Tinnitus !

[RU shooter]

Who else has this god awful constant ringing in their ears ? My is from 30+years of the constant drone Hum and whine of machinery and banging and thumping of air rams and presses. it seems to be getting louder for me every month . Anyone have anything that they have tried or done to help mellow it any ? Only thing good I can say about it is when My girl ask me to do something I say "oh sorry sweetheart I didn't hear what you said " lol I really mean it ! :lol:

[472x1B/A]

I now know what it is like to have that problem. It started about a year ago for me. Sounds to me , like a thousand crickets all singing at the same time with a slight wavering pitch. Haven't found anything to help with it yet. For now just putting up with it.


It's pretty much my own fault though. Not wearing ear protection while on flight line and working on fuel trucks while working for Uncle Sam. It does get a little loud sometimes.

[bullet maker 57]

I'm in the same boat. Constant buzzing. Looking for some relief as well. Any help?

[MyFlatline]

Oh yea. Had it for years, add hereditary hearing loss and that is me.. Mine started about 25, got hearing aides around 50. I am with the majority, they sit on the desk. Got lied to about how I could wear them for work. As soon as you sweat , they short out and squeal. Ticks me off to waste all that money. Only wear then now if the wife has a doctors appointment. I don't notice the ringing as much with the aides tho.

[popper]

The old comic strip 'grin & bear it'. Nothing works. I'd like to blame it on loud music - but..

[DerekP Houston]

Ugh, I get it every now and then from working in the data centers, mine is a high pitch ringing that just doesn't go away. I'm religious with ear muffs now...

[RU shooter]

I knew I had it for a few years now but it was a real eye opener last august on a fishing trip up in Quebec I was dropped of on this little island in the middle of the lake and after the boat left there was total silence I mean no sounds at all ! Except that dang ringing wow was it loud!

[high standard 40]

I've had ringing in my ears all my life. Hearing loss was discovered when I took my military physical in 1969, which got me denied. I've had the ringing for so long that I have to stop and pay attention to even notice it anymore. I tried $3500 hearing aids and they didn't help me at all so I got a partial refund for them. I intend to just play the cards that I have been dealt.....I'll just live with it.

[Boolit_Head]

Docs told me there is noting that can be done for mine. I also have a loss of hearing in a certain range that makes things hard to understand occasionally.

[pworley1]

I have had it for years. The one good thing is when the locust come out here and the noise they make is driving everyone else crazy, I can say what noise?

[smokeywolf]

Lots of shooting without hearing protection when I was a kid. Tack on 30+ years in a machine shop.

Mine kicks in on rare occasions. Sometimes go 4 or 5 months without it. Sometimes every other day for a week straight.

Irony is, mine is a moderate to high pitch tone, yet my hearing tests have shown that I can't hear squat over about 1800 Hz.

Aye, what's that you said?

[RED BEAR]

i am in the same boat started twenty years ago and gradually got worse . now it seems like that is the only thing i can hear well. I've tried different things that people and doctors said to try nothing worked.

[shortlegs]

Same here, 27 yrs of locomotive noise got mine even with ear plugs. Doc says no help for ringing in ears, it is premanent and is a result of hearing loss. Amazing how fast we learn to read lips when hearing fades and most of the time we dont realize we are reading lips. " what"?

[Rick Hodges]

I have it...too much unprotected gunfire, race car engines, loud machinery. My hearing loss is in the high frequency range worse in right ear (I'm left handed) the ringing never goes away. They tell me it is my brain trying to replace the sounds I can no longer hear. Some days it is worse than others....the worst when it is otherwise very quiet.

[abunaitoo]

I've had it all my life.
I thought it was normal until grade school when they tested everyone.

[JimB..]

Have it, as far as I know nothing to be done about it.

[AZ Pete]

Just since 1973....24-7-365, no relief, no cure.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Thundarstick]

Days on end of open cab diesel farm tractors and loud music as a teenager. I started to really guard my ears in my mid 20s, but the damage was done. I've had it so long I dont even notice it, it does get aggravating not being able to understand normal talk at times though.

