Tinnitus
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allandwf
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Good luck.
lifes2short
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jw38
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Why do you say this? I live in the US and have had my tinnitus treated successfully.
This is exactly what my hearing aids do. I was tested for the frequency of my tinnitus and then my hearing aids were programmed to "oppose" that frequency.
I find this a bit difficult to comprehend since I presume there is no actual physical sound wave to actually cancel out? Unless the brain can detect the phase of the tinnitus sound wave and the external noise cancellation wave and sum them?
Obviously something is working but just not sure what or how!
Eb
CatmanV2
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Wattie
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I’m guessing that if you’re American and listening to the constant sh1te that Trump comes out with every day, Tinnitus is a piece of cake to remedy.
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iainw
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You need to see 1) an ENT specialist and potentially 2) a neurologist - if the speech is an issue that worries you and affects every day life. Often the mind can run away with you and hypothesising with yourself and other non medics very rarely helps. As Mr C said- google is useless- similar to speaking to someone totally untrained at ‘NHS direct’- no capacity for independent thought. It costs less than a new tyre to have a 45 minute consult with an expert in the field. Book in - and be reassured or informed or both.Thanks all. All interesting stuff.
There is a condition called Aphasia that seems very relevant as well. I am not sure it is relevant for me as I don't feel I've had a stroke or would be so susceptible to one. It may be useful for others though.
Aphasia
Read about aphasia, where a person has problems communicating. Find out about the types of aphasia, what causes it, and how it's diagnosed and treated.www.nhs.uk
I have had a fair few head/neck/back injuries and concussions when playing as a goalkeeper which although I don't think is a cause it would be prudent to check if it could be an underlying issue or cuase.
I do a fair bit of computer work and typing and have very minor issues with some words with lettings always being typed in the same incorrect order. However the autocorrect feature is nice and resolves this once you have those words setup. Annoyingly it seems to be words like Exchnage (that did happen naturally
I am sure much of the these little symptoms are common and possibly unrelated. Also perfectly liveable and not massive issues. Just worth me documenting them and feeding it all back to the specialists. Much of this does seem quite related though and could indicate sometimes a stroke or head/injury trauma. Or even indications of Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. I personally think any impact is minimal and not much of an issue. However each one little issue all feeds in to create a bigger picture or impact.
I think half the battle is diagnoses, treatment and acceptance. If you have known issues, have accepted them and know how best to deal with them they become less of an issue. Of course if there is an underlying issue it might be really small and treatable but could have such a big impact to many finding resolutions.
best wishes
GTVGEOFF
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Hi all
Been reading this thread with interest, Yes I also suffer with tinnitus and also put it down to the agricultural industry with many years in loud machinery, in my days it wasn't cool to wear ear defenders and we were not educated or informed of the harm we were doing to ourselves. Anyway, damage done and I like many now find hearing difficult in certain situations that have already been mentioned. I am now at the stage when I believe an aid would be beneficial, so would welcome any recommendations and experiences you have had with them. As already noted they are not cheap.
Footnote
It appears that there are a lot of old people (myself included) that have vision problems, don't hear too well, bad necks, etc etc, BOMBING AROUND IN MASERATI'S.....hope insurance companies are not monitoring this thread
Been reading this thread with interest, Yes I also suffer with tinnitus and also put it down to the agricultural industry with many years in loud machinery, in my days it wasn't cool to wear ear defenders and we were not educated or informed of the harm we were doing to ourselves. Anyway, damage done and I like many now find hearing difficult in certain situations that have already been mentioned. I am now at the stage when I believe an aid would be beneficial, so would welcome any recommendations and experiences you have had with them. As already noted they are not cheap.
Footnote
It appears that there are a lot of old people (myself included) that have vision problems, don't hear too well, bad necks, etc etc, BOMBING AROUND IN MASERATI'S.....hope insurance companies are not monitoring this thread
cheshiremaserati
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I have to agree. We spend several hundred and even thousand plus for an annual service on our car (with those advisories at the service), yet we seem to be oblivious to the concept of paying privately for health-related matters. The NHS will pass us pillar-to-post on elective work (non-emergency) but the private sector is open and offers many treatments on fixed price basis - at a time of choosing (usually very quickly), with the clinician of our choice (unlike the NHS where you don't know who will perform the procedure other than someone in Mr X's team) and few realise that for many procedures, you don't even need a GP referral! A 40 minute initial consultation is around £250 - plus costs of any tests/X-rays etc - which if you had with your GP, you can ask your GP to print off and take to the consultation. I know of people with knackered hips and knees, restricted mobility, in agony spend £35k - £50k on kitchen and bathroom refit. But won't spend £12k on getting themselves sorted. I find this weird - my personal opinion only.
