I wear HA but still have tinnitus

[TinyTin]

I often see that once people get their hearing aids fitted, their tinnitus stops.

Is that the norm or is that only for a few people?

[perlcoder]

Hello,

I have suffered from bothersome T for more than 20 years. In that time I have read many accounts written by others of their experiences, and I have myself worn hearing aids since 2017. My own impression arising from that history (other people may have other experiences), is that aids rarely "cure" bothersome T. They certainly can reduce its intrusiveness, and those incorporating maskers have their own benefits, but that, I think, tends to be the limit of their value.

Others will come along soon to give their opinions.

[TinyTin in reply to perlcoder]

I don't have a masking setting but I do have an app that plays different sounds, eg: clock, waves, rain etc. I quite enjoy listening to it.

[perlcoder in reply to TinyTin]

Oh yes - those things can make a big difference.

[PABLR in reply to perlcoder]

Tinnitus doesn't disappear as such, but becomes less noticeable because you are hearing so much more of the other sounds in your environment. I have never had masking hearing aids and not been offered them (I'm in the USA) but my understanding is they help by setting them to the same frequency as your tinnitus. I now have a CI on one side and like the HA it helps because I now hear in that ear. Of course as soon as you remove them the tinnitus is back at full strength, but hearing aids really do help.

[MRSDOUBT in reply to perlcoder]

I have hearing aids but still have tinnitus. While wearing the aids the tinnitus is less noticeable and tolerable as everyday sounds can be heard. Trouble is once I take them out overnight my tinnitus takes over again and if I wake in the night or morning it is very intrusive even after I put my aids in. Usually after about an hour it fades into the background thank goodness but sadly never goes completely.

[perlcoder in reply to MRSDOUBT]

That is also my experience.

Nights are the worst, and for some of us there is little or nothing to help. A background sound overnight would not be fair on my wife, but in any case my T is highly reactive and would simply become louder in response. I have experimented, but that is the outcome. Bose used to offer an in ear sleepbud, but it was withdrawn due to battery / charge problems apparently. There was a privately funded version under development - maybe there still is - but I am not sure that an in-ear sound while sleeping is itself a good thing.

[MRSDOUBT in reply to perlcoder]

I now have hearing aids which have Bluetooth facility which is great for listening to music. I was hoping I could use this at night if I woke up to get back to sleep with some white noise but found the hearing aids uncomfortable as I am a side sleeper so unfortunately that didn't help.I too don't want to have noise on overnight because as you say it's not fair to my husband as it would disturb his sleep.

I take comfort from knowing that the days are now manageable and try to stay positive.

[perlcoder in reply to MRSDOUBT]

Yes, I have the bluetooth version for the past few months - and came to the same conclusion as you did.

[Britomartis29 in reply to perlcoder]

Actually I listen to podcasts with soft voices all night long, and the reason it is no bother to my partner is that I use earbuds and run the podcasts on my phone, hooked to the earbuds. Partner can't hear it at all but it completely masks the tinnitus. I hope this helps.

[perlcoder in reply to Britomartis29]

Interesting - we all find our own path through this.

I am too much the restless sleeper for that I fear - I did try the sleepband for a while, but it didn't work for me.

[Kellythecat-74 in reply to perlcoder]

I keep my one earphone in when I go to bed . Very quiet but I can still just hear them chatting away. I can easily get to sleep. Yes it usually fall out over night , but I'm fast asleep anyway . Just pop it back in the morning. My T isn't affected by it .

[TinyTin in reply to MRSDOUBT]

Yes, that is exactly what it is like for me! My tinnitus is a real night bird 🐦

[MAC0811 in reply to MRSDOUBT]

Do any of you who wear hearing aids to help the tinnitus suffer with hyperacusis too? Only I have both and was worried about trying out hearing aids incase it made the hyperacusis worse??

[Jimbob7]

I'm about three weeks in to my HA and about 7 months in to suddenly developing loud hissing pulsatile T after a whiplash injury that resukted in sudden hearing loss detailed below. My (initial) thoughts on them are positive.

I have profound loss of a certain narrow range of frequencies in the upper register and the HA amplify just those to "fill in the gap's in my hearing". This they appear to do remarkably well.

