Hi Everyone! New Here but Not New to Tinnitus...

Hi! I am not a newcomer to the wonderful world of tinnitus. Of my 46 years, I have had tinnitus for at least 30 of them. For as long as I can remember my ears have rung..whined..clicked..you name it. I seriously thought everyone heard these sounds and that it was normal until one day I read about tinnitus in my twenties. As I have gotten older, it is progressively become worse and I have suffered hearing loss..enough to warrant hearing aids. I also have rheumatoid arthritis and one of the drugs (methotrexate) that I take is not very kind to the ears I have heard...so that doesn't help! Anyways, the only blessing to having had this affliction for most of my life is that I have become so used to the noises that it doesn't really bother me. I do not remember what silence sounds like so the noises are just part of my life. I think that if I suddenly came down with this at my age now, it would be extremely difficult to deal with. It is constant, and very loud. As I sit here typing, my husband is watching a loud movie downstairs and my son is hammering on the keyboard of the computer and I can still hear the ringing over that...and that's ok.

 

Hi grizzyof3,
Welcome to TinnitusTalk!
So good to know that you are not bothered by your loud tinnitus.
I am still trying to get to that place with my own tinnitus. Mine came on suddenly with total loss of hearing in one ear when I was 53 years old. I'm 56 now. The first couple of years were really tough but things are improving. Do you feel your tinnitus? That is probably the hardest part for me, makes it tougher to ignore the noise.
Anyway, great to have you onboard. I think you will be a great inspiration for others here!

 

I'm trying to think of any physical things related to my tinnitus and the only thing I can come up with is sometimes I feel pressure and that usually coincides with increased noise but not always. The hearing loss is the worst though. Hard to follow conversations in a crowded room and I need to be facing someone to hear them correctly. My ENT was surprised to see how much my hearing has deteriorated but that could be related to my meds. Was your hearing loss permanent?

 

@grizzyof3 ,
My hearing loss is permanent (unless there are medical breakthroughs on the horizon).
For you, what you do not hear is a bigger problem than what you do hear. I am hoping to share that sentiment at some point.