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General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: rpm on March 10, 2007, 12:32:50 AM

Title: Tinnitus
Post by: rpm on March 10, 2007, 12:32:50 AM
Anyone else have tinnitus? Constant high pitched ringing in your ears. I've had it for at least 15 years. I had some really good car stereos and worked around a lot of straight exhaust engines.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: moot on March 10, 2007, 12:56:40 AM
I might have developped one recently.
Did you ever get the impression it was helped by being overly tired in only mildly loud environments?
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: rpm on March 10, 2007, 01:01:39 AM
Mine is from wake up to sleep. It gets louder as background noise gets louder and can drown out people speaking.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: Halo on March 10, 2007, 01:13:18 AM
Sorry about that, rpm.  Some friends have tinnitus.  I sometimes think I'm getting a touch of it, but mostly only an occasional very low combination of something like static or buzzing or hissing, something like the electricity of the universe?

I must be wired for something.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: MrRiplEy[H] on March 10, 2007, 04:34:07 AM
I developed a mild tinnitus to my right ear because of an explosion when I was a teenager. The bang was so loud that I couldn't hear anything for 15 minutes.

Luckily it's not the kind that actually bothers me, I only hear it during silent nights or when wearing hearing protection.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: Xargos on March 10, 2007, 04:47:26 AM
Make sure it's not Meniere's Disease.

http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/menieres/menieres.html#whatis
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: Kieran on March 10, 2007, 06:43:02 AM
Yes, I have it. Like you, I can hear the ringing over everything- loudly. I suppose I'll be totally deaf at some point.

I shattered both eardrums (bad dive off a 3-meter board) and have never been the same.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: Dago on March 10, 2007, 07:15:51 AM
Yeah, I have it in both ears.  Too many years shooting, and being around running jet engines.

I don't notice it much, been too many years and have gotten used to it.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: eagl on March 10, 2007, 07:29:26 AM
I got mild tinnitus as a kid, and I remember being scared about it because it happened all at once one night, going from nice pure quiet to what sounded like a very loud ringing in my head.  It's almost like a constant single-frequency tone plus a slightly lower intermittant tone that sounds a bit like morse code.

It doesn't bug me except at night, but it's pretty irritating then.  It does make passing my annual hearing test a bit tougher, but it's not getting much worse so it's merely an inconvenience.
Title: a steady middle C pitch for me
Post by: storch on March 10, 2007, 08:33:01 AM
I get occasional tinnitus. for me it is caused by having my jaw broken in a fight when I was younger (ya ya ya you should have seen what the other guy looked like when we finished).  the cure is also in my jaw.  at the onset of the tinnitus attack I crack my jaw by pressing on the joint right under the ears and working my jaw from left to right with my mouth open.  once both sides go "pop" the tinnitus goes away.  I've been doing that since the late 1970's.  the doctor thinks it's pressure on the nerve but they can't really explain it.  tinnitus is very annoying though, I feel for you.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: Viking on March 10, 2007, 08:46:10 AM
Got mild tinnitus from being shelled too many times. Now I really like rainy nights.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: storch on March 10, 2007, 09:30:12 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Viking
Got mild tinnitus from being shelled too many times. Now I really like rainy nights.
are you sure it isn't from listening to ace of the base at full volume?
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: Dago on March 10, 2007, 09:44:11 AM
Quote
Originally posted by storch
listening to ace of the base at full volume?


Curel and unusual punishment!
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: Jackal1 on March 10, 2007, 09:57:23 AM
Got it and have had it for quite some time. Mine was due to nerve damage from toxic gas exposure some years ago.
As said above, after a while you sort of get used to it in the daytime and while you are busy.
At night, when things gets quiet is when it will grind on you. To avoid this I run a TV on low volume all night. About as good as it gets.
I have heard about some ear drops that are supposed to help at night , but have never looked into them or talked to anyone who has used them.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: Gunslinger on March 10, 2007, 09:59:44 AM
I'm not sure if it's the same thing but I get a ringing every now and then and sometimes it's practically disabling.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: Xasthur on March 10, 2007, 10:07:48 AM
Drowning our conversations.... that's very bad... I'm sorry to hear that.

I play in a couple of bands and go to gigs regularly (Metal bands don't make a habbit of playing quietly...)

