Hello from Florida!

[MaryinFL]

Hello Everyone,

I'm a 66 year old woman who lives in Florida. I have had tinnitus forever. I must have been four or five years old the first time I truly noticed it. I was laying in an open meadow on a sunny summer day, with no sound except the insects buzzing around me - and, electricity. I thought everyone could hear electricity. The sound was not new. I was just surprised I could hear it as loud as ever when I was so far from houses and utility poles. I figured it must be in the air - or maybe I was tuning in to radio waves. It wasn't intrusive, in fact for most of my life I could only hear the high pitched noise when everything else was quiet.

I've never been exposed to loud noises, explosions, etc. I worked as an artist, sitting at a drawing board, and usually don't even listen to music on the radio. I like it quiet when I concentrate. Even when I am not working I prefer books to tv. I've been blessed with good health, I don't take drugs, I have no reason to point to anything as a cause.

I was around 55 when I noticed the noise in my head was getting louder. I was aware of it all the time by then, though it really wasn't loud enough to interfere with my life. I mentioned it to my father and he revealed he had tinnitus his whole life too. He said it would get worse - and he was right. The noise has slowly crept up in volume and is now seriously affecting my hearing. I'm not sure if I can't hear certain sounds over the tinnitus, or just plain can't hear them. Moot point either way. I avoid phone calls - I text my kids because I miss half of what they're saying on the phone - and find subtitles on tv shows a blessing for the same reason. Sometimes my tinnitus is so loud I can't fall asleep, and sometimes I will wake up in the middle of the night from the screeching in my head.

It IS in my head, too... I don't feel like it is in my ears at all. I feel like it originates in the same place as my thoughts. I can articulate words in my head and apparently for my entire life my brain has been attempting to contact distant alien civilizations. It's running out of time so it has to broadcast louder.

I've tried the reddit cure, masking sounds, etc... and nothing changes the pitch or lessens the volume. I have yet to find anything that offers even a small amount of relief. Some sounds - birds chirping, the sound of rain, thunderstorms, even audio books, will distract me for a while as the screeching becomes a background noise, but when the music ends, the screeching is still there.

Well, that's it... I'm off to go peruse your forums and hopefully discover some some words of wisdom.

 

[all to gain]

Hello Everyone,

I'm a 66 year old woman who lives in Florida. I have had tinnitus forever. I must have been four or five years old the first time I truly noticed it. I was laying in an open meadow on a sunny summer day, with no sound except the insects buzzing around me - and, electricity. I thought everyone could hear electricity. The sound was not new. I was just surprised I could hear it as loud as ever when I was so far from houses and utility poles. I figured it must be in the air - or maybe I was tuning in to radio waves. It wasn't intrusive, in fact for most of my life I could only hear the high pitched noise when everything else was quiet.

I've never been exposed to loud noises, explosions, etc. I worked as an artist, sitting at a drawing board, and usually don't even listen to music on the radio. I like it quiet when I concentrate. Even when I am not working I prefer books to tv. I've been blessed with good health, I don't take drugs, I have no reason to point to anything as a cause.

I was around 55 when I noticed the noise in my head was getting louder. I was aware of it all the time by then, though it really wasn't loud enough to interfere with my life. I mentioned it to my father and he revealed he had tinnitus his whole life too. He said it would get worse - and he was right. The noise has slowly crept up in volume and is now seriously affecting my hearing. I'm not sure if I can't hear certain sounds over the tinnitus, or just plain can't hear them. Moot point either way. I avoid phone calls - I text my kids because I miss half of what they're saying on the phone - and find subtitles on tv shows a blessing for the same reason. Sometimes my tinnitus is so loud I can't fall asleep, and sometimes I will wake up in the middle of the night from the screeching in my head.

It IS in my head, too... I don't feel like it is in my ears at all. I feel like it originates in the same place as my thoughts. I can articulate words in my head and apparently for my entire life my brain has been attempting to contact distant alien civilizations. It's running out of time so it has to broadcast louder.

