Another hearing / tinnitus thread

[Pio1980]

You must be cautious with Audiology. Unless things have changed since the 90's when I last had tests done, they only check for the intelligibility frequencies, from 300Hz-8kHz. That leaves us a bit short.

That is correct. My hearing dumps at 4k and dies at 8k without assistance.

 

[tom3]

And be careful with diy hearing tests. Just because you can't hear it, the sound is still there and turning up the volume is not so good on delicate ears. I sometimes wonder, with all the noise I've put my ears through, how I can hear anything.

 

[Pio1980]

I got the ps fixed on the Beltone audiometer and played with it for a bit. Something wierd I've found is that the test tones' pitch sounds different in each ear, the same tone. The sensitivity testing also turned out different than expected. I do trust my audiologist to get it right, so it's just an interesting experiment.
Happily, the tinnitis and whirlies are down for now. I had my first Minears episode not long ago and things haven't been quite the same since.

 

[ev13wt]

Your memory of sounds is very, very huge. Your brain interpolates the missing frequencies via learned patterns. It can compensate up to 250 different, lets say piano note decay variants, including different room information (depth of echo) for each.

Close your eyes and play an invisible piano in your head. Make the room bigger. Close the lid of the grand. Oh wait, it's an upright!

Example: it can be the worlds worst telefone connection ever, but a single clean 200ms burst of semi clear information let's you instantly know that it is well know relative of yours.

 

[tom67]

Your memory of sounds is very, very huge. Your brain interpolates the missing frequencies via learned patterns. It can compensate up to 250 different, lets say piano note decay variants, including different room information (depth of echo) for each.

Close your eyes and play an invisible piano in your head. Make the room bigger. Close the lid of the grand. Oh wait, it's an upright!

Example: it can be the worlds worst telefone connection ever, but a single clean 200ms burst of semi clear information let's you instantly know that it is well know relative of yours.

And while you are playing the invisible piano, picture the room in color with details of furnishings....actually more amazing than the sound.

 

[62caddy]

After experiencing a harrowing Meniere's attack I lost hearing levels below 250hz and anything above 8k.
Those sounds inbetween were distorted and ugly.
The doctor informed me this was permanent.
Lucky for me doctors are basically clueless as my hearing slowly came back to very close to normal.
My hearing does wane a bit with some tinnitus, especially when stressed andor poor diet.
Interestingly, the frequency level that does roll off, can be heard by increasing volume output of those frequencies.
Some researchers believe even if the ears can't "hear", the subconscious brain does.

What your doctors have told you is correct- the cause(s) of tinnitus are not yet fully understood and in most cases there is no known cure although caffeine and nicotine are believed to be contributing factors.

After my first attack of vertigo which was accompanied by severe ringing, I recovered fully within a few hours and thought nothing further of it. Six months later, I experienced a second attack which was far worse than the first and this time the ringing was painful beyond description. In the morning, the ringing had greatly subsided but has remained ever since. My doctor diagnosed Meniere's Disease and told me pretty much the same as what your doctor said. (He also suffers from tinnitus himself). I also had an MRI done but it revealed nothing.

Thankfully I haven't had any other major attacks of vertigo in the last three years.

 

[twiiii]

My hearing issue is caused by the alignment of the bones in my neck. If I do a lot of lifting above my shoulders then I will have some time with normal hearing for a few days after which the 6500 Hz oscillations return. Some times going to the chiropractor using an activator on my middle neck on the right side will jar things back in place for a few days. Stretching my neck helps too. Some times just listening to music will cause it to go away. Sometimes just by rotating or swiveling my neck I can reduce the level 10 db or so. Its just like I have to go to the bone cruncher once in a while when I throw my back out between l3 and l4. Its not easy getting old. You know you re old when you get a letter from Uncle Sam telling you that you are and are eligible for SSA benefits..

 

[rickb119]

I don't mind getting older. It's the decrepit part of it that bothers me.

 

[safebet]

It seems irrefutable that the older we get, the better we used to be.

My tinnitus ramped up in level a few months back. Living with this kind of change is a difficult adjustment to make.

 

[cpt_paranoia]

Yeah, Drs are clueless. Are you going to claim anything else that has no basis in fact?

I'm afraid that, for the majority of tinnitus cases, medical science is clueless as to the cause, or treatment. Otherwise, we would all be getting cured, wouldn't we?

 

[crouse]

My hearing issue is caused by the alignment of the bones in my neck. If I do a lot of lifting above my shoulders then I will have some time with normal hearing for a few days after which the 6500 Hz oscillations return. Some times going to the chiropractor using an activator on my middle neck on the right side will jar things back in place for a few days. Stretching my neck helps too. Some times just listening to music will cause it to go away. Sometimes just by rotating or swiveling my neck I can reduce the level 10 db or so. Its just like I have to go to the bone cruncher once in a while when I throw my back out between l3 and l4. Its not easy getting old. You know you re old when you get a letter from Uncle Sam telling you that you are and are eligible for SSA benefits..

That's interesting. Occasionally, I will hear a ringing in my right ear if I bend my neck to the right. It only happens during the movement, not after I stop. It has never occurred to me that it may be caused by problems with bones in my neck or spine.

 

[nedseg]

You must be cautious with Audiology. Unless things have changed since the 90's when I last had tests done, they only check for the intelligibility frequencies, from 300Hz-8kHz. That leaves us a bit short.

Yes. I got curious and went and had mine tested (minor tinnitus was my 'reason' - she wouldn't accept an appointment for just 'curiosity'!).
She got defensive/almost derisive when I brought up audio system/music spectrum, as if I were wasting her time....made me wonder how she would have responded to a professional /musician...
(Which I could appreciate a bit, for the sake of patients with serious issues, but there were no others in the waiting room
The resulting graph was a bit startling, though, since she said my hearing was 'perfect' for my age!
So That's the filter we all critique our systems through??
I'm very fortunate that the degree of tinnitus I do have is very minor, and mostly noticeable only when I 'look' for it!