All I can say is that prevention really is the best cure... Spend the $40 or $50 on a good pair of ear-plugs that reduce the decibel level as opposed to the 'pillow infront of a speaker' effect of cheap ear-plugs. Don't be affraid to wear them at all times... at gigs, when jamming, at airshows.... whatever.

There is no cure for this hearing damage... so look after your ears.

Best of luck to you all who have to deal with severe tinnitus
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: cpxxx on March 10, 2007, 10:22:48 AM
Had it for a while when I first started riding fast motorcycles. The wind noise used to go on long after I put the bike away. The cure was a good set of earplugs. Funny enough, flying without headsets barely affected me, nor did shooting without earplugs.

The weirdest tinnitus I had was the sound of bagpipes wailing in my ears as I lay in bed one night. This was caused by the local pipe band fund raising outside the nearby church one sunday morning when I had a bit of a lie in. I had a reprise that night. I was so loud I had to get up and check the pipers were not really outside at two in the morning.:lol  They say it's caused, in this case, by the little hairs in the inner ear that detect sound waves been laid flat by constant repetition. This is intepreted by the brain as constant sound. Not all tinnitus is caused by that I know. But good ear plugs in loud situations are a must.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: AquaShrimp on March 10, 2007, 10:23:45 AM
I've had a very mild version of it since I was a very young kid.  Mine is more of a solid tone rather than a ringing.  Only affects me when the environment I am in is rather quiet.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: Maverick on March 10, 2007, 11:09:33 AM
I've had it for over 20 years. In getting my hearing checked for flight physicals I was told I had a significant loss of between 30% to 45%. I had a more thorough hearing test last December. It came back with a 35% loss on each side especially at the upper frequencies. High pitches are bad and some are totally gone now. Background noise tends to drown out conversation making it tough to hear in crowd situations.

The Dr. confirmed it was likely from explosions and large guns. Too many 105 mm's at close range while in tanks not to mention the .50 cal in my cupola. The siren less than 5' away didn't do me any good either.

I always shoot with ear protection, muffs when possible, just ask Rude and Toad. Unfortunately the CVC in the tank precluded anything better than foam ear plugs.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: rpm on March 10, 2007, 12:46:18 PM
Quote
Originally posted by AquaShrimp
I've had a very mild version of it since I was a very young kid.  Mine is more of a solid tone rather than a ringing.  Only affects me when the environment I am in is rather quiet.
That's the way mine was until about 2 years ago when it started to get worse.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: Makarov9 on March 10, 2007, 12:50:34 PM
I have a constant tone in my right ear. It happened because the ear plug was not seated fully while I was shooting, but stupidly I kept on shooting. After the session I could no longer hear in that ear. It took a week for the hearing to come back to normal. However, now I have the constant, high-pitched tone in my right ear. I really only notice it when it's quit so it could be worse. I've learned to block it out but some nights it can get aggravating.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: Reschke on March 10, 2007, 12:51:04 PM
I have it in my left ear as a result of shooting shotguns and high powered rifles (yes I used ear protection devices) for many years. There are some surgical procedures that I am investigating with my ENT doctor that may help reduce it or eliminate it entirely.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: Wolf14 on March 10, 2007, 01:09:23 PM
I've got it. Had it since I was probably twelve or so thereabouts. Growing up I was exposed to alot of loud machinery and metal working.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: nirvana on March 10, 2007, 01:37:37 PM
I only get ringing in my years after work if we are doing a lot of loud banging.  Sometimes I get ringing in my ears for no reason but doesn't bother me much, I don't think I could deal with it constantly though.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: T0J0 on March 10, 2007, 03:23:17 PM
Yes... Went to hear Ted Nugent three years ago and the ringing hasn't stopped since that night...I wish that was joke but it weren't....  I guess the DB level pushed my ear damage over the edge that night.....
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: Blooz on March 10, 2007, 03:42:04 PM
Me too.

Right ear is worse than left.

Sometimes get a crackling noise instead of the usual sound.

Huh?....I'm sorry...Could you say that again?

