Well I too have tinnitus and some moderate loss centered around 3500 hz to about 5k. Gives me an out when it comes to dealing with the wife! For me it was a surprise that I had the loss. Tinnitus sure, but loss... anyway, its prob like the boiling frog thing. I never noticed. Not possible to do an A to B so it's not "an issue". Even though the loss is in L only, I can't say it's big enough to fuss over. I still hear things in music, timbre, staging, that most dont.
Pulsitile I get but never inquired. Like a tapping in my bad ear. Has a pitch, irregular. Like a spasm.
@ flatblackround, I too get whooshing but for me, its linked to the need for a C1 adjustment from my chiropractor. Ok, for some of you that's akin to orange fuses and wall sockets. However a major blood vessel runs right up against C1 so any shift can put that beating up to the base of skull as it were so there's that. I know just the right Doc in your area too!
I'll try to notice if it's at all worse after taking ibuprofen etc.
|
I have tinnitus also. the type of White noise or a constant ssshhhhhhh. That's one reason I like music so much as it makes forget my tinnitus is there. I wondered if it interferes or makes me miss some information. |
rcprince: Yes, my diagnosis is Meniere's. But I think that diagnosis gets thrown at a collection of symptoms without an obvious cause. (ie. not having a tumor or physical ear damage) I have had a couple of different ENT's as I have moved around the country, and my experience is that they all tend to prescribe medication (steroids, anti-virals, etc.) when a "paradigm shift" of worsening symptoms is reported to them. But I am unaware of any cases where anybody is able to reverse the situation. Maybe your audiologist is aware, but also ask your ENT. |
I have tinnitus varying from mild to moderate. It worsens with stress, caffeine, and use of pain killers such as Advil, Tylenol and Aspirin. So if you can reduce these and learn how to relax through meditation, walks in nature etc. and see if it helps. I have mild hearing loss in high frequencies that does not diminish enjoyment or discernment of music but glad to hear that good hearing aides if needed in the future can be helpful .
|
dabouv
Pulsatile
MRI confirmed no aneurysm and yes I can tone it down or stop it with finger pressure on the jugular.
Thanks
|
Hearing aids and music are not a great combo. I have a patient who was in a very big seminal rock band from San Francisco in the 60s (you would all know) and he really struggles and hard to accept that hearing aids aren’t giving him his hearing back and hampers his music. I am personally a borderline candidate and the companies will give me a hearing aid ( they want patients seeing I’m swearing there brand) and I haven’t stuck with them). When I have problems with concpversations I will but I suspect I won’t use for music. |
I am an otolaryngologist. Tinnitus is a very common problem and rarely serious. We worry about one sided more than two and pulsatile tinnitus is more concerning. The book answer is for scanning pulsatile tinnitus but my 25 years of experience (and the same for my partner) is that we find something a lot less than stated rates for the diagnosis. A hearing test with air lines, bone lines , and word discriminations is the bare minimum. If it’s symmetric and word discrims ok, generally don’t work up anymore. Pulsatile is a different can of worms. Still usually don’t find a cause. Put pressure on the jugular vein and see if it goes away for the person with it, if so, likely a venous hum. Once in awhile you find aneurysm, dehiscence at skull base, or gloms tumor. Not every year in a general,ent practice.
I have had high freq hearing loss since grade school. Luckily not very progressive. My hearing has probably saved me 10,000s in chasing the next best thing. I’m happy with my Ascend’s and luxman and still, a sucker for the monster receivers I wanted and couldn’t afford as a kid. No medications help in studies and academy does not recommend medications. I have some people on low dose elavil and they feel it helps. It may be so if I gave them chicklets too. |
When you go to your audiologist he should check your overall hearing loss and also be able to pinpoint the frequency of the tinnitus itself. Mine is a steady signal at 3khz in the right ear. I had hearing aid made which are programmed to play random tones in the affected ear. The idea is that over time the tones which are repeated [3khz in my case] reduce the sensitivity of the brain to that signal. I found that this therapy worked - to a degree. I do not wear the aids to help with listening, merely as a therapy. Expensive at around $5k about 8 years ago but, on balance, worth it. I rarely use the things now unless I have been in a noisy environment and the tinnitus kicks up. Then the therapy will help bring it back down. |
I developed tinnitus and loss above 12k about ten years ago and purged my system. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure (too late) and the symptoms decreased dramatically with treatment. So, I began the accumulation process all over. I focus more on music now. |
I have hearing loss in both ears, no tinnitus. My ENT doctor has been monitoring it for some time and this year my hearing test indicated it was time for a hearing aid. I knew my hearing had deteriorated significantly, as I was unable to hear the true timbre of a violin, cymbals had all but disappeared from some of my favorite jazz trios, and so forth. The hearing test identifies the degree of loss by frequency. I tried a pair of high quality Widex hearing aids and the difference was nothing short of astounding. Most of the sound I had been missing is back.
