Help with tinnitus

[geordiegirl1]

I have developed tinnitus, I have a constant ringing in my right ear which is driving me mad especially at night when it's quiet - I find it very difficult to sleep. I have thought of acupuncture or some other alternative medicines but not sure if they would be of any benefit. Can anyone suggest anything that might help me.

Thanks for any help.

[Sqad]

More information please.

Is the tinnitus just in one ear?
Are you deaf in that ear?
How old are you?
Have you been exposed to noise in your occupation?
Are you on any drugs?
Have you been seen by an ENT consultant?

[geordiegirl1]

The tinnitus is only in my right ear
I am not deaf in that ear
Age 59
I have not been exposed to noise and am not on any drugs
I have seen an ENT consultant who confirmed the tinnitus. I had a hearing test which was normal. The consultant said I would basically have to live with it.

[Sqad]

I would have thought an MRI scan would have been performed.

Treatment is difficult in this condition and varies from acupuncture to surgery with herbal remedies slipping in between.
You could try having music played into the affected ear via headphones (pretty uncomfortable) or you could ask to try a tinnitus masking device which would be obtained from the hospital.

I have no faith whatsoever in the drug treatment of tinnitus but posters will have their pet methods which may be worth trying.

Sorry that I have not been of any help.

[geordiegirl1]

I am going for an MRI on Monday

Thank you for taking the time to reply

[millerxxx]

hello g
i have tinnitus for a long time now
the doc told me their is no cure
i have it in both ears
one has a little bit less ringing in it#
good luck

[Bathsheba]

Ooh!!....glad i popped in here.....my son, aged 35, (i know ;o)!! ya wouldn't think to look at me, eh?).....has developed tinnitus in one ear, also a slight deafness, but only for high registers. His Otolaryngologist has seen his MRI scan,.....declared all's ok, and referred him back to his GP . Errmm,.......but he's still deaf with ringing in one ear.......:-/

[Sqad]

georgie...let us know the results of the MRI.

[GEEMAC]

I also developed tinnitus after having an ear infection and I was also told I would have to learn to live with it. However, after a while it just disappeared and hasn't returned. Good luck.

[Mosaic]

Hi - I developed tinnitus in both ears after a rotten head cold and ear infection, best part of 30 years ago. I've had numerous hearing tests - they say all is OK. All my GP ever did was prescribe vitamins. I've learned to live with it, and often leave a radio on a quiet whisper at night so I don't focus on the whistle-buzz in my head. You could try something like a book on an ipod - I found I slept through the 'Bourne' novels with the greatest ease.

[flicrat]

A friend in her sixties said hers was better during the day when she was prescribed a hearing aid for that ear,though she still suffered at night. Don't know WHY that shoild have improved things.

[Clanad]

Having experienced this for several years (one does get ued to it... sort of) in both ears. My ENT Dr. here in the U.S. also confirms there is no cure. In most cases and certainly in mine, the culprit is exposure to loud noises, especially those percussive in nature (in my case, probably extensive use of firearms as a youth) and possibly a viral infection (not applicable in my case).
I realize that individual descriptions can be questionable in nature, but I do find that certain foods aggravate and make the condition more noticeable. With my particular version of the nerve damage salty foods or those containing vinegar will certainly increase the perception of the sound. My case is also due to my employment, which is in aviation. When I learned to fly and several years of flying large, round-engined (read noisy) airplanes with no hearing protection (no one thought about it at the time) participated to the increase in the detectability of the condition.
Also, usually accompaning the sound is a loss of higher frequency sound detection. Now, that drives one up the wall. The loss affects clear understanding of human speech, especially if there's nearby background noise.
Best of luck!

[saxy_jag]

My bloke had really bad tinnitus and went to the doc a couple of years ago when it became unbearable. Tests revealed a hearing loss that was equal in both ears, and led the consultant to think that it was the result of a years' old head injury rather than the noise exposure (he's been in and around rock bands for most of his life).

The upshot is that he's been equipped with a tone generator. Just a little device that fits into the ear and which he wears for a few hours each day. It generates a sort of white noise that his brain/ear is then trained to tune into, thus tuning out the unwelcome frequencies (which non-sufferers do). It's made a huge difference to him and he hardly ever needs to wear it these days. This wasn't obtained privately or from a specialist centre, but on the NHS via a regular hospital hearing department. Not saying it's suitable for everyone, but could be worth asking about.

[Eve]

I've had it for a long time due to meniere's disease and it's something that I've had to get used to to a certain extent.

The medications I take do help a bit but as time goes on you do learn to notice it less, let it annoy your less anyway.

I find a personal stereo with headphones helps fool it.

[jno]

I've had it for years and rather like it. It's a sort of buzzing and reminds me of the cicadas chirping on the hillsides in summertime when I was young. That probably isn't a whole lot of help, but it does suggest you can accustom yourself to it. (My hearing's not great, though - hopeless in pubs and other places with background noise, as Clanad says. I don't actually know if this is related or not.)

[Eve]

I have hearing loss too though it fluctuates and I have frequency issues like Clanad. At my last hearing test (they do them free in Specsavers!) I was told I was borderline for needing hearing assistance.

It's all part of the menieres for me though along with the vertigo, pressure etc...

Mine is like a wierd crunching, popping noise, like having rice krispies in my ears which progresses to ringing sometimes, especially if I've been somewhere loud or when I get this thing where it's like having a high pitched tone in my ears and my hearing often switches off in one ear for a bit.