Suffered for 35 Years, Recently Tinnitus Went Up a Notch! Two Things I Want to Tell You

Hi everybody!

I've had tinnitus from age 15 which is about 35 years ago.

I have a restricted ear canal in my left ear (hour glass shaped) which my GP used to bash the hell out of with an old ear syringe trying to dislodge trapped wax. That is when it started.

Partying for many years and ending up half drunk in night clubs and bars with people shouting in my ears trying to have a conversation also took its toll. It reached quite a level in both ears but it was manageable. I think it helped that I can't really remember when my ears didn't ring! A few years back my left ear used to tick and rumble. It also sometimes makes a crashing noice with my heart beat. It doesn't do this so much now but still rings. It doesn't help that my left ear is pretty useless and can't hear anything over 4 kHz (this is a birth defect).

Well, a couple of weeks back I went to a small venue for dinner then a jazz singer. I immediately thought it was a bit loud when the music started and resorted to chewing up some paper napkin and stuffing it in my ears (gross for anyone watching!). I obviously got to this too late as the ringing in my left ear has really gone up. I can even hear it over my electric toothbrush!

So, I am now at the stage where it is bothering me during the day and I am struggling to sleep. When I do sleep my dreams are all quite tense now too! I've just got some under pillow speakers and generate noise on my phone using an app but it's not really working.

Coping in the day was never a problem before because background noise would usually overcome the tinnitus.

So, why am I here? I suppose selfishly it helps to know that other people are going through the same thing but saying that, if I could cure you all and keep mine I would do it!

There are two things I want to say to everybody here (probably been said before) because I can see a lot of people are struggling, especially new sufferers.

Number 1. If my experience is anything to go by you can get used to this and manage perfectly, as I have for many years. We all pick up physical and mental scars as we go through life and it has also helped me to count my blessings and try to remain positive. Sometimes, it fails but we all know people who are worse off than us with other ailments.

Number 2. My ears are definitely becoming more sensitive as I get older so yours may too. The jazz club a few weeks ago probably wouldn't have caused me a problem 10 years ago. So, I now need to be very careful about the environments I am in.

It will be interesting for me to see how I manage my own situation now but I will give it a go and see if I can train my brain not to focus on this new heightened ringing. Just writing about it makes it worse because I am thinking about it.

I will check back periodically to let you know how I am getting on. In the meantime, I have a lot to read on these forums to bring myself up to speed.

Stay positive and let's hope they can find some good treatments in the future.

 

Warm welcome to the forum. Your kindness in above statement is supreme. It is sainthood to think that way. But in a way that is what some of the contributing members are doing but in another subtle way. Many of us could have moved on as many contributing members have actually habituated to their T. But they come back or stay on to help others in distress, thereby being reminded daily that they have T and it is lurking around once our attention is on it by talking about it as a subject. So these folks give up the chance to have their brain forgetting they have T and so it is like keeping their T while trying to help others to get better with T. So I can understand your statement above and I salute you. Take good care. God bless.

 

How did you end up getting along John? Did your spike subside? Or are you still having problems?

 

Hi Matt, thanks for checking!

It is still the same, hasn't subsided at all I'm afraid. I am very much getting on with life and just accepting it which is the biggest challenge to this. I think it helps that I've suffered (although nowhere near as badly as now) since I was 15.

I am hopeful that there will be some relief through the new treatments being developed but don't expect these will be for another 5 to 10 years.

I do notice that my hearing is now more easily damaged. I inadvertantly used a circular saw for some DIY and stupidly forgot to replace the ear defenders back over my ears. In the short period (10 seconds) they were off I noticed increased ringing but it subsided.

I've just come back from a golfing trip to Portugal with some friends and even took silicon ear plugs just in case we ended up in a bar where the music was too loud.

Stay positive and I hope things are under control with you.

Regards
John

 

This is a really positive thread! I’m sorry things have increased for you but I’m also pleased that you are still getting on with things and living.

 

Hi John,

I always wonder how someone manages to live so long with such an affliction. But you have, so hats off to you.

I, too, try and think about those less well off, but it often fails unfortunately. I'm still new to all this.

 

I guess you just learn. I found out an acquintance of mine has had it for over 40 years and he's had a pretty successful live. His loudness seems to be at a medium level that can be heard throughout the day.

 

I felt like it was me writing a part of your post. The nightclubs, wild parties, just being a wild child. I lived it as well and unfortunately at those stages in my life, there was no awareness for tinnitus or hearing protection. I hope you are just having a spike, if it does become a new baseline, then just take it day by day. Being surprised by loud noises is horrible but it does happen.

I am interested, in seeing where your story and progress leads to

 

Wtf. It's looking like most cases of tinnitus are being caused by prescribed medications and medical malpractice.

Where's the BTA and ATA on that issue?

 

The BTA has a very limited list of medications it considers ototoxic on its website. I said about adding ADs to the list as well as betablockers but they want scientific evidence that they cause tinnitus. The fact is there are tons of medications out there that cause tinnitus, and when combined with other meds this may heighten the effects. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that ADs and lots of betablockers cause tinnitus, but for some this isn't enough evidence.

 

In fact it's more than anecdotal, many ADs have it in the insert leaflet that ringing in ears is a possible side effect. And betablockers are on plenty of lists as causing tinnitus.