Lifelong tinnitus

[tootyfrooty]

I have had tinnitus as long as I can remember. As a little girl, I thought everyone heard a very high pitched steady sound. It has got stronger in recent years (I'm in my ninth decade). Stronger in one ear than the other, though it doesn't obstruct other sounds.

[rabbits65]

Gosh !!! Your very experienced with Tinnitus , so in your experience what advice can you give to us all 😊

[tootyfrooty in reply to rabbits65]

Hi rabbits65! I guess I'm just lucky that it is just this high whine - doesn't interfere with my hearing - just annoying when I let myself think about it (as at night when I'm going to sleep)! (See my long reply to doglover1973). Hope you can find a way to make peace with this constant companion! 😀

[rabbits65 in reply to tootyfrooty]

Yes I’ve just read your reply to doglover thank you . I guess we just have to plod on regardless and hope for a mieacle cure !!!

[doglover1973]

Hi tootyfrooty That's a very long time. Can I ask - Has it ever troubled you over the years and / or does it trouble you now? I'd be interested to know 🙂

[tootyfrooty in reply to doglover1973]

Hi doglover1973! I have obviously got used to it as I didn't even know it was anything strange until I well into adulthood! Once I knew it was tinnitus , I became more aware of it ("Ignorance is bliss!") I used to leave windows open at night to help me get to sleep. Doesn't help so much now as the tinnitus is louder than the night noises (it's very quiet where we now live)! I suppose it's a matter of having a distraction where I don't notice it. My husband has developed it as well in his old age and if he mentions it, I start to hear mine!

To summarise, it's only recently that I felt I needed to know more about tinnitus, but really I should consider myself lucky because mine is just this high whine - I'd hate to be like Beethoven, with roaring!

Best of luck in sorting yourself out with this condition! It's good to know it isn't life threatening - I'm a really old lady and it hasn't stopped me from doing anything I want to do!

[doglover1973 in reply to tootyfrooty]

Thanks tootyfrooty It's great to hear from people - like you - who have lived long & well with T . Sometimes I feel daunted at the prospect of the next 30 odd years but I know it's doable when I read other people's stories. Have you thought about a sound box at night? One that plays natural sounds. The BTA have a selection in their shop.

[tootyfrooty in reply to doglover1973]

Ooo, sound box sounds great! I'll have a look-see! Also, I'm rather a musical person, and I have music going on in my head almost all the time - different old popular songs or classical (especially Mozart). That may be another reason why I've managed to live with T for so long! 😀😀

[Frog7749]

I have had tinnitus as a child and like you, wasn’t aware until got older what it was. It has got louder recently, I think this is because of stress.My hearing test tells me that I am not hearing the high sounds. I have got some hearing aids, which I am not happy with and tomorrow I am going to another hearing test with a different company. I understand there are hearing aids on the market which can help with tinnitus.

[tootyfrooty in reply to Frog7749]

Have you tried the NHS hearing aids? I understand they are just as good as private. My husband has them and the audiology staff are very good at our local (Yeovil) hospital. He can't wear the little in-ear aids as his hearing is so bad. He also developed tinnitus in later life but only mentions it occasionally. I think the hearing aids help. Strangely, the tinnitus doesn't affect my hearing - maybe because it is so high-pitched that nothing else is quite that high! I hear birdsong, etc just fine, thank goodness!

[Frog7749 in reply to tootyfrooty]

I have tried the NHS hearing aids but they do not seem to work for me.

[doglover1973 in reply to tootyfrooty]

I'm a Somerset girl too tootyfrooty 🙂

[Smiffy2]

I’m exactly the same… I thought it was ‘electricity’… maybe you get what I mean? However, after my first Covid jab ai became so much more aware of it…. At that point, at the age of 62, I realised it was me, not ‘electricity’

[tootyfrooty in reply to Smiffy2]

Hi Smiffy! Do you mind if I had a giggle at that? Strange, recently when my husband got his hearing aids adjusted he could hear the wiring in the house! Nearly drove him mad! I'd put my ear to a wall switch and couldn't hear a thing - he just walked past anything electrical and could hear it! But it seems to have worn off - he doesn't mention it anymore! Hope that gives you a giggle! 😀

[Smiffy2]

Haha…. We have to laugh dont we? 😁