Oticon More™ Hearing Aids Silenced My Friend's Tinnitus

[kingsfan]

My regular drone sits at 80 Hz. On some days it drops lower for a few seconds and then it suddenly sits around 65 Hz. In the mornings it is a bit higher and is more in the head than in the ear.

The byproduct theory is based on a couple things:

1) All the specialists I saw said it was in fact "really hard" to get damage in the lower frequencies and if you, for example, go to a Rammstein concert with a lot of loud LOW frequency bass sound, it would just as easily ripple into causing damage in the 4000 Hz range.

2) At the same time I got my drone, I also got my static buzz (at a higher frequency) and that 20 dB dip at 4000 Hz (remember: I caused my damage by listening to a fan noise app, it was low but it wasn't as low as 85 dB).

3) A famous Dutch hardstyle DJ I am in contact with also has a drone, and he has a 70 dB (!) dip at 4000 Hz.

I guess if we have this drone due to actual low frequency hearing loss, we're in trouble as it seems all meds in the pipeline only target to solve higher frequency loss. I guess the lower frequencies are too deep in the cochlea to reach?

Also hearing aids don't cater for low frequency hearing loss, as you already stated.

The only good thing I currently see is that even very low volume drone input through in-ear headphones completely turns my drone off, so there's my safety parachute if all else fails.

You got damage from a fan app? I used to use fan apps with headphones on when I needed to concentrate at work. Also slept with one of those Dohm white noise machines.

 

[Ben Winders]

You got damage from a fan app? I used to use fan apps with headphones on when I needed to concentrate at work. Also slept with one of those Dohm white noise machines.

Yeah - in-ear headphones, sleeping on my side/ear > pushing the headphones in even further... I guess I turned them up too loud > the entire night > 2 weeks in a row, before I realized this might not be such a good idea. Following night (after quitting) I heard my drone tinnitus for the first time... (it's still hard talking about it and frankly not good for my process, so please don't ask any more about this specifically, thank you )

 

[Christiaan]

My regular drone sits at 80 Hz. On some days it drops lower for a few seconds and then it suddenly sits around 65 Hz. In the mornings it is a bit higher and is more in the head than in the ear.

The byproduct theory is based on a couple things:

1) All the specialists I saw said it was in fact "really hard" to get damage in the lower frequencies and if you, for example, go to a Rammstein concert with a lot of loud LOW frequency bass sound, it would just as easily ripple into causing damage in the 4000 Hz range.

2) At the same time I got my drone, I also got my static buzz (at a higher frequency) and that 20 dB dip at 4000 Hz (remember: I caused my damage by listening to a fan noise app, it was low but it wasn't as low as 85 dB).

3) A famous Dutch hardstyle DJ I am in contact with also has a drone, and he has a 70 dB (!) dip at 4000 Hz.

I guess if we have this drone due to actual low frequency hearing loss, we're in trouble as it seems all meds in the pipeline only target to solve higher frequency loss. I guess the lower frequencies are too deep in the cochlea to reach?

Also hearing aids don't cater for low frequency hearing loss, as you already stated.

The only good thing I currently see is that even very low volume drone input through in-ear headphones completely turns my drone off, so there's my safety parachute if all else fails.

I'm sorry to hear that you also have that pesky, über low tone. It's definitely not a treat.

That's an interesting theory. It's still anecdotal, but it might very well be a good starting point for a ''tinnitus'' researcher to delve further into this matter and see if there indeed are patterns that confirm your assumption. Maybe someone like Dr. De Ridder knows more about this specific issue?

I wouldn't worry too much about the low drone being untreatable, at least in your particular case. You've mentioned earlier that your tinnitus is somatic, right? Well, Shore's DeNovo device seems to be quite successful in treating that kind of tinnitus. And you seem like the perfect candidate for that treatment, given your near perfect hearing (if I'm not mistaken?). So I would not get my hopes up if I were you

 

[kingsfan]

Yeah - in-ear headphones, sleeping on my side/ear > pushing the headphones in even further... I guess I turned them up too loud > the entire night > 2 weeks in a row, before I realized this might not be such a good idea. Following night (after quitting) I heard my drone tinnitus for the first time... (it's still hard talking about it and frankly not good for my process, so please don't ask any more about this specifically, thank you )

My lips are sealed.

