WTF, It's a Symptom. Find Out the Cause, Coz That's Your Job

[Neenie]

Hello.
Annoyed.
Why can no one help us.
It should be so easy.
I hate that when you go to the doctor they tell you they have no idea and send you home.
My partner is a lawyer. When a client comes to him and he has no idea, he goes home to research it and then tells the client the answer later
There is an answer. Why do us normal people that have no idea about medicine have to take this into our own hands.
This is so unfair.
Miserable

 

[Valentin]

We already know the cause there's currently no way to treat it.

 

[Maithe Marshall]

Hello.
Annoyed.
Why can no one help us.
It should be so easy.
I hate that when you go to the doctor they tell you they have no idea and send you home.
My partner is a lawyer. When a client comes to him and he has no idea, he goes home to research it and then tells the client the answer later
There is an answer. Why do us normal people that have no idea about medicine have to take this into our own hands.
This is so unfair.
Miserable

I completely understand what you are talking about..
Tinnitus is simply NOT a Disease or sickness it's a symptom of a underlying cause..
What is so annoying is in "most cases the underlying cause is unknown" it seems like drs never work hard enough to know what it is. They tell you "learn to live with it" "I can't help you" "you'll get used to it" It's not comforting. It's unfortunate for us..
It's a frustrating thing to deal with T. I would rather have HIV than this shit. I know some people are going to say "you shouldn't say that" but honestly..I seriously would rather have any other health issue that doesn't involve the 2 things I love Most my ears/eyes.

 

[christine kauhane]

It can be frustrating at times whith this T and all ,lots of other things can be treated but no lock with finding a cure for T? but i believe there will be a cure one day ! who knows maybe one day i will wake up and find my thas gone just like it came.. went to bed with out it and woke up with it, but at least i wake up .......

 

[seal]

It can be frustrating at times whith this T and all ,lots of other things can be treated but no lock with finding a cure for T? but i believe there will be a cure one day ! who knows maybe one day i will wake up and find my thas gone just like it came.. went to bed with out it and woke up with it, but at least i wake up .......

plus you live in hawaii

 

[Saif]

We must face it, they will never find a cure for this. I wish I had cancer or something else, I'm too young for this, I love silence. :'(

 

[attheedgeofscience]

Hello.
Annoyed.
Why can no one help us.
It should be so easy.
I hate that when you go to the doctor they tell you they have no idea and send you home.
My partner is a lawyer. When a client comes to him and he has no idea, he goes home to research it and then tells the client the answer later
There is an answer. Why do us normal people that have no idea about medicine have to take this into our own hands.
This is so unfair.
Miserable

My biggest source of inspiration in approaching tinnitus therapy (and other areas of life) has been:

"If you do what you always did, you will get what you always got."
--Albert Einstein, Physicist

Put another way: don't follow the footsteps of all those who failed.

 

[Tenna]

We must face it, they will never find a cure for this. I wish I had cancer or something else, I'm too young for this, I love silence. :'(

trust me, you dont wish you had cancer besides, a cure or allevation will come, technology, knowledge and demand is bettering.
And i agree neenie. Its troublesome when its considered a symptom of another problem, when the problem is tinnitus.

@attheedgeofscience word to that quote, hørt

 

[George Brady]

You go to your GP I can't help you they send you to a ENT. They tell you to live with it.Then they send you to a audiologist and the best they can do it said you was a pair of hearing aids with maskers in then and they cost a arm and leg. which a lot of people can afford like me I just wish I could duct tape headphones to there ears for a month and crank it up to about a 7 out of 10 then I bet shit would get done then through a couple politicians in there too for the hell of it!

 

[Stina]

Yes the situation is miserable. But then again I dont think its the job of actual doctors to find out what it is. Their job is to help you, and if there is no treatment for a condition then there is nothing they can do. Thats where science comes in, because most scientists are not doctors.
Treating tinnitus is a complex and interdisciplinary mission which explains why there is no treatment. However Id say that they are working on it very hard and as we already know what is it (the stuff which the voltage gated channels) I dont think its hopeless.
Also, investigate the medical situation a bit and you find there are no treatments for many cases. An acquaintance of mine had genetic psychosis, got medications that bring on depression. Then again they can't take them off because otherwise he is back to psychosis. Many people lose their ability to move after accidents. Some people go blind from MD. The list goes on. The underlying problem is that the human body is extremely complex. You said yourself that the ear is a very complicated organ - that should explain a lot.
@Saif - a docent at my school who has 50 years old, had three kids and 3 grandkids died 5 years ago from fast developing and incurable cancer. She dies within a couple of months in agony and pain.
In short, life can give as a hard time and make living seem impossible but somehow we will still find a way to carry on.

