Tuesday, December 10, 2019

TINNITUS, IT IS WHAT IT IS


IT IS WHAT IT IS
AND WHAT IT IS,
IS NOT GOOD!
By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, December 10, 2019
Reader Note:  Words appearing in BLUE mean they are links to web sites

Why am I writing this Nugget?  I like to think it is a word to the wise and that it “should” be sufficient but I am certain it won’t be and a great many won’t read pass this one sentence.  Ignoring this information could be very detrimental to your children or children that you may know.  Choose not to read at their peril.

What is Tinnitus?  Here is a definition from the following web page: 

Tinnitus is the PERCEPTION of noise or ringing in the ears. A common problem, tinnitus affects about 15 to 20 percent of people. Tinnitus isn't a condition itself — it's a symptom of an underlying condition, such as age-related hearing loss, ear injury or a circulatory system disorder.
Although bothersome, tinnitus usually isn't a sign of something serious. Although it can worsen with age, for many people, tinnitus can improve with treatment. Treating an identified underlying cause sometimes helps. Other treatments reduce or mask the noise, making tinnitus less noticeable.

Have you ever noticed that when you can’t sleep at night and you watch television that you see all the ads for products relating to physical discomfort?  Have you ever noticed that when you conduct a search on the Internet all of a sudden and sometimes immediately, you see advertisements popping up all over the place relating to what you searched? 

Having Tinnitus is no different than having a sore knee in this regard.  You search and suddenly you see all types of remedies “guaranteed to work.”  THEY DON’T!  As of this writing there is no remedy for Tinnitus.  Why?  Primarily because no one is certain how you develop Tinnitus or where it comes from and where within your head it manifests itself.  How confusing is that?

Most people (and I hate that phrase but is seems applicable in regards to Tinnitus) think that Tinnitus starts with being exposed to loud noise over a period of time.  How long a period of time would it take? No one knows.  In fact, I believe that they are all guessing otherwise all the medical experts would already know and also know how to treat it since it affects upwards of 20% of the population.  If it in fact DOES START WITH EXPOSURE TO LOUD NOISES, wouldn’t you think parents and friends of children would be more aware of what their children are being exposed to and why it is important to pay attention and make adjustments accordingly?

I have Tinnitus and it is impossible to explain to people without Tinnitus just how horrible this issue is.  Imagine hearing a ringing or a buzzing in your ear 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?  As I write this, the noise in my head is a buzzing noise and it never really goes away.  But it is not about the ear as the ringing/buzzing is as stated above “a perception” that it occurs in the ear when it actually occurs somewhere in the brain.

Here is the deal, so to speak.  There ARE times of the day I don’t realize I am hearing the buzzing I am hearing at this moment.  Why is that?  The answer lies with people who live close to a railroad track.  When you ask them about the train noise, they respond, “What noise?”  They have mentally programmed their minds that the noise does not exist.  That actually seems to work but it is not a permanent solution nor is it something that you can just begin doing – it takes a great deal of work to reprogram your mind and thoughts.

I have tried the over-the-counter pills you see advertised – for me they were a waste of money.  They didn’t work.

The Veterans Administration purchased a Sound Pillow for me.  It is a pillow with speakers built in and an electronic device that resembles an Ipod.  The device is programmed to play upwards of 13 different sounds over and over again throughout the night that only you can hear when you place your head on the pillow.  How does it work?  It is one way to distract you from thinking about the noise in your head.  Instead you hear a babbling brook, surf, rain, or gentle flowing music.  Does it work?  For me, not particularly but it is nice to go to sleep to so in one sense I guess it does work.  I have become accustomed to having a fan(s) on at night for the same reason – the constant noise tends to distract you from thinking about the Tinnitus noise.  You in effect are substituting one noise for another.

The Veterans Administration also purchased and gave me very expensive Hearing Aids.  I was told they typically run about $4000 for the pair.  I do not have a hearing loss.  The aids have a device to (1) control the level of noise I can actually hear like any hearing aid but more importantly (2) they have a built in 3 program selection of very hard to hear noise that is suppose to distract you from hearing the Tinnitus.  Does it work?  Hasn’t for me but then that may be just me since I really didn’t like wearing the devices all day long.  They tend to change regular noises that you have come accustomed to hearing including your own voice and that is weird. 

As you read this you might have thought about self-hypnosis as I did.  I purchased several CDs that use the guided self-hypnosis theory.  Did they work?  They actually did because I would routinely fall asleep with my headphones on and that meant I would wake up within the first hour of sleep due to the headphones on my head.  Then the process would start all over again or I would just try to go to sleep without assistance.

I also read the book, Tinnitus; Turning The Volume Down written by Kevin Hogan, Psy.D and Jennifer Battaglino, LCSW.  Did the book help?  It definitely informed me about the medical and mental issues about Tinnitus.  It too involved using a CD with guided self-hypnosis techniques.  Is the book worth reading?  Absolutely!

My Primary Care Doctor prescribed a mile sleeping pill and that has help me to fall asleep and stay asleep.  Without it, sleep is very difficult for me.

The ONE major take-away from the book was the word DEPRESSION!  Hogan described how some people with Tinnitus have actually taken their lives because of the depression caused by their Tinnitus.  I can attest that my Tinnitus is very depressing.  You just want the noise to go away and it doesn’t; it never really goes away.

This hopefully explains why having Tinnitus is no fun.  As a parent or as a friend, you could save children a great deal of difficulty if you and they just pay attention to what the noise they expose themselves to.  Have you ever heard a car pass with the windows UP and be able to hear the Boom-Boom-Boom of the bass on whatever they are listening to?  Can you imagine what they hear through the ear buds and head phones they wear?  Constant exposure to noise may or may not be the cause of Tinnitus but until they discover that it isn’t, you cannot make a mistake by permitting your children to listen to loud music.  Tinnitus also seems to attack musicians, people who work around engines, people who fire weapons, etc.  Where there is a loud noise, you run the risk of developing Tinnitus and as stated, it is no fun!  NO FUN!

I sincerely hope that this Nugget helps someone.  I only wish I had known about Tinnitus growing up; I would have used ear plugs more frequently.  Actually, I never used them until only recently in the hope that I was not helping the Tinnitus to grow more aggravating.

I beg of you to never put me in the position of saying

“I TOLD YOU SO!”

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