 

[Ben Winders]

I'm sorry to hear that you also have that pesky, über low tone. It's definitely not a treat.

That's an interesting theory. It's still anecdotal, but it might very well be a good starting point for a ''tinnitus'' researcher to delve further into this matter and see if there indeed are patterns that confirm your assumption. Maybe someone like Dr. De Ridder knows more about this specific issue?

I wouldn't worry too much about the low drone being untreatable, at least in your particular case. You've mentioned earlier that your tinnitus is somatic, right? Well, Shore's DeNovo device seems to be quite successful in treating that kind of tinnitus. And you seem like the perfect candidate for that treatment, given your near perfect hearing (if I'm not mistaken?). So I would not get my hopes up if I were you

Near perfect hearing on those simple audiograms, yes (not a single frequency goes below 20 dB) - I guess my drone is lower than 125 Hz (that's the lowest they are testing here on audiograms), -20 dB in left ear at 125 Hz - still my drone is in the right ear, -20 dB in both ears at 4000 Hz too (like most of us here, it seems, 4000 Hz is the most battered frequency).

My tinnitus (the drone part) is only somatic if it's at medium volume. If it's raging I can't modulate it anymore by lowering my chin to my chest.

I'll report back what the audiologist says about what hearing aids can do for me, I guess I'm only interested in the white noise part of the device. (a very low volume humming sound stops my drone)

 

[Christiaan]

Near perfect hearing on those simple audiograms, yes (not a single frequency goes below 20 dB) - I guess my drone is lower than 125 Hz (that's the lowest they are testing here on audiograms), -20 dB in left ear at 125 Hz - still my drone is in the right ear, -20 dB in both ears at 4000 Hz too (like most of us here, it seems, 4000 Hz is the most battered frequency).

My tinnitus (the drone part) is only somatic if it's at medium volume. If it's raging I can't modulate it anymore by lowering my chin to my chest.

I'll report back what the audiologist says about what hearing aids can do for me, I guess I'm only interested in the white noise part of the device. (a very low volume humming sound stops my drone)

Your tinnitus sound rather complex, Ben. I do hope that hearing aids will seal the deal for you. Please let us know what your audiologist has to say about it

 

[a/d/s]

I'm considering Oticon Aids, and would like a bit more information. Do you get significant tinnitus relief from Oticon? May I ask what your tinnitus is like, severity and tone?

I don't wear them for long, because I find it makes my ears itchy.

I also worry about losing them if I wear them outside.

The white noise technology they have is quite subtle and sophisticated. So you'd have try it out to experience it first hand.

It helps me quite a bit when I use them.

 

[novamateria]

@Freyja95, since my ears were accidentally cleaned with a hospital suction device two weeks ago, all noises have been extremely distorted, with about 25% hitting my ears unnaturally hard in a way that's bizarrely forceful, pain-inducing, and violent. A lot of things (anything with percussion, for example) not only sound extremely harsh but are physically hitting my ears in a way that feels like something is not conducting sound properly. A lot of sounds feel invasive, full of strong pressure being exerted into my ears, and excruciating.

But my eardrum is intact and my tympanogram was normal. An audiogram found a ~10 dB threshold change in the lower frequencies and a ~5 dB threshold change at 6 kHz, but it was still in normal range.

What could be causing sounds to start hitting my ears in a way that I can physically feel? It doesn't even seem like hidden hearing loss or hearing loss (which would just make things sound like they would through an equalizer with random settings) but some kind of ossicular chain dislocation, eardrum change, or middle ear acoustic dysfunction. But I just started doing my research.

I have an ENT and audiology appointment Friday and I want them to deal with this, as it seems dangerous. What other testing can I ask for?

