Tinnitus
 

About three weeks ago I got an ear infection. When it cleared up I noticed ringing in that ear. I thought it might go away, but it hasn't. I have tinnitus in my left ear.

Tinnitus is listed in several threads as a possible result from blasts, etc., but we haven't covered what you might do to mitigate the symptoms. I've noticed that sitting outside helps, as the sound of the waves drowns out the ringing. Unfortunately, I only have 6 more months of living by the beach. Internet research suggests everything from B-12 to Gingko biloba to acupuncture.

From what I understand, it cannot be cured. So -- since I intend to live many more years -- any advice on how to deal with this?

I am no audiologist and I hate to be the one to tell you this, but if you actually have tinnitus, it may come and go, but you have it for life.

I have it as well and I have good days and bad. As long as it does not interfere with your sleeping, you are not too bad off.

Make sure that it is documented in your medical records.

TR

I've only had one night so far that was really bad. I'd had a very stressful day and I think that made it worse.

Will do.

I’ve had it for as long as I can remember. It’s really only a problem at night. Over the years I’ve used soft music and sound machines. They work fine, but I found that a small fan works best for me.

Tinnitus is annoying, but no more so than wearing glasses.

Pat

I have had it for many years and have found no one or nothing to relieve it.

I have noticed it more since I have retired and moved up here where it is very quite. Now this can be a good thing if you are in to crickets, but it is a little weird hearing crickets when the snow is falling. Now you can also put it to good use when hubby tells you something with which you would rather not deal. "Honey, did you tell me that? I'm sorry but sometimes your soft and soothing voice coincides with the same frequency as my tinnitus and I just don't hear you". Spoken ,of course, in one of those sweet and unassuming mellow tones you all seem to be able to muster at the appropriate times.

I used to tell my young troops who had never heard a shot fired in anger, when we pulled those ambush patrols along the DMZ in Korea in the late 70s, that when the crickets and frogs stopped making noise in the rice paddies then we had visitors coming. Now I have to rely on other senses in order to detect the Phrench and Indians coming down from Canada:D

Or is it Memorex?
 

The noise in my ears is a steady hum, like standing near high voltage lines. The Doc said it was due to hearing loss and didn't mention tinnitus and nothing could be done. Ideas? Dave

I also use a small fan, it's "white noise" for me and find I now can't sleep without one running.

I've had tinnitus as long as I can remember. I'm sure it stems from being deaf in one ear. It does have it's humurous side. While in the army I thought about becoming a heliocopter pilot. During the hearing test they put in the room with the earphones and told me to press a button when I heard a high pitched sound. Wanting to get it right I was pressing the button each time I heard a high pitched sound. After about five minutes of this the technician opened the door to tell me he had not started the test yet. :D

Although it's been rumored, I only heard noises, not voices. :D

It looks like I'm in some great company here. ;)

Now this is what I'm talking about! Thanks for the advice, Sir. I'll give it a trial run today to see how it works. :D

This is a thread that I find very valuable. I did my hearing test at the MEPS a year ago when trying to get an age waiver for the Corps. The Navy docs waived it. Could not get an age waiver so I went to the Army looking for 11B.
The Army docs would NOT waive it, even tho the CMO had recommended it and had 3 consults from audiologists that stated the hearing loss due to tinnitus was not bad enough to keep me from serving and wouldn't be a problem.

(I did the same thing with the buttons;) )

Now I have been told that the NG does not send waiver requests to USAREC and to go the NG/SF route. Fingers crossed. I dont know why they ask for consults (3) and never read them.

Great site, I searched for this one. And posted my intro and filled out profile.

If I were you, I would do some research and see what is said on this site about the selfishness of age waivers and the rationale for having age limits.

TR

http://audiotools.com/ordabok_h.html
Psychoacoustic Masking
Actually a set of techniques used to "fool" the ear or rather to get around various shortcomings in devices or techniques by exploiting certain defects, non-linearity’s and other abnormalities in how your ears work and how the brain makes use of audio information. The simplest and the most commonly seen technique is to make use of the integration tendencies of your ears, for instance you cannot detect distortions that are less than 1ms since the ear will simply ignore them and integrate what became before and after into one distortion free sound, so if a distortion can be shaped into extremely sharp transients by concentrating the energy, you will not hear it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoacoustics
In some situations an otherwise clearly audible sound can be masked by another sound. For example, conversation at a bus stop can be completely impossible if a loud bus is driving past. This phenomenon is called masking. A weaker sound is masked if it is made inaudible in the presence of a louder sound. The masking phenomenon occurs because any loud sound will distort the Absolute Threshold of Hearing, making quieter, otherwise perceptible sounds inaudible.

