white noise

[drumcraw]

i was at audio yesterday to retune my aids as the white noise was totally hidden my my T. when loud so i got him to reset it, when he reached the level i needed he siad he couldnt set it there as it would damage my hearing?????????????? it was 80db so that means that my T. IS 80DB NOISE IN MY HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he reset at 75db abd told me not to use it for more than 2 hours!!!!!!!!!!! this just gets worse now no releif at all if mine was a constant level i could handle it better but it chabges so much in so depressed now and i thoght i would have got some encouragement but when i asked about hearing therapists he said he didnt know any in scotland and my g.p. said the same!!!!!

[JohnJopp]

Hi Drumcraw. What do you consider the level that you need for your masker? It does rather sound like you're trying to make it loud enough so that you don't hear your T over it. In other words mask your T completely which isn't the idea at all. They really shouldn't be called "maskers" as the intention is to set them just below the level of your T and not to mask it out. I also find it odd that the audiologist has to set the volume. Is there no volume control that you can adjust yourself?

John

[drumcraw in reply to JohnJopp]

hi john, i was merely pointing out the level to mask my T. was very loud at 80db, the level was set to 75db which is still loud but under my T. i cant adjust the volume on these aids, ive had white noise for 4 yers now but my T seems to be getting worse sadly

[Hidden in reply to drumcraw]

HI drumcraw,

Just following on from what John has said who is absolutely correct. White noise generators should not be called "maskers". Their volume level should always be set lower than the tinnitus. Are you wearing hearing aids with build in white noise generators, usually known as dual purpose units? Or are you wearing standard "white noise generators" with no hearing aid fitted?

If there is no underlying medical condition causing the tinnitus to become worse, this includes hearing loss. The usual reason is exposure to loud sounds. Sometimes a person might not be aware they are causing distress to their auditory system when this is happening.

For some people this can be listening to music through headphones, even at low volume. Or playing a musical instrument for example: the drums, guitar, violin etc. In the majority of cases the reason tinnitus gets worse is usually down to "sound" even when someone uses "ear protection" as sound can penetrate the skull and reach the inner by bone conduction.

Michael

PS: If hyperacusis is present and hasn't been treated it can cause tinnitus to spike and make the auditory system very sensitive to sound.

[drumcraw in reply to Hidden]

the white noise is set to below my T michael, but the volume thats needed to mask itwas 80db this means that my T, is nearly 80 db as 75db doesnt mask it, i know that its supposed to be lower but its abit scary to think how loud it is and when he set them at 75db my T wasnt at its loudest!!! i dont have hyperacusis as far as i know thanks crawford

[Hidden in reply to drumcraw]

Hi drumcraw,

When tinnitus is loud and intrusive it can be frustrating and I hope that it calm down for you soon. Consider having a word with your GP if you are feeling stressed by it as that is understandable, and hopefully, something can be prescribed to help ease that.

All the best

Michael

[drumcraw in reply to Hidden]

hi michael. i mentioned my feelingd to g.p.and was told that " yes some people struggle with it" ???????????????????? thats alot of help!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Hidden in reply to drumcraw]

An Antidepressant can help your moods.

I think it's time to have a polite word of enquiry with your GP or ENT consultant and say that you are finding it very difficult to cope, and would they consider letting you try: "clonazepam", which is sometimes prescribed when people have very severe tinnitus. It does help some people, it helps me. However, if taken regularly it can lead to dependancy and can have unpleasant side effects.

I only take it when my tinnitus is very severe and haven't had any issues. It really saved me when I was prescribed it 7 years ago by my ENT consultant. I was in a bad way. I still have it on prescription.

Clonazepam/Rivotril Will lower the noise of the tinnitus, if your body agrees with it. This is strong medication and belongs to the Benzodiazepine family. Google it for more information.

Best of luck

Michael

[drumcraw in reply to Hidden]

thanks michael, im still trying to cope with it when it ets really loud and dont want to take anything but my ife is wasted because of it¬!!!!

[Hidden in reply to drumcraw]

I wish you well drumcraw but advise you to have a word with your doctors if the situation becomes too much.

All the best

Michael

[JaneMc16]

Hi Drumcraw, I was deeply saddened to read your post. It touched me as it brought it home that we rely on so-called "experts" to give us some help and direction, and when they don't know any more than we do ourselves we feel let down. This condition is a nightmare and I share your sadness. I know that I lost touch with my audiologist when the practice closed and he just disappeared. He was my salvation - fitting me with a hearing aid that I could actually hear with in order to tune out my T. Previously, I had been back to an original audiologist more than 8 times in 6 months to correct a badly fitted hearing aid. I was at the end of my tether. So much so, I rang the manufacturer and told them in no uncertain terms that I wasn't happy. They recommended my current audiologist and he found the problem - on my first visit!. The aperture for incoming noise was too small and I wasn't hearing enough to block my T. He sent the aid back to be re-bored and I have been a different person ever since. When I lost touch with him I basically scoured the internet to find him - and there he was on Facebook. Needless to say I felt like I was stalking him, but when I introduced myself, he understood exactly why I needed to get back on his books - he is a godsend. He understand my T completely and I have just had a new aid as my hearing is worse and my old one didn't have the capacity to help me. I know he will travel , but if you are desperate I can recommend him. He is based in Manchester and has clients all over the UK. I hope this post gives you some help in the knowledge that there are good people out there. Message me if you want his details.

Stay strong

Jane x

[drumcraw]

thnaks to all of you that replied my hearing aids NEVER hid the tinnitus its so loud!!!!! ive had4 different ones 3 with white noise and its now set to below my T. if i could stop feeling ill physically with this i could do much more but it seems to affect me both ways now there also seems to be alack of help in scotland sadly jane could you pass on the name of your audiologist so i can contact him thanks

[JohnJopp]

Hi Drumcraw. Sorry you're having a tough time of it at the moment. You mentioned in another post that you have other issues which are making you depressed as well. You remind me very much of another BTA member. His name is Steve (or SteveH I think). Like yourself he is a musician and he posted his story on the old BTA forum. He had other issues as well which were making him very low and the T on top of everything else was very hard to deal with. He made some life changing decisions and is now in a very happy place living on a houseboat and his T no longer bothers him. I think I'm right in saying that he has said that he wouldn't change getting T as it was the thing that made him make those changes in his life. So what I'm saying is that if you are depressed from your other issues then maybe tackling those issues (if possible) should be the first step towards feeling better about your T.

Don't forget everyone gets spikes. Sometimes there's a reason and sometimes there isn't. I've had one for about 3 weeks now but I think it's getting a little better. Around the middle of April I was getting bad hayfever and I was feeling very bunged up and sinusy. I think that's what started mine. I also saw the Jules Holland band at our local theatre at the end of April. I wore my earplugs and felt no immediate ill effects although my T did seem to slowly get worse over the next week or so. The last couple of days though I've been working outside in the garden laying some new turf and I've noticed my T less and less.

Just going back to Jules Holland - what a brilliant drummer Gilson Lavis is. He was in the original Squeeze lineup. I'm sure you know of him. He did a brilliant drum solo and there's a few of his been posted on Youtube.

John

[drumcraw in reply to JohnJopp]

hi john. thnaks yes i have seen jules live too great band, my T. is still loud every morning, LOUD. when i wake, my circumstances have changed completely from the ones when i got T, maybe thats made it worse but i dint have the level of stress attributed to my lifestyle before ,in fact the opposite! my stress worse down to my lifestyle now!!!!!!! thanks, craw.