..... tinnitus here, or hear???

[FlyingScot]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

As hearing aids become more powerful and micro processing of sounds become the norm, tinnitus also increases.

Please expand on this idea. I was given hearing aids a few months ago for loss on the high end after my hearing was measured as part of a visit to understand newly discovered tinnitus...

[TiltonBB]

Originally Posted by FlyingScot

Please expand on this idea. I was given hearing aids a few months ago for loss on the high end after my hearing was measured as part of a visit to understand newly discovered tinnitus...

I have a friend who has lost hearing on the high end, like babies crying and women screaming. He says his hearing is now perfect!

[Newbiesaukee]

Glad that FLL is finally getting some relief.

As an aside, the medication FLL is on is one of the older antidepressants known as tricyclics which have been shown to help both tinnitus and depression.

On the other hand, the newer and usually more effective antidepressants, known as SSRI’s, such as Prozac, may aggravate tinnitus.

This is important, as depression and tinnitus frequently come together; and the usually more effective antidepressants, the SSRI’s, probably are best not used for tinnitus.

Every patient is different and you need to consult your physician if any of this applies to you.

( Yes, this is the usual CYA comment, but it is important.)

[XCR-700]

Originally Posted by Newbiesaukee

Glad that FLL is finally getting some relief.

As an aside, the medication FLL is on is one of the older antidepressants known as tricyclics which have been shown to help both tinnitus and depression.

On the other hand, the newer and usually more effective antidepressants, known as SSRI’s, such as Prozac, may aggravate tinnitus.

This is important, as depression and tinnitus frequently come together; and the usually more effective antidepressants, the SSRI’s, probably are best not used for tinnitus.

Every patient is different and you need to consult your physician if any of this applies to you.

( Yes, this is the usual CYA comment, but it is important.)

Is it believe that the depression is caused by the tinnitus, or they are separate problems that appear to happen with overlap???

Trying to understand cause and effect and relationship of these two afflictions, if there are in fact any actual connections between the two.

Thanks

[Newbiesaukee]

Originally Posted by XCR-700

Is it believe that the depression is caused by the tinnitus, or they are separate problems that appear to happen with overlap???

Trying to understand cause and effect and relationship of these two afflictions, if there are in fact any actual connections between the two.

Thanks

This is not my area of expertise, but there does seem to be a complicated relationship between tinnitus and depression.

Many patients with no prior history of depression, can become depressed after developing tinnitus. Seems logical. This is real and has been known for a long time.

On the other hand, being depressed does appear to be a risk factor to developing tinnitus. If you are depressed, you have a greater chance of developing tinnitus.

Neuroimaging, such as MRIs and more sophisticated equipment, are being used to investigate the depression/tinnitus relationship.

It’s a little like the “chicken and egg” discussion and the answers are not yet clear. But it is relatively new information on both of these unfortunately common problems.

I didn’t really know about this “new stuff” so had to do some Googling when FLL started discussing his problem.

[fatlazyless]

For someone to kill themselves with a hand gun to escape their tinnitus suffering, it must have been a very loud and constant hissing/ringing that drove him to actually do it.

Ever hear this saying?

"It's better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it." .....

So's in a moment of total desperation he actually pulled the trigger on himself?

[XCR-700]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

For someone to kill themselves with a hand gun to escape their tinnitus suffering, it must have been a very loud and constant hissing/ringing that drove him to actually do it.

Ever hear this saying?

"It's better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it." .....

So's in a moment of total desperation he actually pulled the trigger on himself?

Well I'm sure if anything is severe enough it can cause people to reach their limits, and at that point does it matter if its a bottle of BP meds of driving a car off a cliff or a gun. The notion that the gun is critical to the option of suicide doesn't make sense to me. I personally think if there comes a time when I have outlived my ability to care for myself or are suffering some awful medical problem that there is no fix for that a chemical option is best. The gun option is too risky, things go wrong and you could end up much worse off if you survived. But thats all way too far off topic.

Hoping the tinnitus being so bad it causes suicidal thoughts is something that only happens to the very few and only under the worst situations.

For the rest of us one would we each find coping methods.

I certainly hope none of you fellow sufferers reach such a point of desperation from tinnitus.