 

[Champ]

Hello.
Annoyed.
Why can no one help us.
It should be so easy.
I hate that when you go to the doctor they tell you they have no idea and send you home.
My partner is a lawyer. When a client comes to him and he has no idea, he goes home to research it and then tells the client the answer later
There is an answer. Why do us normal people that have no idea about medicine have to take this into our own hands.
This is so unfair.
Miserable

You can blame institutionalized doctors. They're paid for doing certain "checks" when you come in, such as viewing the inside of your ear and taking your blood pressure. Those are called billable procedures.

Research is a lot more risky. Being a doctor is safe and guaranteed money. Society needs to push funds in a direction where research as a career is easier for smart people to get in and survive in without having to worry about funding constantly.

The good news is that despite all these negatives, there is still a TREMENDOUS amount of research actually going on with respect to the brain, tinnitus, and hearing. There's a decent amount of people who can handle it no problem. In fact, all of us at this board I'd say are handling it well for the most part, even though all of us have rocky days - I know I sure do (today is kinda one of those days).

Just stay optimistic, and if you're pursuing a degree in Audiology, you're part of the solution, and not the institutionalized problem. Keep going Neenie

 

[cullenbohannon]

Guys try to stay positive. They have made some great headway in understanding the causes of t and trying to develop treatments. And people haven't been
studying t all that long so we will surely
$come across new discoveries and I do think we'll have good treatment options. In 1996 the average life span of someone
diagnosed with aids was 18 months. Today they can live well in to old age and decades longEr then they use to. Deaths from cancer fell 22 percent from 1990 -2011. My point is have hope but until that treatment arrives do what you have to do to try and get ahead of your t. Don't let it beat you down and hate your lives because you only get one and its a precious thing to waste.

 

[Stina]

Guys try to stay positive. They have made some great headway in understanding the causes of t and trying to develop treatments. And people haven't been
studying t all that long so we will surely
$come across new discoveries and I do think we'll have good treatment options. In 1996 the average life span of someone
diagnosed with aids was 18 months. Today they can live well in to old age and decades longEr then they use to. Deaths from cancer fell 22 percent from 1990 -2011. My point is have hope but until that treatment arrives do what you have to do to try and get ahead of your t. Don't let it beat you down and hate your lives because you only get one and its a precious thing to waste.

Maybe you meant diagnose with HIV not with AIDS? People with Hiv can live for a long time, but if it develops into AIDS im not sure whether one can live that long with it. But yes, there are some helpful meds for hiv

 

[cullenbohannon]

With hiv they can live as long as normal people but specifically with aids they have treatments that can prolong their lives by decades. Maybe not as long as healthy people but for many decades longer from what I know.

Maybe you meant diagnose with HIV not with AIDS? People with Hiv can live for a long time, but if it develops into AIDS im not sure whether one can live that long with it. But yes, there are some helpful meds for hiv

 

[George Brady]

Yes the situation is miserable. But then again I dont think its the job of actual doctors to find out what it is. Their job is to help you, and if there is no treatment for a condition then there is nothing they can do. Thats where science comes in, because most scientists are not doctors.
Treating tinnitus is a complex and interdisciplinary mission which explains why there is no treatment. However Id say that they are working on it very hard and as we already know what is it (the stuff which the voltage gated channels) I dont think its hopeless.
Also, investigate the medical situation a bit and you find there are no treatments for many cases. An acquaintance of mine had genetic psychosis, got medications that bring on depression. Then again they can't take them off because otherwise he is back to psychosis. Many people lose their ability to move after accidents. Some people go blind from MD. The list goes on. The underlying problem is that the human body is extremely complex. You said yourself that the ear is a very complicated organ - that should explain a lot.
@Saif - a docent at my school who has 50 years old, had three kids and 3 grandkids died 5 years ago from fast developing and incurable cancer. She dies within a couple of months in agony and pain.
In short, life can give as a hard time and make living seem impossible but somehow we will still find a way to carry on.

yeah I know its not the doctors fault I was just ranting actually my GP is a very close friend of mine has been for many years it's the politicians we need to kick in the nuts they're the ones that control the money for research and development

 

[Grace]

We must face it, they will never find a cure for this. I wish I had cancer or something else, I'm too young for this, I love silence. :'(

They will find a good treatment within the next years to come stuffs already in the works and more to come

 

[Stina]

yeah I know its not the doctors fault I was just ranting actually my GP is a very close friend of mine has been for many years it's the politicians we need to kick in the nuts they're the ones that control the money for research and development

yes i was acually replying to neenie Doctors is another subject.... many doctors cant treat cases that have treatments.

