Tinnitus who suffers from it

I haven't read much into tinnitus, I just noticed it and got on with it thinking it was a constant. I didn't realise it could be made better/worse.

Dry January around the corner so I'll try and be aware of the level of ringing in my head now and compare during the month.
Might try an alcohol-and-caffeine-free February and see if that improves also.

Glad I stumbled across this thread when I did!
 
lnoton said:
I had labyrinthitis 18months a go. My very mild and rarely irritating tinnitus was insane for months. Had to have headphones on most of the time and white noise at night to cope.

It's now much better thankfully. But still not back to how it was. Every few months I'd say it's a bit better...but improvements over time are less and less.
Click to expand...
Still suffering a few years after.

Only real issue is it comes back when I'm sick. I never had fullness and the whine when I was sick before labyrinthitis, but I do now and currently enduring an episode due to having been ill a couple weeks ago
 
Cadder said:
I haven't read much into tinnitus, I just noticed it and got on with it thinking it was a constant. I didn't realise it could be made better/worse.

Dry January around the corner so I'll try and be aware of the level of ringing in my head now and compare during the month.
Might try an alcohol-and-caffeine-free February and see if that improves also.

Glad I stumbled across this thread when I did!
Click to expand...

Some days mines a 1 or 2/10. Other days a 5/10 which is super annoying
 
I was interested to learn today that William Shatner has suffered tinnitus ever since he was too close to an explosion on the set of the original star trek series.
 
Last edited:
Dehydration can make it worse too.
Does yours change when you clamp your jaw/Bite down hard. pitch and volume. My dad often complains of this
 
I have constant tinnitus now. It came on out of the blue about a year ago, and i'm still waiting for the ENT appointment. i'd chase it up but it will probably be a waste of time anyway.

It wasnt long after i had the covid booster, which has made me wonder if it is related (its since been added to the list of side effects i believe). Ive had a long problem of hearing loss in one ear, that hasnt really bothered me, and a feeling of it being blocked which has been driving me mad for years. i get some dizziness/vertigo problems too.
I'd been to the GP as i get terrible migraines, and on those days, the blocked feeling in the ear was worse, so i thought it might be connected somehow. Migraine medication sorts the migraine, and the blocked feeling went back to the same as any other day.

With the onset of tinnitus, when added to the hearing loss and the vertigo, the GP thinks it might be Meniere's disease. They gave me some pills to help the symptoms since there "might be a wait for the ENT" (LOL) so ive been taken them for a year now. I have to say, they have helper the vertigo and the "fullness" of the ear feeling. The hearing loss is no better, but still doesnt really bother me, as i dont really notice it. But the Tinitus seems to be getting worse.

For me, its like a whistling CRT TV or oscilliscope, but the sound it distorted, rather than a nice clean tone. Its in both ears (all my other troubles are with just one) but it seems worse in the problematic ear. whether that is because, relative to the sound (hearing loss) its louder, i dunno.

sometimes i dont notice it, if i can concentrate on things, but other times, its soooo loud. right now, i can hear it loudly, above the sound of the keys, the fan of the AC heating, and often i can hear it over the TV and most background noise. I hate it.

Thankfully, it doesnt seem to prevent me from getting to sleep, though recently i have struggled to sleep, but didnt feel at the time like it was the tinnitus that was keeping me awake.

I have jaw issues, that likely come from grinding my teeth while asleep, so that could have caused it too. i wear a gum shield to sleep now, though i was taking a break from that at the time my tinnitus started.

With the Jaw, migraines, Tinnitus, ear loss, Vertigo... i could do with a head transplant really.

Right now, i'm ok, but i dont know what i'm going to do if it gets much worse than it is.
 
champ222 said:
For me, its like a whistling CRT TV or oscilliscope, but the sound it distorted, rather than a nice clean tone. Its in both ears (all my other troubles are with just one) but it seems worse in the problematic ear. whether that is because, relative to the sound (hearing loss) its louder, i dunno.
Click to expand...
That's almost exactly how I describe my own tinnitus - like an old CRT television or monitor, but mine doesn't sound distorted.

ENT might ask how they can help you, so make sure you mention relaxation techniques and classes. They can and will refer you to relaxation sessions where you can learn to relax in a group with tinnitus sufferers.

Bear in mind that your tinnitus might go away, but it doesn't usually. It's more a case of learning to live with it while not making it worse.
 
Last edited:
CookieWookie said:
I have it and blame it on either all the loud music as a teenager or just the way I sneeze.
I tend to do a strange holding it all in sneeze and can't do it any other way. I do remember getting told off from my father about it with him shouting at me to just let it out.
I've been to the Doctors and then the Hospital Doctor about it before which was a waste of time. I was given a hearing test then sent to talk with the Doctor only to be
told they are unable to help me other than making me deaf. REALLY? a quick hearing test and that's it? I swear if they would do the syringe thing for ear wax my Gran
used to get it might not cure it but maybe minimise it a bit? I don't know about the rest of you but I do have itchy internal ears and always in there with a cotton bud scratching and the bud is always filthy...every 2nd day.
Click to expand...

They can easily check if wax is causing a problem with your ears. At your hearing test they would have checked.
 
I got it so bad the other day and I can't remember what the trigger was. :( Mine generally has been better the less I think about it. I wonder if it would change if I drunk less alcohol. Anyone found that? (I don't drink a lot lot).
 
I've had occasional tinnitus for as long as I can remember but since May last year I've had it permanently. Most of the time I can deal with it ok but when I'm stressed or feeling under the weather I don't cope with it at all well.

Silence isn't good, that's when it's most noticeable but it'll rear its ugly head at random times too. I wear Bose Sleepbuds as my other half is bit of a snorer and last night the sound that was playing though them was clashing with the tinnitus.
 