The NHS is over-burdened - demand exceeds supply.
Private sector is not as expensive as people tend to think to sort their issues out quickly and with good clinicians. And I agree with the remark about searching on Google - far better to seek the opinion of an expert - be it in the NHS or the Private setting.
In this specific case, Tinnitus is often associated with nerve deterioration and there is often a contribution from high noise exposure over the years. Quite how nerve damage can be reversed is key to establish. Other organic causes need to be ruled out - it is easy to become scared with utterance of "acoustic neuroma" but only an expert is able to differentiate between similar signs and symptoms - not Google.
Wanderer
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Was thinking for the likes of me/another crocks on here, if I/we relocated to USA would I/we get insurance on a pre-existing condition?
cheshiremaserati
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You would have done under Obamacare. But now? Not so sure. My daughter lives out there. They have employer provided insurance - very good cover - includes dental and optician cover. As here if an employer provides a group scheme for 100+ employees they don't do screening for pre-conditions. Employees and family are automatically enrolled and covered.
But if you retired out of a company scheme here and went to purchase your own privately they would screen for pre-existing conditions and either refuse to cover some conditions or ramp up the premium to achieve the same result - no thank you we don't want to cover you.
I suspect in the US it will be similar - but the US has a wider spread of policies and coverage to "tailor" (i.e. exclude) coverage or charge excessive premiums. But lets wait to hear from the guy in the. US - he is gonna be closer to it than me.
But if you retired out of a company scheme here and went to purchase your own privately they would screen for pre-existing conditions and either refuse to cover some conditions or ramp up the premium to achieve the same result - no thank you we don't want to cover you.
I suspect in the US it will be similar - but the US has a wider spread of policies and coverage to "tailor" (i.e. exclude) coverage or charge excessive premiums. But lets wait to hear from the guy in the. US - he is gonna be closer to it than me.
Wanderer
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When I had my ICD (defibrillator) fitted surgeon told me the gadget cost 9k alone. I google after the event and wandered onto this US forum and say this chap who'd had same thing fitted in USA and got a bill for $149,000, and his medical insurance only covered $59,000 of it. I think he said they put a charge on his house, ready to steal his kids inheritance.
I'm also reading about epilepsy suffers in US wearing wrist bands that say do not call an ambulance as the cost is something like $2500. Dunno of the veracity of these tales....
cheshiremaserati
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Quite accurate. There is no national ambulance service. So it is a private hospitals ambulance that is despatched - to take you to their private hospital. First question is "who is paying?" Then a discussion on insurance plan (private) or Medicare (Govt funded). The cost of any medical, dental and optical treatment in the US is ASTRONOMICAL!
Funding for chronic conditions varies across providers- some cap the funds that barrly pay the drug and treatment costs, others specify cheapest generics only (copies) and some specify drs and hospotals with whom they have agreed prices (cheap) so they're not interested.
And I haven't mentioned the 'deductible' which we call the excess payment- the excess oayments can be substantial but tend to be covering a whole treatment rather than individual episodes of treatment.
Try getting travel insurance for Worldwide Cover inc USA/Canada and then select Europe Only cover and see the difference in premium. Astronomical without pre existing conditions, stratospheric with pre existing conditions such as heart attack, diabetes, cholesterol and high BP.
And the practice of medicine is weird (not better than in England) partly because there is little evidence-based recommendations from the likes of NICE in the UK - no such thing in US. Plus litigation risks are high.
Funding for chronic conditions varies across providers- some cap the funds that barrly pay the drug and treatment costs, others specify cheapest generics only (copies) and some specify drs and hospotals with whom they have agreed prices (cheap) so they're not interested.
And I haven't mentioned the 'deductible' which we call the excess payment- the excess oayments can be substantial but tend to be covering a whole treatment rather than individual episodes of treatment.
Try getting travel insurance for Worldwide Cover inc USA/Canada and then select Europe Only cover and see the difference in premium. Astronomical without pre existing conditions, stratospheric with pre existing conditions such as heart attack, diabetes, cholesterol and high BP.
And the practice of medicine is weird (not better than in England) partly because there is little evidence-based recommendations from the likes of NICE in the UK - no such thing in US. Plus litigation risks are high.
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Wanderer
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Jesus, what a barbaric system...
CatmanV2
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Exactly the same as in the UK then. Only we're not charged for it.
Mrs C had a valve replaced in 2018. Conservatively £75k and up plus the overnight stay....
