Glad to Find This!

[nebraskafarmer]

Hello everyone. I've had tinnitus in some shape or form for over half of my life. Tinnitus started in my early to mid teens and I will turn 34 on Wednesday. I'm thankful to find a place like this and hope I can contribute something while learning for myself.

I'm a farmer in Nebraska and have been all my life. Needless to say, I've been around loud machinery all my life and I do have some hearing loss. I have yet to use hearing aids, though I think some would very much like it if I did.

It seems like it takes less and less to trigger my tinnitus. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I even wear hearing protection when vacuuming. Crowded places like sports events are hell for me. With farm machinery, I'm very protective now. It took me several years to give in and protect my ears. When you're young, that's not a priority and certainly not cool.

I'm always looking for something new, more comfortable, and more protective. I want to prevent further hearing loss, but also keep my tinnitus in check. Thanks for running such a positive group!

 

[linda moore]

Hi Nebraska
Sorry you had tinnitus so long, it can be purgatory I know, I have had mine three years, listening to loud rock as a young girl
I waited a year before I persuaded doctor to reference me to hospital, I have ten percent hearing loss in one ear, they gave me hearing aids which give me surround sound ! This helps take off the focus on the hissing , trouble is in loud surrounds I cannot hear a damm thing , I stopped going to noisy places too and alcohol makes it bad too, ( had a crafty few glasses of Charrdonnay yesterday and am paying the price today, even slept eleven hours !!! Can't win any way I live in the UK (lived in LA fourteen years too) so I do know farming is a hard job, so Kudos to you !! Keep on keeping on take it easy
Linda

 

[Michael Leigh]

@nebraskafarmer
HI Nebraska,
Nothing to feel embarrassed about for wearing hearing protection, it's the right thing to do when around loud noise. The discomfort that you are feeling and pain in your ears at times is caused by Hyperacusis, sensitivity to sound and it is treatable. You need to be seen at ENT and if it's recommended that you wear hearing aids then I advise you to do so as this can help the hyperacusis.

Please click on the link below. You will find an article that I have written titled: An introduction to tinnitus. It also explains about tinnitus and hyperacusis and various treatments that I feel will help you.

Best of luck
Michael
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/an-introduction-to-tinnitus.12100/

 

[nebraskafarmer]

Hi Nebraska
Sorry you had tinnitus so long, it can be purgatory I know, I have had mine three years, listening to loud rock as a young girl
I waited a year before I persuaded doctor to reference me to hospital, I have ten percent hearing loss in one ear, they gave me hearing aids which give me surround sound ! This helps take off the focus on the hissing , trouble is in loud surrounds I cannot hear a damm thing , I stopped going to noisy places too and alcohol makes it bad too, ( had a crafty few glasses of Charrdonnay yesterday and am paying the price today, even slept eleven hours !!! Can't win any way I live in the UK (lived in LA fourteen years too) so I do know farming is a hard job, so Kudos to you !! Keep on keeping on take it easy
Linda

What are the hearing aids like? Have they decreased your use of earplugs?

 

[linda moore]

Hi Nebraska,
My hearing aids are a small wire that goes in the ear with the amplifier behind the ear., so no one can see them, they give clarity over the hissing sound so instead of listening to that I hear the birds singing ,I believe the specialist said the brain listens to the outer sounds. I never had earplugs just for one year I drowned myself in alcohol , that didn't help funny the glass of wine must relax me and then I go into a happy state ignoring my tinnitus., once I got the hearing aids it got better so I quit (well I have two glasses on a Saturday lunch )every day drinking. Have you tried Cinnarizine that has helped me emensly it's a motion sickness pill in other countries it's called Sturgeon , non addictive it has decreased mine by 80 percent.
Hope this helps ,take it easy x