[skeettx]

Air Force, service related, wearing my hearing aids help drown it out some.
I did try the medicine, but no benefit to me, they refunded my money as I kept good records.

Mike

[MT Gianni]

Got it and live with it.

[Nazgul]

Oh yeah, from guns and bombs thanks to the USMC.

Been told there is no real fix.

Don

[Hossfly]

Got mine from 106mm recoiless rifle firing, with ear plugs and muffs man those get you from both ends. Only thing that helps is more noise in back ground such as while trying to go to sleep have to run fan over bed to lessen crickets noise.

[Hogdaddy]

Never stops,, I have to live with it as was said.
H/D

[bangerjim]

Protect you hearing! I have been around, as an engineer doing start-ups, power plants, heavy manufacturing plants, noisy equipment, rock concerts (!) all my working life (40+ years). I always either used foam ear plugs, muffs, or even wadded up toilet paper to protect my hearing. I am pleased to say my hearing goes to over 17.8KHz on last test with no ringing or problems. Dirty horizontal fly-back transformers on old CRT TV’s in motels used to drive me crazy!

The only frequencies I have trouble hearing is the band that covers my wife’s voice! [smilie=1: But I tell her if she ever said anything worth hearing, I would hear it! HA.....ha! :roll:


All you yung-uns out there.......”hear me now (while you can) and believe me later”....do all you can to protect your hearing from loud nioses, even motor cycles and shooting guns. :guntootsmiley::guntootsmiley:

Bangerjim

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Bangerjim, an old TV is exactly how I'd describe mine! Being sick seems to make it worse. Also had it real bad after a concussion as a kid. The good (or bad) news is my wife has to talk really loud at work and continues to do so after she gets home, so I should be able to hear her for quite some time!

[marlin39a]

I have to sleep with fan noise to cover it up. I live with it.

[Biggin]

Loud music, machinery, guns. Don't know when it started but I've had it for years. Pretty much used to it now. Worse in the evening, usually fun a fan or something myself.

[lefty o]

at this point in time, there is no cure for it. best thing when its bothering you is to add some quiet background noise. cant sleep due to the ringing, turn on a fan.

[Don Purcell]

Had it for 30+ years.

[JWT]

Guns, loud music, conveyors, and paint systems have gotten me to borderline tinnitus. I definitely am not hearing certain frequencies anymore. The ringing seems to get worse when I haven't been getting enough sleep.

[aws1963]

Berthing right under the angle deck for 6 years gave me the constant "ring". I like others have to sleep with a little "white noise" in the room. I'm used to it now so if it went away, it would probably bother me more.

[Tom W.]

Got it mostly from being a " Man" back when I was young and stupid. The 22 years at the sawmill didn't help any, even with the supplied yellow ear plugs. I mostly just ignore it, it's constant, 24/7 noise, and the hearing tests show the same thing, with the hearing gone at certain frequencies. I've gone crazy about hearing protection in the last 15 years or so, I seldom even drive a nail without earmuffs.
My oldest son is almost deaf, I think his is half a medical issue, but I know some is from unprotected shooting.
As states earlier, y'all pay attention so later on you can hear your grandkids...

[Thundarstick]

The best treatment for sleeping with it, Lectrofan! Not cheep, worth every penny and will drown out a box fan easily (caution, it will drown out your alarm clock if you crank it up as well).

[FISH4BUGS]

I played a Hammond B3 in bands for many years with the Leslie speaker just to my right. Plus guns with no muffs when I was young and stupid. Right ear lost half my hearing.
I just live with the hissing noise. That's all you can do.

[cwlongshot]

Yup,
Mine started one day in 1997... Started my day like so many others...end of the day everything changed and I was left with almost 70% loss of hearing one ear and nearly 40% in the other... OOH yea... constant ringing... I have become more used to the hearing loss, not so much the ringing. I was actually real lucky I only lost my hearing that day.

