Starlight In Her Eyes: TINNITUS: Do You Hear What I Hear?

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

TINNITUS: Do You Hear What I Hear?

I remember experiencing this ringing in my ears when I was still living in Bangkok (Thailand) from 1993 to 1999. At night when all was quiet and peaceful, my room would seem noisy and filled with sound...sometimes it was like a crickety sound that goes in crescendo. The ringing in my ears was bearable at that time. After 1999, I lived in Dhaka (Bangladesh), Alexandria (Egypt) and Manila (Philippines). I had occassional bout of tinnitus. Living here in the USA has triggered my tinnitus. How come? Well, I guess it's the noise around me. There is way too much noise in my neighborhood when people start mowing their lawn and start turning on their blower to get rid of dry leaves during springtime, summer and fall, especially. These could all be very loud~ the cleaning up of yards in America. At church during my adoration time with my husband each Sunday evening, the church cleaner uses a blower (for goodness sake!) to clean the church and boy the sound is too much for me to bear while I try to focus on my meditation. In reference to this, husband bought me a pair of ear plugs that shatters the sound by certain degree. It helps. I had an ear check up last year and the tinnitus did not register. I got the result from my audiologist.

As I write this blog tonight, my ears are ready to explode with the ringing inside them. It is all so quiet here in the house (husband is away) yet the ringing in my ears is just so LOUD! I am desperate to get a treatment. One is acupuncture. I'll see what happens. I read online that there is a special place in Norway that does this treatment. I got to read it again. I missed the website address. Anyhow, read on:

TINNITUS: What Is It?

Tinnitus, commonly called ringing in the ears, is the sensation of hearing a sound in the ears when no such sound exists. This sound, which comes from inside the head, typically is described as a ringing, but it also can take the form of an annoying hiss, whistle or buzz. Tinnitus can be constant or can come and go. Most often, tinnitus is a symptom of an ear problem, such as:

1. Earwax buildup
2. Age-related hearing loss
3. Ménière's disease
4. Inner ear damage from loud noise
5. Middle ear damage caused by a sudden change in pressure (barotrauma)

Occasionally, tinnitus is a side effect of medication. Aspirin in moderate to high doses often causes tinnitus. Health experts estimate that more than 30 million people in the United States have some form of tinnitus.

Symptoms
Tinnitus is a symptom in itself. However, people who have tinnitus also may have the following:

1. Insomnia
2. Difficulty concentrating
3. Depression
4. Frustration
5. Irritability

In addition, depending on the cause of tinnitus, there also may be:
1. Hearing loss
2. Dizziness or vertigo
3. Pain or a plugged feeling in the ear
4. Nausea

Diagnosis
The cause of tinnitus may be difficult to determine. Your doctor will ask if you have been exposed to loud noise at work or home and will ask about medications you take, including all herbs and supplements. He or she may look in your ears to see if you have wax blockage or if the eardrum appears abnormal. If your hearing is affected, then your doctor may have you undergo a hearing test called an audiogram to measure your hearing ability in each ear.

Expected Duration
Nearly everyone experiences a few brief episodes of ringing in the ears at some point in life, and usually these pass without medical treatment. However, in some people with tinnitus, the problem is a persistent source of discomfort.

Prevention
The best way to prevent tinnitus is to avoid loud noises. Wear earplugs or ear muffs when working around loud equipment, such as chain saws, lawn mowers and high-speed power tools.

If you have persistent tinnitus, review your list of medications with your doctor or pharmacist to see if any may be contributing. Some people find that they can lessen the intensity of tinnitus by limiting caffeine.

Treatment
The treatment of tinnitus depends on its cause. People whose tinnitus is a side effect of a medication will improve when the medication is stopped or the dosage is decreased. Removing a wax blockage may improve ringing in the ear. When tinnitus is caused by Ménière's disease, the tinnitus usually remains even when the disease is treated.

Many medications have been tried to treat tinnitus. Some people respond to antidepressant and antianxiety medications. Other therapies that may be considered are:
Biofeedback, a form of therapy that teaches you to control bodily functions such as heart rate, breathing and perspiration

A tinnitus masker, which is an instrument worn like a hearing aid that makes a sound that cancels out the sound of the tinnitus

Tinnitus training therapy — Small devices that generate "white noise" are worn behind or inside the ear canal to help the person learn to ignore the tinnitus

When To Call A Professional
If you notice a consistent pattern of ear ringing, make an appointment for an ear exam with your doctor. If you suddenly lose all hearing, seek emergency medical attention immediately.

Prognosis
The outlook for tinnitus depends on its cause. In people with tinnitus related to earwax buildup or medications, the condition usually will go away when the earwax is removed or the medication is stopped. In people with tinnitus related to sudden, loud noise, tinnitus may improve gradually, although there may be some permanent noise-related hearing loss.
Even when standard medical treatments fail to relieve tinnitus, some people learn to tolerate the problem either by ignoring the sound or by using various strategies to mask the sound. In others, however, the persistent ringing affects their sense of wellness and adds to depressed mood or anxiety.

Additional Info
American Tinnitus Association