Back to the Start

Apologies if this has been done before but I couldn't see anything. I'm interested to know how other people's tinnitus, hyperacusis and various other ear problems started. Apologies if I have missed any major categories but I will go back and add them in if that can be done.

There is next to know awareness out there, at least where I live, before someone gets tinnitus. I'm interested to know how frequently the onset of tinnitus could be avoided if the condition were taken more seriously by the various authorities that govern our lives.

 

I voted for prolonged noise trauma but it's also possible that I could of gotten it from a slight cold cause I had earaches for a few days and my hearing was a bit muffled.

 

Prolonged noise trauma for me, part of mine came from being in a rock band and not wearing earplugs (but not enough to bother me at the time), the worst tinnitus thus far came quite suddenly though after a loud session on a pair of headphones. The sad thing was I was taking measures to avoid tinnitus, and I wasn't very well informed at the time either. For the next few years I was in mourning for my ears, though I would learn to overcome the condition.

Today I now know it's brain related more than ear related, but it doesn't help that I feel a bit 'abandoned' by the NHS these days. Their knowledge wasn't brilliant in 2009, and in 2014 I haven't noticed much difference sadly. Perhaps I've been talking to the wrong people.

 

Weirdest thing to ever happen to me (and I've had a lot of weird stuff happen to me! ) Went to bed, just like every other night, in perfect silence, and woke the next morning with the smoke alarm going off in my house!! Oh wait, that's not the smoke alarm, that sound is in my HEAD!! No trauma, no loud noises or concerts, no stress, no ototoxic drugs, nothing!!! Just completely outta the blue!! Oh well, been two years and have habituated for the most part !! Occasional day, and very occasional day. But happily no more days!!!

 

I just woke up one day with a sound that was like a loud hissing in my left ear. The sounds varied over the next month--sometimes the hissing and sometimes like the sound you hear when you put your ear to a sea shell--only louder. Then it was like an electrostatic noise in my head. Now it is either a ringing--in the morning--or the hissing and progresses to the electrostatic sound. Some days it's loud and some days it's lower. This morning I woke up and didn't hear anything for a few minutes--that's a first-- and had a low T day.

 

The low I detest the most ,it makes my balance off far greater ,when mine began in 96 ,it seemed high winter winds started off ear infection .thats only thing I recall,to it's onset .My day when it's in middle I have a day I can switch of my being drawn to it ,my coping day I call them ,balance always there but again I cope just .
Interesting to see how peoples began .

 

Thanks for your votes and comments. It would be nice to have more votes but it does seem like the very preventable noise trauma will be the runaway winner. It’s sad and perplexing to read about T being brought on by nothing at all. It really is a cruel world.

It would be nice to do something to raise awareness about preventable hearing loss and T because there is so little awareness currently out there. What I could do, however, I have no idea. I have a few brief ideas but it would all be so expensive and I wouldn’t even know where to start. Maybe some day, who knows...

Please keep voting if you’re seeing this for the first time.

 

I am recently messaging my friends on facebook with a short message about NIHL, T and my experiences. 74 sent so far. I think I will translate the message tomorrow so some of you can make use of it.