I used top love the peace and quite, not its a bad memory returning. I keep music on, wife bought me a sound machine, It sounds like wind, or water just something to break the monotony of the incessant ring. She was bothered with the sound, so I spent almost two years in separate rooms sleeping because of it...I'm sure many of you hear and live with the complaints of loud TV or Radio because you simply cannot hear it well enough to enjoy.

I just re read this and I sound mighty bitter.. well I'm not really. We all have things we live and deal with daily many others simply don't realize. Just preachin' to the choir here. Sorry so many are effected.

CW

[frkelly74]

I have been curious about all the "amazing" treatments advertised. They sound too good to be true, I guess they must be. I tell my wife I can hear her just fine as long as I can see her lips move. The boy sometimes talks without moving his lips much so That is sometimes a problem.

[jdfoxinc]

There is a Drs practice here in Denver advertising some relief. Dr. States that her entire staff had tinnitus to one extent, and that they can help. "Sound Relief Hearing Center." I don't think my insurance would cover any of the cost. Besides I wouldn't have an excuse for my selective hearing.

[Hickok]

Started running Cat D9 dozers in 1973, no mufflers just a straight exhaust, no hearing protection. By the time we had newer Cat's with muffler's, it was far too late for my hearing.

[mold maker]

The only time it's more than a nuisance is at night when the normal background noise dies. Then the crickets all join in to make it hard to drift off to sleep. A boring TV program drowns it out, and the boredom puts me to sleep.
I was always conscious of loud noises, and either avoided or protected from them, but apparently, my definition of loud wasn't low enough.
Hearing some of you younger fellows discuss it, makes this 76 old curmudgeon feel lucky. I spent 40 years in a metal building with constant equipment noises

[backhoe]

Yea you know you got it when Andy Griffin comes on and you can't hear the whistling in the song,but you get used to it,as a matter of fact I had forgotten about it till you had to bring it up,now that's all I can hear ,dang locust.

[oldred]

I have been curious about all the "amazing" treatments advertised. They sound too good to be true, I guess they must be. I tell my wife I can hear her just fine as long as I can see her lips move. The boy sometimes talks without moving his lips much so That is sometimes a problem.

I too have been plagued with this affliction for years and I can assure you that unfortunately nothing can be done for it (at this point in time anyway) except for using a more pleasant sound to drown it out. This cursed affliction is a Quack Doctor's and scam artist's dream! There is no end to the continuing stream of miracle "cures" and treatments out there that do absolutely nothing except separate you from your money! My audiologist and I just recently had a discussion about this very thing while I was being tested for new hearing aids, he explained that the only way any of these "treatments" could work is if they could somehow regrow the damaged nerves and that just ain't gonna happen, not yet anyway and when/if it does that breakthrough will affect far more than just auditory nerves and will be headline news -you will not hear it first in some Quack's/scamer's sales pitch. Bottom line is save your money and protect what hearing you have left and experiment with different more pleasant sounds to drown it out if it gets too bothersome. Those digital hearing aids with the White noise feature can make this curse MUCH less bothersome and help you to hear almost normally to boot. My Tinnitus seemed to disappear for me unless I think about it and if I turn off my hearing aids the ringing bothers me far worse than the loss of hearing, those digital aids don't cure or even really reduce the ringing but they DEFINITELY make it a lot easier to live with.

[Beagle333]

Got it.
'Sounds like a billion crickets/cicadas that get louder and softer in waves and it never stops. I live back in the swamp and when I go outside at night, I can never tell if it's them or me that I hear.

[edler7]

Had it most of my life. A constant, high pitched tone in both ears. I've learned to live with it- the only time I notice it is when it decreases and I don't hear it as much.

I have high frequency loss on both sides, right is worse than left.