Sorry I have no meaningful coping methods to share. My tinnitus is really annoying, but I mostly just ignore it and focus on my many other problems and working on being a cranky old guy driving my family (and I guess sometimes you all) crazy and trying to enjoy that.

ATB

[fatlazyless]

It must have been a loud irritating hissing/bell sound inside his head that went on for hours and days and weeks and months that was seriously annoying?

For him, the Texas Smoke House guy, it was no joke.

[XCR-700]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

It must have been a loud irritating hissing/bell sound inside his head that went on for hours and days and weeks and months that was seriously annoying?

For him, the Texas Smoke House guy, it was no joke.

I doubt its a joke for anyone.

I suspect for most they are able to ignore it most of the time like I do, and unfortunately there appears to be folks like you for who it is bad enough to need/seek treatment.

I really cant comment on the treatment aspect as I have yet to go down that path.

When my time comes, I hope to just keel over dead with a big SEG and two frozen drinks (empty) in my hands while sitting in a lawn chair in the water on Key West before I need treatment for anything else. The waves can carry my body to Davy Jones Locker. I should be so lucky,,,

[Cindido]

I've been wearing hearing aides for a couple of years now. I don't notice my tinnitus at all while I'm wearing them. When not wearing them, I'm usually able to ignore the ringing in my ears. Thankfully, it doesn't wake me up at night - that must be awful. I guess everyone is different, but I find relief from tinnitus by wearing hearing aides.

[ITD]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

For someone to kill themselves with a hand gun to escape their tinnitus suffering, it must have been a very loud and constant hissing/ringing that drove him to actually do it.

Ever hear this saying?

"It's better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it." .....

So's in a moment of total desperation he actually pulled the trigger on himself?

Less, never buy a gun, someone innocent will get hurt, maybe yourself. I missed the post where you found relief, but I'm very happy you did.

[Woody38]

Tinnitus is a difficult situation and very little helps. First get a hearing test and follow up with hearing aids. Not a cure but will help the hearing from getting worse. Get aids at Costco, they are the best and no one beats the price. My wife had one aid and her audiologist left to move home and referred her to another. Visiting her she broke one of her aids and told us it would cost $9,000+ for each of us plus the insurance. We got aids at Costco for $1,999. Cost us around $400 out of pocket. Good warranty, free replacement if we break one etc. Come in any time for evaluation and new parts. On my last visit she said I was now out of warranty, however there was an upgrade which I received free. Now I have extremely little ringing and not often. My only concern is that sometimes things are too loud but there is a control that does help.

_____________________________________

I am a retired workaholic and continuing aquaholic

[fatlazyless]

Ok so it's 5:30 in the morning and I'm hearing this very loud white noise whistle running through my head/brain right now. I had not looked at this thread on tinnitus for months but just read my first post again from December. And, there's another thread way down the bottom of the table of contents labelled "What happened to FLL?" ...... all about my tinnitus tragedy.

Back in May when I went to the ENT-Otolaryngology Dept at the Concord Hospital in Laconia I was very very concerned that what I was hearing was dementia. If something walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and sounds like a duck, then it's a duck. Well ...... not actually knowing how dementia works but having this loud white hiss noise happening, I was seriously concerned that it was dementing or dementia-ing my brain as it was a new and very disturbing to have it happening. Well ...... that was a few months ago ..... and I am stiil here with the ability to write and think pretty clearly .... and have been told the best thing is to just try to ignore the white hissing noise and think about something else. That is really difficult to do when you are just wanting to go back to sleep, so here I am, writing about it?

Something about walking or swimming makes it go away, so that's what I do, I walk-swim it away and have lost a little weight what with all this exercise and the depression also make eating food less of a wanted habit to be doing.

For now with my 8-month history with tinnitus, I suppose I am getting more used to it and have less anxiety and less being scared. I was at first having huge anxiety and being very scared. It is debilitating and makes you much less competent as a functioning person which is a big, big problem so coexisting with the tinnitus is not so easy ...... which is why I take all these long walks ..... to escape the tinnitus.

