Something has been confusing me recently to do with how people talk about tinnitus.
I've had it for eight months - a continual loud hissing in one ear.
Whenever I've seen a doctor or looked online, the first thing I've been met with is 'noise trauma.' One doctor I saw asked me 'do you listen to music?' and then when I said 'yes', told me that loud music was probably the cause. But so many people listen to music! I've always been careful with the volume and I've never been to a loud concert (even once) XD Does anyone else get upset with the way people assume that your chronic tinnitus is noise related?
I guess there's no way to be sure. I used to use headphones sometimes, and I can't go back in time and measure the volume, but it just seems so unlikely that music had anything to do with it. I've never been that into clubs or loud bars, but I guess I've been to a few. When I developed it, I got diagnosed with an ear infection and then 'glue ear', but that's all gone now and the tinnitus has stayed - so I'm very confused!
Many thanks for reading!
Written by
Sally07
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Hi I had mine a number of years it seems you me that you can get this even if yuu have not had loud music or sounds or even with no ear infection some people it just comes out of the blue we all just hoping one day come up.with a cure
Hi I have had mine for over 3 years now both ears 24/7 mine was probably caused by me working in a loud inviroment and loud music but I think experts think the most common cause is loud noise but they say it can be caused by infection and also injury
But they are still not certain what causes it and that makes it hard to find a cure
There can be more than 20 reasons for Tinnitus some doctors say. Eating unhealthy food, sitting too much in front of computer and watch internet (causes neck problems and it causes vein problem)..These are the new ones that might cause Tinnitus.
Mine started 2 months ago and I decided to eliminate all these causes one by one because any of these can be the reason.
I watch too much internet videos and sitting and not moving long hours and eat too much junk food.
I hope these help:)) I remember when I was searching on the Internet, one guy said, after starting eating healthy food fruit and vegetables not packed foods, his T started to improve.
These efforts make me happy and hopeful :)) You never know what causes it!
I think a lot of people , including non specialised medical practitioners , often just fall back on what they can remember from the 30 minutes or so they spent covering tinnitus during their training 😃
When I went to see my ent doc in Feb he said that doctors aren’t trained to know what to look for when it comes to T so they look for an easy answer so run down a list in their head and if you listen to music they blame the music if you work with heavy machinery they blame that. He said that they basically try to find the quickest answer in most cases so they can move on to the next patient.
That makes sense. It's a shame though, because it has triggered a lot of worry in me about what it could be, since I'm fairly sure it can't be music in my case. I'm surprised that doctors aren't more cautious about ruling out the more sinister causes.
The ent said the same. He said “I really wish they would be honest with their patients and say they don’t know and just refer to us so that we can do what we’re trained to do. It’s better for us because the patient isn’t plied with needless medicine that can sometimes do more damage and the patient isn’t told two or three different things”.
I was the same when they diagnosed mine. My GP asked if I was a big music fan I said no and he asked if I did diving or anything that might damage my ears and I said no. It wasn’t until I kept saying I think it was the infection that did some damage that he said probably. Right now I’m waiting for my second referral to an ent and I plan on writing out every question I have to ask and be proper informed. If it goes well and they actually answer them I plan on posting them up on here just to help others yourself included to be as informed as possible.
That would be amazing! I hope it goes well! Mine began during an ear infection and despite what the gp said I usually think it's logical that that's what caused it. It's a bit of a mystery but it would be amazing if things were more 'standardized' with regards to diagnosis, rather than different doctors just giving you their opinions!
Exactly. I was part of another thread a few months back on Facebook and someone was explaining that SHE had to take information for her GP to learn more about Tinnitus because the doctor claimed it just wasn’t something on most doctors radar.
Mine started as an ear infection as well. I was given four different medicines from simple drops to tablets and it ended up bringing the t more and the ent said it probably done more damage and dragged it out. I’m hoping it goes well and in a strange way I just want to know if it’s going to stay or go I hate the constant maybes that I’m getting.
I feel exactly the same - hating the maybes. It means every morning when I wake up I'm sad because I'm still half expecting it to improve. Almost all the doctors I've seen (there's one exception) said that it would probably get better but they had different reasons as to why. I had all the treatments too - ear drops, tablets, a nasal spray - each time I was told that this would make It improve - and then when all that was done, the ENT told me it was still here because I was paying too much attention to it! He was helpful though, explaining how the auditory system is linked to the limbic system and all that. I really hope yours goes well and you get some good, straight answers!
Mine has gotten worse. I stupidly went to the cinema on Friday and now how done something at least I’m blaming the cinema and myself for going and having no idea if it’s so damage I know stupid idiotic mistake and I’m hating myself for it.
Since Sunday I’ve been dealing with this endless low hum and cannot hear anything unless right up close to my left ear (rights fine) I’m sitting in the GPs waiting room as I type with an ear phone in my left ear low trying to cover the noise and failing. I said in another post I’m holding on by my fingernails at this moment 😖😢.
So sorry to hear this - I feel for you! I have had similar experiences - once it was the cinema, once it was supporting my friend who was playing at a music event. Both made my t worse, but it went back to 'normal' in a couple of days so I assume no major harm done. I hope this happens for you, and I think it's likely.
I understand the feelings of guilt SO well, but the thing is, we can't always deny ourselves common experiences like the cinema or a music event, because that's 'playing into the t's hands' and letting it take over. People without tinnitus do that stuff and think nothing of it, so if something like that causes your tinnitus, or makes it worse, it's awful, but it's not your fault - just terribly bad luck!
I hope you feel better soon, and the t goes back to normal. Let me know! x
I wish I could like your post more than once lol. I really do hope it goes down again I was coping better with just the plain ringing. The doctor did say that they don’t normally warn against cinema visits for people with T. Right now I’m sitting in my living room listening to the television with one ear and Joe Rogans podcast through an ear piece just dangling by my ear hole (never put the ear bud in my ear hate things in my ear) and you are so right about doing normal things but I don’t see myself going cinema again even if the noise goes down not a fan just went because of the new Avengers Endgame film.
Thanks honestly the hope you’ve given that this might go down has helped.
No problem! T sufferers should stick together! XD I hate putting things in my ears now as well - I used to use earbuds when I was a teenager - long before my t - but now I have a strong aversion to them, though I know it's pretty irrational as long as the volume is fine XD
Thanks and Yh I’m the same. I used earbuds most of my life and a lot of the time cheap ones but haven’t used them since being warned off about five years ago (long before the t) and continue to tell others to leave the buds and that ears are capable of almost always cleaning themselves. And Yh I hope it goes down two days of hell so far but trying to keep chipper and relaxed as best I can.
That should say I haven’t used earbuds most of my life. Was typing fast and didn’t proof read lol. I’m not a music lover so never had the need for them but today I’ve had it in my ear since morning.
I am sure my tinnitus was caused by stress and sadness. The sound arrived and I focussed on it and so it grew..................I used to be in musicals too but this was before all the amplification which is now employed - horrendous .... why does everything in the theatre have to be so amplified???
I know! I could swear that everything is louder today in general - bars, concerts, cinemas. I don't know why! Plus, every time I see someone wearing headphones in the street I have the urge to run up to them and give them a lecture XD I definitely think stress and sadness can cause tinnitus - I just wish that doctors could be more aware of this, and more research could be done in general on the pathological mechanisms of t, and how it works with the non-auditory, emotional parts of the brain.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Is anyone's tinnitus episodic?
Does anyone else have like a MID tone/ frequency T sound ( buzzing, or solid sound)
I can’t take my tinnitus no more..
My brief Tinnitus story