[Grmps]

Gee thanks for reminding me :(
I've had it so long I can usually ignore/not think about it until someone or something brings it up.
Like the others, bad ears since childhood 6 or 7 operations, then firearms and power tools.
CPAP helps white noise it at night

[bangerjim]

There will be a couple of new generation with hearing damage/loss due to loud concerts and ear buds from MP3 players.

I was sitting in a waiting room last week and this stupid teenager (Quick - hire a teenager while they still know everything!) kid had an iPhone with earbuds. I could hear FROM HIS EARS (!) the music 5 feet away where I was sitting!!!!!!. Young-uns today are going to pay the BIG price. Not like so may of our generations(s) that served in the military under fire and the like.....working in noisy environments B4 OSHA.

I feel sorry for those kids. They can prevent hearing loss very easily, but they gotta' have their tunes on & cranked up all the time.

banger

[Preacher Jim]

After reading this I realize these Jack hammers in my ears are not normal.

[gwpercle]

I asked my doctor about it , he has it also , so far there is no real cure. He warned me not to spend a bunch of money on amazing miracle magazine ad cures...they don't work.
Dr. said a very high fever when young will also cause it later in life . That's how both my doctor and brother got theirs. Brother had Spinal Meningitis and was in a coma with high fever for a week.
His is worse than mine and I'm the shooter.
Actually I don't mind the humming ...it drowns out the pesky voices in my head that keep telling me to do things they know my wife's not going to like me doing....those guys are trouble makers with a capital T .
Gary

[oldred]

Gee thanks for reminding me :(

LOL' I had exactly the same thought when I first saw this thread and now I have had to put up with the annoyance all day!!!:sad:

Just joking of course but, just like right now, every time I get reminded of it I am pestered by that dang noise for hours unless I get my (feeble) mind on something else.

Something I have noticed before in discussions of this subject, and it's being clearly displayed here by the replies, is that apparently most folks hear a different sound than others, just read all the differing descriptions of what this affliction sounds like to different people. Seems as if the descriptions are so varied that it can't be the same sound for everyone.

[RU shooter]

Actually I don't mind the humming ...it drowns out the pesky voices in my head that keep telling me to do things they know my wife's not going to like me doing....those guys are trouble makers with a capital T .
Gary
Lol best reply yet Gary! Thanks for my morning laugh ...... least I'm not the only one who hears those voices too...

[beemer]

I ask my wife if she could hear the ringing in my ears, does get loud when things are quiet. I too have learned to ignore it most of the time.

I have ran woodworking machinery most of my life and of course firearms and bikes.

My wife bought me a set of Bluetooth headphones so we could watch movies together. She does get tired of repeating everything but I keep telling her she starts talking before I start listening.

[gbrown]

Mine came from using a radial arm saw cutting tough plywood. Left ear closer to and turned to saw. Really never noticed it til Army did hearing test in 1999. Ran me thru a lot of tests---MRI's, scopes thru nostrils into throat, etc. Dropped me to a Cat 2. 1st test I ever failed on physicals. Saw lots of younger members fail them--probably loud music with headphones. I remember 1 at Houston induction center--me in my 40s and 3 younger (20s). They failed, I passed. Just a steady high pitch whine in the left ear to compensate for higher tone loss. That's what the EENT specialist told me at Ft. Hood. Tone you hear is the decibel level that you suffered damage to. As the man said, "Grin and bear it." Nothing I've heard of to help it.

[mold maker]

With age comes a softer voice and when my wife faces the other direction and softly talks, all I hear is muffeled murmer. Why does she always face me and speak loudly while calling me deaf?

[LUCKYDAWG13]

Going on 10 years now with the cicadas in my head some days are good some bad

[JoeJames]

I've had ringing in my ears all my life. Hearing loss was discovered when I took my military physical in 1969, which got me denied. I've had the ringing for so long that I have to stop and pay attention to even notice it anymore. I tried $3500 hearing aids and they didn't help me at all so I got a partial refund for them. I intend to just play the cards that I have been dealt.....I'll just live with it.Huh, I had my Army physical in 1971, and I was not denied. May have been because when I was asked about why I had the massive high frquency hearing loss, I said "Well, I've been shooting since I was ten, did not know about hearing protection until I was on the college rifle team, and by then it was way too late". They seemed to like the shooting part. I passed. Huh? Tinnitus - to me it sounds like an orchard full of Cicadas on mid summer evening.

