Tinnitus - after surgery - really?

[gunns]

I had retrosig on July 25, 2017 and lost all hearing permanently in my AN ear.  When I was warned that this could happen I tried to look for a bright side to it.  Shoot, if I loose the hearing at least the tinnitus will be gone right? - WRONG!  It's still there but why.  I have an appointment with my neurosurgeon later this week and I'm sure he'll have a good answer for me.  But for now has anyone ever had this mystery explained to them?

[ANSydney]

Surgery may destroy your hearing but will not fix tinnitus. For instance, if you completely cut the cochlear nerve or destroy the cochlear function, you will not be able to haer since your sensor=or its "wire" will no longer be present. However, tinnitus is your brain giving the illusion of sound. Removing the sensor will not remove the illusion.

[gunns]

So are you saying tinnitus is in your brain not in your ear?

[ANSydney]

Exactly.

[ANSydney]

gunns, didn't your doctor alert you to the fact that tinnitus is not fixed with surgery?

[milhaus]

My surgeon explained it to me like the gain on a stereo. He said the brain isn't getting a signal from the ear (before the surgery because the tumor is interfering, and after because the nerve is cut) so it tries to amplify the signal and you end up with the equivalent of static on a radio. That explains why it never goes away. Its just like what would happen to your car stereo if you cut the wire to the antennae. First you would be hearing your radio station just fine, and immediately after you would hear static.

[gunns]

My surgeon explained it to me like the gain on a stereo. He said the brain isn't getting a signal from the ear (before the surgery because the tumor is interfering, and after because the nerve is cut) so it tries to amplify the signal and you end up with the equivalent of static on a radio. That explains why it never goes away. Its just like what would happen to your car stereo if you cut the wire to the antennae. First you would be hearing your radio station just fine, and immediately after you would hear static.

Love the analogy!  Very fitting.

[Mitz16]

Does the Tinnitus ever go away?  I waiting for a consultation on February 2 nd 2018..I have a 3 cm AN
And will hopefully have surgery soon after that.  I have lost 60 % hearing in my left ear.  The Tinittus is driving me crazy it’s so loud...Ive that some people have had their hearing improve after surgery does the tinnitus get any better or is it here to stay?

[Greece Lover]

Generally, the tinnitus doesn't go away.  My Dr. told me that for some people it can improve, some it gets worse, after surgery.  There's no way to know or predict.  He also told me that for a lot of people it fades over time. Whether that's actual fading, or people just getting used to the new normal, its hard too say.  But, from what I can tell, tinnitus is mostly a mystery.  And an annoying one at that!

[JLR]

Good Morning, Before surgery my tinnitus was pounding, noisy, and annoying.  After surgery it's still annoying but not pounding.  It's a softer noise. I too lost hearing in the AN side and thought the noise would stop but nooooo still active because it comes from the brain and not the ear canal. Good luck. Hope things quiet down. JLR

[Jet747]

Gunns,

Nothing is guaranteed since our cases are all unique (that’s my legal disclaimer)...

The tinnitus didn't go away for me after my RS and radiation so I tried a product made by WidexUSA.  It is extremely small and discrete and I wear it in my surgery side ear.  It plays random tones all day and somehow this makes your brain not "hear" the tinnitus.  It isn't annoying and you can hear conversations just fine.  I've had it for about a 2 years now and I would say it's definitely worth trying if tinnitus is really bothering you.  They give you a 30 day money back guarantee so it might be worth a try.  It isn't a cure though.  Also, my insurance didn't cover it so it cost me $2,300.

Best of luck,  Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!
Jet

[joyoreilly]

My Tinnitus was loud and bothersome and just before surgery got a bit better and since surgery is either gone or volume is turned way down.

One thing that helped me when mine was loud was an app I downloaded on my cell called white noise
It has white noise sound that almost helps you to hear awhile instead of your loud ringing it helped anyway try it

[Kjayhill]

I agree that this is a frustrating topic!   My surgeons had forewarned me that tinnitus is not removed with the AN.   It was still hard to handle that you are deaf and the sound is still there.
It was explained to me that it is your brain compensating for the hearing loss.    I have tried sound machines to help with the tinnititus.
I also have an Oticon Ponto BAHA and it seems to decrease it quite a lot.  Of course, you can't wear the BAHA 24/7 so it is present when the device is off.
Kathy

[SET WE300B]

My tinnitus remained after a AN Gamma knife procedure as well. The tinnitus gets louder with exposure to high noise levels (factory) and takes a while to subside in the evening. Just like before. Sadly it also caused the ultimate rejection of a Transear device (which I loved) due to the tinnitus being stimulus induced. The tinnitus is only manifested in my effected ear and not at all in the good one. Go figure.