C
jw38
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When I was tested for my hearing aids, I wore a headset and the audiologist would "play" different sounds into my ear. At a specific frequency, the tinnitus sound is cancelled, very similar to what noise cancelling headphones do. I might not be explaining this properly, but it certainly has worked for me!
There's nothing barbaric about it. Simply put, most Americans don't want government to be the decision maker with regard to health care. Without trying to go into great detail, the comments regarding medical insurance and health care in the US are far from reality. While there is no national coverage for health care as there is in the UK, everyone in the US has access to medical insurance and to health care coverage. It is my understanding that UK citizens pay into the national health care program via a tax so, in essence, they're paying for health care coverage. Americans pay for coverage via health insurance policies, most of which are heavily subsidized by their employers. In my case, I'm fully covered by Tricare which is a no-cost health insurance program that was earned as a benefit of my serving in the Air Force for 20 years. My wife is also covered by Tricare. I also have insurance that's offered by my employer and I pay less than $150 per month for that insurance. My employer subsidizes 90% of the plan. I use Tricare as my primary insurance and if there are any deductibles that I'm required to pay, my other insurance pays them. The last spinal surgery I underwent, along with a 3-week hospital stay, was billed at over $400,000. My deductible was a whopping $64.
Obamacare was meant to cover every citizen, but it fell well short of doing so. We were lied to when we were told, "If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor", and when we we told, "Obamacare will save an average of $2500/year." In truth, many physicians refused to accept Obamacare coverage and the medical plans offered by Obamacare were too expensive for the majority of people that it was intended to cover The vast majority of Americans do have coverage through their employers and pre-existing conditions are covered...by law.
Needless to say, there are quite a few misconceptions regarding health care in the US.
cheshiremaserati
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Not quite. In the NHS there is s prescribed method for coding and costing procedures per FCE (finished consultant episode) that is presented to CCGs to negotiate costs of treatments they will fund. The Clinical Commissioning Group has the guns to negotiate rates on behalf of its GP practices for services procured.
On the flip side, the NHS Trust has knowledge at marginal pricing which it uses to negotiate and sub contract work to the private sector. They don't pay those sort of fees we pay for out-of-pocket private treatments. Same for private insurer companies - they dont pay our out-of-pocket fees for procedures. In fact the biggest user of private beds is the NHS! It uses it (reluctantly) as a means of clearing waiting lists or getting them down.
The Ambulance Service in the NHS is regionally funded from taxpayer monies. Unlike the US where it is entirely privately run and usually associated with a private hospital (or as they call them, Medical Centers).
So no, it is not like the UK at all. In the US, uppermost is "who's gonna pay?" And that is not the case in the NHS directly for patients. The similarity with the US is a Trust asks if the CCG will fund treatment which is where we see post code access to some newer and more expensive treatments.
Also, anyone unable to meet payment if they fall ill in the US without insurance can face the possibility of Marshalls to take you back to stand trial and force the sale of assets back in UK to oay for treatment received. I know of one instance where this happened where the patient suffered s heart attack without insurance and required a 3-vessel coronary by-pass graft and one week in ICU.
The NHS does not pursue anything like as vigorously for costs to non-EU nationals who visit and fall ill.
There is a lot going for the NHS but it is admin-staff heavy and bureaucratic and trying to balance their books of income and costs is always gonna be there with the current model.
Europe has some innovative models where costs are shared between Government and Insurance scheme that is mandatory for all For those unable to pay insurance, the cost is paid by Government at a negotiated (reduced rate). Others involve a co-pay where a fee is paid for each consultation and a fee towards the drug costs. But no Govt in the UK would venture into this minefield for the NHS - it is needed but any Govt that introduces fees will likely never come into power again as it violates Nye Bevans vision of being free at the point of need. That vision was wholly right in 1948 when it was created. Throwing more money into it will never catch up with the rise in demand. The money disappears into a black hole with no incremental outputs in service.
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cheshiremaserati
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My point was that if employed, insurance is provided. But there are many who dont have it and are covered by a rudimentary Medicare scheme - but the money is to be made by treating insured patients. In the NHS, dentistry has similarities. The Govt NHS cut the reinbursement rate for procedures and excluded a raft of treatments. The result? Dentists severed NHS contracts and do only private work on the back of advising clients to take out insurance - whose premium is based after a dentist examination on the state of your mouth. Not surprisingly, finding an NHS dentist can be like searching for hen's teeth in parts of the UK.
Also the costs of procedures is open in the US and astronomical. The concept of marginal pricing + appears to be non-existent and treatment charge can be what insurers will pay with no uniformity on how the price was arrived at.
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