Its not getting better its beginning to drive me mad

[Philbeard]

Ive had this annoying noise in my ears for a few years now? Its really getting on my nerves now as it has got progressively louder, im 55 years old and cant explain how completly frustrated right now ? Knowing its getting louder as i get older .IT has an annoying habit of changing pitch from a high pitch to somehow slightly lower , i can only hope that after being diagnosed with tinnitus twice by two different audiologists that my local gp can get me some hearing aids to cancel this noise , does anyone else have the same problem ? If so please get in touch if you have got any help .

Thanks

[19marv19]

There is a good Pink noise video on YouTube I find helps.Stay strong Phil, the fact that it's getting louder sounds very familiar. Mine has gotten louder gradually too.

I hope your GP can get some kind of noise cancelling device that helps you out.

A piece of advice someone gave me was to keep your ears completely dry for about 5 weeks and it worked for them.

Hope you find some relief soon.

[Philbeard in reply to 19marv19]

Thanks marv, hopefully my gp will get me what i need , some noise cancelling hearing aids👍👌

[Kellythecat-74 in reply to Philbeard]

specsavers do a 90 day trial for the hearing aids. I had 2 lots . Didnt wear them much, the inbuilt T program was exactly the same as the noise I already have. Still waiting for my NHS ones. waited 5 months for the apt in June . Still waiting as I opted to wait til they got the bluetooth ones. They have got mine in but I was on holiday ,and now they cant find me another appointment.

[Philip6]

You can self refer yourself to SpecSavers in some of their branches and get NHS hearing aids, you can check online if a branch near you allows that. Might be worth a try and a lot quicker than the NHS.

[Kellythecat-74 in reply to Philip6]

Sadly my local specsavers don' t have that service, Pity I could have had my HA's months ago .

[Philip6 in reply to Kellythecat-74]

That’s a shame, I think all SpecSavers offer NHS hearing aids, it’s just that at some branches you need a referral from a Dr. But I think you’ve already been there.

[Kellythecat-74 in reply to Philip6]

yes I asked them if they were in the joint scheme . They said no. So I just had the 90 day trial twice to while away the months Also gave me an idea of what to expect .

[Philip6 in reply to Kellythecat-74]

There are lots of branches around here so it’s easy to find a branch that dispenses NHS hearing aids. The branch at my local supermarket does.

[Kellythecat-74 in reply to Philip6]

I checked up for specsavers/ nhs hearing aids. . "unfortunately you live in an area where your local health authority has chosen not to commission this service". Guess you are very lucky to have a very caring health authority. Ours is rubbish , nearly 8 months and still waiting.

[Philip6 in reply to Kellythecat-74]

That’s not good. It can’t cost much to set up but sadly the NHS is in tatters.

[TinnitusUKPat Partner]

To add to Philip's post, this section discusses access to NHS funded hearing aids via SpecSavers - specsavers.co.uk/hearing/he...

[pigeonCl-HU in reply to TinnitusUKPat]

Thank you Pat for this informative post. As usual!

I have been referred by my GP to ENT, a year ago. Appointments constantly cancelled and postponed, nxt one is next year....I don't really mind, as I have learned from this Forum, that T has no cure.

I just hope and pray that Mr T stays at this level, which I have learned to tolerate and live with.🐇

[Kellythecat-74 in reply to pigeonCl-HU]

my ENT waited about 5 months . My original T got almost silent over the years . So hopefully yours will remain the same . Just be wary of any loud noises ( didn't affect mine) and medication in the future, make sure it don't have "may cause ringing in the ears" , I missed that bit when I was given statins. Wish I'd read the leaflet .

[Tal-r789T]

I suffer from hearing loss related tinnitus, and I was 46 on first diagnosis. I needed to get a hearing test via NHS for NHS hearing aids, but can still go to boots or Specsavers for a hearing test. You just can't get free hearing aids from these private providers until you are 55. I would recommend doing it; in my case the tinnitus hasn't gone but it's become a background noise as I now hear things I could not. Even if you think you have another or additional issues get a hearing test regardless. It didn't occur to me how bad my hearing loss was. In my cas it's vastly improved my quality of life - it's no miracle cure, when I take the hearing aids out T is still there. But I now have sleep as I'm learning to adapt. Some days are bad still, but I'm gradually learning to adapt and that the good days are a positive to embrace.

[Kellythecat-74 in reply to Tal-r789T]

can you sleep with your hearing aids in ?

[Tal-r789T in reply to Kellythecat-74]

No, but I did try!! I found my anxiety was spiralling due to the noise, which was keeping me awake. With the hearing aids I'm calmer, I have less anxiety and have found I can cope overnight now. I found my T to be a vicious cycle in respect of anxiety/sleep. As my hearing got worse I got more stressed as I couldn't have conversations. Last year was bad for me, but when I got the hearing aids and could start to have conversations and hear again, I then started to learn to gradually ignore the T (I'm not there yet). However that being said, I also went through an 'acceptance anxiety phase' in terms of needing hearing aids; I'm 47 and I spent a lot of time asking myself why.

[Philbeard in reply to Tal-r789T]

Good luck xx

[Tal-r789T in reply to Philbeard]

Thanks

[Kellythecat-74 in reply to Tal-r789T]

Yes that makes sense. Mr T always seems louder with stress , we have enough of that from the T itself. Most of us do learn to ignore the T , my first time was so gradual that it didn't even register that I couldn't hear it anymore ( until I tried really hard in complete silence). It sounds as if you are already on your way . I will admit , I'm not so depressed or suicidal as before (yes, thought I couldn't live with that flock of screeching parrots in my head for over an hour ). This time am much calmer, use earphone in the one ear, and get on with my life, just hoping it all goes quiet again eventually . Mr T is quite common with hearing loss, so hopefully your HAs will really help . Good luck,

[Tal-r789T in reply to Kellythecat-74]

It is very hard. For me it was also that my family don't have this issue and can't understand.

I hope your methods work for you, and as you say allow you to get on. From experience it is very slow process to habituate with ups and downs. I wouldn't even say I'm 'habituated'.

All I would say is hearing tests aren't dependant on ENT consultant, so if needed anyone can get one. Wish I'd done it earlier. Also in .my experience GPs have little understanding (and to be frank mine didn't care until things got very bad (I think you know what I mean)), and the ENT I saw wasn't able to offer anymore than 'i can't tell you why you've got this. All I can do is try and work around it'.

So that's where I am.

Best of luck to you in finding the technique that works for you.

[Kellythecat-74 in reply to Tal-r789T]

Hi , yes I do know what you mean .., been there …. The problem with people who don’t have T , they have no idea how devastating it is . I saw one consultant the first time , he said oh well we all get a noise in our ears occasionally . Was he for real ? I didnt bother going back . I didn’t realise how many people I knew actually had it . Some had it for a long time and had habituated years ago , so never mentioned it .

[Parrcj in reply to Kellythecat-74]

Hi I do put my HA in to help me sleep just in the right ear . It reduces the high pitched scream I am dealing with.

Give it a try , good luck .