 

[Athens]

I'm an audiologist working primarily with Oticon devices. This phenomenon is not some kind of mysterious magic that only happens with Oticon More. And it's not something everyone will experience.

Simply, with tinnitus, if you have untreated hearing loss your tinnitus will appear louder; and if you get hearing aids, which gives you access to more sounds, that can both mask and keep your brain focusing on other things. It's not magic.

But definitely always a good idea to get help if you have hearing loss.

Have you ever used hearing aids to treat someone with hyperacusis?

I had an audiologist suggest this instead of above the ear sound generators. The audiologist acknowledged that it is counterintuitive given that I already hear sounds as too loud. All of my hearing tests (I have had three (3) recently) have shown minor hearing loss consistent with age (worse on my left side) and 100% word recognition scores. I have been using above the ear sound generators for sound therapy. I was too worried about a worsening of my condition if I used hearing aids for amplification. The audiologist said that she was only going to use a "touch" of amplification.

 

[star-affinity]

I had a friend send this article to me where hearing aids also helped lower the tinnitus.

LIZ HODGKINSON: My tinnitus has gone at last, but only after I spent £5,000 on hearing aids

But I was wondering what the audiologist mean by:

'For tinnitus sufferers, as time goes on, the auditory pathways become damaged and the sounds we are used to go away,' Tim explained.

Is it like the auditory pathway gets "worn out" from the tinnitus, or what?

 

[DimLeb]

@star-affinity, I don't think so. Maybe he meant that, as time goes on, people naturally lose hearing due to aging and, even more so, people with tinnitus which means they have already compromised ears.

 

[star-affinity]

@star-affinity, I don't think so. Maybe he meant that, as time goes on, people naturally lose hearing due to aging and, even more so, people with tinnitus which means they have already compromised ears.

Good thing it seems we will eventually be able to grow new hair cells. Seems the supporting cells that initially created the hair cells in the womb are still there next to our hair cells. We "just" have to "wake them up" and redo what they once did. But seems it will take about a decade (minimum) before it happens.

Encouraging talk about this:



But maybe not for tinnitus as the researchers in that talk seem pretty confident that once the tinnitus starts it's maintained by the brain and not the inner ear.

So (like I've said in other threads) despite its complexities it seems easier to fix hearing loss than tinnitus. I hope many of us will get rid of the tinnitus if the hearing damage is cured.

 

[ThomasC]

Good thing it seems we will eventually be able to grow new hair cells. Seems the supporting cells that initially created the hair cells in the womb are still there next to our hair cells. We "just" have to "wake them up" and redo what they once did. But seems it will take about a decade (minimum) before it happens.

Encouraging talk about this:

But maybe not for tinnitus as the researchers in that talk seem pretty confident that once the tinnitus starts it's maintained by the brain and not the inner ear.

So (like I've said in other threads) despite its complexities it seems easier to fix hearing loss than tinnitus. I hope many of us will get rid of the tinnitus if the hearing damage is cured.

It's just a theory. Cochear implants can improve tinnitus just because they restore the missing signals from the ear.

 

[IntotheBlue03]

The reason for why most hearing aids max out at 8 kHz is because it's within that you have the majority of speech sounds. Hearing aids primarily exist to aid communication and hearing speech, and for that, the amplification of higher frequencies is not vital.

From what I know, that's the answer for why things are as they are. But why not make hearing aids that also amplify higher frequencies? I'm not sure. Perhaps because then you'd have to also measure those frequencies during the hearing test, which would add time (time is money etc), and it might not be considered worth it since as I said it's not as vital for speech.

Is this related to the Oticon study carried out by Susan Schmidt? I'm trying to get more information on this.

 

[RobM]

My friend Markus has had Meniere's since 2011, as a result, he lost his hearing in his left ear and has high-pitched tinnitus. His tinnitus is very severe and in high pitched and loud volume 7 out of 10, he told me even in the night club he can still hear it clearly.

