Hi Everybody

My history starts in 1976...when I got my first job. It was a steel mill and it was loud!
I first started hearing ringing in the ears about thirty five years ago and realized that I have tinnitus and thought that it was best that I go and check it out. So I booked an appointment with my family doctor and he did an ear examination to see what was going on with my ears and head. The results came back and he told me that I had a condition known as tinnitus, often referred to as ringing in the ears. He told me that at the time there was no cure for tinnitus but researchers were doing all they can and pulling all their resources together to find a cure. All sorts of thoughts were going through my head, like ``I have tinnitus and there is no cure, what am I going to do’’.

It turns out that I wasn’t the only person to freak out after being told that I have tinnitus. Even though the doctor said that there was no cure for tinnitus, he told me that there were ways that I was able to control the condition and lead a normal life. He told me that it was up to me to make sure that my condition was not to get any worse. I was told that I had to start protecting my ears and that I couldn’t subject myself to loud environments unless I was wearing earplugs – how was I to know that all those rock concerts I went to as a youngster would do so much damage.

I was also told that by changing my diet I would be able to manage my tinnitus better. I was advised to cut out salt, sugars, saturated fats, alcohol and processed foods. Instead I was to eat foods that are full of vitamins and minerals such as fruits and vegetables, because this would improve my circulation. I also increased my water intake and found myself drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day, sometimes more. I didn’t notice a change overnight with my tinnitus but probably within a month my symptoms had actually improved, and the ringing in my ears was not so frequent.


I was against taking any medications for the tinnitus because I had read that some medications such as aspirin and some anti-anxiety meds could actually make the symptoms worse. I went to my local health food shop and picked up some gingko biloba capsules because I was told that they are an effective means of treating tinnitus.


After trying several methods of treatment that included diagnoses and avoiding of various things including my favorite coffee, I found out about this site. Thankfully, the solution offered did not advise any weird surgery, relaxation or some therapies that certainly did not offer any relief to me and it focused on not just tinnitus but on getting my normal life back.


Not everyone suffers from extensively adverse side effects of tinnitus but I suffered from dizziness, a constant feeling of lethargy and my mind simply stopped functioning when the noises got any more severe that what it remains normally. Tinnitus is a chronic condition and anyone suffering from it must know. I waited for several weeks hoping for it to subside but once it develops there is not much chance that it would subside on its own.

 

Yes doctors like that are very rare. Mine just prescribed me an anti depressant ( which I never took ) and told me
There's no cure. More than that T doctors like these cause depression, lol.

Good post Melvin, thank you.

 

Great post Melvin. You are a testament that even if you have Tinnitus for decades, you can still live a good productive life. I know it has not always been easy for you having this chronic condition, but nevertheless as with most chronic conditions, the human spirit finds a way to persevere. Welcome and thanks.

 

Hey Melvin,

I know how you feel with the dizziness and lethargy- I have been experiencing that since a couple of years due to a chronic sinus problem. I did some reading and started taking probiotics in the form of young coconut water kefir and fermented cabbage juice and now even my wife tells me that I am more active and do feel like taking family out whereas earlier I just wanted to lounge around once I got home from work.

My ENT prescribed Ginko Biloba after a week of my tinnitus onset but I took it for about 10 days and stopped as I read on the US National Institute of Health website that ginko is known to cause cancer. I don't have the link but I got there by googling Ginko Biloba.

Of all the things I stopped, I miss coffee the most too. Camomile tea doesn't really cut it for me. lol

Peace,
Observer