Do You Know Other People Who Have Tinnitus?

[Dginobile]

I've been meaning to mention since my T onset I have discovered many ppl around me have Tinnitus but never mentioned it, to name a few

My Dad has it SEVERE which makes sense now because he always says "huh" when you're talking to him, he takes many meds such as daily aspirin and blood pressure meds and works construction without hearing protection so it's no surprise he has it!

My mom has had it for 17 years it's from her lymes disease she said in the beginning she would lock herself in the room and pace back and forth all day she felt like she was going nuts but now only hears it if she tries to. 2 of my aunts, one cousin and my oldest brother all have it both in one ear but theirs is due to hearing loss which runs in our family something to do with the bone construction in the ear canal. Another cousin of mine has it on and off she believes hers is associated with her MS. I found out this week that one of my managers at work has it she said she got it in 2011 after giving birth to her son, it was terrible in the beginning but now she says she only hears in when she goes to sleep.

I've also come across many others but don't know the details of theirs (2 of my drs and a registrar at a hospital I visited) but none of them seemed bothered by it now. I would love to meet more ppl who had it and it went away completely but at least it's good to see that even if it doesn't you can live a normal and happy life.

 

[EddieMar]

I've been meaning to mention since my T onset I have discovered many ppl around me have Tinnitus but never mentioned it, to name a few

My Dad has it SEVERE which makes sense now because he always says "huh" when you're talking to him, he takes many meds such as daily aspirin and blood pressure meds and works construction without hearing protection so it's no surprise he has it!

My mom has had it for 17 years it's from her lymes disease she said in the beginning she would lock herself in the room and pace back and forth all day she felt like she was going nuts but now only hears it if she tries to. 2 of my aunts, one cousin and my oldest brother all have it both in one ear but theirs is due to hearing loss which runs in our family something to do with the bone construction in the ear canal. Another cousin of mine has it on and off she believes hers is associated with her MS. I found out this week that one of my managers at work has it she said she got it in 2011 after giving birth to her son, it was terrible in the beginning but now she says she only hears in when she goes to sleep.

I've also come across many others but don't know the details of theirs (2 of my drs and a registrar at a hospital I visited) but none of them seemed bothered by it now. I would love to meet more ppl who had it and it went away completely but at least it's good to see that even if it doesn't you can live a normal and happy life.

It's been 8 months for you, are you doing better?

 

[Dginobile]

@EddieMar hey yes I have habituated to where it doesn't bother me most of the time, if I focus on it it's still there and still loud but I can go a whole day without even thinking about it if I keep busy. I have some bad days but try not to let it get me down. I seem to have an inflammation thing going on because my ears are doing weird things lol they change constantly one minute they need to pop the next I can't pop them one minute they're muffled the next they're fine sometimes I can hear myself talking in my right ear sometime I feel air moving through them but it's not unmanageable just annoying. Thank you for asking

 

[EddieMar]

@EddieMar hey yes I have habituated to where it doesn't bother me most of the time, if I focus on it it's still there and still loud but I can go a whole day without even thinking about it if I keep busy. I have some bad days but try not to let it get me down. I seem to have an inflammation thing going on because my ears are doing weird things lol they change constantly one minute they need to pop the next I can't pop them one minute they're muffled the next they're fine sometimes I can hear myself talking in my right ear sometime I feel air moving through them but it's not unmanageable just annoying. Thank you for asking

That's good to hear, err, read. I don't think I've habituated yet. I do have mostly good days but I don't think because I've habituated, just simply because it's not a loud day.

My ears feel exactly like yours. It sounded to me like signs of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction (mine crackle too) but all ENTs say my ear pressure is fine. They blame mine on mild hearing loss, but IDK, audiologists say my hearing is within normal hearing limits. One did test me for frequencies 8K to 20K, which most audiologists don't test. She thinks I might have hidden hearing loss around frequency 18K on my bad ear.