Recently, he went to his doctor to try on hearing aids. Supposedly the hearing aids came with AI advanced technology to filter out sounds or train your brain to recognize different types of sounds to support your brain. We don't exactly know how it works. The main point is that soon as he put on the hearing aids, within a couple of minutes, the sound of his tinnitus also disappeared completely! Not masking it with other sounds --- his tinnitus was just gone. But when he takes the hearing aids off, within a minute or two the sound of tinnitus comes back.

I still think this is awesome news and a miracle for my friend. It is possible to enjoy quietness even if it's with hearing aids, my friend experienced silence for the first time after 10 years.

I don't know who will be reading this but I hope this can work for you. For many of you who are looking for a permanent cure for tinnitus this is probably not it, but don't be discouraged. For many who suffer from both hearing loss and tinnitus, this might help both.

My friend says it's like $3,500 but his insurance covers some. I'm NOT recommending you to buy it. Don't buy it. Maybe take the time and go try it yourself. He tried it on for 30 minutes and tinnitus was gone that entire time. He is getting it after he met his insurance deductible.

This is the hearing aid brand he tried:
Oticon More™ Hearing Aids

This might not be the only one or the right one for you. There may be other ones with advanced technology that works. Something like the sound of tinnitus is from the brain, not the ears for some so maybe somehow this advanced hearing aids filtered out some sounds, I really have no clue why it works for my friend.

My tinnitus is not from Meniere's and I don't have hearing loss, but I will try the hearing aids when my friend gets his just to see if it works for me as well. I will come back with more updates.

I hope this information can be helpful to you. Good luck!

Ping

I've been using Oticon Ruby 2 aids now as a trial for the last couple of weeks.

They haven't helped unfortunately. My audiologist added the sound generator last week but also didn't help. I just hear 2 background noises now instead of one. If anything I think my tinnitus might be higher pitched and louder now. Very discouraged. Doctor says that these hearing aids cure tinnitus for 80 to 90 percent of people. Unlucky me! My father-in-law has hearing aids and says his tinnitus disappears as soon as he puts them on (but he rarely wears them says they are a pain to wear). That wouldn't be me for sure. As soon as my trial (30 days) is over I'm sending them back.

My hearing loss is in the 4 kHz to 8 kHz range.

 

[DebInAustralia]

I'm considering Oticon Aids, and would like a bit more information. Do you get significant tinnitus relief from Oticon? May I ask what your tinnitus is like, severity and tone?

Did you try Oticon hearing aids?

 

[DebInAustralia]

I don't have any hearing loss, and the Oticon hearing aids work for me.

Do they silence your tinnitus?

 

[Padraigh Griffin]

Did you try Oticon hearing aids?

Hi Deb. Yes, I purchased a pair of Oticon More 1's from Korea. They have always had a noticeable hiss in quiet (not that I ever knew quiet) but I am in the process of returning them to Korea for repair/replacement. I should have returned them months ago but due to my two surgeries and the crazy tinnitus I needed them for masking.

I also have a pair of Phonak P90's. I feel the Oticon's give more sound to compete with the tinnitus than the Phonak's.

Neither eliminate my tinnitus in any way, shape or form but for provide competing noise that helps slightly distract me, particularly outdoors.

I have ski slope hearing loss from 2 kHz down to around a 55-65 dB loss at 8 kHz. So I am on the verge of moderate high frequency hearing loss.

Are the Oticon More 1's expensive in Australia?

 

[Darrenb111]

i would like to add my success story with Oticon More 1 hearing aids.

I have had hyperacusis and tinnitus since November 2020 with sudden hearing loss in my right ear from 5500 Hz and above.

My tinnitus would be reactive to my hyperacusis, therefore sound exposure in my missing range would make my tinnitus worse throughout the day.

About 4-5 months in, I saw a private audiologist who tried me with Oticon More 1 hearing aids, and set them to compress my high range and raise my mid range. The effect was instant and reduced my hyperacusis to almost none. This had the knock on effect of keeping my tinnitus at a very low level.

Fast forward to today, i wear the hearing aids all day everyday and have a relatively normal life, only noticing my tinnitus when I go to bed and take the aid out.

This won't work for all, but worked for me and gave me my life back.