tinnitus

[JimmyD]

I'm 64 and have had it for about three years. I don't have much hearing loss but the tinnitus sure gets in the way of hearing. I got hearing aids and I either have music playing most all day or use a Beltone app called Tinnitus Calmer (I don't have the expensive Beltone aids, I got the really good deal at Costco). You can use their pre-loaded library of sounds and mix them at will. I find that a good way to give my ears a break and after a while I don't even hear the constant ringing/whining.

An added benefit of the hearing aids is being able to make and receive phone calls through them without having to hold the phone. Excellent sound quality. Another benefit is that most late model TV's have bluetooth speaker connections and you can connect your hearing aids directly to the TV which solves lots of those problems listed in other posts above.

[rej]

it is 4 weeks today. i went to the doctor. they made me an appt for the 23rd to an ent. no ear wax, i was hoping for that. now i'm hoping for ear infection. sure is annoying and worse than that sometimes. but i do sleep for about 5 to 6 hours most nights.

[BillK]

it is 4 weeks today. i went to the doctor. they made me an appt for the 23rd to an ent. no ear wax, i was hoping for that. now i'm hoping for ear infection. sure is annoying and worse than that sometimes. but i do sleep for about 5 to 6 hours most nights.

You’re doing the right thing. Mine was very light this morning, now its been gone most of today. Good Luck with the ENT.

[TReischl]

Rej:

It is something that the more you concentrate on it, the more it will annoy you. Mine is 24/7. At first it about drove me nutz (well, nutzier actually) but after awhile, like a lot of things, it slips into the background for the most part.

I would not get my hopes up too high if I were you about a medical solution. But, you might be lucky and actually have something else going on that they can fix. So it is worth having it all checked out.

[rtibbs]

Rej:

It is something that the more you concentrate on it, the more it will annoy you. Mine is 24/7. At first it about drove me nutz (well, nutzier actually) but after awhile, like a lot of things, it slips into the background for the most part.

+1

[TReischl]

Ok, time for a funny story, this actually happened. . . .

An older guy I went hunting with years ago lost hearing in his right ear. This all happened about 40 years ago. So there he was, deaf in one ear. This went on for years and years, like 15. He was notorious for avoiding doctors like the plague. He finally came down with a nasty case of the flu and his daughter dragged him into the doc. Well, the doc figured he better give him a complete going over. As the doc was checking him out he suddenly said, "Hey, what is this in here?" To his daughter's amazement the doc pulled out this nasty old wad of cotton. Back in the day people used to put cotton balls in their ears whenever they got an earache. Weird. Anyhow, it was a MIRACLE! He could suddenly hear again!

[rink]

I’m 58, and have had constant ringing for several years. I’ve always chalked it up to too much loud rock and roll in the 70’s. Maybe there are other causes, I haven’t studied it. Most of the time, I don’t notice it. But when things are quiet I hear it clearly.

In recent years I’ve taken some steps to protect my ears from here on out. In the shop, I always wear hearing protection when running loud tools. Router, circ saw, chop saw, dust collector, etc. I built a cover for the CNC rig to contain the sound of the router, works great. Relocated dust collector and air compressor to a separate room. If I couldn’t have done that, I’d have built a box around them. And I always wear hearing protection when mowing (about 3 hrs per week) and when chain sawing.

Reading this thread it occurs to me that perhaps my cheap Harbor Freight hearing protection could be upgraded to a higher quality option. Probably the very best ear muffs are way cheaper than hearing aids.

And, oh, BTW..,don’t forget to also wear respirator when generating saw dust or fumes. With the hearing protection and respirator on for most of my time in the shop, I look like an alien. But like Mahomes says in his commercial: 100% don’t like it, 100% don’t care.

Good luck.

[adze_cnc]

I want to get two "business cards" made up to give to people on the bus that I hear listening to overly loud music through earbuds connected to their phones. If I can hear the lyrics clearly when I'm at one end of an articulated bus and they are at another—it's too loud.

The first card will say: "You are going deaf."

The second card: "You can swear all you want but you're still going deaf."

My favourite take on hearing protection comes from the company that makes our custom-fit ear plugs:

Q: Are custom molded ear plugs the best form of hearing protection?

A: The best type of hearing protection is the one you will wear consistently and properly. Custom molded ear plugs can provide a better fit and comfortability that can last up three years. Although disposable ear plugs and muffs can protect your ears just as well, communication demands, climate, and use of other personal protection equipment must also be considered. Matched with an appropriate filter, our custom ear plugs are designed for you.

BTW: no tinnitus and better hearing than some co-workers 20 years younger.