I Thought Everyone Heard the Ringing!

[Angeline]

Hi, I'm Angeline and I'm hoping to get some advice from others on here and tips from reading posts etc.

Last year I noticed a slight loss of hearing in my right ear so my doctor referred me to see a specialist. They did two sound tests and in July it was confirmed mild loss of hearing in my right ear and to my surprise a little loss in my left. Whilst talking I asked what he hears when it's quiet, as when the world is still or I'm in bed as all I can hear is a constant ringing which suddenly changes to a higher pitch to anything from 10 seconds up to a minute in each ear.

I've always had this and thought everyone was the same, I'm 43 now and when I used to go clubbing years ago I'd return home and the ringing was so intense pounding away for days until it calmed down. It's only now I've been told I have Tinnitus I realised what was going on.

I'm very ignorant as to what will help etc, I listen to an iTunes playlist at night time (waterfalls, waves and rain) to help me get off to sleep. It's a night when it's the worst and even now as I type it's there as I've no music on to mask it. I have to play my music really loud to try and mask the ringing, my neighbours and children ask me to turn it down but I have to play it at a volume that blocks out the ringing.

I thought it was normal to have this ringing, but the funny thing is I'm sort of used to it as I've always had it.....

Anyway that's a bit about me and my ringing, I'll go and a have nose around the forum now, Angeline x

 

[DebInAustralia]

I tried masking in the beginning. It didnt work, because i knew the t was still there.

I was never a person who needed to be surrounded by noise.

To try to sleep with an additional noise was just another sound to get used to.

So, I chose to not mask one day. I chose to instead move mentally into the noise, and this worked. What I did was lose my fear of hearing the noise. I have read about others who have used their own tinnitus to meditate t0. Sounds crazy but it makes sense to me. Mindfulness I guess is what I am driving at. Sure, it annoys me sometimes, but overall, what I achieved by doing this is habituation.

 

[Kolisar]

I've always had this and thought everyone was the same,
......

I thought it was normal to have this ringing, but the funny thing is I'm sort of used to it as I've always had it.....

Hello @Angeline, and welcome. Your post title I Thought Everyone Heard the Ringing! really struck a chord with me. I have had this for (as far as I can tell) my entire life, so to hear someone else express that thought was interesting, as I recall when I first learned that I was the only one who constantly heard ringing.

I'm very ignorant as to what will help etc, I listen to an iTunes playlist at night time (waterfalls, waves and rain) to help me get off to sleep. It's a night when it's the worst and even now as I type it's there as I've no music on to mask it. I have to play my music really loud to try and mask the ringing, my neighbours and children ask me to turn it down but I have to play it at a volume that blocks out the ringing.

Please be careful with that. Loud sounds (music included) can make your tinnitus worse. Take a moment and read @Michael Leigh 's response to the following post ( https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/not-sure-about-masking-sound-enrichment-at-night.19809/ ).

And speaking of Michael, I would check out some of the articles he has posted here (e.g. https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/ ). He has put gathered a lot of information that I, and many others, have found very helpful.

constant ringing which suddenly changes to a higher pitch to anything from 10 seconds up to a minute in each ear

That is also common, for me there is an additional tone that appears for a brief period then leaves.

If you have not yet, I would suggest reading the success stories section (it helps to hear storied of people who have beaten this, or at least have habituated, and have resumed a more normal life).

I hope you find everything you need in this forum, and I wish you well.

 

[Angeline]

Thank you, I'm actually excited that it's not just me. I've always had the ringing and it's part of who I am as it's been with me the past 43 years. Only now that I know it's not normal do I hear it more, especially at night time but then again maybe those with complete silence are the ones who's are not normal.

I live with it, I don't get stressed, yes I can feel when the change in pitch is coming, but my body is used to it as far as I'm aware. I joined here to find others who are going through the same.

I love my music, always have, conversations between rooms are a no go now, as I can't hear, possibly due to loss and my new found tinnitus (ringing). It's a constant high pitch hum rather than a ringing it's hard to describe. It's here now as I right this, it never leaves me but I think it's okay. I haven't known anything different so to me it's normal x

 

[william adams]

I also play sounds of nature but to blend with my T not necessarily cover it completely. What I do is focus on the nature sounds and not the T and drift off to sleep. Everyone is different and come up with their own techniques to deal with our condition....

 

[Tinker Bell]

Thank you for posting. As someone relatively new to hearing loss and tinnitus, it's reassuring to read that you've lived your life unbothered by tinnitus. By any chance, have you had your hearing tested recently?

 

[Sam Bridge]

Thank you for posting. As someone relatively new to hearing loss and tinnitus, it's reassuring to read that you've lived your life unbothered by tinnitus. By any chance, have you had your hearing tested recently?

She said she had mild loss confirmed in July .

 

[Tinker Bell]

She said she had mild loss confirmed in July .

Thanks! I totally missed that.

@Angeline hearing loss can absolutely compound tinnitus.

 

[tiniturtle]

Well, this case confirms that habituation does not exist.

I think it's the opposite. She was already habituated before learning about it and coming here. Habituation isn't NOT hearing it, it's not having it cause distress.