 

[michela]

Hello.
Annoyed.
Why can no one help us.
It should be so easy.
I hate that when you go to the doctor they tell you they have no idea and send you home.
My partner is a lawyer. When a client comes to him and he has no idea, he goes home to research it and then tells the client the answer later
There is an answer. Why do us normal people that have no idea about medicine have to take this into our own hands.
This is so unfair.
Miserable

neenie, i guess you are back again here with us !

 

[tom68]

I know all the sensible stuff is right - but yeah sometimes you do just want to say why the **** can't they just hurry up and cure it .

 

[Grace]

With hiv they can live as long as normal people but specifically with aids they have treatments that can prolong their lives by decades. Maybe not as long as healthy people but for many decades longer from what I know.

Aids has been around a while and like others said at first it was a live with it and be prepared to die from it eventually... And some years and years now they control it with drugs. Same thing with T is gonna happen. Nothing in this world is incurable.. Everything has a purpose and time is the only healer to get closer to a cure. God isnt gonna make everyone suffer for ever and the ones that did was because it was before there time where research wasnt advanced enough. Were closer now to finding a cure for this and every other disease out there too will eventually have a cure.. Maybe not in our lifetime but maybe the next or next but T research is looking good i think and were all not gonna have to wait our whole lives for it to happen sooner then later

 

[LeQuack]

I hate that they are sending us to the psychologists and psychiatrists just because they don't know how to treat it.

 

[cullenbohannon]

Aids has been around a while and like others said at first it was a live with it and be prepared to die from it eventually... And some years and years now they control it with drugs. Same thing with T is gonna happen. Nothing in this world is incurable.. Everything has a purpose and time is the only healer to get closer to a cure. God isnt gonna make everyone suffer for ever and the ones that did was because it was before there time where research wasnt advanced enough. Were closer now to finding a cure for this and every other disease out there too will eventually have a cure.. Maybe not in our lifetime but maybe the next or next but T research is looking good i think and were all not gonna have to wait our whole lives for it to happen sooner then later

haha maybe it came out wrong i was writing in a hurry on my phone. Yes i meant to say we have come very far with other things and we will with T as well.

 

[MattK]

I couldn't agree more! If tinnitus is a symptom of something, then the doctors should try to figure out what it is. It seems like they are very quick to just shove me out the door as soon as they think they won't be able to prescribe me medicine or recommend surgery. This essentially leaves me, the lay-person, to try to figure out what could be causing my symptoms... and who knows, maybe it would be treatable?

At the very least, I think doctors should be prepared to talk to their patients about coping strategies, or support groups or something. If anyone had the experiences I've had, I was left essentially on my own to figure out what the next steps are.

 

[Magpie]

Maybe I'm the odd one out because I believe most people know what caused their tinnitus. Doctors can only go on what you tell them if something isn't obvious or your medical history isn't available to them.
whats the matter,
my ears are ringing,
i'll take a look,
looks fine to me,
when did it start,
last night,
anything happen recently....loud music, noises, new medication?
well err! I've been listening to my iPod a lot......

 

[JohnG]

You can blame institutionalized doctors. They're paid for doing certain "checks" when you come in, such as viewing the inside of your ear and taking your blood pressure. Those are called billable procedures.

Research is a lot more risky. Being a doctor is safe and guaranteed money. Society needs to push funds in a direction where research as a career is easier for smart people to get in and survive in without having to worry about funding constantly.

I couldn't agree more. Doctors are waaaay overpaid for what they know and can do. Somehow society put them on a pedestal thinking they are some kind of brainiacs. However, the lowly Ph.D that actually has to write a very good thesis to get said Ph.D (and not take some multiple choice board exam like MDs) has to have an IQ of 200+ and be highly creative.

We need to put the Ph.Ds on the pedestal because they find the cures...not MDs...MDs are just body mechanics...nothing more ...nothing less. We need society to encourage our daughters and sons to become scientists and we need to fund medical research (not more smart bombs and drones). If we had put all the money into medical research we put into the past wars, we probably would not even be on this site....because we'd be cured!

