Confused

[frooty]

Hello fellow members, my name is Ariana, I am 14 years old, and I am a bit confused whether I have "chronic" (I'm not sure how else you would call it) tinnitus or not. I have heard the ringing for as long as I can remember, probably caused by the blasting spanish music my family would play all the time ever since I was younger. Lately, I have been wondering if I actually have tinnitus or if it is just the normal ringing people hear when it is silent (or at least I believe most people hear ringing when it is silent).

- I can hear the ringing clear when it is silent/quiet
- Sometimes for a couple of minutes, the ringing goes away only for it to start again
- It is masked by louder noises (I haven't been paying attention to the ringing lately to see if this is true though because I get used to it)
- When I enter a really loud room, like when I am walking to the cafeteria, sometimes the ringing in my right ear switches to a medium/low humming sound then goes back to the ringing
- When I plug my ears I can hear the ringing loud and clear

I think the ringing goes away for a couple of minutes sometimes because my brain is getting used to it as I have heard it for so long. Anyways, do I have the tinnitus condition or is it normal ringing? I am very confused!

 

[Bill Bauer]

People who have healthy ears and who haven't been exposed to loud noises, hear silence when it is quiet.

You have tinnitus. Since your tinnitus fluctuates there is a chance that if you give your ears a break, and stay away from loud noises long enough (years?), it might get better or disappear (young people are resilient). It might be a good idea for you to stay away from loud concerts, lawn mowers, etc, as the fact that you have tinnitus probably means that your ears can't take as much abuse as the ears of healthy people, and you can make your tinnitus louder.

Check out
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

 

[GregCA]

Anyways, do I have the tinnitus condition or is it normal ringing? I am very confused!

Yes you have Tinnitus. There is no "normal ringing".
Try to take care of your ears and stay away from loud sounds. There is a chance your T will fade in time.

Good luck!

 

[Jenny Guo]

Hi Ariana. I'm 14 years old too and I've had ringing in my ears ever since I was 7. I have no idea what caused it but it could be a buildup of earwax pressed against my eardrums. I'm putting a drop of oil in my ears everyday to hopefully have the earwax soften and fall out.
Anyways, the ringing that I have is high pitched. I can only hear it when the room is silent / almost silent. When the room is silent, the ringing is so loud and it makes it hard for me to fall asleep. I'm also an anxious person who tends to overthink everything so it doesn't help at all. I try to listen to some type of white noise or rain sounds to help mask the noise.
I hope you take care and I'm here for support.