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Tinnitus anyone?

Along with my tinnitus I have unusual frequency of Ear Barotrauma. that is air pressure difference between the inside and outside of the eardrum.

I'm not talking about normal in an airplane or occasional. I have to clear my ears several times a day.

I have yet to find a medical professional that knows how to deal with it.

I personally think there is a connection between my tinnitus and possible damage or birth defect effecting my Eustachian tube and hearing loss

Finding a good ear doctor is as hard as finding a good motorcycle mechanic. All I ever get from doctors is the simplistic answer of "age related". And yes it could have something to do with it but they seem too lazy to investigate further
 
Finding a good ear doctor is as hard as finding a good motorcycle mechanic. All I ever get from doctors is the simplistic answer of "age related". And yes it could have something to do with it but they seem too lazy to investigate further

Ain't that the truth! How about finding any doctor for that matter (especially one taking new patients).

I self-diagnosed two major personal problems; Hypothyroidism, and Clostridium difficile. The first; since hypothroidism is only found in about 4% of all cases, so my physician didn't "think the test would show anything"; boy was he wrong! The second case, was brought on by a regimen of heavy duty anti-biotics (prescribed by my dentist after a root canal) wiped out all but the hardiest of bacteria found in the lower intestines resulting in almost constant lower intestinal "looseness" for several weeks. My physician (not the same one) pushed back on my suggestions as to the cause, and when he finally acquiesced to having me tested found that I was correct.

Moral of the story: You've gotta educate yourself. I just can't wait until the Health Care For America Plan kicks in... .. .
 
'cause...it's a medical Practice

IMO, everyone needs to be their own or have their own- advocate. OM
 
Why it is that health care professionals practice, and legal professionals practice, but the rest of us are expected to know what the we're doing from the getgo? :dunno
 
As I've aged the "aura" surrounding docs has dimmed somewhat in view of the simple reality that they are people practicing on other people with the training they got & trying to give it their best shot-we hope. I look at it much the same as when I went through an 8,000 hour apprenticeship it did not turn me into an expert. Sure I could now be called a "journeyman" but lets be real, I was a new one and lacked experience.
EG: When I ran a juvy program, one of the things we did was remove the kid from any medications that were of a kind that are intended to "alter" the childs behavior. There are several in common use & probably some of your kids or GD kids take them. What with the huge amount of diagnoses for ADD it happens (IMO way to much) often. The local doc at that time had done a residency in a juvy treatment program & we always/only took kids off meds based on a doc recommendation so he and I were having this discussion as to how common it is to write the prescription but how uncommon that the experience that gives the ability to know when a kid has ADD is there. Having also been a school counselor I've seen it from that end too. Same argument can be made about nutrition-my SIL(I have a bunch) thats a registered dietician/nutritionist said that docs had very little if any real training in that area-lets hope thats changed since she told me that few years back. I'm not "hating on doc", just trying to shed some light.
Then you have peolple like my neighbor who's telling us how he's "woe is me" cause the doc has him off of pickled bologna, yet he continues to eat fried all of the above...go figure, huh?:banghead FWIW, I hear ringing now & always and we don't have a doorbell...my HA's do not stop the ringing!
It may get hard to find a doc soon enough for reasons of insurance issues. Better go see one while you can ?
 
No need to see a doctor about hearing loss. I'll save you money and give you a quick diagnosis and the same answer as most doctors ,"age related" and if you're young "sports related". Or the one I like best "most people have it".

Of course there are serious conscientious doctors out there and I hope you find one.
 
I am a PA and I ride...

ok.
rule 1
take care of yourself. google lifestyle change.
Learn about proper:
nutrition
exercise
fluid intake
sunlight and being outdoors
moderate lifestyle
healthy breathing
proper rest
trusting in a "higher power" outside yourself

rule 2
take advantage of the info that is out there to stay self informed

rule 3
develop a relationship with a primary care doc who vibrates on the same frequency as you do

rule 4
do not depend on the medical community for anything. If you must go there, then strap in and give yourself to the system wholeheartedly utilizing the knowledge, self awareness and provider relationships that you gained from rules 1-3.

There are some empathetic providers that want to help others out there. Go find one and dont blow their minds with questions, or lack of personal responsibility. Triage your questions and concerns and get to know the person on a deeper level. It WILL pay off in the long term.


ok i am ready for the knee jerk responses...
 
This is a fun thread and most of us have the same history, just different sources.
2 1/2 years on a U.S. Navy carrier (CVA-42) with all it's noisy jets.
Shooting since I was about 7 years old, most without ear plugs.
35 years as a volunteer fireman (started with a tin hat, hip boots, canvas gear and we rode on the back of the pumpers).
Last 5 years in the fire service I was an engineer with the siren blasting off trucks and cliffs to the point my eyes watered.
I had to retire from the fire service because my hearing was so bad I could not hear directions or the time I was being screamed at because I was about to step on a live wire that was arcing between my feet.
Lastly, 20 years as a machine operator. I had ear plugs but the use of the air hoses away from the machines is ear spliting.
My tinnitus used to really bother me but my hearing has gotten so bad I can't hear the buzzing, popping and hissing unless it is very quiet. When that happens I turn on the ceiling fan and the buzz puts me to sleep.
 
Tinitus

Ditto. I use ear plugs for shooting and for sleeping when late night bands are playing downtown where I live in a high rise but it actually makes the tinnitus the prominent noise. I just don't pay any attention to it.
I have been reading that some prescription medicenes can cause it or make it worse but the doc says I need to take them because I won't hear a thing from 6' under.
I wear a Schuberth helmet that is quiet but it is to preserve the whole head not just the hearing.
Robb

Well this is interesting. It seems like there are quite a few poor Bas*^*ds suffering with this as it's quite annoying. Nothing new for me guys, it's been 20+ years it's just that I've never seen the subject brought up here on the forum.
For me, it's a cross between a whistling tea kettle and a summer night- at above conversational level. It's interesting on the use of ear protection most of you are trying. I need some music to temper it off a bit as regular earplugs or ear muffs turn the experience into a giant echo chamber.
Rad, it sounds like you and I are dealing with it in a similar fashion. :ear :banghead
 
No need to see a doctor about hearing loss. I'll save you money and give you a quick diagnosis and the same answer as most doctors ,"age related" and if you're young "sports related". Or the one I like best "most people have it".

Of course there are serious conscientious doctors out there and I hope you find one.
I'm no doc either but even I know that some hearing issues are going to be discovered by doctor & treated by a ENT doctor. There's a reason the politicos have passed many laws protecting us (partway at best!) from the HA practitioners. They can be your friend or your money suction device. Not a new thought either.
 
Ok, Ya missed one, Don't get your medical advice from internet motorcycle forums.
I have to say that post #69 is spot on IMO! Maybe it's not "medical advice" as such but it is a great outlook on both self care & seeking services for self. As a Humana customer for Medicare I have this nurse thats my "Jiminy Cricket" if you will (she calls periodically to check on this old guy:) ) and whats said above is her exact approach to proactive health awareness and care seeking.
 
I've got it too, some helpful tips

I have tinnitus also. Being shot at and shooting at others will do that. A couple of things I have found to help. I downloaded the program white noise, on my ipad. It has different sounds that I play at night. I listen to the airplane most of the time. It helps me sleep and seems to take away, or mask the ringing noise. When I'm riding, I had plugs made to fit in my ears at the last rally. I listen to music through them, I know its illegal in some states, but it gets rid of 90 % of the wind noise. Good luck.
Brad the truck driver
 
In the Army I drove a tank and was a gunner. In the Marines I was infantry and a machine gunner. When I quit that I was a law enforcement officer and averaged 250 rounds a week for 7 years. I always used hearing protection when afforded the opportunity which wasn't always.

So tinninitus yes. What do I do? Drink whiskey. Run a floor fan at night. Ignore it. Wear ear plugs all the time to keep things from getting worse.

That sounds like good advice.
 
So that's why all those crickets keep singing in the background....lol?

Mine oscillates between crickets chirping and a constant high pitch "test tone". It has gotten a little better over the years... Or maybe I have just gotten used to it.
 
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you've gotten used to it. and, there are natural fluctuations as to its intensity. (right now, I have quite the cricket chorus going on, early morning seems to be a bad time for mine). There is no reverse gear for tinnitus, which is why hearing protection is so vitally important. I wish i'd known (and practiced) that earlier.
 
Mine oscillates between crickets chirping and a constant high pitch "test tone". I has gotten a little better over the years... Or maybe I have just gotten used to it.

I have the emergency broadcast system tone. It hasn't gotten better and certain drugs aggravate it, like aspirin and hydrocodone. I wish I could turn it off.
 
I have the emergency broadcast system tone. It hasn't gotten better and certain drugs aggravate it, like aspirin and hydrocodone. I wish I could turn it off.

I was reading something online r.e. NSAIDS & the potential side effects of certain ones(there are a bunch of types/categories of them aspirin is one as mentioned above) and some can cause Tinnitus.
 
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