 

[MattK]

Maybe I'm the odd one out because I believe most people know what caused their tinnitus. Doctors can only go on what you tell them if something isn't obvious or your medical history isn't available to them.
whats the matter,
my ears are ringing,
i'll take a look,
looks fine to me,
when did it start,
last night,
anything happen recently....loud music, noises, new medication?
well err! I've been listening to my iPod a lot......

Perhaps most do, I don't. I don't listen to loud music, haven't been to a concert recently, or anything. It literally just came out of no where as far as I know. I was just sitting at my computer in the living room (without any sounds or anything) and suddenly I started to hear a ringing in my right ear, which now sounds more like a ringing in my head. I haven't had any head trauma, nor do I have a cold or allergies, or anything. I've been to three family physicians, an ENT and an audiologist who specializes in tinnitus. Not one was able to pin-point my tinnitus. In fact, the ENT and his audiologist said my hearing was just about as perfect as a human being's hearing can get.

So basically, I'm just stuck with not knowing what could be causing it. My dentist thinks perhaps my impacted wisdom teeth may be the culprit... but then again, he's been trying to talk me out of my wisdom teeth for over 3 years now, so I sort of suspect that this is more like his golden opportunity to convince me to finally agree to it. I'm getting my wisdom teeth taken out in two weeks. I figure I might as well eliminate the possibility, even if it's a long shot. But otherwise, no, I have absolutely no idea what causes my tinnitus, whether or not it could have been prevented, nor do I know if it will ever go away.

 

[Valentin]

tinnitus can arise any time, after an acoustic trauma or simply with age/time naturally occuring hearing loss.

 

[attheedgeofscience]

Perhaps most do, I don't. I don't listen to loud music, haven't been to a concert recently, or anything. It literally just came out of no where as far as I know. I was just sitting at my computer in the living room (without any sounds or anything) and suddenly I started to hear a ringing in my right ear, which now sounds more like a ringing in my head. I haven't had any head trauma, nor do I have a cold or allergies, or anything. I've been to three family physicians, an ENT and an audiologist who specializes in tinnitus. Not one was able to pin-point my tinnitus. In fact, the ENT and his audiologist said my hearing was just about as perfect as a human being's hearing can get.

So basically, I'm just stuck with not knowing what could be causing it. My dentist thinks perhaps my impacted wisdom teeth may be the culprit... but then again, he's been trying to talk me out of my wisdom teeth for over 3 years now, so I sort of suspect that this is more like his golden opportunity to convince me to finally agree to it. I'm getting my wisdom teeth taken out in two weeks. I figure I might as well eliminate the possibility, even if it's a long shot. But otherwise, no, I have absolutely no idea what causes my tinnitus, whether or not it could have been prevented, nor do I know if it will ever go away.

To understand why tinnitus (and hearing loss) is so much more common than it should be in today's society, we have to look at the human ear in an evolutionary context. Our (inner) ear is simply not meant for the kind of noise levels that we are surrounded by everyday. There is noise when we are in the car, train, airplane; there is noise when we walk down the street, go to the shopping mall, eat at a restaurant, when we go to the fitness club, and... when we constantly listen to portable music...! Our ears were simply not meant for that kind of noise; our ears were designed to be out and about in nature. We are treating our ears like doormats.

You write "...haven't been to a concert recently" - well, human beings should not attend concerts to begin with (recently or not). Attending a concert is like "raping our ears".

I would not so much blame doctors for not being able to find a cure for tinnitus (that's not their job), but I would perhaps blame them for not raising more awareness about noise polution. I recently had a read of the EU health strategy - which you can find here:

http://ec.europa.eu/health/strategy/docs/swd_investing_in_health.pdf

Not a single mention about noise and safety levels. Instead, focus is on the usual topics such as alcohol consumption, healthy eating, smoking, and HIV & safe sex - which of course is relevant, but also what I would consider "common knowledge" - whereas noise safety is not. Soon the "iPod generation" will be 10 years old, and if a cure for tinnitus/hearing loss is not found soon, noise polution will not just be a problem for the individual, but also for society as a whole. I recall my conversations with Dr. Wilden - the famous/infamous tinnitus specialist - from last summer where he mentioned that everyday in Germany, 20-30 teenagers are getting hearing aids. One of the things I will doing once I am finished with my second round of experimental tinnitus treatment is to speak with health officials in the EU about noise polution and public awareness; even though I expect a "near cure"-result from my treatments, the focus should still be on prevention rather than "curing the disease". There are so many "quick win" steps that could be taken to prevent noise damage eg. why not make it mandatory that earplugs are handed out at concerts, for instance?

