Still Buzzing After 40+ Years

My name is John. I am almost 55 years old. I first noticed I have tinnitus following a bad fall down some concrete steps. I hit every one of them with my head. It is beginning to get me down now, as I am now losing my hearing on the same side, so the ringing sounds louder. I would be very grateful for any advice.

 

I would love to help and give you advice but I'm still not knowledgeable enough. As a matter of fact I'm browsing the internet to find advice for myself. However, @Greg Sacramento knows a lot. He could provide you with some pointers

In any case, my hat goes off to you sir for being able to cope with this condition for such a long time and still keep going.

 

@John Haley ,
Have your hearing checked and see audiology for a hearing aid if your tinnitus is loud and notice your hearing down.
Love glynis

 

My spontaneous answer is "how about hearing aids?", but that's probably not the answer you're after.

How loud is it? Do you need help to cope during the day or just at night when trying to sleep?

 

Hi there,

what has changed that has brought on the hearing loss and the louder tinnitus? As we age, our hearing can possibly get worst. How loud/intrusive has your tinnitus been in the past? My hearing is very poor and my tinnitus is intrusive and not maskable. What coping techniques/methods are you using or have used?

I been at this for 30 years and it takes a lot of courage and patience to manage it....

Take care and please let us know how we can further help you

 

@John Haley Hearing loss and Tinnitus ---- I would have an updated exam with neurology and an ENT if you haven't done so.

Hearing loss from damage to the brain or brainstem is rare and you would have needed to taken out both sides of the hearing circuitry, not just one side for it to be considered a part of stem cell/brain injury. You probably have both mixed and conductive hearing loss.

A skull fracture appears 35% of the time from a fall hitting head causing complications, but the fracture itself would have healed. A relationship to the neck - 50% of the time and that may be the cause of your tinnitus and now hearing loss. Even if you never felt pain in the neck, some ongoing damage may have taken place and arthritis may be now setting in. There could be many other things with involvement of hearing loss from post long term head injury, but your one sided hearing loss most likely isn't from a brain injury.

 

@Greg Sacramento Thanks for your very useful reply. One thing that I queried several years ago was whether tinnitus could also be linked to hydrocephalus and either disturbance to my VP shunt resulting from a fall? I mentioned this to my then neurosurgeon during a consultation way back in 1977 when I was 14 years old.

 

@John Haley Hi John - You had a shunt insertion for hydrocephalus as an infant? Yes, it's possible tinnitus could be linked to a shunt, but I never heard of hearing loss being caused by hydrocephalus itself. Have you ever had an adjustment made to your VP shunt? If you have an infection, then drug therapy should be very successful in stopping the infection. Either a VP shunt adjustment or drug therapy for infection if present may stop hearing loss. I would get a neuro consultation. I'm sorry John. I have severe tinnitus from whiplash.