The reason that fans, soft music and sound machines work to reduce the effects of tinnitus is because of the phenomenon of psychoacoustic masking. The ear acts as an integrator, that is it has a amplitude “sweet spot” and noises below this threshold are inaudible. Noises above the threshold raise it.

The ringing you hear when no other audible source is present is due to damage to the inner ear. This sound is real, not imagined, but is very low level. Any source that is 10 dB louder (10 dB is a 10 times power level increase and also the amount of increase required for most people to detect a change) will usually cause you to not recognize or be annoyed by the ringing.

Regards from a fellow sufferer,
Hank

TR:

You are fortunate - my tinnitus is so bad I have not only a fan but background music going and it still takes 15mg Ambien to get to sleep.

Just to cover all bases
 

Ird - were you taking an antibiotic to clear up the infection? (some ATBs have that as a side effect)

In the population that frequents this discussion board, tinnitus is most likely a result of hearing damage from exposure to loud noise. :D 90% of the time, this is the primary cause.

However, it may also be a side effect from certain medications or substances, so this is something to rule out before you let the ringing drive you off the roof of a building.
Aspirin, other salicylates (I don't know if oil of wintergreen would cause tinnitus, but it's a salicylate, so I'll mention it here)
Other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Loop diuretics (furosemide, others)
Benzodiazepines (valium, xanax, others)
Zoloft
Calcium channel blockers
Chloroquine
Fluoroquinolones (cipro, levaquin, avelox)
Tetracycline, erythromycin
PPIs, such as nexium, prilosec, protonix

There is such a thing as "objective tinnitus", which can be heard by the examiner as well as the patient. This can be caused by vascular abnormalities (carotid artery stenosis, AV shunt) or some other issues. The upside is that this type may be surgically correctable.


'zilla

Hmm, I am taking about five of the meds you listed, but mine is not too bad yet.

If it gets worse, I may have to play around with different meds.

TR

Tinnitus is also a potential side effect of ibuprofen and benadryl, to name a few common meds. The active ingredient in Benadryl, diphenhydramine, is also the ingredient in many over the counter sleep aids. Could be adding to your problem if you use any of the above.
Dawn

I know that mine, and I have it in BOTH ears, is in combination from the loud noises (Booms and Bangs), but mostly it comes from diving.

Being unable to equalize holding onto a run-a-way student, wearing hoods that were too tight, ect. I did the best at clearing out my ears after every dive, whether it be pool or open water, with some sort of ear wash, either over the counter or prescription, but it seems the ringing just kept getting worse.

Now it's like, I can definitely tell when a weather front is coming in, just by the pressure changes in my ears. I too have "good days and bad days". There are times when I can hear a pin drop in a crowded room, but can't hear the person talking next to me. I've been lucky in the fact, that it doesn't keep me awake at night, or not let me fall asleep, I just focus on something else, and not so much on the ringing in my ears.

I actually did read several posts and found many comments valuable; but I have a difference of opinion as one cannot generalize 100% of the time. My personal opinion differs from some, as I have scored higher on the PFT than 90% of recruits 18-26. I fully understand the rationale, but if one is fit enough and can demonstrate that ability then I feel pursuing an age waiver is not selfish at all. I proved my fitness both physically and mentally, and therefore felt that my request for an age waiver for the Marine Corps was not selfish. I have several senior NCO's, 2 Colonels, 1 General and 800 signatures that agree with my assessment of that request.

Congratulations.

I would still vote against you, and your 800 and some odd supporters. How many years on an ODA humping a ruck do they have collectively?

You would be 38 or so by the time you finish training, and well into your 40s before you know what you are doing on an SF ODA.

Time is relentless, and while you may currently be able to do well, as you get into your 40s, you will slow down, lose the ability to recover as quickly, see certain aging/illnesses/ailments pop up that will drag you down, and a team with you, if you are on it.

I have served with a 40something team member, and it wasn't pretty. We eventually sent him to battalion to work a desk job.

A [smart] man has got to know his limitations.

Just my .02 based on 20 years in SF.

TR

And I respect both your experience and your opinion, however you have not evaluated me, met me or have any firsthand knowledge of my physical abilities.
A vote against me would not be the first, however all who do have firsthand knowledge of my ability and have thoroughly evaulated me, voted yes, some with more than 20 years experience, none in SF, as very few are Army, but several are Recon Marines. Either way we have a difference of opinion so I will allow my physical and mental ability to be judged by those who actually make the decision. :lifter

I apologize for the hijack in this thread, as I seem to have wandered from my original post regarding tinnitus. (Mine seems to stem from regular shooting even though I wear excellent hearing protection)
My tinnitus seems to affect the 2000 Hz range and it is difficult at times, to distinguish the beep from the tinnitus. But as stated earlier this does come and go.


