Tinnitus

[allandwf]

Everybody has floaters.

C

Agreed, to varying degrees. Its a sudden change or the dark ones like mini black holes. Get them checked, it's not a great feeling when told you could lose sight in an eye at any time!

 

[CatmanV2]

Agreed, to varying degrees. Its a sudden change or the dark ones like mini black holes. Get them checked, it's not a great feeling when told you could lose sight in an eye at any time!

Sudden changes should always be checked, IMHO.

C

 

[Wanderer]

Everybody has floaters.

C

Eye or toilet?

 

[Wanderer]

Maybe we should arrange the Sports Maserati Quietus, instead of the Le Mans jolly, seeing as we are all physical wrecks....

 

[happydaze]

Trying to understand what's being said in a noisy environment is frustrating. I started my apprenticeship as a panel-beater in 1956, and back then it was all hammer & dolly stuff. There's no doubt the workplace noise caused hearing damage. The 'other' health issues we blokes are good at ignoring, really need to be brought out into the open.

About a month ago, after having a few stitches removed (after minor skin cancer removal), The GP asked "How do you feel"? Quite by chance, I jokingly replied "How much time do you have?" After rattling off a few symptoms (weakness, blurred vision, etc.), she sent me straight in for blood tests. The following day they called me in to see the GP. Diagnosis - Graves disease - an over-active thyroid! Don't brush aside or ignore your problems...

This morning I'm having biopsies on 2 lumps on the thyroid. Hopefully there will be no bad signs, however it appears the thyroid will need to be removed in any case (which evidently isn't a 'big deal'.

 

[jasst]

Dupuytren's contracture is a problem for me was first diagnosed with it in my late 30's, really young, operation on my right hand about 5 years ago but growing back on both hands so will have problems again in the future.

Yep, got that as well, right hand operated on about 25 years ago, left about 17, full thickness skin graft on my 1st finger that time, right needs doing again as getting bad again. really depressed when they said it normally affects 'old people' I was only about 35 at the time.

 

[Ebenezer]

Everybody has floaters.

C

Fatty diet so I'm told
Eb

 

[CatmanV2]

Eye or toilet?

Both at some time or another

C

 

[Wanderer]

Fatty diet so I'm told
Eb

Mine stick to bottom and leave poo stripes so I must be ok there? Plenty of bleach and the loo brush gets rid....

 

[Ryandoc]

I’ve lived with tinitus for about 15-20 years. Putting it down to my night club days.

May right ear is also goosed after certain frequencies, I’ve had a medical every 2 years for the last 20 years and done the beep test and it gives the same results.

last year I finally went to the hospital, they did more tests, confirmed there was nothing ‘mechanically’ damaged so to speak and packed me on my way.

its horrendous

 

[Wanderer]

I went to see Rush at Stafford Bingley Hall c1980 and went deaf in my right ear cos I was so close to Geddy Lee's stack. It was ringing for weeks. Went away but I wonder if this is an after affect and if I can sue!

 

[allandwf]

I went to see Rush at Stafford Bingley Hall c1980 and went deaf in my right ear cos I was so close to Geddy Lee's stack. It was ringing for weeks. Went away but I wonder if this is an after affect and if I can sue!

Nah! I saw Motorhead and did the same with Lemmys stack, and I'm fine, hearing wise.

 

[Wattie]

This is an interesting thread.
I can relate to numerous issues, problems with tv volume/hearing, floaters, etc
The tinnitus issue sounds very frustrating, fortunately I’m not affected. I sympathise with those that do and hope some remedy is found soon.

I do remember distinctly being aware of ear issues though when I owned the Atom. The noise, air rush, sports exhaust etc definitely affected hearing to the extent that I started to wear ear plugs.made a huge difference.

Tinnitus.....motor bikes.....wonder if they aggravate the condition. How many that have it were bikers?

 

[allandwf]

Would the technology that works for noise cancelling active headphones work if the frequencies can be isolated and reproduced, I assume everyone is different though?

