Kinda OT: Anybody else have Tinnitus?

Tinnitus? oh yeah, I can trace it back to the WILCAP dyno, Boiler Technician in the navy, live music lover and a life long rifle and pistol enthusiast. I recommend to younger guys "Always wear ear protection" I have a constant ringing in my ears. Supposedly giving up caffeine will help it but who wants to give up coffee?

 

Had it off and on for 20 yrs. Artillery, shooting range, music, and loud exhaust, didn't last for an hour or so. Then one day, standing near the loud speaker at the Leake Auction in Tulsa about 5 yrs ago, I got it bad. The ringing drove me freaking nuts for about 3-4 weeks, couldn't sleep because it kept me up. Still have it, can't hear worth a shit, but used to it. Best I can tell people is wear ear plugs. It'll keep you from sayin' HUH??

 

As many have said, especially Corncobcoupe,,,,you yung ones better take heed. Wear your ear protection. In my case, the ear ringing has stopped, at least for a while, but the hearing is really f---d. Too many go carts, too many years sitting right behind a 2000+ hp nitro engine with the headers staring at me and way too many years of M-1 tanks and Bradley vehicles screaming in my ear. Say what?????? huh??? so tired of saying that I could just s---t.

 

Yeah, I have been a musician playing in bands since I was 16, and I have it in both ears... It never stops. I don't really notice it until I'm somewhere quiet. I should be more cautious when grinding and stuff, but usually I'm not. I keep meaning to buy some of those earplugs that are on a "barret" or whatever. They loop over your head. I see guys wear 'em on TV shows. So younguns, take heed.

 

Johnny, I'm near 60 and have had it since my teens;worked around engines, equipment and machinery all my life...did a stint in Viet Nam and generally abused my whole body racing short tracks for longer than I care to remember. Have now lost hearing completely in a broad range and it will deteriorate even more if I'm around much longer. To you younger guys: PROTECT YOUR HEARING!! Even simple shop practices will take its toll.

 

I'm glad i'm not alone in this. I am 37 have had a constant ringing, sometimes clicking, sometime electrical type hum for about 10 years. I have been wearing hearing aids for about 7 years. They do help to cancel out some of the ringing, and help with understanding speech better but I still have a high "huh" count in any conversation.

I believe mine was caused like so many others have mentioned, loud cars, loud music, and especially loud air tools. I have been a mechanic for ever and never thought I needed any protection on my ears. I tell all the guys I work with to wear protection (on their ears) because hearing loss is miserable.

matt

 

I take loratidine everyday and it's improved my life immensely. I used to think my allergies only affected me in the fall and, though they are far worse in the fall, since starting to take loratidine daily my sinuses are much clearer as well as my hearing, etc. Costco has 300 tablets for ~$15 - a small price to pay...

 

Boy, alot of us are afflicted, I have meniers syndrome (disease) also which effects the inner ear, if I spin around too fast my head spins and I start to go down. A ride at an amusement park can put me down for a whole weekend and the constant noise in my ears.....ya learn to live with it. I must have had too much time on the flight line and flight deck in the Navy.

 

Sounds like a lot of us have this (no pun intended). I found it interesting that several guys have mentioned sleeping with fans. Me too. I can't sleep anywhere unless I have a fan on. If I'm in a quite room it drives me crazy. I didn't notice it getting bad until last year when I couldn't hear shit out of my right ear while talking on the phone. I shot right handed and have hunted and shot clays all my life ,along with all the stuff mentioned above. Interesting, at least now I know I'm not going crazy just joined the elite group of semi-deaf hot rod dudes.

 

Im Only 38 And I Get The Ringing Sometimes And Some Hearing Loss 19 Years Of Working In Shops And To Many Years Of Watching Fuel Cars With No Protection But Im Married And I Dont Always Hear The Wife So Its Not Reallly That Bad

 

Yup me too. Fans or something to create a bit of noise helps a bunch.

My side effect is being able to fall asleep almost instantly to cope. Drives my girlfriend nuts that I am able to do so too...


Our AM talk radio station has a health talk guy, Bob Martin that pushes this stuff, supposed to work pretty well for our condition.

http://www.tinnitusearringing.com/tinnitus_products_hearall.htm

 

Oh, other things that aggrevate it besides salt intake, Quinine.

So watch your Gin and Tonic intake!

 

I have it also. The doctor told me that I don't REALLY hear anything, it is the little hairs in my ear canal that have been damaged due to "whatever" and the nerves attached to the hairs are triggering false signals. BUMMER! I use a fan to sleep too

I guess some day when I go to heaven I won't have it anymore, cool...........

 

Do a computer search, or ask your Dr. about Myneer's Disease. It can be treated and controlled with medication. I had it to the point of disability.I went 7 different Dr.s no luck. My current Dr. looked at CAT scan and diagnosed it in 3 seconds, gave me a test to confirm, prescribed meds. One month later it was under control and still is . That was 5 years ago.
Gemini EFI

 

I've had it for about 25 years. Too many teenaged rock band practices, stagging lane time, and straight piped harleys. I use a sound machine on thunderstorm sometimes aided by a fan to sleep. I wonder about the guys with the car stereos that rattle my windows. It must be miserable inside those things.

