Tinnitus Masking: In-Ear Maskers

Re: Hearing Aids. I got mine set to zero amplification which is great because then you dont have all the negatives that come with hearing aids. Most hearing aids come with an inbuilt tinnitus masker so that is what I'm using and I find it to be helpful. It doesn't quite mask it but then again that's probably a good thing (or else I'll never adapt). So I recommend using one just purely for the masker sound in it. If you have hearing loss but you are not distrubed by it you can still ask to have the amplification set to zero and then it basically just sounds like wearing an iPod with windy noise on it. Recommend it. (Has to be a "behind the ear" type so that it doesn't block the auditory canal which would makes tinnitus worse)

 

Neenie and Deb - I have worn Unitron hearing maskers for about 5 mths. I set them at the same pitch and just lower in volume than my T - It has reduced it a massive amount and also almost completely rid me of hyperaccussis (pain from sensitivity to sound). It took no more than a week for it to start to work and as I can lower the sound to suit me I have continued to lower my T levels over the weeks and months. It is an awesome feeling to have control. I needed help from my E specialist toi set it up and he can adjust levels as well when I visit him. Any Q's just pm me.

 

Neenie did you give up the hearing aid like maskers? If so, why...just curious if I ever go down that $$ road!

 

Nah, i still have maskers. They do help a lot and I would recommend getting some. You can buy the cheapest model out there because you dont need any of the fancy functions that hearing aids have. You just need the masker so cheap ones work just as well as expensive ones. I have Phonak ones, there were $2500 and I got $1000 back on private health insurance so well worth it!

 

Neenie...To answer your initial question.
Yeah, you get different answers from different people, though it seems like here in the USA (where are you, your profile does not give a country location - I don't think anyway?) there is more agreement that Tinnitus is sort of 'permanent' if from sound trauma, even though we habituate. I suspect the 34% of all combat veterans returning from Iraq with tinnitus has something to do with this attitude...Like, yeah, this is for real and a problem!!!
I don't hear any of that old school garbage about "it's all in your head and man up and ignore your weakling thoughts". Sheesh...That was old WWII thinking!

Regarding my thoughts on hearing aids and maskers, see my post on "Eyes like Saucers". That puts it fairly bluntly...It all depends on volume, volume, volume!

Take care, and super post on the anorexia too....
Zimichael

 

Is there an in-ear violet/purple-tone masker that anyone has? Or access to a long-playing MP3? Listening to this :

Ten Hours of - Violet Noise - Ambient Sound

is actually making my workday bearable!

 

Wow, @alibee, thanks for posting that video - that's really helping me, too!

 

Is there a thread that outlines the different in-ear maskers (specifically for people with no hearing loss, but I don't mind both)?

So far I only see the Widex Zen2Go and Puretone (although I know nothing about their specific models), but I'd love more information about all maskers out there and what people's experiences are with them.

 

Here's something that I found:
http://www.ata.org/sites/ata.org/files/pdf/Tinnitus_Device_Directory.pdf

 

I tried maskers with the ZEN tone. I could not stand the sound of the wind chime sound of the Zen. I now use white noise hearing aid style maskers made by General Hearing. They work for me.

 

My ENT specialist referred me to the Tinnitus Team for Sound Enrichment Therapy. This consists of being fitted with masking devices and also having some CBT (to change negative thoughts about Tinnitus).

I have had quite a journey with Tinnitus since it returned in October 2013. It came back pretty badly but I was also in a not very good place mentally so I let it get to me in a big way. It stopped me sleeping so I developed terrible insomnia and then got more and more depressed. I lost about 23lbs in weight (the only upside!). By Christmas I felt unable to function and believe I probably had a breakdown. I was put on Prozac and started to feel better after 4-5 weeks of taking it. As my mood improved so did my sleep.

There were delays in getting my masking devices fitted and this did not happen until February. I have now been wearing them for about 3 weeks. I have noticed real benefits. I wear them for the entire day and take them out before bed. Some days my Tinnitus is so low I even forget to put the devices in.

I thoroughly recommend them. I live in the UK and they are completely free on our National Health Service (even replacement batteries are free) To read more on the brand I have see: http://www.danalogic-ifit.com/

I welcome any questions.

