OT: hearing loss/tinnitis

[ThePennsyOracle]

Same hear.

My entire life. You just deal with it.

Yep.

Full disclosure: I'm in my 30s and have a family history of both tinnitus and Meniere's Disease. I don't have any Meniere's symptoms yet, but those afflicted in my family have showed signs as they approach 40.

One thing I do notice is that in a quiet room, I often cannot hear very faint sounds. For example, the wife and I will be reading in the living room with the dog in the kitchen. She'll ask if I hear the dog panting, etc. and I often cannot, or at least not to the loudness she describes.

And speaking of reading, I cannot read and retain information without white noise in the background. If I'm in my "home office" working on a project, I have to have a fan sound on--I found this one on YouTube that helps tremendously:



I use the above link on my smartphone if a hotel room doesn't have an always on HVAC system.

 

[Sviatoslav]

The tinnitus is a low, constant white noise that I hear all day.

Interesting, what does it sound like to others? I have what I consider to be a mild tinnitis at high frequency, i hear it when the room is silent but it doesn't bother me too much otherwise. I CANNOT hear anything in the same frequency. As a field network tech I was out on a client site and one of the staff came to me asking if I was causing that alarm noise.... I said what alarm, I don't hear anything. She looked at me like I was nuts. "You really can't hear that???" That's when I knew I had a problem haha. It doesn't bother me otherwise.

 

[Sviatoslav]

My wife frequently accuses me of having hearing loss, and tells me I should go for a hearing test. However I am not worried because I know it really is just selective hearing loss, like it comes and goes when she speaks sometimes.

Your lips move, but I can't hear what you're saying....

 

[Carl Spackler]

When the "Miracle Ear" commercial was running my family always teased me about buying it for me. The constant ringing in your ears with additional hearing loss at mid-levels takes me out of conversations when there is competing noise or conversations. Trying to have a conversation in public, a restaurant at times, etc. is difficult. Adding in other medical issues the noise in some public places literally drives me nuts, a cacophony of noise overloads my sensory systems. At that point the ringing in my ears is lost to the rest but its still there.

And several posts noted the ringing changing intensity before other events, sickness, etc. I have experienced that too. It's been with me for so long that it's is my white noise until I think about it or it is brought to my attention, this thread, and it becomes prominent and quite irritating.

 

[Nitt1300]

I've had it for so long that I don't remember what it was like not to have it, but mine is self inflicted, I didn't have it when I was younger- excessive noise exposure did it

 

[Carl Spackler]

I've had it for so long that I don't remember what it was like not to have it, but mine is self inflicted, I didn't have it when I was younger- excessive noise exposure did it

Same here, mine was avoidable, I was forced into it by a family member on the farm but none the less, it's a done deal. Loud noise, no muffler or stand pipe on a tractor, eight hours, full throttle operation in a very long field, done. Couldn't hear anyone speak for nearly a week, no phone conversations. Once I could hear I had this ringing that stayed with me to this day and I expect will to my dying day.

Of all the things that could happen to a person this is not that bad but it is irritating. Does anyone else find that using earplugs only intensifies the ringing? That is my experience.

 

[Nitt1300]

Same here, mine was avoidable, I was forced into it by a family member on the farm but none the less, it's a done deal. Loud noise, no muffler or stand pipe on a tractor, eight hours, full throttle operation in a very long field, done. Couldn't hear anyone speak for nearly a week, no phone conversations. Once I could hear I had this ringing that stayed with me to this day and I expect will to my dying day.

Of all the things that could happen to a person this is not that bad but it is irritating. Does anyone else find that using earplugs only intensifies the ringing? That is my experience.

yep, me too- I think it's that when the outside noise is lower because of the earplugs, the "inside" noise just seems louder