Now, with the T itself - I find the HA seem to tone it down a bit and make it less present to me. I guess because they are filling in the gaps in my hearing and my brain is enjoying that hearing. This is a good thing and I definitely want to keep them. I don't wear them when the T isn't bothering me and when it does, I pop them in and within a few minutes the T has settled down and though it hasn't gone away - there is no magic bullet - it certainly is back down in to the domain of being manageable and ok.

The HA are, like every other coping mechanism, device, tool, tips and tricks - just a nother ally in the campaign against the T and they, in summary, for me are a welcome addition to that armoury.

[D-w-L2023]

I've been wearing them for a while. They've made no difference to my tinnitus.

[Tal-r789T]

I have had ha since 2022, and they allow me to hear where I couldn't (most of the time, I still need people to ideally face me), it does 'lessen' T - however I've also found if I get a cold/stressed then T can get loud in one or both ears for a bit. So I adjust the volume during these times. T doesn't go away. I'm just finding things easier to manage and control my anxiety that I had when this all started in 2020/2021.

[Graham-E]

Hi TT, I have a loud and intrusive T constantly and I do find my HAs help, sometimes. There are days it’s screams and nothing makes a difference and there are days it’s still there but less bothersome. I think the HAs definitely help give a clear and clean input to the brain but so much more depends on what is happening with you. For example I’ve not long been up and I didn’t sleep much last night. I know I’m irritated at that and have a headache because I’m over tired. That makes my T so much worse. I feel stressed and it’s worse again. Other days I when I’m doing something more interesting is certainly less noticeable.

Personally, I don’t like the fact that I need them but you should see me panicking when I can’t find one! It feels like a love/hate relationship. Sorry I think I’ve wondered off the point. Certainly for me they help my T but don’t stop it. They make it more manageable with other factors rather than a stand alone fix. Hope this helps.

Best G

[TinyTin in reply to Graham-E]

It is a bit of a panic when one goes on a mystery tour. My right ear HA is very mischievous. It jumped onto the train tracks at Clapham Junction the other week, fortunately I realised as soon as I got onto the train, so I was able to come back and use the location button to find out how close my it was! The platform staff were outstanding and saw it. I had to wait a while but they were able to retrieve it within a couple of hours 😁

[Graham-E in reply to TinyTin]

That is amazing, I’ve lost them now and again but nothing as dramatic as your story. It’s more like taking a jumper off and not noticing it getting caught up in the laundry basket!

[TinyTin in reply to Graham-E]

😆 Ah no, that is how I lose my earrings!

[RobWG]

Hi.

I was given a HA at the recommendation of the audiology dept at hospital. Referred by my good GP.

My hearing loss didn't warrant a HA so the purpose was to help with the T by filling in my hearing gap.

Has it stopped the T, no I don't think anything ever will but it has been a significant factor in my adjusting to it.

That is in two parts, I definitely notice my T less when it's in and I also use the white noice function on it as needed

Regards

Rob G

[Jimbob7 in reply to RobWG]

Yep, I think that's it pretty much for me too. It "changes" the T - and a change is as good as a rest - as they say!

[Supervision6]

Hi there

My history is similar to others here and your own.

HA were fitted in 2018……GP diagnosed Menieurs but the Consultant diagnosed BVVP and applied eply movement .

5 days of bliss then return to norm. Severe T and hypercausis😫

HA certainly aids my recovery journey . Lifestyle has changed but they help manage the T and try to keep calm when spikes arrive, as it did this last week end.

Hope this helps in some tiny way ☺️

[TinyTin in reply to Supervision6]

Thank you, 😊

[LFC65]

No

[BlackSwamper]

I’ve had tinnitus for nearly sixty years due to a series of ear infections. I have hearing loss severe enough in my right ear to be a candidate for a cochlear implant, mild loss in my left. I went the HA route, am about five months in on my journey with them. The tinnitus remains, but coping with it has improved. Like most of the folks who have responded, the daytime hours are fine, especially when I’m outside or in a noisy environment—-nighttime—-not so much. I average about four to five hours a night and then it’s a struggle to get back to sleep because the tinnitus is very loud and very high pitched. Lately, though, I have been able to sleep a little more consistently and even grab an occasional hour to hour and a half nap, which I couldn’t do prior to the hearing aids. They have definitely improved my quality of life.

[TinyTin in reply to BlackSwamper]

Any improvement is so welcome 😁