Do any of you guys have tinnitus?

General Discussion
1

Hey, guys

I was just wondering if any of you guys also have tinnitus

I do, and it’s not really a big deal. For me, it’s worst first thing in the morning, when I’m getting out of bed

It’s funny . . . as I’m typing this, the “split screen” to the right is suggesting topics, which this is apparently similar to. But all the suggestions are dead wrong. Zero in common with tinnitus

Anyways, I’m not asking for advice or anything, as I don’t have problems dealing with it. AFAIK, it’s not affected the ability to perform my job duties. I’ve never NOT heard a noise, because of the ringing. To be humorous, on the american tinnitus association website, I was able to identify the exact tone I’m hearing, because they have several sample sounds :headphones: I’m merely curious. I figure some of the military veterans might have it, as well as some of the guys that have been wrenching for decades, as well as maybe guys that spent a large part of their time at race tracks, etc.

Please . . . anybody wishing to tell me it’s all my own fault, because I didn’t sufficiently protect my hearing, attended too many heavy metal concerts, hung out in too many noisey bars, etc. just save it. It won’t change the situation. I know what I did or didn’t do. I have nobody to blame but myself, but there’s no point in anybody pointing fingers at me, calling me an idiot for allowing this to happen. Life happens

Carolyn, if you’re reading this . . . I urge you to accept this as car-related, because hearing damage does occur for people working in the automotive profession. It might later veer off into politics, but at least it started car-related

Again . . . I am NOT asking for advice. I am merely curious what you guys have to say, and maybe somebody else will be willing to admit they also have it.

2

Very mild in my case, sometimes worse. I can hear slight ringing most of the time and have trouble with higher frequencies-particularly soft spoken women. Yeah maybe the dances with loud music or hunting I dunno. In school I did spend a few years in factories without much protection. The worst was the can plant where it was so loud you couldn’t hear yourself think and had to get your own ear protection back then which wasn’t readily available. One thing though people on the road a lot that have their window cracked (like truckers) will have a problem with their left ear from the noise.

3

A friend of a friend way back when was on disability due to Tinnitus, possible I have it, but luckily it is minimal and non invasive to my day to day functioning. The guy who had it was non functional. Funny this morning I went on the porch for a smoke, not a car on the street and it was perfect silence. I remember the last time I heard nothing, the day after 9-11, no planes, trains, railroad cars or engines. I listen late at night a I am a light sleeper, 2 long toots, one short toot then one long toot means train approaching an intersection. Many times I have a high pitch background noise, but I have to think it is like back pain, you cannot really appreciate the suffering until you experience it yourself.

Car related just for cq, wifes 2015 optima road noise extreme on some roads, otherwise quiet as a bell, (that makes no sense) Stuff happens @db, my mom gettting injections in her eye for macular degeneration, and I will tell you a story told to me.

A man was very miserable about how ilfe was treating him and prayed to god every day for help. god looked down on him and brought him to a place where he could trade his cross of burdens for any one elses. The man left with the cross he came in with,probably a 67 Dart!

4

Yeah, I do. I’ve never really pursued it as far as figuring out which tone I’m hearing like you have. But it’s there. Like you it hasn’t really affected my work performance, other than sometimes not being able to hear a conversation clearly, but that’s as much related to hearing loss as the tinnitus I believe.

A few years ago I found out I’ve lost 20-30% of the hearing in my right ear. I’m right handed, and all the years of working on cars with noisy air tools in my right hand have taken a toll. I never wear ear (or eye) protection.

Or maybe it’s that the stereo in the car is always up to max. Who knows? Would I ever blame it on my work? No. All jobs carry their risks.

Have you found if there’s any cure or treatment for it?

5

Wow @asemaster That is an interesting question about what tone do you hear. I tried searching notes on the interweb, but nothing come close to the high pitch I get,

6

I spent only about 5 minutes on that website, and that includes reading the description of tinnitus and listening to all of the sample tones

To say I’ve really researched it would be an overstatement

According to that website, there’s no real cure or treatment

They stressed that it’s all up to you . . . if you let it make you miserable, you WILL be miserable. If you choose to NOT dwell on it, and make the most of your life, you’ll be just fine

I’m in the latter category

Like you, I also didn’t wear hearing protection or eye protection for a large part of my working career. Several years ago, I started wearing hearing protection to preserve my hearing. I was worried about becoming deaf, I wasn’t even thinking of tinnitus at the time. I didn’t even know I had it at the time. Maybe I didn’t. As for eye protection, I’ve only started wearing that in the very recent past.

I agree with you, that every job has its risks. My brother has worked in an office his entire working life, and his wrists are shot. Carpal tunnel syndrome. He got surgery, but it was only a moderate improvement. Things could be worse. If had what my brother has, I’d have a hard time turning wrenches, I would imagine

When I worked at a sawmill, several of the guys were missing fingers :fearful:

7

Check out this website, it seems fairly legitimate

https://www.ata.org/understanding-facts/symptoms

It was awhile ago, but I believe the 7500hz tone is the one I’m hearing

But it was a mild PITA to download the sample tones :frowning2:

8

I have a friend with Meniere’s disease. Has been able to function fine but I can tell when things are not that alright.

My hearing is just fine, unless you ask my wife :slight_smile:

My eyes aren’t the best though and if the genes are the same as y dad’s, then I am going to have trouble soon.