In regards to inflammation, I had a chest infection last December and they gave me a shot of steroids and for the next 3-4 days, my ringing was 99.99999% gone. Eventually it came back but my question is, if what's causing my tinnitus is like they say, is mild hearing loss, I don't understand how steroids could make it better, at least for a few days.

 

[IvanRus]

hey yes I have habituated to where it doesn't bother me most of the time, if I focus on it it's still there and still loud but I can go a whole day without even thinking about it if I keep busy.

I can not imagine how this is possible.
How many points do you assess the volume of your tinnitus? Do you hear it in a quiet street? or at the TV?
Do you have any hearing loss at any part of the range? Do you do without antidepressants or tranquilizers?

 

[Dginobile]

I can not imagine how this is possible.

Good morning it's very easy to do if you're not consumed by your tinnitus if I focus on it it's there if I keep busy I don't notice it my brain tunes it out but if I sit there and fixate on it if course it's going to be overwhelming When people continually assess the volume of their tinnitus they are fixated on it, I don't do that but if I have downtime and I listen for it yes it's there and yes it seems to be the same volumn that it's always been. And the only thing I do take is .25 mg of generic Xanax before bed each night Because when I lay on my head on my pillow that's when I hear it the most and yes there are times when I'm watching television that I do hear it because sometimes it seems like it tries to compete with certain frequencies that come from the television but when I'm outside I don't really notice it because of all the background noise

 

[IvanRus]

Good morning it's very easy to do if you're not consumed by your tinnitus if I focus on it it's there if I keep busy I don't notice it my brain tunes it out but if I sit there and fixate on it if course it's going to be overwhelming When people continually assess the volume of their tinnitus they are fixated on it, I don't do that but if I have downtime and I listen for it yes it's there and yes it seems to be the same volumn that it's always been.

That is, do I understand correctly that the main key to adapting is a constant activity. Work, household chores, communication, entertainment, hobbies.
And not sitting alone and listening to tinnitus?

 

[EddieMar]

Good morning it's very easy to do if you're not consumed by your tinnitus if I focus on it it's there if I keep busy I don't notice it my brain tunes it out but if I sit there and fixate on it if course it's going to be overwhelming When people continually assess the volume of their tinnitus they are fixated on it, I don't do that but if I have downtime and I listen for it yes it's there and yes it seems to be the same volumn that it's always been. And the only thing I do take is .25 mg of generic Xanax before bed each night Because when I lay on my head on my pillow that's when I hear it the most and yes there are times when I'm watching television that I do hear it because sometimes it seems like it tries to compete with certain frequencies that come from the television but when I'm outside I don't really notice it because of all the background noise

What would happen if you don't take the generic Xanax? You can't sleep? Not even with white noise?

 

[Dginobile]

What would happen if you don't take the generic Xanax? You can't sleep? Not even with white noise?

I have really bad anxiety so I'm not sure what would happen but because I've been taking them for almost a year now without needing to up the dosage I just take daily regardless

 

[Dginobile]

That is, do I understand correctly that the main key to adapting is a constant activity. Work, household chores, communication, entertainment, hobbies.
And not sitting alone and listening to tinnitus?

For me that is what helps but everyone is different. In the beginning I never thought I would be able to live with this, I used to read how ppl still had it but lived normal lives and I was that person that was like yeaaa sure ok but it is definitely possible but because of the negative response to success stories because of habituation I choose not to share mine. A lot of ppl want a quick cure but with tinnitus there is no quick cure and if my brain can tune it out and I don't notice it that's good enough for me and if it goes away completely where I never hear it again then that would be a blessing

 

[Agrajag364]

I know a number of people who have it and it doesn't bother them. Some of them it's much quieter than mine right now – audible over everything, so I can understand. But for others from what they say it is clearly loud tinnitus but it still doesn't bother them.

Makes me want to jump off a cliff

 

[EddieMar]

I know a number of people who have it and it doesn't bother them. Some of them it's much quieter than mine right now – audible over everything, so I can understand. But for others from what they say it is clearly loud tinnitus but it still doesn't bother them.

