Noise reduction Headphones

[tdworkin]

Hey Friends.
I have been having big noise problems lately. (CKed in Nov. 2007) Wonder about some things- anybody?
Seems like everything is 'way louder than usual and I hear EVERYTHING. Sometimes, I think my head is about to burst! All the sounds- that annoying paper crunching/ bag rustling/ crinkle stuff is really bothersome. (GEEZ! PUT THAT BAG OF PRETZELS DOWN!!!!!)  I can't hear the student next to me but I can hear everybody across the room. And then there's the d@mn tinnitus ROARING. I can't take an assembly or even lunch in the faculty room with several conversations going on at the same time. I am worn out by 3:30 from the constant screaming stress of it all.

OKAY, I think you get the racket that's going on in my head...
So, I tried my BOSE noise reducing headphones today. And I could cope a bit better. I wasn't tugging and covering my ear all day.

Here's where I need you guys- is this NORMAL/TYPICAL/COMMON or am I just slowly going crazy??  Has anyone else had this experience and if so, what have you tried?
I read somewhere about getting special earphones made, the kind musicians use. Am thinking I will once I know what level of hearing I am going to be left with when this thing dies.

I had a just had my first follow up MRI because of some swelling pain I experienced in January- I was disappointed, but had expected,  to see nothing was happening yet. Still looks the same as at treatment Nov. 1.

SO, fill me in on what you have experienced in this area. How LONG does this cacophany of sound last? What works to reduce it?
And, will I ever SLEEP again? I feel like a zombie- am getting only a couple hours  a night- even Ambien is failing me.

Thanks for your tips and suggestions. I appreciate all of you out there!
Terry

[nancyann]

Hi tdworkin:  I hear ya ( pun intended).  I work in a hospital - when I'm on a unit & alot of people start talking - geez louise,
it sounds like they've all come over to my left side & are all talking right into the ear.   It's a horrible feeling, I start getting
very irritable.   Lucky for me,  I'm able to get up, go to where it's quiet, & come back to get the info I need later.

I got an MD note that excuses me from large meetings (we have them monthly).

So, I DO work around the noise, thank goodness my job description is such that I'm pretty independent in how I do my work,
as long as it gets done.

It sounds like you have SSD (single sided deafness), & this is how it is.     However, you'll find on this forum that others have gotten
hearing aids which does seem to help.   I think if my job wasn't so flexible, I would look into the hearing aid more.

I also had a horrible time with sleep - waking up at least 3 times/night.   I recently got an Rx. for Trazodone 50 mg - it's a godsend.  The 1st night I woke up 3 times,
last night I only woke up once, but got right back to sleep, so it's working. (started taking it this past Tues., 2/26).   A co-worker who's a guy & larger than me
(I'm only 5' 1 1/2") takes 100 mg/night.

Well, good luck my friend,   Always good thoughts,  Nancy

[Boppie]

tdworkin,  No you aren't crazy!  We all have this problem. Yes, some days are terrible in the beginning.  Somehow it smoothes out and one can tolerate noise for short periods without getting crazy.  When I know I have to be in a room full of noise and with poor acoustics (no drapes, carpet, etc) I just put in ear plugs.  They block some of the highest pitches and damper down the head hurting type of sound.  One can hear close conversation with plugs in.  Try the cheap yellow foam ones first.  You can knead them into little cone shapes and they stay fairly well in the canal, once they swell out.  If your ear canals are small try cutting them long ways with a scissor and then you can squeeze them down better.

After SSD occurs, a hearing aid helps.

My worst time was a big dinner party before Christmas.  About forty people were crammed into this bar for happy hour.  I wanted to scream and run out of there.  I sat in the corner and looked like a big party poop!  Then my husband who has some hearing loss on both sides said he couldn't hear anybody talking either.  It is surprising to find out that most normal hearing people do not enjoy the bar scene nor the lunch room for that reason.

[tdworkin]

Thanks for your feedback. I am trying the ear plugs and fingers come in quick, especially at the movie theatre where that d@mn surround sound will send me out of my seat on occasion!
Sleep is nuts! I get about 2 hours and then am up for a couple and may drift back for one or two more before the alarm. I will suggest the med you mentioned. Maybe I am just too used to the Ambien I have been taking about 3 times a week for ages.
So, I am not deaf yet- still have phone conversational hearing on the affected side- although when this cacophany of sound is screaming, I would almost PREFER deafness!!!! It is SOOOOO nerve wrecking- some days I just can't seem to take it and am almost in tears from the stress os it all. It seems like my head is just going to explode!
So, this will pass? Has this been the experienceof others? Or is this an expected, get-used-to-it phenomena of the AN? Or the CK? or the tumor dying? I think that if I know what to expect, then maybe I can start down the to acceptance of what is going to be with me..., gulp, forever? UGH! I am hanging on to the hope that this is temporary.
T

[Yvette]

I recommend musician's plugs. There are threads on this site you can look up in the archives. They cut out background noise but you can still hear someone talking to you from across a table. I never go to the theatre without mine. The sensitivity to all noise post op gets better over time. I used to watch TV with the sound off! Best wishes,
Yvette

[4cm in Pacific Northwest]

Terry,


Here is an older thread about classroom noise and how it connects to tinnitus
http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?topic=5313.0


… You might find something relative there- shared by us “teacherly types�. Seemed the earplug was THE solution.

Sleep
http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?topic=5359.0

http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?topic=5763.0

What you are describing has been mentioned by others… so you are not weird- just one of us.

 Is your tinnitus waking you at night? I went back to the sleep doctor and all he can offer is “pharmaceuticalsâ€? – and no answers as to why I wake up every few hours in the night. Are you taking Ambien or Ambien CR (I ask as Ambien did not help me – but the Ambien “CRâ€? formula did)

The tinnitus is usually forever- from scaring to the acoustic nerve (or in my case severing of) – but your brain will retrain and you will learn to cope. I can also say mine has improved since surgery. I bought a 200 pair case of disposable ear plugs. The kind they give out at air shows. Tonight I just went to a loud school auditorium full of screaming happy excited kids and their exhausted looking parents. I wore an earplug most of the time- and when I came home my dead ear’s tinnitus was - a screaming. Once relaxed in a quieter environment at home – it settled down.

Putting away paper grocery bags is a noise that still drives me nuts- so now I unpack the groceries with an earplug. I even drive with an earplug.

One thing I found interesting is when I put my head underwater there is no tinnitus inside my head.  I am sure there is some sort of “physicsâ€? answer to this- but I have yet to understand it. Have your tried putting your head (ears) underwater to see if this works for you. Try it in a bath tub… That is the time I get a complete rest from my tinnitus. I am seriously thinking of getting into swimming in a big way- since land based exercise, while listening, to music is something I no longer enjoy…

The idea of exercise and a break from ringing ears ... I am game to try...


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