 

Any other symptoms?? Sound sensitivity like if the phone rings you jump, joint pain memory etc. I would get a check for lyme disease

 

I got it too, I went to the doc last year to try to figure out what the ringing was in my left ear. Some days it is so annoying that I want to jam a screwdriver in there. I have it in both ears but its more so in the left apprently because of the way I lean my head when I'm using grinders. That and all the metallica concerts. So now I use ear protection whenever, wherever possible.

grumper

 

I play in a band and have been playing guitar forever. All the high tones are gone and the lows hurt. The bass player we have in the band likes to be the loudest, he thinks it makes him the star. Anyway he is to the right of me and it has done a lot of damage. Too bad it had to hurt to find out. So I went and had my earplugs made at a hearing aid store. I just got the in ear monitors yesterday so I havan't used them yet, but the store sold me some really good plugs from Westone. Check out their web site.
As for noise I always have something on, muisic, TV or a fan the ringing drives me crazy( like I need more of that)
Mick

 

Add me to this list! I've got it along with Labrynthitis (vertigo). I love camping, but sometimes the ringing in my ears when it's quiet is deafening! I try to focus on crickets or other little noises, but then that takes away from me falling asleep....At home, I do the same as some of you guys--fan running. Interesting....

 

Got it here as well,some times a ringing,some times a "white noise".
25 years in aviation,and six years prior to that in the power generation field,(steam electric generation), wore the BEST and MAXIMUM amount of hearing protection at ALL times.I still do.

I guess I prolly' just delayed it a few years.
It is a constant thing now,and have not yet seeked medical advice on the matter.
It has been my understanding there is not much that can be done for it.
It pisses me off though,
as it drowns out the voices in my head I have grown so fond of.

 

Damn, this is the only club I fit in. I've got it and know when I got it. I got jerked down on a bulls head in 1976. cracked 2 vertabreas in the neck,jaw, nose and skull fractures. Hasn't gone away since. Sleep with a fan,constant ringing and always having to say " I didn't hear you. My wife thinks I'm convently deaf. May be something to that. If I put my fingers over my ears or try to stop them up it gets terrible. I'd kinda forgot about it until I read the thread. Really doesn't bother me all that bad any more. It used to drive me nuts. TP

 

Hey go figure! I brought this up at an AA meeting last year and I had a couple guys come up to me and say the same thing, they had it but forgot all about it till I'd mentioned it! And actually come think of it, it wasn't until I read about tinnitus in a car stereo forum that I realized I had it! Kept me up for like 3 days, had to get sleeping pills from my dr. Now the fan works just as well.

I *never* woulda guessed this many people on the HAMB had it!

 

Me too. A high pitched tone, reminds me of a hearing aid squeal. 1968-1971 flight line work with munitions loading on fighters, black powder, big bore rifle shooting, motorcycling, dirt racing, music, loud pipes, shop noises. Like a lot of you, one of my favorite words is now "Huh?". I can't hear squat if there is background noise. It sucks, but some have it way worse. I mostly ignore it, and rather successfully. I went out riding my Kawasaki Drifter today, wearing my old shorty helmet and no hearing protection. Ears are now ringing, thank you. I gotta get smarter.

If you don't have this stuff, take care of your ears!! You WILL get older, and WILL pay the price if you don't do this. My father in law almost can't use a phone now. His TV blasts so loud that I get a headache in a minute or less, and it has hurt his wife's hearing too. Some of his family gets real ticked at him when trying to talk because he can't hear. He says dumb things because he tries to guess what is said. Do you want to wind up that way??

 

I've got it too. I'm only 23 and seems like i have had it all my life. I can't pin point a cause besides hanging around dad's shop as a kid, not to mention a couple of hard knocks to the head as a kid. I pretty much have gotten used to it. I have read that regardless of having tinnitus or not, the ear does not like complete silence and the mind will create slight noise to please the ear. I guess that is why it is worse when there is less noise.

 

I had sudden hearing loss about 3 weeks ago. 20db reduction in my right ear, and it came on in a matter of minutes There was also a constant ringing, and a pressure feeling in that ear. I'm 46, which is the typical age that this happens. The ear doc put me on steriods and diuretics immediatly, and I've been back twice for check ups. It looks like my hearing will come back, and the doc said my coming in right away gave me a much better chance than if I had waited. My advice is go to an ear doctor, this may be treatable.

 

We may have to get plaques"Tinnitus" be kinda like "Them". Shit mine drove me nuts last night after remembering I had it. Got to get over it. TP

 

Ive got it and ive had it for years.. some days are worse than others . I sleep with a fan on most all year just to hear sumpin other than the ringing.
Dave

 

Well, at the risk of being pounded, I'll jump iin here, too. I'm almost 60, have tinnitus, and a 45 to 65 db loss in both ears. I'll attribute it to a lifetime of hotrodding and racing. I've worn hearing aids for 6-7 years now.

Here's where you'll start pounding on me..........I've owned a hearing aid office for 20 years. I won't start trying to sell hearing aids here, but I'd be happy to answer any questions you all have about hearing aids.

Most, if not all of you with tinnitus, have hearing loss related to it. One thing I see all the time is people who don't do anything about their hearing loss for years, even decades, and when they finally do get hearing aids, wonder why the don't instantly understand perfectly. It has to do with the brain, and is called auditory deprevation. If you have a problem, you'd be better off if you do something about it early.

Again, as I have no ulterior motive, I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about hearing loss and hearing aids as well as I can.

Let the bashing begin!

Bill

 

yup me too

construction, open headers, acetylene bombs, working in the shop... rarely with protection.. stupid really