All day long.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: Debonair on March 10, 2007, 03:44:15 PM
[SIZE=8]WHAT? [/SIZE]
Title: Re: Tinnitus
Post by: Airscrew on March 10, 2007, 06:17:30 PM
Quote
Originally posted by rpm
Anyone else have tinnitus? Constant high pitched ringing in your ears. I've had it for at least 15 years. I had some really good car stereos and worked around a lot of straight exhaust engines.

I have it now for several years, at least 15 years.   Combinations of several things,  AC/DC full blast in the car,  going shooting with out hearing protection (earlier, later got smart but it was too late) working dental and high speed dental instruments.  They finally told us in 92 after I was doing it for 12 years that it high speed dental drills could cause hearing loss and issued us ear plugs, too late.    Left ear used to be only late at night when everything was quite, now its constant.  Right ear occasionally, some days are louder than others.   I havent had a hearing test since just before I retired in 99.  I'm listening to it right now,  its louder than the fan on my pc.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: Hornet33 on March 10, 2007, 07:05:39 PM
I had a bad case of it but I'm divorced now and that seemed to cure it for me:D


Seriously though, I have a mild case. Grew up on Air Force bases and did 4 years in the Army as an Artillery guy. M110A2 (8 inch self propelled) and Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). Became an Electronic Technician in the Coast Guard and some of the test sets I use on a regular basis generate a 1KHz test tone. If I hear that tone long enough it keeps ringing in my ears for hours after I'm done and gives me bad headaches. It comes and goes depending on what's going on around me.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: eagl on March 10, 2007, 07:10:33 PM
Guns,

You might make some discreet inquiries into if you are "allowed" to have tinnitus in your job...  If you are, then you might consider getting it documented in your medical record (if you haven't already).  That way it would support any partial disability judgement when you retire.  Even moderate tinnitus is considered a disability and if yours is loud enough to interfere with your life, even if it's intermittant, then it's a legit partial disability you incurred during your service.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: E25280 on March 10, 2007, 08:43:27 PM
Unlike a lot of you, mine did not come from an occupation.  At the ripe old age of 18 months, an infection accompanied by fever of near 106 damaged one of my auditory nerves.

Having lived with it all my life, I usually don't notice it.  But, as related by others, I have a hard time distinguishing voices in a crowded room or if the TV is too loud, which sometimes makes carrying on a conversation difficult.

At night when it is quiet is when I tend to "notice" it.  But it is a blessing in a way . . . if I lay down on my good ear, I can't hear my wife snore . . . ;)
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: Viking on March 10, 2007, 08:46:51 PM
Quote
Originally posted by storch
are you sure it isn't from listening to ace of the base at full volume?


Heh, no. Can't stand their music.
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: PuckIt on March 10, 2007, 08:51:13 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Debonair
[SIZE=8]WHAT? [/SIZE] [/B]


:lol
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: cars on March 11, 2007, 06:26:05 AM
I've had a severe case for 40 years now. Explosion related. sleeping is difficult if the room is quiet. On the up side, if a cricket gets in the house, I can't hear the chirping that drives everyone else crazy.

cars
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: lazs2 on March 11, 2007, 10:36:56 AM
I have had it for as long as I can remember..  it is a constant ringing.  I can hear it above everything else and it is mostly, like with mav, a high frequency loss of about 30%..

Women think I ignore them but their voices simply are in that wrong range for the most part.. that is why, before it became PC to hire women announcers, that mostly the voices you heard on radio were mens.

Guns, drag racing, rock concerts... machine shops... decades of motorcycles.. who knows what caused the damage..  It doesn't matter now.  

It really doesn't bother me too much..  I think the times that it is the most annoying tho is in a room where more than one person is talking at the same time.. for some reason they seem to cancel each other out.

I am also pretty much tone deaf anyway..

So let's recap... I have this ringing in my ears all the time that I am pretty much used to... Along with the tone deaf thing it makes it so that I have no interest in buying expensive stereos or plugging some ipod thingie in my ear and wandering around or spending money on music...

I often can't hear what women are saying when they are being shrill and when a bunch of people are talking at me at once I can't really hear them as individuals.

All in all... one of my least annoying handicaps.

lazs
Title: Tinnitus
Post by: Viking on March 11, 2007, 11:27:18 AM
That's the first thing that goes Lazs; the ability to differentiate between sounds. Makes big parties a big pain in the keister as far as conversations are concerned.