severe Tinnitus

[Neil-green]

hello all I am new to this and would appreciate assistance and help with my severe tinnitus that is affecting my daily life.

Has anyone got any tips or medical treatment that has helped anyone.

[Happyrosie]

hello and welcome.

Firstly, be aware there’s no “cure” for tinnitus. T could possibly be caused by an underlying problem - too much wax in ears is particularly common - and people often see there doctor to find out if this is the case. Some doctors are dismissive of tinnitus because they know they can’t really help.

So don’t believe any “cures” you may come across.

The best resource for information is the website of Tinnitus UK.

Personally, I don’t use anything because I’m fully habituated - in other words, I hardly notice it’s there. I’m aware of it now because I’m writing to you.

Other posters might put their ideas in to you here. But of course once people have got used to their tinnitus they may no longer use this forum.

[Neil-green in reply to Happyrosie]

Thanks, I have had my ears checked and they said they were fine and yes she just said you have to live with it.

[Hyperbola in reply to Happyrosie]

Would you be able to share your tips for habituation? I am trying to help my teenage daughter who has had tinnitus for 6 months. Many thanks

[Happyrosie in reply to Hyperbola]

This might sound a bit odd, Hyperbola, but your daughter is in some ways lucky to get it “early” just like I did - . So I treated tinnitus just like I treated everything that teenage girls have - problems over exams, painful periods, whatever - as part of the natural process of growing up. It’s just there, just like clouds are there in the sky: clouds might stop the sun shining, they might produce rain but they are just there, to be enjoyed or not. I was around sixteen when it developed.

As I said in my earlier post, I don’t do anything because I’m fully habituated.

As Dave says, she might need to find ways by trial and error because what suits me might not suit her.

[daverussell]

As Happyrosie says there is no cure, and I'm afraid it's the stock answer you will find, and have probably found everywhere you go. In fact, any claim otherwise is simply a sign of a scam. Luckily, with Tinnitus UK and here on this forum were in it together. Acceptance is key but you will find ways, some by trial and error, to alleviate you symptoms.

I can happily sit and listen to my Tinnitus, but life's challenges can often make this more difficult to do so than others.

I take Sertraline and use a head speaker at night. Acceptance that it's not going anywhere is paramount IMHO.

[Neil-green in reply to daverussell]

Thanks, just really struggling. Some days better than others. I tend to leave the TV on timer until I fall asleep, but on most occasions I wake up.

[daverussell in reply to Neil-green]

I go through phases, where using background noise, I can fall asleep within minutes then wake up after 3 or 4 hours sleep. Sleeping tablets seem to have a limited effective time period. Recently I've struggled to fall asleep for hours, but get at least 6 hours - but not necessarily quality sleep.

Hang in there and you'll find habituation -if it was only as easy as that. You have to look at other parts of you life - personal, job and routine you may be do have some control over. It's a journey Im afraid and may relapse from time to time as I'm finding now - but I've learnt to accept this too, which by being honest with family and colleagues can be done.

[Tal-r789T]

Hi, best thing if you haven't is talk to GP - they will only check ear canal/wax but they can refer you to ENT and Audiologist. The ENT may take a while to come through, so be prepared for a wait there. If you suspect hearing go to Boots or Specsavers, they check same as NHS Audiology.

If you struggle with sleep speak to GP. They can prescribe drugs, I didn't take and would suggest you consider as a last resort as they can have side affects.

Masking devices can help. I use occasionally if it's spiking for me.

[daverussell in reply to Tal-r789T]

Interesting point about going private. I originally did this.

Also good point about using masking 'occasionally', as it's easy to become over-reliant. I finally went through the NHS and got hearing aids with the masking program that done professionally makes a huge difference. However I became too reliant.

👍

[Cookie24 in reply to daverussell]

Did audiologist tell you to limit the masking feature? Just wondering about over reliance. Can you change the masking sound yourself without a professional?

[daverussell in reply to Cookie24]

The NHS audiologist advised me against hearing aids altogether, warning me about over reliance at a young age - in my early 40s :). So, I bought standard hearing aids privately (without masking), but I found with my Hyperacusis that hearing aids were not always helpful - causing more stress than necessary.

There are programs for masking that attempt find a match up on your subjective response alone. I've not found these effective.

I returned to the NHS audiologist and convinced them to give me NHS aids. They include standard mode, conversation mode, masking. I now only use them for the masking mode that I can use when working from home. In the office (or to get out and work in a coffee shop) I've found ear defenders or noise-cancelling headphones without music complement the masking well to reduce background noise for my Hyperacusis (they fit comfortably over my hearing aids - just something I found works which is all part of our journey - if it was only so easy all the time).

[TishL in reply to daverussell]

I find cupping my hand over ear and just trying my son’s ear cancelling headphones relieves me of the buzzing in one ear. I’m wondering if I have some form of hyperacusis. Does it stop the sound you hear with noise cancelling headphones? Thanks

[daverussell in reply to TishL]

They reduce the impact it can have triggering stress and anxiety to help me stay focused. With the correct tone of maskers (or music) I can function much better.

[Cookie24 in reply to Tal-r789T]

What is a masking device?

[Tal-r789T in reply to Cookie24]

It's a device that plays a noise to distract you from T; I use the radio sometimes during the day, but you can get noise generators which make sounds such as pink noise, sound of wind or rain, rushing streams etc. I brought one from Amazon. Its a unit that sits on bedside table with speaker. It helps me sleep better when I have the rain noise set. If you have a mobile there's some apps that can do this as well. I have one called 'total tinnitus therapy' but it's a bit basic and I don't use it much. My hearing aids don't have a masking feature but I can play via Bluetooth from phone, but I've found as I wear HA now don't need it much as the ability to hear unnaturally masks the tinnitus

[TinnitusUKPat Partner]

Hello Neil

In general terms, tinnitus is felt to be a symptom accompanying a condition rather than an illness in its own right - so it's difficult to view it as something which can be cured, when it may not be clear what is causing the symptom initially.

As some folks elsewhere in the thread have suggested, GPs can investigate common causes (ear wax build-ups, infections, sinus issues) but the usual pathway is via ENT (which is only relevant for a small section of people) and Audiology, where much tinnitus support and care is based within.

In terms of your comment, "I have had my ears checked and they said they were fine and yes she just said you have to live with it", that's a fairly old fashioned viewpoint and doesn't really represent the options which are available to people. If that's your GP talking, at the very least, they should be trying to get you an appointment to see an audiologist.

With that said, people do habituate to tinnitus and it no longer represents a significant problem for them. It may be the case for a great many people that their tinnitus is worst at the outset and that they do go on to lead normal, happy lives where tinnitus is only occasionally noticeable or problematic.

[Ray200]

I could have written what you have 6 months ago.

It will get better, in a way. You will get used to it. In my early days I admit I was in a state of distress for a time. Forgive me if yours is truly severe. I have had to reassess what is severity after reading many testaments on this site. Enough said, but do click on my username for a few posts I've written about Ginkgo and how it helps me, again, in a way.

[Sunday_66]

I have severe T and it started at a very specific moment in time for me, like a light switch being clicked on.

An audiologist gave me the all clear on hearing and identified the cause as stress/grief related.

Now I manage through the day but still struggle at night with sleep. Masking devises seem to aggravate rather than mask the condition and meditation appears to be the better route for me.

I am starting to realise that you have to get used to it and try not to focus on it rather than think there is a cure readily available. I find the level of internal noise also a good indicator of stress levels and general health so am trying to use it for the good rather than view it as the enemy