 

[Djcoolray]

In my situation I use good sound canceling headphones and a very accurate EQ with a receiver that has low THD....

 

[rickb119]

Yes. I got curious and went and had mine tested (minor tinnitus was my 'reason' - she wouldn't accept an appointment for just 'curiosity'!).
She got defensive/almost derisive when I brought up audio system/music spectrum, as if I were wasting her time....made me wonder how she would have responded to a professional /musician...
(Which I could appreciate a bit, for the sake of patients with serious issues, but there were no others in the waiting room
The resulting graph was a bit startling, though, since she said my hearing was 'perfect' for my age!
So That's the filter we all critique our systems through??
I'm very fortunate that the degree of tinnitus I do have is very minor, and mostly noticeable only when I 'look' for it!
View attachment 1327186

The last time I had mine checked was several years ago, at a civilian audiologist, contracted by the VA. (I was hoping to have the VA pay for some hearing aids.)

She was more concerned with if I had ever operated any power equipment, with out hearing protection, than with the fact that I spent over a year on an aircraft carrier, berthed directly below the #2 arresting wire. She was also in a hurry to take take her new puppy to the Vet. I also think I pissed her off because I took my bottle of water with me into the hearing chamber. Needless to say, I didn't get my hearing aids.

Gonna give it another go hear pretty soon. I'm getting tired of always asking people to repeat themselves. Maybe if I carried around one of those old fashioned hearing horns with me they'd realize, I don't hear so well.

 

[Old Ears too]

I used that link dinger put up in the thread at the top of this page, to find out what I was hearing. I've got a good @5k hz sound in both my ears.
Wife is tired of me saying 'what?' to her when she talks to me but not at me.
Old age sucks, but my brother and I still had fun with that unmuffled go kart when we were kids.

 

[tubed]

What your doctors have told you is correct- the cause(s) of tinnitus are not yet fully understood and in most cases there is no known cure although caffeine and nicotine are believed to be contributing factors.

After my first attack of vertigo which was accompanied by severe ringing, I recovered fully within a few hours and thought nothing further of it. Six months later, I experienced a second attack which was far worse than the first and this time the ringing was painful beyond description. In the morning, the ringing had greatly subsided but has remained ever since. My doctor diagnosed Meniere's Disease and told me pretty much the same as what your doctor said. (He also suffers from tinnitus himself). I also had an MRI done but it revealed nothing.

Thankfully I haven't had any other major attacks of vertigo in the last three years.

Good to hear(pun) you haven't had any attacks, 62.
My primary care doctor had nothing to say than make an appointment with an ENT.
My ENT looked in my ears, didn't have much to say other than make an appoint in three months and go to the ER if I have another attack.
Luckily I have the internet to become informed about this condition.

 

[tubed]

My hearing issue is caused by the alignment of the bones in my neck. If I do a lot of lifting above my shoulders then I will have some time with normal hearing for a few days after which the 6500 Hz oscillations return. Some times going to the chiropractor using an activator on my middle neck on the right side will jar things back in place for a few days. Stretching my neck helps too. Some times just listening to music will cause it to go away. Sometimes just by rotating or swiveling my neck I can reduce the level 10 db or so. Its just like I have to go to the bone cruncher once in a while when I throw my back out between l3 and l4. Its not easy getting old. You know you re old when you get a letter from Uncle Sam telling you that you are and are eligible for SSA benefits..

Before I had the vertigo attacks, I had seen a head and neck doctor for neck/shoulder pain.
I mentioned that tinnitus occurred whenever I tensed up my neck muscles.
He informed me neck/alignment issues do not affect the ear or its hearing function.

 

[twiiii]

We wouldn't consider the curve perfect, but its quite acceptable for a male. Some of the curves I seen run would scare you to death. Off the chart by 4000 Hz. My dad's was very good almost like a kid when he was in his 60's. I wish mine we that good. at 72, I still can hear 15 kHz quite clearly but 17.5 KHZ is getting more difficult all the time..

And guess what I went shopping today lifting cases of Cokes and what not and my hearing is not perfect, but much better than normal. I'd say 20 db lower than normal. Much quieter than my refer at 15 ft which measures 29 db.

 

[Pio1980]

Yes. I got curious and went and had mine tested (minor tinnitus was my 'reason' - she wouldn't accept an appointment for just 'curiosity'!).
She got defensive/almost derisive when I brought up audio system/music spectrum, as if I were wasting her time....made me wonder how she would have responded to a professional /musician...
(Which I could appreciate a bit, for the sake of patients with serious issues, but there were no others in the waiting room
The resulting graph was a bit startling, though, since she said my hearing was 'perfect' for my age!
So That's the filter we all critique our systems through??
I'm very fortunate that the degree of tinnitus I do have is very minor, and mostly noticeable only when I 'look' for it!
View attachment 1327186

I had similar tho less negative interaction with one of my VA audiologists on the music vs speech comprehension discussion. While I did not press, I do see it as a quality of life issue for many folk finding themselves progressively distanced from their lives joys.

 

[KingBubba]

I hear well, but I still don't hear my wife talking to me. It is a matter of mental attention. If I am mentally engaged with another subject, then I don't hear her. She gets pissed off, but I can't help it. There is some kind of name for this, but I can't remember what it is.

By the way, for those who may be interested, if you check eBay, you will find large numbers of hearing aids at very low cost. They might help and, for the cost, it may be worth a chance.