[gwpercle]

Lol best reply yet Gary! Thanks for my morning laugh ...... least I'm not the only one who hears those voices too...

Do they get you in trouble too !!!

[Plate plinker]

I would be curious what happens to tinnitus sufferers when they get a ?cochlear? Implant?

[RU shooter]

Do they get you in trouble too !!!
Sometimes ! When I don't try to reason with them Lol
This has been a good topic and I see I'm far from alone and now throughly depressed that now I just have to suck it up and deal with it the rest of my life ! Hahaha

[camp]

Ugh, I get it every now and then from working in the data centers, mine is a high pitch ringing that just doesn't go away. I'm religious with ear muffs now...
Same here, high pitch ringing, and always wear earplugs in the data centers

[cwlongshot]

Its kinda ironic... when yago shooting and put in the plugs or ear phones... the darn whistle gets louder....

I agree I'll handle the hearing loss fine... just take this **** whistle away. its like a bad joke... I mean we cannot hear well, we need quiet environments to "hear" others speaking with us. Noisy environments make it near impossible to "hear" a conversation...BUT, make the tinnitus far more bearable...

Reading the descriptions of the noise we hear I think its a lil' different for each of us. Mine came from a instantaneous & extremely high, and piercing sound from a explosion. the Tinnitus I hear, is a loud constant tone, like a piercing whistle that never stops. Not like cicadas or crickets at all. Maybe loss from lower tones produce different "tonned" tinnitus? Curious... Again, sorry so many are effected....

CW

[OldBearHair]

Aircraft sheetmetal rivet guns w/ insufficient protection. Like others here, didn't hear it until I began reading the post. Trying to describe the sound it is something like Whing-Whing-Whing. Sorta like roller coastering. Can't hear crickets at all and can just barely hear tree frogs. I am lucky I suppose, because most of the time I am able to ignore and don't hear it. I have hunting ear muffs and with them on sitting in a tree stand I hear everything again. Then I hear something walking on the leaves coming towards me.............then begin to hear my heartbeat.........

[mold maker]

The cicadas, crickets, locust or whatever keep me company when I'm alone. Especially when I don't want company. It's just a sad fact of life that we get smarter too late to avoid it.
As a child, I grew up alone at the other end of nowhere. I named the pine trees in our yard and when the wind blew they even sang to me. Now the same home is mine and I can't hear the trees sing for the traffic noise (2 blocks from center of city) and the background noise drowns out the tennitis untill I try to sleep. I must have wished too hard, for something to replace the childhood lonelyness.

[OldBearHair]

Aircraft sheetmetal rivet guns w/ insufficient protection. Like others here, didn't hear it until I began reading the post. Trying to describe the sound it is something like Whing-Whing-Whing. Sorta like roller coastering. Can't hear crickets at all and can just barely hear tree frogs. I am lucky I suppose, because most of the time I am able to ignore and don't hear it. I have hunting ear muffs and with them on sitting in a tree stand I hear everything again. Then I hear something walking on the leaves coming towards me.............then begin to hear my heartbeat.........

[OldBearHair]

Aircraft sheetmetal rivet guns w/ insufficient protection. Like others here, didn't hear it until I began reading the post. Trying to describe the sound it is something like Whing-Whing-Whing. Sorta like roller coastering. Can't hear crickets at all and can just barely hear tree frogs. I am lucky I suppose, because most of the time I am able to ignore and don't hear it. I have hunting ear muffs and with them on sitting in a tree stand I hear everything again. Then I hear something walking on the leaves coming towards me.............then begin to hear my heartbeat.........