I suppose I am rambling here with this written post ...... and am just commenting as I think about it and have the white hissing noise happening. It is very much a personal health disaster, happening to me. Possibly the anti-depressant, the Nortriptyline 10mg helps me to be so calm while experiencing the white noise hiss. Is time to get up and go take a long walk down that Mad River trail, about 2-miles around Waterville Valley and walk it out and away. And, the outdoor temp here is a cool 44-degrees ...... honest ...... 44-degrees on August 3 at 6:15-am here at altitude 1800' ...... that's a little cold, you know for August 3.

[XCR-700]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Ok so it's 5:30 in the morning and I'm hearing this very loud white noise whistle running through my head/brain right now. I had not looked at this thread on tinnitus for months but just read my first post again from December. And, there's another thread way down the bottom of the table of contents labelled "What happened to FLL?" ...... all about my tinnitus tragedy.

Back in May when I went to the ENT-Otolaryngology Dept at the Concord Hospital in Laconia I was very very concerned that what I was hearing was dementia. If something walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and sounds like a duck, then it's a duck. Well ...... not actually knowing how dementia works but having this loud white hiss noise happening, I was seriously concerned that it was dementing or dementia-ing my brain as it was a new and very disturbing to have it happening. Well ...... that was a few months ago ..... and I am stiil here with the ability to write and think pretty clearly .... and have been told the best thing is to just try to ignore the white hissing noise and think about something else. That is really difficult to do when you are just wanting to go back to sleep, so here I am, writing about it?

Something about walking or swimming makes it go away, so that's what I do, I walk-swim it away and have lost a little weight what with all this exercise and the depression also make eating food less of a wanted habit to be doing.

For now with my 8-month history with tinnitus, I suppose I am getting more used to it and have less anxiety and less being scared. I was at first having huge anxiety and being very scared. It is debilitating and makes you much less competent as a functioning person which is a big, big problem so coexisting with the tinnitus is not so easy ...... which is why I take all these long walks ..... to escape the tinnitus.

I suppose I am rambling here with this written post ...... and am just commenting as I think about it and have the white hissing noise happening. It is very much a personal health disaster, happening to me. Possibly the anti-depressant, the Nortriptyline 10mg helps me to be so calm while experiencing the white noise hiss. Is time to get up and go take a long walk down that Mad River trail, about 2-miles around Waterville Valley and walk it out and away. And, the outdoor temp here is a cool 44-degrees ...... honest ...... 44-degrees on August 3 at 6:15-am here at altitude 1800' ...... that's a little cold, you know for August 3.

Well i think this post is very telling. You may want to re-read it again in the future to see your progress.

Some observations:

First, it appears that you are new to tinnitus, unlike many of us who have had this for a very long time and it started when we were much younger. I think like any problem, if it begins when you younger you often adapt with less concern and resistance and learn to accept the change all a bit easier (for many) So I'm not at all surprised its more concerning to you having this just turn on and later in life.

Second, as you said you are getting used to it, in time I hope like most of us sufferers you will learn to mostly ignore it. Maybe not 100%, but it becomes less bothersome for many with time.

Third, if it does not become less concerning and bothersome, and depression becomes worse, then like some ailments such as arthritis or diabetes you should seek support and help. There may be significant relief just consulting with professionals and getting a better understanding about what you are dealing with, as well as the possibility of some new medical treatment as they do come along all the time.

Forth, and maybe most important, dont suffer in silence, if nothing else, venting and hearing about others experiences helps.

Anyone who said life was easy forgot about the other half of us who didnt get the free pass. For us, life is constantly throwing you curveballs and testing our limits. So it becomes a battle of will, the stubborn will survive, but you have to fight for it, as we didnt get life handed on silver platter.

I often joke about reincarnation, that I am not coming back unless I can remember all the mistakes I made in this life so I have half a chance of avoiding them next time, I insist on being better looking, smarter, being born a bit less poor, and if that doesnt work, maybe I could come back as some wealthy persons pampered dog!

But seriously, I hope you are on the path to a better place with this, and it sounds like through exercise you have found a way to take your focus off it. Hopefully in time you will find other means of distraction and relief, possibly listening to soothing music, rowing a boat across the water listening to the water slap the hull, etc.

ATB