Makes me want to jump off a cliff

Not even white noise helps you?

How do you sleep?

Does it affect your work?

 

[Agrajag364]

Not even white noise helps you?

How do you sleep?

Does it affect your work?

White noise certainly doesn't cover it up. For the first few months I barely slept at all, then my brain got a bit more used to it. I wake up constantly but manage to get some sleep. I had to give up my job as a result of this, but that was partly because I was already struggling with many other health problems and work were giving me a hard time over that. This was the final straw. I don't see a good future but I hope things will improve. Hope yours is quieter

 

[EddieMar]

White noise certainly doesn't cover it up. For the first few months I barely slept at all, then my brain got a bit more used to it. I wake up constantly but manage to get some sleep. I had to give up my job as a result of this, but that was partly because I was already struggling with many other health problems and work were giving me a hard time over that. This was the final straw. I don't see a good future but I hope things will improve. Hope yours is quieter

Sorry you had to quit your job.

Mine is quiet most days but the days that it's not quiet, it affects me a lot, and I'm sure that people have it a lot worse than me. That's my biggest fear, that it gets louder.

Were you able to get disability after you left your job?

 

[Contrast]

yeah its pretty common in it's mild form, thats why it doesn't bother me. it's the bilateral muffled hearing that makes me want to off myself. Then again if my tinnitus got worse like it was early on I probably would be unstable.

 

[Agrajag364]

Sorry you had to quit your job.

Mine is quiet most days but the days that it's not quiet, it affects me a lot, and I'm sure that people have it a lot worse than me. That's my biggest fear, that it gets louder.

Were you able to get disability after you left your job?

No, I didn't think I could claim benefits for a condition that so many didn't seem to be bothered by. But my partner has advised me I should be claiming for all my conditions, I should probably do that

 

[EddieMar]

yeah its pretty common in it's mild form, thats why it doesn't bother me. it's the bilateral muffled hearing that makes me want to off myself. Then again if my tinnitus got worse like it was early on I probably would be unstable.

How was it early on and what made it better and how long did it take to that level?

 

[sky_high]

I am not ashamed to talk about the fact that I have tinnitus so people also open up. I found out that a friend of mine and 2 colleagues from work have or had tinnitus.

The friend has been a techno dj and producer for more than 10 years and when I told him in a dramatic tone about my tinnitus he casually replied that he has tinnitus in his right ear that can hear all the time and his left ear is always muffled.

One fellow programmer said he had stress induced tinnitus for a couple of months while he was working for another company. After he quit his job there, the tinnitus gradually reduced.

Another colleague has stress induced tinnitus since 2012 and was very intrusive in the beginning. She was suicidal and tried everything to get better including a clinical trial for a new drug that they did a few years back at Charite (Clinic / Medical Research Center in Berlin). She said that the drug did not work. Eventually she partially recovered after she spent 2 months in a recreational facility / sanatorium / recovery clinic. I am not sure how to call it, but in Germany they have this kind of clinics that are covered by the health insurance where people with extreme anxiety, depression and apparently tinnitus can go and basically relax and have therapy. She still has tinnitus but is now fully habituated. If you see her you would not say she has any problem in the wolrd.

 

[coffee_girl]

I know many people with tinnitus and I think I cope the worse out of all of them, they all just shrug and said they just don't bother listening to it or they say they have worse things to worry about... Kinda crazy

 

[Layla23]

@Dginobile

your tinnitus used to be reactive right?

So did that get better or do you just ignore it?

If I'm exposed to sounds louder than 70 decibels it becomes reacive/ loud enough to the point I can't hear myself anymore. So I'm just curious if that is how your tinnitus is like.

Thanks!

 

[RSV]

Alot of guitar players on ever guitar club has it and still plays the guitar. I can't. They tell me I can. No I can't.