EDIT to Add: My post was in no way meant as disrespectful or argumentative.
As far as "decision makers" I was referring to the Marine Corps, not the Army or NG. As I have been pursuing an age waiver with the Corps, not the Army. Apparently my remarks were seen as disrespectful. I apologize for this impression but ceratainly meant no disrespect.
I will seek information elsewhere and will not post further on this board.
Thanks for the information. It has been a good visit.

I do not know you, but I have been 18, 28, 38, and 48, so I know where you are headed, and unlike you, I know in painful detail what the demands of the job are. I have also seen thousands of candidates over the years, and the cause of their failures.

If you make it to Camp Mackall for SFAS, I look forward to tracking your performance and progress.

And I just might get a chance to vote then.

Do your best.

TR

Thanks! I appreciate it! I demand better than what I am capable of from myself. SF was something I had not thought of until a friend who is SF referred me here and suggested I go the NG route, perhaps SF after researching it here.
That's my main reason for being at this site, to learn. I have already learned quite a bit and look forward to more. My original intent with the NG was to go 11B if the Corps did not work out. That would have made me happy. It was his suggestion to look into SF, apparently something about me told him to suggest it. It may not be for me at all and I make no claim that it is. Just here checking out whether or not it is something I want to pursue.

Very informative site and thanks for the info.

(Back to more reading and less posting)

;)


EDIT to Add: My post was in no way meant as disrespectful or argumentative.
As far as "decision makers" I was referring to the Marine Corps, not the Army or NG. As I have been pursuing an age waiver with the Corps, not the Army. Apparently my remarks were seen as disrespectful. I apologize for this impression but ceratainly meant no disrespect.
I will seek information elsewhere and will not post further on this board.
Thanks for the information. It has been a good visit.

Salt?
 

I'm on no drugs and use only aspirin, rarely, for pain. I had tinnitus before I joined the Army, but I did drive tractors, combines, etc. and learn to fly before DC headsets and intercoms.

Now I find that the tinnitus increases in intensity about thirty to forty-five minutes after I eat. I've read that salt can make it worse and I do use extra salt on my food. Not using salt does not seem to matter in my case.

Pat

My tinnitus only bothers me at work, it sounds like secadas. I am sure that the five years working around AV8Bs didn't help. It beats having herpes.

Tinnitus
 

I have and have had tinnitus for most of my military career. After flight school they told us to wear ear protection when flying. Unfortunately they didn't say anything about wearing it on the ramps. I understand that they now have a surgical procedure for severe cases. They deaden the nerves that cause it, so you loose some high freq hearing.
If you got it in the service, the VA will give you 10% for bilateral.

I missed this.

I was not taking ATBs. I have taken Phenytoin for 35 years.

I only have tinnitus in my left ear. Would meds affect just one or both ears?

The biggest inconvenience is having to use the other ear for the phone.

It can be unilateral or bilateral, although often times toxic (drug-induced) tinnitus is bilateral due to it being an indirect issue. Basically the part of the brain or the nerves involved with hearing are effected rather than the ear itself.

Acute methyl salicylate toxicity complicating herbal skin treatment for psoriasis.
Emerg Med (Fremantle). 2002 Jun;14(2):188-90. :D

When I separated from the service, I had tinnitus documented as a result of too many years on the range and being too close to a B-52 strike in VN. Found out yesterday that Tinnitus is an automatic 10% on VA disability and qualifies for free hearing aids.

I'd pass on that if I could just get rid of this damned ringing in my ears all the time.

Stress
 

I was going to start a thread on tinnitus - but I see we already have one.

I have been suffering from a hissing sound in both ears for several months. For the longest time, I did not realize it, it was too faint to be a nuisance - but then one day on my drive home from work, the hiss got so loud, I thought I had a vacuum leak in the engine. I actually pulled off the road, and was going to look under the hood for a cut line. But just to check that it was not in my head, which I had started to suspect - I killed the engine. The Hiss persisted - evenly in both ears. Since that day, it has gotten louder and louder to the point that it is constant and a little scary.

But sometimes it stops - each time it has, I feel relived and hope that it is over. Two days ago - it had reached the level of an open 90 psi air hose.

Earlier today I finished a big, stressful project, one that I had begun to name the "albatross." I had a good drive home. About an hour ago, I decided to go get a beer (see "You ever drink a Rattler” the beer is time stamped.).

Walking into the garage - to get it, - away from the noise of the TV - and the dishwasher, I realized that I don't hear it at all - it is gone.

I have no illusions - I'm pretty sure it will come back - but this beer tastes good and I am going to sleep well tonight.

Any of you guys have this problem? Also, can stress either cause or contribute to this problem?

FWIW, William Shatner has suffered terribly from tinnitus. He's now a spokesman for the American Tinnitus Association. The ATA's website is here. Shatner's PSA for the ATA is available here.

