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IT IS WHAT IT IS
AND WHAT IT IS,
IS NOT GOOD!
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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