Tinnitus

[fizzysuz]

Later on in the poem I think he might be describing the feelings of many a Tinnitus sufferer:

Yes! It's amazing how this can drive one to distraction. I had a visit with my sleep MD who is a neurologist. I told him that the worst part of my day was when I was very tired and trying to fall asleep. The ringing keeps me awake and makes me a little crazy. He has recommended a good white noise machine or classical music without strings or loud horns. On the noise machine, he said that variable raindrops helped a lot of his patients. I'm looking for a machine now. I've seen a few recommendations that folks have made here and will check those out. He also prescribed some Klonopin to help me fall asleep.

It's crazy how the brain works. You'd think that your brain would figure out it was making itself crazy and turn off this ringing, but I guess not.

[JoyNJ]

I've had tinnitus in my left ear for many years, it has gotten louder as I have lost the hearing in that ear.  In May of '12 I had sudden loss of the last little bit of hearing in that ear and a couple of really bad dizzy spells (felt like I was kinda drunk, couldn't walk a straight line, vomited with each episode).  That finally drove me to see an ENT.  When the last of the hearing went, the tinnitus became what I call "screaming" tinnitus.  There is a high pitched noise, clicks, and a sound that is very much like a mosquito buzzing at that ear.  The mosquito is what varies, softer to very loud at times. 
The ENT sent me for an MRI. I think he knew I had an AN on my left.  Imagine his supprise when the AN was seen on my RIGHT!  Not to mention my supprise!  So I have no hearing in my LEFT ear and an AN on the right (with slight buzzing, and mild-mod hearing loss in the right)
At present I am 1 week into fractionated radiation treatments (whoo-hoo, 20% done!)  My Neuro-ENT feels the fractionated treatments hold the best option for hearing preservation over the long run, but feels that within the next 10 years I will lose "useful hearing" in the right ear.  At that point I should be a candidate for a cochlear implant.
My question is...since the tinnitus is basically the brain wanting to make noise to compensate for no audio imput coming from the left, if I have a cochlear implant, will the tinnitus decrease?  Does anyone out there have one?
And I love the explaination of the tinnitus...it is the best one I have ever read.

[Alan Goldberg]

I am an AN caregiver and have had tinnitus for almost 20 years - constantly on both sides and annoying.  I've tried acupuncture and Chinese herbs and researched the subject extensively on the web.  Everyone has different experiences with the treatments available - but it appears that there is no solution to the constant ringing. 

No one seems to know exactly why it starts or ends, over time it becomes part who you are.  I  find that white noise tends to reduce the ringing (or in my case wooshing) in both ears.  I also find that a lowering of the barometric pressure seems to make it worse.  I guess I should be a meteorologist!

Try all the options - you have nothing to lose.  Some people have been helped by biofeedback or acupuncture - others have had no success. 

Good luck.

[MWL]

Hi Pam,
   So glad to hear it is working well for you.  I am hoping to have mine in another 6 months or so.

Thanks,
Meg

[PamJ]

Hi Meg I hope you enjoy yours and much as I enjoy mine, I had a small infection and couldn't wear it for 3 days and it was like losing my right arm I really missed it.

[MWL]

Thanks, Pam.

I'm hoping to get the BAHA but may have to wait.  We are a military family and I do not want to make having one make me EFMP (Exceptional Family Member Plan).  Being EFMP means we would be unable to move to certain areas due to needed medical services being unavailable at the new locatuion.  Right now, I am in the position of only needing one MRI a year and pain meds so I'm not "exceptional"   Had a 2.5 cm AN removed via Translab in late Aug 2012 but had a considerable amount of facial nerve involvement so they left a small piece of  the tumor on the facial ner in order to preserve function.  Bottom line is I don't have to have the BAHA, just a quality of life issue.  But if having it limits our possible assignment locations, I'll just wait until when we are looking to retire from the military to have it done.