My tinnitus started after a bad ear infection that caused some hearing loss in my right ear. Fortunately, the tinnitus is intermittent (so far). My right ear will go deaf and the ringing will start. After a few moments--just long enough to think the ringing is here to stay--things return to 'normal.'

On the upside, I have ingrained into my memory the experience of a ENT specialist uncapping a tube of artificial earwax, squeezing a generous amount onto his latex covered finger and then slathering that goop into my ear.:eek:

Thanks, I will check out the site.

By the way - the hissing just stated back up. That is depressing.

I also have it.

Mine is bothersome when there is no external sound,, like when reading the fora. If the TV is on or at parties, I tend to ignor it.

Lately, the "tone" has changed from a steady sizzzzzzzz, to a choppy mix of buzz's, beep's, crackles, pops, & sizzles.. It may be from my BP meds??

I suspect that it started back at Ft Sill in 68', 13E20.. "We don't need no stink'n ear plugs"

Or scuba school in KW, 69'. By the end of the class, I could free-dive to 85 ft and hang for about 20 seconds. We would anchor dive to get down faster,, eg: jump over with the 18 lbs anchor and ride it to the bottom. You needed to clear your ears very-very quickly...

Also,, anyone remember the concoction the pre-18D's made to clear your sinuses?? It was a liquid you put up your nose,, it REALLY REALLY cleared out your sinuses and eustation tubes.. I want to say home made actifed??

JJ

Listening to the drown of the universe in the back-ground...

Ear Plug...? what stinking ear plugs?
 

Other than Basic, AIT, and jump school (C119s), I believe mine really started with the C-123 Jato assist...LOL:eek:
I don't believe we used ear plugs "til about "76 or '77. By then it as too late.

Mine is new, but I did many loud noisy things like you describe one of them was flying helicopters for several years, another was just being an 05B with a headset on and cranked up). I am sure that they all contribute, but like I said - this problem did not start until this summer - I left the military in 87.

After reviewing the aforemintioned web site - it doesn't seem to be something that anybody understands, nor can they fix, other than keeping your ambient noise level up higher than the "hissing" - so that you don't notice. That would have to be pretty loud noise for me, the sound of my Silverodo's engine & tires on the highway at 70 mph can't compete with it. This morning it sounds like a high pitched air leak, like you would heer from an 1/8th inch tube - just blowing. I did have an hour or two last night though that was quiet.

One thing that is new to me, at least in the last three years is blood pressure medicine too

I can't remember if mine started after seeing Jimi Hendrix in '69 (3rd row right in front of him) or while I was in the Army, but I also can't remember when I didn't have it. Never a quiet moment, sometimes louder than others, but always there. Sometimes I use it to block out the wife........

Tinnitus is not infrequently found among "shooters", not just Rock Concert goers or folks who've had ear infections. E.g. Range Instructors, QPs, and LEOs. A word to the wise - don't wait to properly use ear plugs and muffs until you already have hearing loss and/or tinnitus. If you do, it's too late.

For those of you RETIRED and have a VA rating for Tinnitus, if it was caused by war, an instrumentality of war, or under conditions simulating war - add it to your claim for Combat Related Special Compensation. https://www.hrc.army.mil/site/crsc/index.html I had it documented after an RI threw a grenade simulator that went off next to my head and that event in my VA claimed then bumped my CRSC 10%. Going thru the VA C&P process, the hearing specialist mentioned to me that with Vets having Tinnitus in only one ear, they evaluate based upon the type of weapon issued and the dominant hand. (i.e. Rifle shooters tend to present the "bad ear" on the "weak side"). That is the ear tending to suffer the most damage. If you are a "one eared" tinnitus sufferer and didn't wear earplugs while shooting - which ear suffers may help you demonstrate a CRSC claim if the facts fit.

JAGO

I developed tinnitus in my right ear about 10 years ago after a particularly bad bout of flu. It's never left. I used to be a 98G, so I think listening to high pitched static 8 hours a day played a roll. The first 6 months, I thought it would drive me nuts, but I've slowly adapted to it. It has gotten a little worse over the years. I remember it temporily getting worse after walking up to a hot range with no ear protection.

They say that there are maskers-white noise makers that help some types of tinnitus. If you turn on the faucet and the running water somewhat masks the sound, you're a decent candidate.

Mitch, if you start feeling anxious or depressed...try to relax and accept it-because no amount of stress will make it go away. I also recommend you go to your ENT to get it checked out. Who knows?

Thanks for the advice - all of it. You have had it for 10 years and you didn't go crazy - I guess I should be able to match that. Just hard to come to grips with it. Most of us are control freaks and just naturally assume that there is no problem we can't fix - that is what is depressing - this is something that apparntly, I can't fix.

Will go see the doc all the same see what he has to say.

Mitch