How To Deal with Tinnitus

For the past twenty years or so, I have suffered from Tinnitus. This constant ringing in my right ear is part of my day. I can hear it when I wake up and it does not stop until I am sound asleep at night. Just trying to get to sleep is a great feat because of it.

I have tried to ignore the ringing in my ear, but that doesn't work. I play music and that gives me some temporary relief from the same tone playing over and over that sometimes drives me to the edge of sanity.

I have gone to several ENT (Ears Nose and Throat) clinics. They tested my ears and even admitted that I am not crazy, just afflicted with this annoying condition called Tinnitus. They really have no cure—great!

These physicians shared with me that the most common cause of tinnitus is damage or loss of the tiny sensory hair cells in the cochlea of the inner ear. It can also result from prolonged exposure to excessively loud noise. I have attended a few very loud concerts in my days and also blasted my radio listening to Maria Carey hitting the high notes (I think one got stuck in my ear)! Also, they said that it tends to happen as people age (just one of the many maladies that afflict us as we slowly deteriorate).

I always believed that my right ear could hear better than the left, but tests have proven that hearing loss coincides with tinnitus. My left ear is, in fact, the better one.

I am not the only one suffering with no silence in my life. My older brother also has the malady and he is a doctor. One of the ENT physicians I saw said that he also suffers from it. Quite ironic, right? In fact, one out of five people can hear ringing or buzzing in their ear or ears.

I heard of a lady who was a specialist in tinnitus. She has special training in Tinnitus treatment. I guess I was expecting a cure or something miraculous when I approached the office. Instead, she informed me that I would have to have treatments over several months to learn to ignore the noise. What? Oh, and by the way, insurance won't cover the cost to manage it!

She said that Tinnitus (TIN-ih-tus) is only the perception of noise or ringing in the ears. Tinnitus isn't a condition itself, but a symptom of an underlying condition, such as age-related hearing loss, a circulatory system disorder, or perhaps an ear injury. My hopes of a normal existence and sounds of silence were dashed by this so-called expert.

So, when you notice the disability hangar in my car, do not wonder why I am not limping or have some other obvious physical condition because my disability is in my ear! It affects many things. Here are a few I have noticed: meditating, yoga, listening to the still small voice, trying to rest, and driving amongst many others.

People that do not have Tinnitus think it only occurs once in a while. Not true! It never stops! It is incessant! You just become less aware of it when you are concentrating on something like a lecture, concert, tv show, movie, etc. If the room all of a sudden becomes silent—there it is! I can hear it right now as I type this article. For me, the sound is more like an electrical circuitry or dial tone that never changes.

Here is a link to an article that gives some hope for us who suffer from Tinnitus.

Don't waste your time on drops that claim to get rid of your Tinnitus. I have tried several and they don't work. I have even been hypnotized, but that didn't work either.

Until it is less costly and treatment is more predictable, I will try to put up with this condition. To others out there who are suffering from the lack of silence, I feel for you!

Tinnitus