The audiologist showed me a graph of my hearing loss, which begins at about 2k Hz, building to 20 dB of loss over 6k Hz (a lot), pretty similar in both ears. The hearing aid boosts the signal between 2-6k Hz, but doesn’t do much above that. There is software you can download to your Android or iPhone that has different baked in settings for normal use, music and crowds. Plus you can listen to music and create your own settings for different types of music if you choose. There are also manual volume and balance controls.
Clearly the hearing aid is an audio device that has some effect on the signal you are processing, just as your audio equipment does. But if you find you are significantly missing something in your listening by all means try a pair quality hearing aids after consulting with a good ENT or audiologist. Where I live state law gives you a trial period during which you can return the devices if you don’t like them.
I am enjoying my music so much more now that I can hear instruments and a presentation that sound more lifelike and natural.
|
Yes, I suffer from tinnitus. Differs in intensity, but I still enjoy listening to music. I’ve learned to tune it out over the years. When I read this post- I started hearing the ringing, haha.
I know two people with Meniere’s, nasty stuff. One recovered with some hearing loss. The other, despite going to a specialist in Houston, has been losing some of his hearing due to the treatments. The ‘drop’ attacks are frightening from what they tell me.. |
@b_limo If you can safely do so try a week without the aspirin. My ENT told me aspirin can make in worse in some people. |
Coffee-jerk: I too had bouts of vertigo at the time that I lost a good deal of hearing in my left ear. That is a symptom of Meniere's disease, I believe. Had I caught it in time, my audiologist said I might have been able to stop some of the hearing loss.
The good news for our OP, from these posts and my experience, is that you can still enjoy music and an excellent system even with some hearing problems. |
I'm glad you made this post, and feel enlightened as to how many listeners are experiencing this. I have had significant tinnitus and hearing loss in one ear for over twenty years (the other ear is going strong). It was a radical paradigm shift: My initial response was increased anxiety and agitation at having a constant array of noises, swooshes, clicks, etc. That goes away as you become accustomed to it. Do what your doctor says, in order to minimize future changes in your hearing. Unless they tell you to give up alcohol and caffeine. In that case, nod your head and ignore them.
The biggest impact on my life has to do with human speech. I avoid certain loud environments, because background noise interferes with my ability to decipher speech.
A much rarer issue is bouts of vertigo which come every 5 years or so. Those are debilitating, but only last for 24 hours.
As an audiophile, I would say the pros/cons are that I can't hear the noise floor of my system. That saves a lot of money right there. I can get by with $15,000 instead of $50,000. I still perceive imaging, but it is noticeably weighted to one side; still there and beautiful, but different. However, one ear functions perfectly, and I still have no tolerance for crappy equipment. I really, really enjoy full range speakers, regardless of one side of my head being wonky. |
I have had tinnitus for years which manifests as a high pitched constant tone. It actually sounds more like white noise. Like others have stated it varies in intensity. I won't allow it to impact my musical enjoyment however. I often wondered, if you could just generate a signal 180 degrees out of phase with the tinnitus frequency, would that cancel it out? The current thinking is that tinnitus is a result of hearing loss at a specific frequency and the brain's attempt to restore that frequency manifesting itself as an audible sound. I simply asked my wife the PhD for that description.
|
Interesting thread. For the first time ever, I started listening to freq sweeps about a month ago. I was pretty shocked by the results. I have sensitivity to frequencies around 2400, 4800, 10000 and no hearing above about 15000. My right ear drops out for the most part between 5800-7000. I wonder if that dropout is due to my dj’ing years since my right ear was always used to cue the next track.
I have slight tinnitus which has oddly increased over the past two weeks (maybe not so odd after reading other posts in this thread). I’ve been on prescribed oxy, aspirin, Tylenol, vitamin c and vitamin d the past 2 weeks due to a broken leg.
So I guess I would have to say that my hearing isn’t quite as good as I thought it was but I have learned how to be a better listener over the years through my audiophile experiences.
None of this detracts from the enjoyment that I get out of music.
Put on some good headphones and google frequency sweep or tone generators. You might be surprised by how bad your hearing is. On second thought, maybe you shouldn’t... |
I have the same issues as @prof . My tinnitus waxes and wanes but usually doesn't interfere with a listening session. It can be distracting since there are high frequency sounds happening from different directions.
I have Hyperacusis as well; high frequencies can cause stabbing head pain. When it flairs up, I'll start skipping through the Qobuz library until I can find some tolerable music. Sometimes I'll have to stop my listening session.
Both conditions happened as a result of a virus.
|
I had minor tinnitus and it went away completely after I began taking vitamin D supplements. It could be coincidence but nothing else regarding my health routine was altered.
Best of luck. |
I have hypersensitivity, due to bone malformations in my ears Now it's intensifying due to tinnitus episodes. Mine is brought on by caffeine abuse and meds with caffeine in them.. I swear my ears would bleed if they could... HF is just a killer.. That friggin tingle, tickle, makes my eyes cross.