PS. My Tinnitus is quite loud today but I ran out of de-caff coffee and I find that Caffeine does affect it.

 

@Sybs

How can you hear people talking in work and you have sounds going on ?

 

Hi @Saif it does not affect my hearing at all, funnily enough.

 

Hi everybody,

Much is said and written about TRT. Basically it is supposed to be the only scientifically valid therapy for tinnitus at the moment. As far as I understand, the basic component of this treatment are white noise generators. They should be adjusted in such a way that the T gets masked only partially. This is important in order for the brain to become desensitized more easily (so the theory).

Now, much is written in literature about this technique (supposedly with a high success rate in habituation) but I haven't found many success stories of people who have tried this.

Since my insurance is covering the costs, I got a pair of those generators last year. I tried them several times but on every occasion I had to take them off again because I felt that they actually aggravate my T instead of soothing it. My "noise" (bilateral) seems to be more centralized (in the head) when I wear them and the really annoying frequencies which are ultra high-pitched (up to 15khz) are exactly those that get amplified. It feels like my T wants to "fight back" with a vengeance.

I have been told that in the beginning this effect is normal and that I should give it some time (minimum 6 hours / day) for at least 2-3 weeks... but I still feel reluctant of trying something that seems to make the condition worse.

What are your experiences and thoughts on this therapy? Can anyone relate to my experience so far?

Thanks in advance,

m

 

Hello all,
i have just been given a white noise masker by the nhs. I have been told I wont notice much difference in my t for at least 3 months and will probably have to use it for the next 18 months before any real noticeable effect. Im using a puretone in ear unit and at the moment I can hear the white noise and the t but as previously said that's to be expected apparently but im prepared to give it a try .

 

I read an interview with William Shatner, (Captain Kirk from Star Trek) he said he wore a white noise ear generator for 3 years, night and day to help habituate his T. He said in and interview with David Letterman, his T was very bad at first, now he don't notice it. Even David Letterman discusses his T with him.. you can find this on YTube.

 

this is my cute tiny little masker which saved my life 1500 for one but for me it was worth the money, i have it set up to plat whiet noise came with a remote so i can change the tone and volume depending what my T sounds like.. i love it can't even see it in my ear, and i can run and also sleep with it like it's not even on light as a feather....

 

Hi Mario. I also have high-pitched T in my head.
Have tried hearing aids, white noise generators and combi devices.
None of them have really helped. As you say, I have the impression, the T works against it and becomes louder.
Listening to birds and ciqadas is better.
Nevertheless I don't know what drives me crazy first, T or listening to sounds every day.
Best regards,
Martin

 

I just wrote a small site that has free online white, pink and brown (my favorite) noise that you can listen to. I hope you like it...there's really no need to pay for these things, it's pretty easy to do on your own. Now it's even easier

Note: you'll need a modern browser like Firefox, Chrome, or Safari.

http://noise.notchtherapy.com

Hope you find it useful.

 

After a fifteen month struggle with severe tinnitus, I finally decided to try the Simply Tranquil II soft, in the ear low level noise generators. The audiology clinic at UNC-Greensboro loaned them to me for a trial period. I think the cost is around $800 each. I've only had them a week, but I wish I'd gotten them a year ago. There are times when the tinnitus is more bothersome, like when I'm on the computer or driving the car. At those times I turn up the volume on the sound generators and they make a soothing sound similar to the white sea foam swirling around your feet when you stand in the shallow waters at the ocean shore. It's very pleasant. It's stress relieving to have the power to shut off that irritating screeching tinnitus noise whenever necessary. You can mask tinnitus with an iPod, white noise MP3 and earbuds, but then you have to contend with the wires all day. With the in the ear units, there are no wires and you can just forget about them. They're designed so you can hear surrounding sounds very well. The only thing I don't like is that this version is "one size fits all" and they're a little tight for me, so they're somewhat uncomfortable for sleeping. But they're still worth having just for use during the day. General Hearing makes "custom version" that might be more comfortable for sleeping.

