New Guy, Lifelong Sufferer

Hi,

I just found this group. I have been a lifelong sufferer, or at least for as long as I can remember. I don't remember a time when I didn't at least have this a little bit. It's been getting louder, though, and I'm starting to look into it more.

I have tinnitus, mostly in my left ear. I might have a bit in my right ear, but the left ear drowns out any sound that might be coming from the right. It is a high pitched whistling noise, somewhere between 6000hz and 7000hz, with some whooshing sounds. The high pitched whistle is the primary noise.

I spend a large part of the day not noticing it much. I'm at a desk all day, working on code and that keeps my brain busy. I notice it most often in the evening, when I'm sitting around. I love to be out in nature. I live in Colorado and like to hike in the mountains. I like finding quiet places where the only sounds are those of wildlife. Unfortunately I also hear the whistle. I try to ignore it and pay more attention to the nature sounds.

One weird thing about me is that I sleep with earplugs in. Any stray noises keep me awake. My wife likes to use a noise generator to block out other sounds but stuff like that keeps me awake. I've slept with earplugs every night for the last 20+ years. Sleeping with earplugs seems counterintuitive to me, considering the noise that I always hear. For some reason, this noise does not keep me awake. Maybe it's because it's always been a part of my life, but for some reason I am able to ignore it when sleeping. It's interesting to me that the sound of a noise machine will keep me awake all night, but this incessant whistling sound doesn't.

Sometimes it's louder, and sometimes not so much. I have been on Diovan HCT for the last 8 years, and I've often wondered if that could be partially responsible for it. I really don't take much medication. I take the Diovan and a Claritin each day for my allergies. Other than vitamins, I take nothing.

I've seen all kinds of information about supplement for the treatment of tinnitus, but I've seen lots of people say that there is no cure or help for it. It's just how it is. So I haven't bought any of them.

I have never been to a doctor or hearing specialist about any of this. I've mentioned it to my PCP, but I'm not even sure that he's written it down in my medical records. There is a hearing specialist down the road that specializes in tinnitus and gets a lot of five star reviews. I might see if my insurance will cover a visit, just to see what they might say.

Anyway, that's me. I just wanted to say hello and will now take a look at all of the information this forum has to offer.

 

Welcome to TT. I'm kind of new to tinnitus, but I've had occasional fullness, and sound sensitivity, for decades. I slept with earplugs for five years before I got T last summer. I don't know if the plugs played any role in it, but I don't use them anymore to sleep. Perhaps you could find a way to sleep with noise-cancelling earphones, or your wife could get a pillow speaker to use for sound(s) so that you won't hear it. I've used sound machines in the bedroom for many years as well, but now I keep the volume lower, at 1 or 2, situated across the room, as opposed to next to the bed which it used to be. My T is quiter now, it seems, and my sleep has improved.