I never thought this could happen to me....

[David J]

Hello everyone. I am 64 years old and my tinnitus began very subtly at about age 61. There are two events that could easily have been the cause, but because of the subtle nature of the transition from quiet to a constant whine coming from the center of my head it is difficult to nail-down. I had a shoulder replacement surgery at age 61 and no whistling in my ears prior to that time. So I believe that the cause was either the anaesthesia used for the surgery or the pain medication used afterward. The pain medication was Tramadol. If I had to guess, I'd say it was the tramadol. They started me on vicodin, which was effective, but I guess my Orthopedist wanted to follow protocol and get me off of the narcotic. It kinda pisses me off, because that damn tramadol is nasty stuff. Seems to me that I began to noticed the noise in my head (ears?) when I stopped taking it. The noise was just a slight intermittent buzzing in the beginning, but has since gradually changed to a constant whine that seems like it is square in the center of my head. It never goes away. It is at times, just a little annoying and other times a little maddening. I really try not to let it make me crazy, and I think that I do very well at it. I try to maintain a positive attitude and as they say" just don't dwell on it." When I start to think about the noise, I focus on something else. Something pleasant. That works very well for me. I have tried various things to get relief such as noise masking sounds in my I-pod, but have found nothing that makes any difference. I do wonder if marijuana would provide some relief. Haven't had any of that in 30 years, but since it is becoming more available now, it could be an option. Has anyone following this forum tried it for relief?
In any case, this seems like a great forum with very well behaved people that are serious about dealing with this problem. I am very grateful to have found it.
Sincerely,
David

 

[mick]

I agree with you on tramadol - nasty stuff. I took one dose and it made me very I'll. I ended up in the emergency room where they thought I was having a heart attack. In the end they said it was an allergic reaction. I doubt it was any kind of allergy, but was certainly a reaction to the medicine.

There are some threads on this forum regarding MJ's effect on T. Most say it spikes their T.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/marijuana-and-tinnitus.1993/#post-17249

 

[Relic Hunter]

Welcome David,
I am 62 and my T started just as you describe yours..I did have tinnitus years before but it was so mild that I ignored it most of the time..However about 4 years ago mine worsened due to stress and I believe also due to the medical problems including surgeries I had during the time. I was unaware that so many drugs can induce tinnitus

This is a great forum with a super bunch of knowledgeable people. More information here than in the brains of a 100 ENTs who barely can spell tinnitus.

Marijunia is being discussed here in another thread. If it would help I would start my own crop..It is the number one cash crop here in Tennessee they say.

 

[David J]

Thanks for the welcome. It is nice to have someone of similar age that can relate. I think you are correct about MJ being the biggest cash crop in Tennessee. If you watched the CNN special on it, they briefly discussed the other component (not THC, but the other.......I can't remember). In any case, they said nobody wanted it, because it didn't make you high, but they are now finding it is very beneficial in relieving many medical disorders and is great for kids since it doesn't have the side effects of MJ with high THC content. So there is hope. Hey, with smoking regular MJ, the worst thing that can happen is the noise gets louder, but then you won't care as you are enjoying your donut..........at least as I remember it (30 years ago)...................

 

[Karen]

Hi, David, and welcome!

I'm 67, and had a similar experience. I had tinnitus for about 25 years, and it was fairly mild, so I hardly noticed it. Then, in 2010, I was prescribed a blood pressure drug. After taking that, and switching drugs several times, I ended up with very loud, screaming tinnitus, and pulsating tinnitus as well. Mine has settled down since 2010, but it is still there at a higher level.

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience with Tramadol. You're right to keep a positive attitude and distract yourself with activities, etc. I've noticed just in this past year that my tinnitus has settled down, and it could be that yours will, too. I've never tried marijuana, but I have had some success with various natural supplements, such as magnesium, etc.

I wish you the best, and am glad you joined our forum!