Tinnitus... Who has this BS?

...^^^... I was surprised at the VA and how good they are at tinnitus.

I don't need hearing aides ... but the VA buys the best (unusual for VA) from what I have been told.

IF you have a service connection for tinnitus (you were around loud noises in the military) the VA rates that disability at 10% (usually without fighting you).

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I've had it for 5 years. I'm going to a tinnitus retraining therapy school in September at St. Paul's hospital in Vancouver BC this fall. Basically you retrain your brain to ignore the tinnitus in a sense that you no longer fight it. Fight or flight mode kind of thing. Then it becomes background noise and you go on about your day. People that have done well with this course hate when others bring up tinnitus to them apparently because it makes them remember they have it. Hopefully I can get to that kind of mental state. I'm 28 with 2 kids and a whole lot of life left to live. I don't want to quit now.

 

...^^^... keep refiling your claim with the VA ... go to a VA tinnitus class ...... maybe you also have 2 different issues with VA ??? ......(1) hearing loss (2) Tinnitus ........ yes ..... there can be 2 different claims......... many people confuse these 2 issues or claims with the VA ....... good luck

ps ... I have kinda learned to live with my tinnitus ... but there are still times it makes me nuts ... key is training your brain to forget it with other sounds .... keep fan or very low white noise on to go to sleep.

 

I had a RPG explode above my head and after shooting guns and years of explosives I am a 24/7 sufferer. To sleep at night I have a little table top fan I keep on my night stand. I run that at night to keep the ringing at bay. Other then that I kind of just figure out little ways to ignore it for the most part but it is still hard.

 

Mine is still off and on, but it's definitely getting worse the longer I work my current job. I usually sit in what's equivalent to a server room with a headset on that only covers one ear for 6+ hours a day. I've talked with doctors during my annual checkup, and because of the constant hum of servers in one ear and the muffled sound with occasional digital audio in the other, it's not a great combination....

 

I never knew there were so many. I have it, mostly in the evenings. Or that's when I notice it at least. Probably from shooting, loud music (still enjoy, and I'm 50+) and riding loud dirt bikes my whole life. Now, I wear ear plugs doing almost anything ie: mowing grass, weedeating, woodworking. Must sleep with a fan. Seems the more I think about it, the more it bothers me.

 

BTW, thanks to whoever posted the frequency link above. It confirmed that I'm "tone deaf" above 10,000 hertz or so in my left ear.

 

I'm 25 and I've had it for at least 5 years. Construction, drag racing, lawn mowers, and loud music were the cause. Like everyone else has said I keep the tv on at night and fall right asleep. Typically I forget I have it unless I put ear protection in or I'm sitting in silence.

 

We have the same type of T bro

 

I'm 25 and have a pretty mild case of it but I know it will get worse as I get older.
For the most part I have gotten used to it but like the OP I've developed noise sensitivities and aversions. Occasionally it will flare up and I have a hard time sleeping.
I've gotten it from shooting guns a lot without hearing protection. Now I'm more careful when at the range but I still don't wear anything while actually hunting.

 

I have had it for 3-4 years now. Like you, it seems my sensitivies/noise irritabilities are getting worse. I have hearing loss from the Army, but that was 20 years ago. Mine may be medication, but definitely guns contributed. Left ear is way worse than my right. I have been to ENT doctors and specialists but no help. I do need to get in the VA system so when I do need hearing aides they'll be there. Good post for a not good thing.

 

Huh... I guess I'm one of the handful of non-veterans that has it. 19 and it comes and goes, definitely seems to be stress related, but even relaxing in a quiet room will make it flare up. Also working on the flight line for an airline isn't doing me any favors

 

Yeah, a constant ringing and decreased hearing on the left side from way too many gunshots over the last 40 years. It doesn't bother me, but I know it's there. Now I use both ear plugs and muffs when shooting and wear ear plugs when mowing or weed eating. I'm hoping I can keep it from getting worse over the years.

 

I've got a very mild case of it from years of hunting/shooting. I really only notice it in a very quiet room. Otherwise it's not having any effect on my day to day living. I did go to an audiologist about 10 years ago and after the series of tests in the soundproof room the Dr asks if I shoot a lot and if I shoot right handed (I had not mentioned this previously). Apparently, there's a distinct frequency that gunfire impacts and the graphs from the test showed it. I did get fitted for custom ear plugs with a metal baffle.....I can hear normal conversation, but they shut down upon loud noises. They were around $300 if I recall. Still use them whenever I shoot and I'm very good about using ear protection when using power equipment & tools.

 

I've had it for about 2-3 years now and am turning 32 at end of the month. Have it in my right ear only and am also have slight hearing problems on the right ear. Got mine as a result of loud tools ( pnuematic and grinders ), loud music...

As long as I have some noise around me then I'm good. Some days I get frustrated with it too though but most importantly good.

 

i am 57..we always thought mine was related to constant ear infections as a little kid. The ringing is blasting away in my ears as I write this

 

Are these available online? If so, do you have a link? Thanks

 

After a few years, you will learn to ignore it.
Screaming babies set it off for me. I keep foam earplugs around and put them in if a kit is having a fit
I am 34

 

I have it , Im a non vet, got it from guns, motorcycles and working on heavy equipment for 40 years. There is a treatment. Go see an audiologist, I did after my wife bugged the ever loving shit out of me. She said I was missing half of conversations with her or when in groups and that I appeared disinterested in what people were saying. The only time you notice it is in quiet areas or when you go to bed.

The treatment is getting tested to find out what hertz areas you are not hearing, they have a chart that shows what freqs simple sounds are in like shh (shift,) th (the, this,that) pff (fat, fame)etc. Then get hearing aids that take all your weak area hertz ranges and moves them into an area that the brain can recognize. The ones I have do that and have a button that can turn on a variety of white noise, when you get ringing thats noticable. Ive been wearing them for almost 2 years and find in my own mind (not the wifes) they freakin work. I work in an office environment and theres more quiet area sounds.

I will say at first I used all the white noise sound options, but now find I use them less. Thats a good thing. The white noise programmed in is a non repetitive zen sounds that the brain absorbs and cancels out the ringing. Trust me it works. They are all expensive (mine were $6k, maybe you vets can get major discounts) but ones from costco and places are not tailored to YOUR hearing deficiency, the amplify everything and you use volume controls to turn what you hear down.
The audiologist I am seeing has been hearing impaired since birth, she understands more than the average trained doctor because she suffers herself.
Also get a small sound machine for your nightstand or whereever yousit in quiet, theres wind, wave, water stream noises that cancel out the ringing. I use it to go to sleep, it works.These can be found for under $30 I think.