 

[Valentin]

I really wonder who came with the idea that venues or concerts or clubs have to be as noisy as an airplane taking off.

it's like going to a museum and notice that there's 600W of lights for every square meter, when the visit is over and you're blind, the director comes and say oh you didn"t wear sunglasses? it's all your fault then, it's all about prevention.....


what a crazy logic!

 

[citigirl13]

To understand why tinnitus (and hearing loss) is so much more common than it should be in today's society, we have to look at the human ear in an evolutionary context. Our (inner) ear is simply not meant for the kind of noise levels that we are surrounded by everyday. There is noise when we are in the car, train, airplane; there is noise when we walk down the street, go to the shopping mall, eat at a restaurant, when we go to the fitness club, and... when we constantly listen to portable music...! Our ears were simply not meant for that kind of noise; our ears were designed to be out and about in nature. We are treating our ears like doormats.

You write "...haven't been to a concert recently" - well, human beings should not attend concerts to begin with (recently or not). Attending a concert is like "raping our ears".

I would not so much blame doctors for not being able to find a cure for tinnitus (that's not their job), but I would perhaps blame them for not raising more awareness about noise polution. I recently had a read of the EU health strategy - which you can find here:

http://ec.europa.eu/health/strategy/docs/swd_investing_in_health.pdf

Not a single mention about noise and safety levels. Instead, focus is on the usual topics such as alcohol consumption, healthy eating, smoking, and HIV & safe sex - which of course is relevant, but also what I would consider "common knowledge" - whereas noise safety is not. Soon the "iPod generation" will be 10 years old, and if a cure for tinnitus/hearing loss is not found soon, noise polution will not just be a problem for the individual, but also for society as a whole. I recall my conversations with Dr. Wilden - the famous/infamous tinnitus specialist - from last summer where he mentioned that everyday in Germany, 20-30 teenagers are getting hearing aids. One of the things I will doing once I am finished with my second round of experimental tinnitus treatment is to speak with health officials in the EU about noise polution and public awareness; even though I expect a "near cure"-result from my treatments, the focus should still be on prevention rather than "curing the disease". There are so many "quick win" steps that could be taken to prevent noise damage eg. why not make it mandatory that earplugs are handed out at concerts, for instance?

I agree. Before I had the ringing in my ear I had never heard of tinnitus - I didn't even know the type of ringing in your ears you could get could be permanent! I think that clubs and concerts need to offer out free ear plugs, and before the muscians come on someone needs to give out a warning about T and how bad it can be, and then wait 5/10 minutes for people to get the free ear plugs offered.

However, knowing teenagers these days, they probably wouldn't bother.

I have been to about two concerts in my lifetime, and as far as I can recall my ears did not react badly. I do remember going to a club once and my ears hurting after hours of being there - smartly I went outside to give them a break. I have been to a club about three or four times in my life. Thankfully I don't go to clubs or concerts now - I hate clubs because I don't drink, you wear dresses that cause you to freeze when you are outside, and now knowing just how bad it can make your ears, I just don't see the point. I have often been pressured into going, but now I have the perfect excuse to get out of it - wh0 is going to be uncaring/stupid enough to suggest I go when I could permanently hurt my ears?

I did used to use my headphones a lot, I will admit that. When I first got T I was scared it was from listening to music, particularly because I noticed it after I had taken my earphones out. But then the doctor found fluid in my ear, and I was suffering from a particularly bad cold at the time where I was blocked up and coughing a lot. Still, I have only used my headphones twice after I had T, and on low volumes. I will never used them when I don't need to (I get travel sick on long car trips and flying, and music helps me keep my mind off it. When I was little I used to sing to myself and would get sick when we got out of the car and I stopped).

I think my ears are sensitive anyway. I had meningitis when I was a baby and while it didn't make me go deaf, I often wonder whether it had an affect on my ears. I had a lot of ear infections when I was a child too, and my mother always said that she did not think my hearing was as good as it should have been. But knowing I could have made it worse by listening to headphones... Honestly, I wish I could turn back the clock.

Hopefully the more people that are affected by tinnitus, the more awareness will rise from it. However, more research should be done about tinnitus, because as we know it is not just caused from noise - multiple infections or surgery can cause it too, and that isn't fair.