Maybe something your consuming is making it worse...
Regards |
I've had the condition in my right ear for over 30 years. The intensity varies every day and is usually loudest at night. It basically lets me know I'm still alive. It hasn't dampened my enthusiasm for my hifi rig or live music shows. So, run some sounds in your bedroom at night ( I use a fan) and you will adapt eventually to living with it.
|
pfeiffer,
I have had bad tinnitus since the 90’s. It waxes and wanes in intensity (or how aware I am of it). I’ve also struggled with bouts of hyperacusis - hearing sensitivity where sounds can hurt the ears - which is frankly much worse when it comes to this hobby than tinnitus.
My experience: The tinnitus very, very rarely ever affects my listening.When it’s really bad, again this is rare, it can be loud enough to "ride over" the music so I hear it while listening. In such cases if I can’t ignore it, I would just retire from listening that night. But..again...super rare.Otherwise it doesn’t affect my listening or the sound quality at all.
When my hyperacusis flairs up - which has been very rare over the years EXCEPT that I had a recent bad flair up that I’m having treated - it could make the sound of my system too painful to listen to. That was the most disheartening.
In both cases what I’ve learned over the years, at least for me, is that not succumbing to the issues works best. That is: if I notice my tinnitus seems louder one day I don’t really change what I’m doing, I just go on (listening to music or whatever) and it fades in to the background soon enough, within a day or two. Concentrating on it or worrying or tip-toeing around it trying to find quiet doesn’t help, doesn’t make it go away any faster, so just "getting on with life" has been the best approach.
BTW, despite having tinnitus and sometimes hyperacusis, the upside is that I’ve been protecting my ears from loud exposure for so long I’ve avoided the hearing frequency damage that often comes with age or loud noise exposure. Audiologists always comment "I can’t believe your chart is this good, it’s like the hearing of someone 15 years younger or more!"
Ear plugs work!
|
I've had tinnitus for years, with intensity varying thru the day My hearing drops after 7khz.
Consultation(hearing aids) reading everything about it, and evaluating lifestyle to see if anything affects it seem to be the best you can do at the moment.
Compared to other conditions I live with, it's minor. |
I have tinnitus, but no hearing loss. Worth going to a hearing specialist - at least once. Also worth figuring out what makes your tinnitus worse. But I have not lost any of my appreciation for music and I have made no changes to my rig. |
Thank you guys. I guess this is the kind of stuff I need to "hear"! When you first get tinnitus, for whatever reason, it can become very all-consuming. My next step will be to go to a hearing specialist. What I worry about the most is having the sound and music from my rig sound "unreal" when, and if, I need a hearing aid (primarily my right ear which has a very high frequency whine...sometimes less and sometimes really annoying). But I sincerely find some solace in the above comments...you are correct Millercarbon, I wouldn't want to be the next guy!
|
We are all of us impaired, one way or another. My best friend through college had exceptionally good eyesight. I was constantly astounded the things he could see. Often times didn’t believe, until I got closer and sure enough. He had spotted what was a blur at best if not totally invisible to me. Doug went through Marine OCS wanting to be a pilot and flunked out because of his poor.... vision.
I nearly sold my rig a dozen years ago because of tinnitus. At first thought it was my system and went crazy trying to figure out was it tube ringing or what? When it eventually became apparent it was my ears I was crestfallen. Quit listening. For several years. Then, surprise! Quite by accident discovered it was caused by long term high doses of ibuprofen to cope with sciatica.
Once a Teeter, PT and weight loss eliminated the need for the pain killers the tinnitus gradually went away, well not completely not always but more or less gone.
The thing of it is, its like my buddy Doug. Compared to perfect you will always come up short. So why put yourself through that? Keep going that way, what’s the end game? Whatever it is you can be sure its pretty damn dismal- and then you lose. Or you can say hey, what I can hear, might not be what the next guy hears but it sounds pretty good to me.
Might as well. You do not want to be the next guy anyway. Trust me. |
I have tinnitus and have also lost a significant amount of hearing in my left ear over the past year. I find that I am focused less on soundstaging these days than I used to be, but still can focus on timbre, correct frequency response and musical nuance and performance. So I do find that better equipment still makes a difference in those areas and is worth it to me. My hearing aid helps in ordinary conversation, etc., but can't really replicate what I used to be able to hear when listening to my system. I suggest that you focus more on the music than the system at this point, your system still can bring you great enjoyment. |
Sorry to learn of your problem. Yes. I have posted before about pulsatory tinnitus in my left ear. Swishing sound with my heart beat. Can be very annoying. Checked with the md, no critical issue. So I deal. Remember composers have composed while deaf.
Deaf people can dance and enjoy music through the vibration. It seems that in most cases all we can do is boogie on.
Turn up the volume a bit and enjoy the music.
|