I've tried the reddit cure, masking sounds, etc... and nothing changes the pitch or lessens the volume. I have yet to find anything that offers even a small amount of relief. Some sounds - birds chirping, the sound of rain, thunderstorms, even audio books, will distract me for a while as the screeching becomes a background noise, but when the music ends, the screeching is still there.

Well, that's it... I'm off to go peruse your forums and hopefully discover some some words of wisdom.

Hi Mary,

First, you do not look like you are 66!

So you've had tinnitus for over 60 years!! Wow! Must be some sort of record on this site.

I dread the thought of my tinnitus getting louder, and I've only had it for three months.

How did your father cope with it?

 

[fishbone]

Hello Everyone,

I'm a 66 year old woman who lives in Florida. I have had tinnitus forever. I must have been four or five years old the first time I truly noticed it. I was laying in an open meadow on a sunny summer day, with no sound except the insects buzzing around me - and, electricity. I thought everyone could hear electricity. The sound was not new. I was just surprised I could hear it as loud as ever when I was so far from houses and utility poles. I figured it must be in the air - or maybe I was tuning in to radio waves. It wasn't intrusive, in fact for most of my life I could only hear the high pitched noise when everything else was quiet.

I've never been exposed to loud noises, explosions, etc. I worked as an artist, sitting at a drawing board, and usually don't even listen to music on the radio. I like it quiet when I concentrate. Even when I am not working I prefer books to tv. I've been blessed with good health, I don't take drugs, I have no reason to point to anything as a cause.

I was around 55 when I noticed the noise in my head was getting louder. I was aware of it all the time by then, though it really wasn't loud enough to interfere with my life. I mentioned it to my father and he revealed he had tinnitus his whole life too. He said it would get worse - and he was right. The noise has slowly crept up in volume and is now seriously affecting my hearing. I'm not sure if I can't hear certain sounds over the tinnitus, or just plain can't hear them. Moot point either way. I avoid phone calls - I text my kids because I miss half of what they're saying on the phone - and find subtitles on tv shows a blessing for the same reason. Sometimes my tinnitus is so loud I can't fall asleep, and sometimes I will wake up in the middle of the night from the screeching in my head.

It IS in my head, too... I don't feel like it is in my ears at all. I feel like it originates in the same place as my thoughts. I can articulate words in my head and apparently for my entire life my brain has been attempting to contact distant alien civilizations. It's running out of time so it has to broadcast louder.

I've tried the reddit cure, masking sounds, etc... and nothing changes the pitch or lessens the volume. I have yet to find anything that offers even a small amount of relief. Some sounds - birds chirping, the sound of rain, thunderstorms, even audio books, will distract me for a while as the screeching becomes a background noise, but when the music ends, the screeching is still there.

Well, that's it... I'm off to go peruse your forums and hopefully discover some some words of wisdom.

Welcome to the forum! Tons of great people, here waiting to make you feel at home. Read the positive stories and enjoy your stay!

 

[Fabrikat]

The noise has slowly crept up in volume and is now seriously affecting my hearing. I'm not sure if I can't hear certain sounds over the tinnitus, or just plain can't hear them.

Welcome to the forum Mary. Sounds like you've got some hearing loss and it could be progressing.

Have you had a hearing test? Find a good audiologist and see where where your hearing is at.

Some people get tinnitus relief from hearing aids, but this depends on where the lost frequencies lie. High frequencies are harder to mask. Plenty of advice in many threads on TT and also some hope for future treatments.

 

[MaryinFL]

How did your father cope with it?

Humor, mostly.

Have you had a hearing test? Find a good audiologist and see where where your hearing is at.

I had a test a few years ago. I have very high frequency, the shrill EEEEEEE sound, and at the time had hearing loss normal for my age. The doctor said there really wasn't much they could do about the tinnitus, just avoid caffeine, aspirin, etc. I found this forum by following a link to your masking files. Seeing how so many people have tinnitus I do hope there's more research to find something that helps.

 

[Fabrikat]

just avoid caffeine, aspirin,

Well aspirin, you can do without.
But goodness me, giving up coffee!
You can tell the good doctor where he/she can stick that advice!