9

For me it seems, the right side, kind of an inner ear source, and yes I am exposed to high noise environments, wear earplugs and make any lackeys that go with me wear ear plugs. They think I am senior overboard safety, demanding they wear ear plugs and safety glasses, but just last summer a a seasonal got a metal splinter in his eye, no fun for him but he swore he was wearing safety glasses, I think not, but I cant watch every one all the time.

10

I believe I have mild tinnitus.

I was around some loud music in high school. But in college my dorm room was the dance room, as we had the largest open floor and the loudest stereo. That was back when you had an actual stereo and large speakers with 10 inch woofers (or bigger!). These kids with their little Bluetooth boomboxes don’t know what they’re missing…

Anyway, I do a better job protecting my hearing now. I always use earplugs when mowing the lawn and going to concerts (when I can afford it, ugh). Gotta take care of what you have.

11

Thanks for sharing. Thankfully, I do not have tinnitus. I have been lucky enough to work for a company that drills the wearing of personal protective equipment, a practice which I’ve adopted at home. I hope that your sharing of this prompts others to make more of an effort to buy it and wear it.

12

I have it, but I just cope with it and it doesn’t drive me crazy. I shoot a lot, and by a lot I mean 4300 rounds of 12 gauge ammo shot at registered trap clay birds plus an uncounted amount shot in practice rounds last year.
I also rode a lot of motorcycles and listened to a lot of loud music in my youth. Today, I wear ear plugs at work, all the time, compressed air nozzles make an intense noise that I don’t need to hear. I also won’t ride a motorcycle anymore without ear plugs in my ears. It’s not the exhaust noise, it’s the wind noise. I leave the mufflers on my bikes alone, not just for the sake of my hearing, but I like for my neighbors to use all five fingers when they wave at me.
Hours spent in the seat of a certain brand of green painted two cylinder farm tractors didn’t help either.

13

A mild case that comes and goes depending on how I feel. Static-electric sound ranges, both ears, a little worse in the left ear.

Generally worked in an office and lab but spent lots of time at racetracks. My last race car had a muffler for several reasons. 1) Maximum sound requirements at tracks I raced on 2) I can’t talk over the radio to my crew with open pipes and 3) No performance increase so why would put up with it. and 4) I can’t hear the cars around me.

Some speaking has gotten a little muddy so I tend to increase the volume of the TV a bit more than I should. Much like my parents did as they aged.

As for safety glasses… I wear glasses all the time. I tried contacts for a while and always found myself with safety glasses on my head or around my neck because I was going in and out of the lab all day long. (We had a pretty aggressive safety glass policy) So I stopped wearing contacts and didn’t get Lasik because I’ve always got glasses on anyway!

14

I have some but it is acceptable. I am 71. I was a mechanic and a body man while I waited to be drafted. No hearing protection. I was a combat Engineer in Viet Nam with no hearing protection. Lots of loud noises including a 3200 pound pile driver. Off and on hearing protection during training with lots of noise; like firing 20 full clips as fast as possible.

I did have my hearing tested 10 years ago by the VA. I just recently had a retest at the VA which showed very little change in 10 years. They will provide hearing aids later this month. I’m relating all this to show you younger guys with hearing loss that it doesn’t necessarily get worse with age.

15

I didn’t realize there was a problem with my hearing until after retiring and realized that some conversation was lost when the speaker was high pitched and monotone and also it is difficult to distinguish which direction a sirene is coming from until it is nearby.

But while I seemed to have protected my eyes from damage working in the shop along with my ears my back took a beating that will haunt me 'till the end.

And this brings to mind the proposition of increasing the age for Social Security benefits to 67. Work is a relative term and while repairing automobiles for most of my adult life took its toll on me there are a great many professions more difficult. Can miners, masons, plumbers, farm laborers, etc., support themselves until they are 67? I’m 67 now and when I make minor repairs on one of my vehicles 2 hours of flat rate might take me 2 days to finish and when I do finish taking off my boots is tough. After a lifetime of pulling wrenches how does a 67 year old R&R a clutch in 4 hours? When I was 40 something I replaced 3 clutches before lunch one day working on a creeper.

16

I have a rougly 50-60% hearing loss in each ear along with tinnitus which ranges from irritating all the time to REALLY irritating all the time.

The worst part of hearing loss and especially tinnitus is dealing with people who “just don’t get it” so to speak.

It’s very frustrating to deal with someone whom you’ve told 6 times in a row to speak up because of my hearing loss or the tinnitus really flaring up and yet they can’t seem to do anything but mumble or whisper.

My mother in law speaks in a whisper all of the time. Even other people with good hearing and no tinnitus have difficulty hearing her at times.
So who does she always get upset with when I have to ask her to speak up (which she can’t)? Me. It’s my fault. Always.

It’s near impossible to hear someone when the tinnitus in my ears is louder than the speech of the person I’m trying to converse with.

17

Good morning, yes - I am reading it. It’s a stretch regarding the topic, but I don’t mean to minimize or discount the impact it can have on day to day life. Please try to keep it on topic-ish. I recognize that this is related inasmuch as it can be developed in occupational settings.

18

…What’s that you say? Speak up Ma’am.

3 Likes
19

I’ve had it since I was a child, can’t remember not having it. I had bad ear infections when I was a child and had drainage tubes put in. I’m not sure if that caused it or I had it before that. Anyway, mine wasn’t caused by noise exposure.

Mine is constant high pitch ringing 24/7. My hearing is still pretty good though despite it. I can sort of forget about the ringing if I’m in a noisy environment. When It’s quiet, the ringing can drive me batty sometimes. Wish I could flip a switch and turn it off.

20

I said, happy new year, @Rod_Knox!