 

[Scaf]

I was diagnosed with tinnitus several years after I retired from the US Air Force. I was in Law Enforcement, so I spent a lot of time with firearms and during the Gulf War in 1991, not only was I exposed to a significant amount of gun and weapons fire, I was also severely wounded while assisting with the rescue of a downed aircrew. On a side note, I was stationed at RAF Lakenheath and was deployed to the Gulf. My 3 years at RAF Lakenheath were the most fun of my 20-year career! I was shot in the neck and in the hip, and as a result of these injuries, I've undergone 13 spinal surgeries. My spine is fused from C2 to T2 and it's supported with two titanium rods and 32 screws.

Several years after I retired, I began to notice a loud ringing sound in both ears, and as others have said in this thread, I chose to ignore it thinking that it was just part of the aging process. After my wife demanded that I see a hearing specialist, I was diagnosed by the Veterans Administration with major hearing loss and tinnitus in both ears. At the time (late 90s), while hearing aids helped with the hearing loss, there really was no treatment for the tinnitus. My doctors told me that the tinnitus had been caused by a combination of the loud noises and nerve damage caused as a result of the injury to my neck. I learned to live with the tinnitus, although at times it was quite distracting. Over time, the effects of the tinnitus became worse and it got to a point where it was almost unbearable. A constant, high-pitched ringing in both ears that would vary in intensity from hour to hour.

Fast forward to about 3 years ago and I was back at the Veteran's Administration for my annual hearing exam. My hearing loss had stabilized but the tinnitus was getting worse and worse. The audiologist told me about new hearing aids that reportedly suppress the tinnitus sound by sending opposing sound waves to the ears It's very similar to a noise cancelling headset. I was given a hearing exam that tested different sound frequencies and the hearing aids are adjusted to the frequency that best cancels the tinnitus noise. I was one of the first patients at the VA to be provided with these new hearing aids. I was absolutely astounded by the difference they made and I'm now on my third pair. The technology in the hearing aids has progressed to the point where I no longer hear any of the ringing sound in my ears. They have completely changed my life, as I am now much more engaged with people and I'm not distracted by the ringing sound in my ears.

It my be worth a shot to check with your audiologist to see if this type of hearing aid is available to you and if so, if he/she thinks they might help. In my case I'm lucky because the Veteran's Administration pays for them. If I had to purchase them myself, my out of pocket cost would be in the range of $7500...certainly not cheap, but well worth the price for the relief they provide.

Very interesting post, over the past 25 years or so I have researched extensively and sadly in my case even this treatment would not be effective as I don’t have a hearing nerve in the ear in which I have tinnitus.

 

[lifes2short]

can we talk inguinal hernias, went to see quack with one and then told I had 2 ffs

 

[Wanderer]

Are any of us actually healthy?

 

[Strad]

Not me! I have tinnitus in my left ear, years of shooting (teenagers never used ear defenders back then) won’t have helped but whether that weakened the ear or not, one thing is for sure...... don’t use a hammer drill deep inside a cupboard without ear protection. I did that about 15 years ago and the ringing sound never subsided.
It’s the morning after the nightclub sound, it used to depress me but you get used to it and I guess I’m lucky in that it’s only really intrusive when I’m in silence - a rare luxury!
An ENT Consultant friend tested me and I have minor loss of low and high frequencies (think both but maybe one) that he said wouldn’t be noticeable in day to day life and probably caused by shooting. The drill definitely caused the tinnitus and can’t be reversed. I don’t know if the tinnitus will get worse in time.

The encouraging thing is that when you damage your hearing, it doesn’t get worse with time as a result of the original cause. Hearing will deteriorate with age but don’t think that “it‘s damaged now so I won’t bother to protect it”. It is where it is now so always use ear defenders when exposed to loud noises and it shouldn’t worsen other than through ageing.

 

[MarkMas]

This thread is starting to make me feel (at 61) pretty healthy and grateful. Apart from my inability to visualise pörn due to my aphantasia, I'm feeling pretty good.

 

[rockits]

I think the most frustrating thing is to have hearing getting worse and tinnitus getting louder. How does that work?!

I've got my GP referral letter and spoke to Bupa today. They have given a code and 3 local ENT specialists so the journey begins. Will look at all 3 and see which one looks best.