CookieWookie said:
I have it and blame it on either all the loud music as a teenager or just the way I sneeze.
I tend to do a strange holding it all in sneeze and can't do it any other way. I do remember getting told off from my father about it with him shouting at me to just let it out.
I've been to the Doctors and then the Hospital Doctor about it before which was a waste of time. I was given a hearing test then sent to talk with the Doctor only to be
told they are unable to help me other than making me deaf. REALLY? a quick hearing test and that's it? I swear if they would do the syringe thing for ear wax my Gran
used to get it might not cure it but maybe minimise it a bit? I don't know about the rest of you but I do have itchy internal ears and always in there with a cotton bud scratching and the bud is always filthy...every 2nd day.
Click to expand...

Loud music does it for sure, i used to use loud headphones in my early teens in the 90`s.

I developed tinnitus and 28 years later I still have it.

Every day i kick myself for ignoring the dangers of loud music / sound
 
Had it about 6 years now. Blasting music in car, volume too loud, discomfort in ear.. ignored it, was ****** off..still think about that now and again. Had burst my ear drum in same ear few years before, prob related.

Constant whine in left ear at around 13-15khz. Can tune it out mostly except before bed, or other quiet times. I find if I clench my jaw the sound, goes up a notch, also feels odd when my ear rings like normal over the top of the tinnitus. Here's a good masking video that helps mine, use it on the odd flare up, sometimes just need the break from the whine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQJqDLDRXl0

Best not to think about it, but obviously can't be avoided! Think I get a bit of mental fatigue, like brain fog but probably age, drink and drugs catching up with me!
 
mattyg said:
Dehydration can make it worse too.
Does yours change when you clamp your jaw/Bite down hard. pitch and volume. My dad often complains of this
Click to expand...
Salty snacks are also making it worse. In my case at least.
The hearing became worse by 20% too according to the latest online hearing test i made last month.
I didn't want to admit that, but that's a time to visit an audiologist finally and get some treatment.
 
Last edited:
champ222 said:
*snip*
Click to expand...
Wow, your tinnitus problem is exactly like mine, and also appeared in January last year.

Do you also have "flare-ups" where it gets worse for days at a time? Mine can also change in volume throughout a single day.

For me, It appeared 2 days after having a filling at a dentist. So I thought that was the problem. Or a cold I had during the xmas break triggered it. Interestingly a few weeks after I had my covid booster too (never considered that as a cause).

I went to the doctors who first thought I may have had a sinus infection. Then after a month of taking a steroid nasal spray they referred me to an ENT consultant.

I saw the ENT consultant in April. They tested my hearing, which came back fine. So sent me for a CT scan.

I finally had my CT scan in October, and only just had my results appointment with ENT yesterday. He said there was a little swelling of my sinuses but nothing obvious causing my Tinnitus. They've given me some more nasal spray for a few months, but had to discharge me.

Over the course of the year of having this issue I had been looking into different causes, and the one that sticks out is TMJ. My dentist suggested I might have been grinding my teeth causing TMJ. This was prior to my filling over a year ago.

Other TMJ symptoms suggest: fullness in the ears, crackling ears when swallowing, jaw ache, jaw clicking, neck pain, vertigo, eye floaters, headaches and so on. Which I get all of them at different times.

Having spoken to my dentist between ENT appointments, he suggested TMJ exercises and using hot and cold pads when it flares up. The first time I tried the exercises the noise got worse, so haven't done it since. I am reluctant in case it makes it permanently worse.

I have another dentist appointment next month, so will see where we can go from here. Maybe look at TMJ physiotherapy, now the ENT cant help.
 
Last edited:
engee said:
Wow, your tinnitus problem is exactly like mine, and also appeared in January last year.

Do you also have "flare-ups" where it gets worse for days at a time? Mine can also change in volume throughout a single day.

For me, It appeared 2 days after having a filling at a dentist. So I thought that was the problem. Or a cold I had during the xmas break triggered it. Interestingly a few weeks after I had my covid booster too (never considered that as a cause).

I went to the doctors who first thought I may have had a sinus infection. Then after a month of taking a steroid nasal spray they referred me to an ENT consultant.

I saw the ENT consultant in April. They tested my hearing, which came back fine. So sent me for a CT scan.

I finally had my CT scan in October, and only just had my results appointment with ENT yesterday. He said there was a little swelling of my sinuses but nothing obvious causing my Tinnitus. They've given me some more nasal spray for a few months, but had to discharge me.

Over the course of the year of having this issue I had been looking into different causes, and the one that sticks out is TMJ. My dentist suggested I might have been grinding my teeth causing TMJ. This was prior to my filling over a year ago.

Other TMJ symptoms suggest: fullness in the ears, crackling ears when swallowing, jaw ache, jaw clicking, neck pain, vertigo, eye floaters, headaches and so on. Which I get all of them at different times.

Having spoken to my dentist between ENT appointments, he suggested TMJ exercises and using hot and cold pads when it flares up. The first time I tried the exercises the noise got worse, so haven't done it since. I am reluctant in case it makes it permanently worse.

I have another dentist appointment next month, so will see where we can go from here. Maybe look at TMJ physiotherapy, now the ENT cant help.
Click to expand...

Your doing better than me, i still havent had my first ENT appointment. That'll be a year wait soon. its probably a waste of time anyway, which is why i havent chased it up.

Yeah some days definitely seem worse than others.

Ive also been told i have TMJ, and it was considered a potential cause of the migraines (this was pre tinnitus) and got given a crappy paper leaflet with some exercises. As standard, i did it a few times, but then forgot about it, but i wear the gum shield at night.

Let me know how the TMJ physio goes!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom