Constant tinnitus: Are there any solutions?

.... it's amazing how tinnitus can affect our lives; I also have hyperacusit; moderate hearing loss (no hearing aides); eusatchian tube pain - no tubes for me; and to crown it all : musical tinnitus/aka auditory halucinations/aka musical ear.... so if its not one issue its another. the mucial ear sounds nice but it isnt as it comes on day or night in one ear or other and its the first refrain of any type of music; jazz; Christmas carol; national Anthem; nursery rhyme; and goes on an don and on for up to five hours and sometimes softer sometimes louder.... sometimes slower/faster sometimes garbled... i didnt think anything could be worse than tinnitus but I was wrong.... and no cure. (It'snot "ear worm"when you sort of think of a favourite song/music) its your brain actually hearig it!! Have read about it and they say its not a mental health issue - but it has become one. Along with other health issues and a Senior it does become hard to cope with and doctors/nurses have never heard of it! Anyone else? Now am not sure when its tinnitus or the bongo drums! or thunder, or our air conditioning unit ugh!!!

@valerie have you read anything by Oliver Sachs? I wonder if there is a case like yours in his book Musicophilia.

Hi Valerie, I have had tinnitus for 53 years since I shattered my eardrum so I know how annoying it can be. It has become louder and louder in recent years. I had never heard of the musical version which really sounds annoying because it would conflict with the real sounds. Anytime you hear something that isn't really there, it's not good. Sorry to hear you have this. From what I just read, it's your brain trying to fill in the hearing gap appropriately the same way our brain fills in the blind spot in our eye to match the rest of what it sees. Why it picks music, who knows? What a strange and annoying disorder.

I just got hearing aids. The audiologist thought it might help with the tinnitus among other issues. It does not. He said it would help with clarity -- not so far. What it does for me as far as I can tell is just amplify everything so I'm hearing things a person wouldn't normally hear like loud crinkling paper when I try to read. It's like a sitcom when someone has a hangover and they hear every little sounds magnified and annoying. So far it doesn't help with clarity on the TV. The last issue to test is if I can hear better in a crowded restaurant. Haven't tested that yet. With hearing loss in one ear mostly, it makes it hard to distinguish close voices from distant voices so I don't hear anyone clearly.

I am facing hearing aids and I keep putting it off....sigh. I have had tinnitus for about 8 years. The right ear is a high pitched ringing and the left ear at times sounds like morse code clicking. I do find if I eat something with a lot of sodium or caffeine the tinnitus worsens. I am blessed that my brain has tuned it out, but, it has really effected my hearing. If someone has a low voice, I can't hear what they are saying often times or if the TV is on and someone is talking to me. Being in a crowd is extra hard to have a one on one conversation. God Bless You All! Growing old is not for wimps is it?

Hi Valerie
I have severe Tinnitus and high frequency hearing loss. I was trained by a Tinnitus professor and have been helping people with this condition for fifteen years. I suspect in your case those hearing aids were not programmed properly. Hearing aids are the number one support device for Tinnitus. Many audiologists don't use Best Practices with patients and many don't know how to program aids properly. If you would like you can email me at tvtinnitus@Gmail.com and I would be glad to connect with you and determine how I can help. I have helped hundreds restore life quality as a professional volunteer utilizing my experience and knowledge. I would be happy to speak with you

...jsut saw this , thank you.. will do a search Oliver Sachs and also check symptoms or info re Musicophilia. Woke up to Scottish tune of song I heard as a child living in UK... and it went on for about 3 hours... maybe I should start writing down what I hear, but then what? Maybe there is a facebook group of those who have this, may be helpful to talk about as even Nurse Practitioner yesterday never heard of it so I have to explain and all the time am wondering if they thin I am making it up!

...um, just did a very fast search and don't think its Musicophilia will check again tomorrow as bedtime here now...
just the following quote/a basic answer on Internet, about M.E.S. but am wondering why "all" people with hearing loss are not "hearing" music as I now am?
Quote: Musical ear syndrome, or MES, is a condition that causes auditory hallucinations where patients hear music or singing that isn't there. The condition normally occurs in those already suffering from hearing loss and is a result of the brain 'filling in the gaps' caused by the hearing loss
?

The book is titled Musicophilia. That is not a condition. Author is Oliver Sacks (I had a typo earlier)

oh thanks, been a long day... will check tomorrow, appreciate the feedback... J.

I’m new to this. I have very loud ringing since my hearing loss incident. I am not sure I’ve ever gotten good advice on this. The Dr just said we don’t know how to treat it so the masking is common. I’ll follow the answers from others on this. For you to wince means you must have a real challenge. Sorry that this is the case for you.