My pastor and his wife has it. Nothing efects theirs. They sing and maked CD's. Church music is loud. They have DV'Ds as well. Sing at every church in the United States and are played on your local gospel raido stations. Nothing effects their tinnitus. It does mine. I have microphones, guitars and can't use none of them.

 

[CrystalB]

I only personally know of two people who have tinnitus. My dad has tinnitus, he says his is more like a low hum. I know of one other person who has it, and she has to wear an ear plug in her right ear all the time due to hyperacusis. I met her at a yard sale the other morning I noticed she had a ear plug in and that's when I found out she had tinnitus, she told me that in her opinion it could always be worse, her brother as of right now is dying with cancer and may only have a few weeks to live, so looking at other people's lives, hers could always be worse.

 

[EddieMar]

@Dginobile

your tinnitus used to be reactive right?

So did that get better or do you just ignore it?

If I'm exposed to sounds louder than 70 decibels it becomes reacive/ loud enough to the point I can't hear myself anymore. So I'm just curious if that is how your tinnitus is like.

Thanks!

How long after your exposure does your Tinnitus come back down to baseline?

My tinnitus still bothers me a lot and I don't think it's super loud. I just can't cope. I cannot imagine getting it as high as you describe to the point you can't hear yourself.

 

[EddieMar]

Just wondering if there are other people that hadn't seen thread that would like to add to the thread.

For almost 4 years I had tinnitus on my right ear only. For the last 11 months my tinnitus got so much better I felt almost normal and started going out more. A month ago, I woke up with loud ringing in my right ear as well! It was terrible. Let me tell you, not everything is good in Stereo.

I've been struggling since, I feel like I regressed all the improvement I did in 4 years.

Reading this thread helps me have hope that I can again get to a point where it doesn't bother me.

 

[all to gain]

My brother
My Dad
My counselor
My GP says he has (but I don't believe him)

Through other people:

My brother's girlfriend's brother has tinnitus and so does his friend. Her friend has tinnitus.

How bad they have it I don't know. It seems that it affects me way worse.

I have had tinnitus in both mono and stereo. And stereo is way worse.

 

[Kriszti]

I know quite a lot of people with tinnitus as well, but they all seem to be coping much better than me. I feel kind of bad, that I've been wallowing in mine.

-my friend had tinnitus, the low hum type 2x, but it was clearly BP related, went away both times.
-friend who is a musician has it, the middle frequency type, but says it's not very bothersome, can sleep, and can continue working with proper ear protection
-other friend has the roaring type, not very irritating she claims, it's probably because of bruxism
-my mom's friend has it for 10 years, I guess, she has it severe, bacuse she says that she can hear it over everything. It's also the low hum type. She keeps on living her life, goes to concerts, movies, and hers hasn't changed since the onset
-my grandma had it in the last year in her life, never complained about it, we just now put two and two together, that the strange noises she kept hearing was probably not just her hearing aid, but tinnitus.
-an other friend had it for weeks during exam period
-my mom says after I cried her a lot about my struggles that she does hear some chirping, but it's only annoying at nights. She is almost 60, and when I played her a YT hearing test, she could only hear up to 5000 Hz.

 

[Julien87]

Yes. Two friends, my mother, and one uncle.

 

[PeteJ]

I know a number of people that have mild tinnitus. It feels like I'm taking about a completely different condition.

That is why it's annoying to read or hear people who talk about their mild tinnitus say, "I have that, too."

No, you don't.

 

[PeteJ]

I think if someone did a research study, tinnitus is most often worse for people who got it from noise trauma over time, e.g. jobs in loud environments, headphones use and loud sound exposure just in general. Therefore, older people.

I think the conclusion is self-explanatory. Longer spent life for more potential damage and noise exposure to the ears and hearing. I don't know how this applies to the concept that the brain is involved though - overactive neurons firing etc. But, if they do because of the auditory damage?

 

[alex1975]

I really only know one other person with a sever form of T such as mine. Other than that, three other people that have it but they only hear it at night or in a quiet environment. Even though a lot of people have it, the sever kind is pretty rare it seems.