeping with one CI on, so I'm going to give that a try and see if it helps.

I did ask him about taking Prednisone, but he doesn't feel that it would help and is concerned about the side effects of depression and mood swings exacerbating my bipolar.
 
Hey Hear Again, when I had Tinnitus issues, doesn't matter if it was from my 1-2x a year as a child or from the time I went thru my nearly year of tinnitus hell. I'd get those voices where it sounded like many people were talking and I couldn't make anything out, or sounded like my Italian Gramma yelling..although she's never yelled at me, ever. It was from years of me hearing her yell at my Dad or Uncle, due to being Italian, they get LOUD sometimes. :D It drove me nuts when I had to hear these voices but they always somehow go away, thankfully!

Hope yours goes away soon. Tinnitus sucks, and one of my reason besides the fact that I was not able to wear my rt hearing aid, were the reason why I went ahead and got CI on rt side 'cause I had nothing to lose for that side.

For the past several weeks I have been hearing what sounds to me like many people talking, but I can't understand the words. I don't know if this is tinnitus or another one of my voices. I only hear this at night when my CIs are off.
 
deafmama78 said:
Hey Hear Again, when I had Tinnitus issues, doesn't matter if it was from my 1-2x a year as a child or from the time I went thru my nearly year of tinnitus hell.
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I'm glad I'm not alone in my experience. I mistakingly thought I'd get used to it given the other auditory hallucinations I have, but that has not been the case. If anything, I find my tinnitus to be far more annoying because at least when I hear voices, I can understand them.

I forgot to mention that I've been sleeping with my CI on for the past 2 nights while listening to talk radio played at a soft volume and it's working like a charm at helping to distract me from my tinnitus.
 
I don't have very bad tinnitus, I just hear low bass sounds when I am trying to go to sleep at night. I have found something that helps me on those nights I can't seem to ignore the sounds.

Have you ever seen or heard of Zen Masters? Monks who can sit and quietly meditate even if there is a fly on there nose or any other type of distraction, annoyance or disturbance? I have found that over the 2 years that I have been practicing Zen Meditation that it helps me to become detached to the tinnitus sounds. Yup, they are still there, it does not make them go away, but I can almost observe them like an outsider, I am aware of them but they are of little concern to me. You can google Zen Meditation or visit a buddhist monostery (sp?) or go to your local library ant get books on it so I won't pretend to be a teacher and attempt to tell you what to do. but basically, you sit quietly, and let your mind settle like a vast ocean....if thoughts come (and they will) to distract you, simply let them pass and pull yourself back into the stillness of meditation. Sounds very simple, and it is, and it isn't. some days I can only get in 5 minutes and then my mind starts to get active and I am thinking and thinking and don't even catch myself for 1/2 hour!!! But practice daily helps.

So, I don't know if this will help any of you, if you are interested, it would be worth your while to check it out, it can only benefit your wholisitic health, and maybe even hlep you cope with tinittus too. Best wishes everyone!

Oh, one more thing, you don't have to be a Buddhist to practice zen meditation.
 
I'm afraid Zen meditation wouldn't work for me because my tinnitus is too loud. When I hear the voices or continuous high pitched tone I described, I can't concentrate on anything else.
 
I have tinnitus really bad at night. What I did was that I made music out of it. Did you know that you can make it sing to you (make it go high and low for you)?

Sometimes when I am asleep, my tinnitus became a background music for dreams LOL

It helped me not be so annoyed by it.
 
I too have Tinnitus really bad. When I have my hearing aids in it lessons the constant chirping in my head. It is definitely worse after I take my aids off at night. I have recently ordered a Tinnitus masking system I can't wait to get it. I used to just put my ipod on full blast at night to sleep until my audi yelled at me and said I was only damaging my ears more... needless to say I don't do that anymore lol
 
candybrowneyes said:
I too have Tinnitus really bad. When I have my hearing aids in it lessons the constant chirping in my head. It is definitely worse after I take my aids off at night. I have recently ordered a Tinnitus masking system I can't wait to get it. I used to just put my ipod on full blast at night to sleep until my audi yelled at me and said I was only damaging my ears more... needless to say I don't do that anymore lol
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Can you describe the tinnitus masking system you bought? What kind of a sound does it make and where can they be purchased? I've heard white noise is good for tinnitus. Someone recommended that I get a white noise machine, but if I decide to listen to white noise, I can always accomplish the same thing by tuning a radio in between 2 stations.
 
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