Tinnitus "Fixes" ?

[LocktownDog]

Mine has gotten worse with my blood pressure increase. Terribly loud in both ears now. Last week I was donating platelets, when the machine alarms started ringing. My BP spiked to 190/137 and I immediately broke out in a heavy sweat and suffered an awful headache. The worst part? I couldn't hear anything over the whistling in my ears!

Each day since, my blood pressure seems to have eased. However the tinnitus still rings louder than it ever has.

 

[R.A. Stewart]

Reading avidly ... I can't say I can add anything from my own experience to help, except that, like most things, the tinnitus is worse when I'm short on sleep.

I've seen the tinnitus question raised on a couple of other fora--always getting a surprising number of responses. There are a lot of us, but because it doesn't show and we just carry on, we don't know it. The American Tinnitus Association website that rikrdo referenced says, "Tinnitus or ringing in the ears, impacts up to 50 million Americans and millions more worldwide. Most commonly caused by noise exposure, tinnitus reduces quality of life for 250 million people worldwide."

~Rich

 

[Lillemor]

Mine has gotten worse with my blood pressure increase. Terribly loud in both ears now. Last week I was donating platelets, when the machine alarms started ringing. My BP spiked to 190/137 and I immediately broke out in a heavy sweat and suffered an awful headache. The worst part? I couldn't hear anything over the whistling in my ears!

Each day since, my blood pressure seems to have eased. However the tinnitus still rings louder than it ever has.

That's awful, I'm really sorry about that. Mine's tolerable but while fear is unhealthy for tinnitus (or probably anything) I can't help worry about how I'll cope if it permanently gets worse at some time.

I've seen the tinnitus question raised on a couple of other fora--always getting a surprising number of responses. There are a lot of us, but because it doesn't show and we just carry on, we don't know it. The American Tinnitus Association website that rikrdo referenced says, "Tinnitus or ringing in the ears, impacts up to 50 million Americans and millions more worldwide. Most commonly caused by noise exposure, tinnitus reduces quality of life for 250 million people worldwide."

I thought that with the many varied types of FD members from around the U.S. and the rest of the world, surely I couldn't be the first one to want to post something about tinnitus on here.

Even though I live in Denmark, I checked the ATA and other countries sites on tinnitus to be able to be more objective in my attitude towards tinnitus and how to cope with it because the Danish sites and the way the discussions go on our forums seem very conservative and people's attitude is generally one of depression and dispair while ATA seems to have a slightly more optimistic and encouraging attitude. Over here we're just supposed to accept that coping mechanisms is all that's ever going to be available to us while it appears that the ATA really want to find a cure in the future. How they're going to do this with all the reasons people get tinnitus, and all the ways we experience it is beyond me but if they can find a final cure for some sufferers I'm all for it.

The Danish attitude that x% are satisfied with what TRT does for them means it's a success and the best sollution winds me up for several reasons: A) I'm sure that among the x satisfied patients, they'd rather be completely and permantly free of tinnitus. B) What about those who weren't satisfied?! C) Even with some surgeries being succesful for some people initially, many have their tinnitus return x months to a year later and then all their options are out or what?

If I lived alone, I would never put on earphones when listening to folk singer Jimmie Rodgers (the younger one who's very pleasant to listen to in his own right), Dion/Dion And The Belmonts, Patti Page, etc. but I really don't think it's music that's damaged my hearing. I never attend gigs or go clubbing. Do any of you who regularly listen to live rock, jazz, big bands, etc. use ear plugs?

The experts say tinnitus is on the rise due to in ear headphones. It could be that we're just more likely to get ourselves to the doc today than people who had industrial induced tinnitus would've years ago or maybe the old statistics/research is never compared to findings today. I don't know and wouldn't know where to start.