 

Hi, I'm new here. My name is Richard. I have a question for anybody that looks at this thread. I'm considering going to a local hearing wellness center and talking to them about a masking device to wear. How effective are they, and does it also help with other symptoms in any way? I get a lot of pressure in my ears along with the constant high pitched ringing and dizziness a lot. Some pains in my head and face also. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks...... Richard

 

Hi Richard glad to see you've found TT ,I to suffer what your here describing ,I have had maskers for over a year ,me I find them to be of more a hinderance to me personally ,no matter what setting there on .theyve never got rid of my symptoms,give them a fair trial. Your soon know if you get any benifit .they must work for some ,but as I and few others on TT say. There's T and then there's T ,think that's where the problem lies to maskers in my view .
Stay looking on site see what others say.Then decide .Good luck

 

An update on this thread regarding hearing aids/in-ear maskers: I had originally considered getting a pair when I had a spike at the end of 2013 and then decided against it (partially because I was having a hard time understanding my insurance coverage for medical devices, etc). I went to an audiologist at the time and found I had no loss and better than average hearing. I had another spike in the middle of 2014, and decided that I should stop futzing around and see if hearing aids would help, mainly because I knew that color noise was a solution for me but something that is unacceptable in the environment which I work (I'm an engineering manager and in meetings constantly, and the stigma associated with appearing to have headphones in is not sustainable).

I've spent quite a few months trying out different aids, and learning a lot about programming them, etc. I've found definite relief in having them -- I'm currently wearing RICs (receiver-in-canal) because they are small and easy to wear. I don't always wear them, just when I need them, and the fact that they are hard to see means that no one really can tell. The only downside I've experienced (besides price) is that even an open-fit pair occlude my hearing compared to what it is normally, and I can't sustain using the mics because they cause me to have issues with hypersensitive hearing.

If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them!

 

These guys are advertising on FaceBook now. Anyone know anything about them or their product. Appears to be a masking device. Just wondering. Thanks and Happy Holidays to all!!

http://www.tinnitushearing.com/

Jeff

 

Looks like a White Noise Generator device.

 

I agree Martin! Tried one last year, didn't really work, just replaced mt T noise with an equally irritating noise !! Have "talked" to you in awhile, I hope you are doing well and wish you the happiest of holidays!!

 

I find that only very specific recordings are helpful for masking and most others are simply annoying. I am happy to share this very specific cricket recording that I basically live with and don't know what I'd do without. Hopefully it can help others seeking masking relief. If the link doesn't work search Youtube for
Nature Sounds for Relaxing, Meditation & Sleep...Night Time Crickets

Nature Sounds for Relaxing, Meditation &...

BTW... the Wondershare AllMyTube utility is great for downloading vid's and creating mp3's.
http://www.wondershare.com/pro/youtube-downloader.html

I have also found that tucking this device (LG Infinim) under your collar can be a discrete way to play masking sounds. Pricey, but the ability to play sounds in 1 ear and retract the other earbud is great.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?st=lg infinim&_dyncharset=UTF-8&id=pcat17071&type=page&sc=Global&cp=1&nrp=15&sp=&qp=&list=n&iht=y&usc=All Categories&ks=960&keys=keys

Also, I find it better to get as much sound as possible from the environment and not to use ear buds that act as ear plugs. (The LG's above block too much sound but they are great for wearing to sleep or using discretely). An example of good ear buds that don't block external sound are:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/bose-so...lack/8636952.p?id=1219361176358&skuId=8636952

By the way... I play mp3's on an Android phone using the Player Pro app which has helpful features that the standard player app doesn't have.

 

If anyone still works in a loud environment for work, like say trucking where you need to be on a radio but also want quiet - Honeywell bought the top company for military/industrial grade phones.

http://www.honeywellsafety.com/quietpro/

They run a check to make sure they're fitted when you then them on. Pass voice through as normal, reduce loud sounds and block very loud sounds. They also plug into phones, walkie talkies etc.

Now if only they could work on the miniaturisation

 

I have the xino starkey hearing aides, I use sometimes... sometimes it helps, other times seems to aggravate very expensive and not worth what I paid for them.. I had to send them back 2x already... I guess when it helps on those days its worth it! white noise masking is built in for tinnitus.

 

My T is so unbearable it is affecting every aspect of my life So today I was at the ENT and he suggested I get fitted and tested for the behind the ear T masker which is almost like an earring aid. Any information or input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks