Tinnitus & high frequency hearing loss due to inner ear damage

[agilis]

Hisham, there is an excellent chance your tinnitus is not permanent, since it seems connected to an accident of some sort.. I've had various ear problems connected with diving over the past years. One left me with hearing loss, loud humming, and an unpleasant blocked feeling that persisted for weeks, but which eventually resolved itself. I assume you are seking competent medical help. I wrote only about my own experience, associated with upper range hearing loss that began with a hearing trauma and got worse as I lost additional high frequency hearing with age. Hopefully, yours will improve, maybe disappear. I know that can happen with younger people who suffer some sort of ear damage while diving.

As I sit here typing my ears are ringing, so please know that I understand the frustration this invisible problem creates. I wish you the best of luck. Don't succumb to despair.

 

[DocVikingo]

Hisham, this thread is from 2006 - you may not get an answer.

Indeed. Capybara last signed on to the board on December 18th, 2011. Perhaps a PM or email?

Cheers,

DocVikingo

 

[AJMcc]

Hisham, there is an excellent chance your tinnitus is not permanent, since it seems connected to an accident of some sort.. I've had various ear problems connected with diving over the past years. One left me with hearing loss, loud humming, and an unpleasant blocked feeling that persisted for weeks, but which eventually resolved itself. I assume you are seking competent medical help. I wrote only about my own experience, associated with upper range hearing loss that began with a hearing trauma and got worse as I lost additional high frequency hearing with age. Hopefully, yours will improve, maybe disappear. I know that can happen with younger people who suffer some sort of ear damage while diving.

As I sit here typing my ears are ringing, so please know that I understand the frustration this invisible problem creates. I wish you the best of luck. Don't succumb to despair.

Indeed. Capybara last signed on to the board on December 18th, 2011. Perhaps a PM or email?

Cheers,

DocVikingo

Thanks Both for your reply's, following this thread with interest.
I have been suffering from severe Tinnitus for the last 2 years, first noticed it on the way home after a dive, been with me ever since.
I have tried, so far without success to lessen the ringing...looking for any suggestions or success stories...could use one about now.

 

[chillyinCanada]

ajmcc, have you seen a hearing specialist or ENT? Like you, there's little teakettle whistling away in both ears, but more in one than the other. GP told me to accept it and could look forward to gradually becoming hard of hearing. Lovely, just lovely. In any event, believe I should have pushed to get into a specialist, maybe steroids would have helped in the beginning. I've noticed absolutely no change in my hearing at any range, upper, lower or middle. When it is quiet around me,far more noticeable, so have a white noise machine. Darn it all, currently no access to the white noise machine and have momentarily become so aware . . . ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss Sigh.

 

[AJMcc]

ajmcc, have you seen a hearing specialist or ENT? Like you, there's little teakettle whistling away in both ears, but more in one than the other. GP told me to accept it and could look forward to gradually becoming hard of hearing. Lovely, just lovely. In any event, believe I should have pushed to get into a specialist, maybe steroids would have helped in the beginning. I've noticed absolutely no change in my hearing at any range, upper, lower or middle. When it is quiet around me,far more noticeable, so have a white noise machine. Darn it all, currently no access to the white noise machine and have momentarily become so aware . . . ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss Sigh.

I hear you ! (barely) ...Pun intended...check your PM's

 

[chillyinCanada]

Well, I believed I'm not having any hearing issues, but just last evening, watched the PDR of "The Voice" winners episode. That blonde guy? What's so great about his singing? The other two were amazing!! So that left me thinking, maybe I just can't hear the blonde guy's voice. sssssssssssssssssssssssss . . .

 

[Diver0001]

Thanks Both for your reply's, following this thread with interest.
I have been suffering from severe Tinnitus for the last 2 years, first noticed it on the way home after a dive, been with me ever since.
I have tried, so far without success to lessen the ringing...looking for any suggestions or success stories...could use one about now.

There's not much good news out there as far as I know. When I was younger I played trumpet in a jazz band and the only consolation I have about tinnitus is that mine probably isn't as bad as the guy who had to stand in front of me.

R..

 

[redstrom]

Hisham, go see an ENT doctor ASAP, if induced by barotrauma this should be treated as an ear emergency. From what I've been told you have a better chance of recovery if treated early.

Similar to the original poster I experienced inner ear barotrauma 3 weeks ago. It happened in an 18ft deep pool, during a very relaxed warm-up dive on breath-hold. No pain upon surfacing, but fullness and muffled hearing in my left ear. Woke up the following morning with tinnitus and some degree of light "unsteadiness".

Went straight to the ENT w/out an appointment and was only able to see the nurse. A hearing test confirmed high frequency hearing loss above the 2,000 Khz range. I was immediately put on 60 mg of Prednisone (corticosteroid) for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. The nurse was not very receptive to my story detailing last nights diving activities and seemed unfamiliar with the concept of barotrauma.

Frustrated with no love for diving related injuries and not being able to talk directly to an ENT I called DAN and was referred to UPenn's Hyperbaric Medicine. They saw me within three hours, met with the doctor in charge (who is a diver), did some basic tests and concluded that barotrauma was likely the cause and that I may possibly have a perilymph fistula (though only surgery going through your ear drum could confirm this). On my way out I also got the grand tour of UPenn's hyperbaric facilities and a chance to check out their 4 chambers - cool stuff and great staff!

After 10 days on Prednisone, I returned to my ENT. A new hearing test showed a small improvement (the loss is now centered above the 3,500 khz range). I still suffer from tinnitus and a very mild feeling of unsteadiness. My ENT does not believe it's a perilymph fistula, because I don't have the more severe vertigo commonly associated with PLF. Given the improvement he concluded that I am responding to the steroids and suggested a direct injection of steroids.

Never would I imaging that my first eardrum perforation would happen in a doctors office... but yes they basically put a syringe through your ear drum and shoot steroids into you middle ear. I now know what REAL vertigo feels like... thankfully it only lasted for a few minutes.

Going back to the ENT for another hearing test first week of Jan. If I continue to improve I will likely get a new direct injection.

Would be interested in hearing from other divers who experienced this, how your recovery is going, how much hearing has been regained, and over what time frame.

Rik

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Note: this is NOT an advertisement or endorsement, just a personal story.

I have tinnitus related to noise exposure as well. It got worse over the years until it was almost unbearable, at which point I sought help in the ENT clinic at Duke. There is a product on the market called a Neuromonics device that's basically a REALLY expensive iPod that only plays four songs. In the background of the music there is white noise that is customized to a particular individual's tinnitus frequency. The theory is that in individuals with high-frequency hearing loss, the brain is looking for input from the cochlea but doesn't get any, so it generates its own. The high-frequency noise generated by the brain is then perceived by the sufferer as tinnitus. The Neuromonics device provides the high-frequency noise that the brain is lacking in the form of white noise, and supposedly re-trains the brain to essentially ignore the tinnitus. The device is worn for at least two hours each day, with regular audiology followup visits.

There is some literature to back this up, but it's basically all from the manufacturer. They'll tell you up front that it doesn't work for everyone, but it truly worked for me. I still have the tinnitus but it's now tolerable and back to baseline, i.e. I don't notice it unless I think about it or drink a lot of coffee.

 

[AJMcc]

Note: this is NOT an advertisement or endorsement, just a personal story.

I have tinnitus related to noise exposure as well. It got worse over the years until it was almost unbearable, at which point I sought help in the ENT clinic at Duke. There is a product on the market called a Neuromonics device that's basically a REALLY expensive iPod that only plays four songs. In the background of the music there is white noise that is customized to a particular individual's tinnitus frequency. The theory is that in individuals with high-frequency hearing loss, the brain is looking for input from the cochlea but doesn't get any, so it generates its own. The high-frequency noise generated by the brain is then perceived by the sufferer as tinnitus. The Neuromonics device provides the high-frequency noise that the brain is lacking in the form of white noise, and supposedly re-trains the brain to essentially ignore the tinnitus. The device is worn for at least two hours each day, with regular audiology followup visits.

There is some literature to back this up, but it's basically all from the manufacturer. They'll tell you up front that it doesn't work for everyone, but it truly worked for me. I still have the tinnitus but it's now tolerable and back to baseline, i.e. I don't notice it unless I think about it or drink a lot of coffee.

Thank you , I will be looking into that, and hoping I am one of the lucky that it possibly might help