My Hearing Aids and My Tinnitus Improvement

[bobt]

Background... In 2004 I was in the most stressful period of my life. November of that year I realized my ears had been ringing for some time, at least over a month (I don't have any background as musician/equip operator/shooter, etc).

Visited the ENT and found out about Tinnitus (I had been unaware) and also that I had some high frequency loss. Dr said that in my mid 40's I had the hearing of a 70 year old.

The first two years with T was hard, slowly I adjusted, until maybe 5 years in I realized I didn't think about it much anymore.

Last year (2015) I read some very frightening info on untreated hearing loss. (If you don't know what happens to the hearing part of your brain after years of untreated hearing loss, read up on it). About the same time I read an article about a company providing hearing aids over the internet, supposedly equal to the $7k ones you get at the audiologist.

January 2016 I got my hearing test, ordered the hearing aids. In the process, I informed them that I also have T and H. They told me the HA's would help with the T. I blew off this comment because basically I'm in the camp of "no cure, habituation."

Well lo and behold, although unscientific, I strongly feel the HA's have reduced my T. There are now times where I'm laying in bed in the morning, a completely silent place, and I marvel at how low my T sound actually is. It's not just when I'm wearing the HA's, it's all the time (the reduction in T noise).

Supposedly the average number of years someone has hearing loss before trying HA's is seven years. At 12 years in, I think I'm one of the jokers skewing the average.

This is my first post here. When I originally got T, I was on a T forum site, might have been on this site, or perhaps another one, I'm not sure. I don't want anyone to think I'm a troll or a shill. But I share my story because I certainly feel for fellow T sufferers. I you have hearing loss in addition to your T, maybe consider giving them a try. Certainly wish I had several years ago. I have resolved the hearing issues, well, most of the time, and achieved a major reduction in T sounds.

Happy to answer any questions and all the best.

 

[Marie79]

I don't have hearing loss but the hearing aides totally mask the T. the T gets louder the second I take them off so 1/2 the time I am afraid to use them in fear it will make it worse. You never fear that? Do you wear them 24/7? Do you hear a few minute raise in volume of the T when you take them out?

 

[Willpowered]

I tried a couple different brand of hearing aids. The Widex zen was good but then it seemed like maybe I had them up to high and it was making me thing to much about the T and maybe made it seem worse. I also tried some called Oticon I believe, they were actually amplifiers that were set to where my loss was. Those were not good at all. Becuae I have H the amplification made me feel like I was a lab rat being bombarted with noise. Ick took them out after one day. I want to give the widex zen another shot. They have the white noise and fractal tones.

 

[bobt]

Hi Marie: No, certainly not 24/7. In fact, I only wear them when I have to work with people. If I'm in my home office for half a day on my own, they are turned off, on the desk. I don't notice anything different when I take them out. Like I just did, thinking about your questions. My T is "just there." I would say at about 25% of the volume before I started with the HA's. Have to say, a pleasant surprise!

One of the main reasons I got them was to be able to hear the wife better when we drive. I almost always drive, my loss is greater in my right ear. It's one thing on a 15 minute drive to the store, but a different matter entirely when we are on a driving vacation. The HA's really make a huge difference in this case.

Your profile says you just got T a few months ago. Give yourself a lot of time. It's a curse, but there are a lot of worse things in life.

 

[bobt]

@Willpowered, mine are from https://www.audicus.com/

 

[josh77]

Typical spam. First post that later includes a link. Even planted the "seed" in the first post that what he had was as good as the 7k version from the audiologist. Waits a bit to post the link so it doesn't look like spam.

 

[bobt]

Josh, very sorry you feel that way. I understood my post could be taken that way, that's why I mentioned the subject in my very first email. I don't think the company I got mine from needs to resort to spamming, they seem to be a first class operation. I mentioned the company in reply to willpowered. I stand by my post and experience. All the best to you.

 

[bobt]

At the risk of being more spammy, here is the Forbes article that got me going:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alextau...aids-directly-to-people-in-need/#d3dde3513ccd

Bob.

 

[josh77]

Large companies hire people to post as you have. So I stand behind my post. They also know if you click the link then your will be targeted by their ad campaigns on yahoo and other pages. All I see now on yahoo and in my yahoo email is their ads. Goos luck with your spamming.

 

[Christian78]

to me my 4000€ hearing aids did not help and they are made for tinnitus

 

[bobt]

Josh, why don't you google my name: "Bob Towery" and see if it makes sense that I am a spammer.

I didn't realize cynicism is yet another T symptom.

 

[Kah Povi]

Josh, why don't you google my name: "Bob Towery" and see if it makes sense that I am a spammer.

I didn't realize cynicism is yet another T symptom.

Yes -- cynicism is indeed part of the tinnitus experience because we've been spammed so often. We are legitimately wary of the way this forum is used to sell things to desperate people.

 

[bobt]

Kah, Well then I admit to being guilty of being a newbie and unaware of that. Going back to my OP, the point is that I had NO expectation of T help, I was looking to regain hearing ability. Maybe I'm a weird aberration and this wouldn't apply to anyone else? But it was a big enough deal in my own life that I felt the obligation to share with fellow sufferers. In any case, enough said.

 

[Kah Povi]

Kah, Well then I admit to being guilty of being a newbie and unaware of that. Going back to my OP, the point is that I had NO expectation of T help, I was looking to regain hearing ability. Maybe I'm a weird aberration and this wouldn't apply to anyone else? But it was a big enough deal in my own life that I felt the obligation to share with fellow sufferers. In any case, enough said.

Forgive us for being very weary and very much not wanting to continue the loop of hope and despair. I have come to realize that relief from tinnitus is a very personal journey requiring a diligent (not desperate) kindness to one's self, and sometime that includes not snapping up the next promise of a cure. It's so tempting to believe that someone else's fix will be mine. Almost never the case -- but it can be part of what works for us. So thanks for sharing your experience. My opinion is that whatever reduces stress and anxiety - whatever! including panaceas, benzos, distractions, masking, habituation, radical acceptance, hearing aids, meditation, training the brain to know that T is not a threat - can give relief and a chance for T to back off.

 

[josh77]

Sorry Bob. Was having a bad ear day and your post had the signs of spam. Glad you have found some relief and shared your story