I Think I Found a Way to Beat the Ringing (Hearing Aids)

I have a high-pitch hearing-loss in my right ear. This is the ear I also have tinnitus.

Today I found out some interesting stuff. I was taking a shower, and as always my tinnitus spikes a little because of the noise. But, today, I found out that, if I plug only my left ear when showering, the ringing don't spike.

This is what I tried:
- First I went inside the shower with no earplugs. Ringing goes up.
- Then I plugged my ears. It took about 20 seconds, and my ringing went low again.
- Then I plugged only my left ear. Then after some time, I plugged both ear again. No spike.

Here is my theory why:

Since I got the high pitch-loss very suddenly, my brain still look for the high-pitch sounds in my right ear, that it can't hear that well anymore. Because of the lack of sounds, my brain turn up the gain in my right ear. To try to make it even. Therefore, I can ear the ringing.

My tinnitus usually only spike when there is a lot of sounds going on. Sounds at all frequencies. I think this happen because my brain hear all frequencies in my left ear, but some are missing in the right ear. Therefor, my T spikes, my brain turn up the gain.

I did some more testing. First, I listened to music at my laptop. With equalization at the same amount in left and right ear. My tinnitus spikes. Then, I listened to the same song at my Samsung Galaxy S4. This phone has a build in app, so you can boost frequencies individually in both ear. So, I boosted high-pitch sounds in right ear, and turned down high-pitch slightly in left ear. Guess what? No spike!


The problem is. I have no way enough hearing-loss to get hearing-aids payed by the public health-care in Norway. Tinnitus or not. The only way you can get hearing-aids in Norway for free, is when your hearing is so fucked up you can't hear what people say. I'm no way at that level. Therefor I most likely have to pay for it myself.

What do you guys think about this theory? I mean, I will still wait some months before I will take the hearing-aid route, but I think my theory makes a lot for sense.

 

Haven't hearing aids helped people reduce the annoyance of their tinnitus? If so, then yeah, I think it can work, but I'm not a scientist.

 

So basically - stick a plug in the good ear (or side) and no spike?

Which ear would you use the hearing aid in... if you did manage to get one?

 

Go to the ENT, and when they say "do you have an appointment?" you say "WHAT?"

"DO YOU HAVE AN APPOINTMENT SIR?"

"WHAT?"

"Jesus christ, you need hearing aides!"

"WHAT"

 

Hahahahaha.

 

Yeah, no spike when I plug my good ear. Maybe because my brain can't hear high-pitch frequences at all then. And therefor no need to boost the gain in my left ear. I would use hearing-aid in my right ear to boost the high-frequences. I know there is hearing aids out there that go all the way to 12000 hertz.

I hope the theory works. I will go to my GP on Monday and talk about this.

 

I have worn hearing aids for some time now. My tinnitus is in the frequency of my hearing loss and while I can hear normally now, the tinnitus didn't change.

 

The first thing I do when I wake up is take on my zen 2 go 3200€ I have paid it myself .If I take a latte in the city I give a Little extra marsker on the remotecontrol.