Hi All! My Ears Are Ringing, So I Know You're Talking About Me!

A friend of mine once asked me "What do you think God is telling you?" in regard to the ringing, buzzing torment I had just described to him. I did not have an answer then, and still don't to this day. I do occasionally ponder the question though. I don't know if it is a valid question. It seems like most people easily blame God for disasters while forgetting all about Him when things go well... It was so weird to have him ask me that question. What is God trying to tell me with this disaster that is Tinnitus. One thing that question did was put focus on tinnitus. It gets louder. Maybe this website will do the same thing....

It's booming loud right now; been unusually loud for 4-weeks and I suspect the Lutein supplement I started taking two months ago is to blame - not sure... I quit it 5 days ago but no change. Anyway, has anybody found Lutein to increase the ringing?

 

Hi Audio,

Welcome aboard.

Have you been to your family doctor lately? How is your BP and health in general? Also, have you been to an ENT lately? Getting your ears and hearing checked would be a good idea also if you have not done so recently.

As for the supplement, a lot of meds have side effects.

 

Could you talk about how you first got tinnitus, and how it has been for the past over 20 years (according to your profile).

 

I saw an ENT back in 2010 when I had an event and the ringing severally escalated. He wanted to inject cortisone into my eardrum and I refused. I never saw him again even though I made two return appointments. His assistant saw me. I learned to deal with it. My health is good. Lutein is basically a vitamin, not a drug. It's found in carrots and is good for the eyes. That is why I ordered some. BP is good. I walk that dog (my avatar) which is full grown now and my work is pretty active. I have notice through the years that allergies or maybe even barometric pressure effects the tinnitus. The sudden spike I'm having is pretty consistent over a long period of time. I hoping this is not the new norm since it is definitely effecting hearing and mood.

I should probably go get checked by a Doc, but so far, that has been a fruitless expense. In this regard...

SilverSpiral, nice name. Is that the inner ear? I'll type up a short synopsis soon.

 

Not really sure how I got the ringing. I played with fireworks a lot as a kid. I went to many rock concerts but I was never one to stand in front of the speakers. By the time I was 20 I was cognizant of ringing when it was dead quiet but it really didn't bother me much. Soon after, I would take ear plugs to concerts. I even used them while vacuuming the house. My hearing was exceptional even with the slight ringing. I could hear the leaky faucet or the fan running on the other side of the house. I play guitar by ear. But in 2010 I spent over 8 hours holding 10-foot steel fence post upright so a backhoe could pound it into the hardpan ground. The absolute stupidest thing I have ever done. I was so scarred I might die that I completely forgot about ear protection. A neighbor that lived one mile away said she could hear the pounding inside her house. My ears were so sore the next day that I winced at some normal conversation tones. They felt plugged-up for weeks after. When the smoke finally cleared the ringing and fuzz and birds chirping and a lot of other things were present and really loud!!

The event was more than sound blasting over my head and the physical connection of my hands on the post. I believe the emotional torment of knowing I really screwed up, played a part in what has seemingly become a permanent disorder.

Note: Just had a horrible night. I can't really talk about this stuff without focusing on it. The only real thing that has helped, and I've tried a lot, is ignoring it. I hear it above theater "surround sound" tracks, that are always too loud.

I have found a few things that helped me cope. Those are for another post if anybody wants to know.

When it finally became a manageable thing, in 2012 I had my upper left wisdom tooth pulled. That set off a more intense ringing in the left ear only. Prior to that, the noises in my head were equalized. Ever since the tooth pulling the left side is prominent. The root of that tooth must have been very close to my eardrum. Last night that ear put me into a panic that I have not experienced since the initial ordeal in 2010. Reading the welcome guide here did not help. Hearing that the vast majority of tinnitus victims get better makes me feel all alone. My wife cannot imagine what it's like. I don't want her to know that I almost lost it last night. My dog helped when it started barking after I got up. The mp3 ocean waves were almost lost in the ringing but the dog broke through. I had just prayed but I couldn't concentrate and I was on this slippery slope. Note: My dog has barked two times in the middle of the night in the last 2.5 years. So whatever the cause of his barking, the first cause was an answer to prayer. Thank God!

Are there many long term tinnitus ears here?

 

No need to feel that way, as there are several other members here who have had their tinnitus worsen over the years. However there is also a dogma of "positivity" present on this forum, that tells people it always get's better, spikes always settle down, use protection and nothing will go wrong, etc etc. and in my opinion it can lead to people feeling hopeless/alone/panic when they don't have exponential improvement, or even a worsening of symptoms. I worry it can also lead to people taking risks with their hearing, and ending up worse off. I'm 8 months after acoustic trauma/onset, and still hoping it will go away completely, and my hearing will return to normal, all while battling with the possibility that it won't go away, and that I may never be able to return to or enjoy music again. And again still, wondering if it DOES get better, how safely I could be around live music even with protection, as an increase in T or H frightens me seeing how I can not cope with what I have well enough as it is.

I've gotta say, you've had tinnitus since before I was born, so in one sense you may feel some confidence in knowing that you've never let it defeat you in all those years, even after what you experienced in 2010. You have experience fighting this thing, don't let it win now.

 

I don't think I am long termed enough considering some with 30 or 40 years of T (like I Who Love Music who wrote the 'Back to Silence' success story). But mine started in 2009, an ultra high pitch dog whistle that I can hear over the jet noise in my recent flights and it can pierce through the raging rapids of the salmon rivers I used to fish. So that was a beast to deal with initially and on top of that was the severe H. It was quite a nightmare dealing with both of them at the same time, as they are mutually exclusive, meaning you do one thing to please one and the other will 'kill' you. Here is my success story talking about this tough struggle with both T & H:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/from-darkness-to-light-how-i-recovered-from-tinnitus-hyperacusis.3148/

I like your faith in God helping you in someway to deal with this challenge in life. I prayed a lot during the darkest time trying to find strength to weather the storm. I remember turning the scriptures for help and the first page I turned to happens to have some encouraging words. I have found Romans 5:3-5 quite reassuring but sometimes when the going gets tough, it is not easy I know that. That is why we are here to help out the newer sufferers. But having faith in God during trials and tribulations in life will give us some additional strength on our T journey.