Hearing Loss: Come introduce yourself and connect with others

I've had tinnitus since early 2011; side effect of a falling accident. I didn't have tinnitus before that. The hearing aides do mask the noisy tinnitus but when I take the aides out, tinnitus is louder with extra humming or other sound ( I can't describe it ). During the day, I hardly notice the tinnitus, because of other sounds around me and I'm busy. When I'm sitting, and all is quiet, my tinnitus is a PITA. I guess that's one way to get me up and doing things, huh? I wonder if there is a test for tinnitus, or is there an ear/nose/throat practitioner that HAS constant tinnitus? Other than a hearing test, I've had no scans of my brain/head

If a hearing aid is not expensive, does that mean that it's not an " aid", just an amplifier?
Medicare/Medicaid paid for my Audiology test and the aids.
My hearing is gotten worse; could be from the chemo, or just age? Tinnitus is much louder than before my diagnosis of MM. My G.P said he would refer me to an audiologist but as yet, I haven't heard anything. Do I have to be referred?

Carole; where are my manners? Thank you for the reply. I appreciate it.
I see no end to my tinnitus either. Does medical science even take it as a serious investigation?

Hi Carole,

Thank you for sharing that meditation helps you cope with tinnitus. I have gotten relief through stress management breathing exercises that help me relax. Over the years my tinnitus has lessened considerably. I'm thankful for that.

There is research being done on tinnitus. Let's hope and pray they find a true cure soon. We are never too old to hope for that.

I do deep breathing ....therapy(?), quite often for other issues and while concentrating on the breathing, I don't notice tinnitus. I'm guessing because I've gotten used to the noise and can cancel my attention if it's just doing its normal noise. I cannot hear the rain, wind, the phone, birds; high pitch sounds...or hearing someone speaking ( what they are saying). Low tones, generally, I can hear.
Sorry about this rambling!

I suffer from tinnitus and hearing loss since 2020.. I have been in a Uof Michigan trial using TMBS .. trial was 36 weeks, still not know if I was a real user or placebo…
Tinnitus remain same , often increases… looking for solutions , tried counseling , do yoga, use supplements, teas, .. still active tinnitus..
Looking forward to sharing information…
Paul

My family has hearing loss sprinkled throughout. Just in my lifetime, there's my great-grandmother, both grandmothers, one of my great aunts, numerous other aunts and uncles. I got a great laugh at a family wedding, recently, seeing lots of people holding out a tiny microphone to someone else. So many of us have CIs that we can share batteries.
It's a hard trait to research on the web. All I can find so far is dozens of articles about congenital deafness.
Best wishes !

Hi Everyone,
I'm glad I found this resource. My story is one of carelessness. 20 Days ago I attended a concert of a band I have been a huge fan of for most of my adult life. The first time I saw them was in 1988 when our group opened for this group. I have all their work and couldn't wait to see them. I went with my wife and daughter. There was informal seating in an open area. The stage was a portable one do I walked up to take videos and pics of one of my guitar idols. I knew the songs, Sang along, high fived others around me and had a blast. I was very close to the PA and the Amps. When the show was over I went to drive home and realized I could hear absolutely nothing. MY wife asked if I was OK and I told her to drive about 90 minutes back to our house. For two entire days I could hear only the slightest rumbles. I'm 62 YOA FYI and I have a history of being around loudness BUT I was careful and wore plugs much of the time on and off stage. By the third day I became upset and didn't know if anything would return. I looked on line and realized the is probably permanent AND very little can be done to help this type of sudden rapid loss due to loudness. I couldn't hear my self talk. Fast forward to today. I have loud ringing still AND I've lost noticeably in the middle frequencies. I thought I could still have some hope for more to return but these last few days have all been the same. I can't make out voices/speech if they are facing me. I hear some distortion and my memories of things I know are not what I'm hearing in large part. I absolutely love playing and singing and I just don't know what the future holds. I CAN talk on the phone as this is a large part of my job as a Recruiter. Everything was going great and I had a new record to finish with some great music people in my life. I'm almost afraid to ask for opinions and expectations. I'm embarrassed and regretful. One thing I've learned is that this is so terrible. I wish I could support people somehow at some point in hearing loss because it's unimaginable what one goes through. I have an ENT appointment coming up and that's scary BUT I know people want to help and can help. MY case isn't what many endure and I don't want to seem like I am comparable to others BUT it is nice to get this out to you all. Thank You, Bill

Noise induced hearing loss is common, but most often it's related to the duration of loudness over time. Yes, it can happen suddenly too. The fact that you noticed it right after exposure indicates that it's Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL). Excess noise can cause SSHL, as can other things like flying when congested.

I'm sorry to tell you that noise induced hearing loss is usually permanent. You say some of it has come back and that you can use the phone. That's a good sign.

Sometimes steroid treatment can help bring back some of the hearing lost, but it should be done as soon as possible after the SSHL is noticed. It's been quite some time since you became aware of it.

Did you explain to the ENT why you need an appointment?

I did explain to the ENT staff and my Family Doctor (the day after this occurred) about the situation completely. I have an Appointment but not until July unfortunately. I will keep tracking any changes or improvements AND I'll be grateful for all good signs.