Hearing aids and Tinnitus

[Rustynuts]

Well been dealing with hearing loss for quite awhile now, due to loud work environments, hot rods and riding Harley's for close to 50 years and shooting , not to mention old age, lol !
Anyway about 3 weeks ago, I was fitted for my first pair of hearing aids. Went to see the Audiologist today and have them "dialed in" and tweaked a little more. I'm also dealing with a mild case of Tinnitus in both ears, but the right being the worst.
The tech said there is no real cure for the Tinnitus, and offered a couple tips to help deal with it. Was just wondering if anybody has or is dealing with this and might have any ideas to help cope. Seems to be the worst at night, with complete silence, when trying to fall asleep.
Take very good care of your hearing and wear good ear protection or pay the price down the road.

 

[jg123]

sometimes background noise helps,but mostly, it's just there. After surgery on my ears, using high speed drills, I woke up with it, about 30 some plus years now...

 

[jav]

I been wearing aids going on 15 years I am 71 started probably when I was 55 years old. Fist experience was awful went miracle ear bad mistake rip off finally year ago went a real audiologist and fitted with the most powerful set they make phonics I thing still not perfect for speech but lots better my hearing is just bad from years of landscape ing loud music Harley’s had two of those anyway I don’t have the tinnitus problem thank god I don’t need anymore . I probably on the border line of implants good luck

 

[Rustynuts]

The tech said many people have luck masking the tinnitus at night with playing soft sounds similar to a cd player. Amazon has several pages of different players and not that expensive . She said to avoid total silence, it just magnifies the tinnitus.

 

[Rustynuts]

Gonna give this a shot to hopefully help with the Tinnitus.

 

[bedfordboy]

I sleep with a fan running every night, use a YouTube on loop if I’m away from home and don’t have a fan. Seriously considering hearing aids in the near future, I’ve been told the Costco ones are better than most even the audiologist ones

 

[hittman]

The hearing aids themselves seemed to help mine a lot.
I put mellow music on tv and set timer for 30 minutes as I get in bed.

Ya get what you pay for with hearing aids. I spent a lot on Phonak brand 12 years ago, rechargeable, no regrets.

 

[s4s4u]

I have no hearing aids, but have been dealing with tinnitus for over 4 decades. Silence doesn't exist. I always sleep with a fan blowing on me, so perhaps that helps at night. You get used to it.

 

[Hertervillian]

If you are an aspirin user that could make the tinnitus worse. No doubt there are other things too. Mine isn’t too bad till o get a bunch of aspirin in my system.

 

[3manfan]

Another vote for a fan on all night. I have a miniature one for travel. I've had it in both ears for about 30 years. I consider myself lucky that it's the exact same frequency as crickets & I brainwashed myself long ago that I'm just sleeping outdoors. I can pretty much ignore it during waking hours.

 

[hittman]

Fan at night makes me wake up with a sore throat. Surely I cant be the only one.

 

[Cholo]

I've had severe tinnitus for well over 50 years. This is the best soft noise maker I've found in all that time. I have 2 of them and even travel with one when I take motorcycle trips. YMMV.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JU8P8VY

 

[eveled]

Fan at night makes me wake up with a sore throat. Surely I cant be the only one.

I only get that if it’s blowing on me.

 

[Mobuck]

Much of the time, all I can hear is the tinnitus. Have used aids for 10-12 years w/o much help. I've had the 'monster crickets' long enough that it's just an annoyance but doesn't affect sleep.
Audiologist told me years ago the using hearing aids might help lessen the tinnitus over time but I haven't seen much(any) lessening. Latest test indicated I have nearly 100% hearing loss in the upper 25-40% of frequency range so they cranked up my hearing aids to help with that resulting in most speech coming through with a lisp or whistle.
I'm at a point where I'm feeling the need for smoke detectors that profoundly deaf folks require. BTW, when traveling, I ask if the hotel has rooms with this type of protection. I've had some rooms that have a light that blinks if someone uses the 'doorbell' button in the hall.

 

[Terry Morgan]

My hearing is slipping more and more, plus tinnitus. I blame rock 'n roll and a lifetime of shooting. I wouldn't change a thing. WHAT?

 

[jg123]

I sleep with a fan running every night, use a YouTube on loop if I’m away from home and don’t have a fan. Seriously considering hearing aids in the near future, I’ve been told the Costco ones are better than most even the audiologist ones

costco ones may not as good as the more expensive brands, depending on your hearing type loss, I have had both.

 

[trebor44]

"Weather radio" and listen to the static during sleep hours! Multi purpose item!

 

[thinckley]

I've been wearing hearing aids for just over a year. Mine connect to my iphone, and both the hearing aid app and the iphone offer different background noise options to "mask" the tinnitus. I used quotes, because it doesn't really mask anything, it gives your brain something else to focus on so it is not focusing on the nerve damage that is tinnitus. That's during the day. At night the wife and I put a PBS documentary on for background noise, or I use either thunderstorms or crashing waves on my Amazon device.

 

[jdavis]

I have had tinnitus for about a dozen years. Mine varies in intensity and at times I don’t really notice it. I took the advice of a friend and had the Costco audiologist fit me with their K2 hearing aids several years ago. He told me that Phonak made the K2 aids for them at that time. The price was much lower than the local hearing clinics. I bought a TV transmitting device that allows me to hear the TV without disturbing others with loud volume. Overall the hearing aids are a good idea although I still find them a bit annoying.

 

[ammo dave]

Moderate hearing loss and tinnitus: too cheap to visit an audiologist and too lazy to go thru the VA (60 mi away). I see lots of over the counter “hearing aids” offered for less than 200 bucks. Are any of those worth the trouble? Can’t find a review online that isn’t a thinly disguised Amazon ad.

 

[sceva]

Once I retired and went on Medicare ( an Advantage plan is a retirement benefit for my wife) and Hearing aids are covered I was fitted for a set. The wife and I both have Widex hearing aids; according to our audiologist The one we have can help with tinnitus. It won't stop or cure it but when wearing them it does not bother me nearly as much.

 

[Mobuck]

I went to considerable trouble and expense to have hearing aids interface with cell phone. Totally worthless in my case. The phone connection has to fight with background noise coming through the aids resulting in still not being able to hear the phone conversation.

 

[Rustynuts]

I don't do smart phones, so I guess that puts me at a disadvantage

 

[warren5421]

I grew up on a farm driving tractors without mufflers, went into the Navy working in the Engineroom with steam, also have shoot guns off and on most of my life. Didn't start using hearing protection till the 80's. Hearing aids can't go any higher. I play classical music at night that is a little loader than the tinnitus. It works for me but if a guest stays the night they don't like how high the volume is.

 

[Mobuck]

"I don't do smart phones,"
Neither did I until it became a work requirement. Now, there's no going back since a flip phone/dumb phone is 2x more $$ than keeping the phartphone I already have.

 

[Johnnu2]

I've done EVERYTHING wrong in life and earned my tinnitus pretty much the way everyone else has. The Costco audiologist told me that there is nothing that will "fix it" so, 'just deal with it'. I must be blessed because I don't notice it unless I'm "listening for it"; and I can fall asleep in the middle of an active war zone......... and sleep for 9+hrs (except to get up often to pee). I CAN HEAR IT RIGHT NOW
J.

 

[Lo-Bo]

Im 65 and have had tinnitus for years. Something I have just become use to. Run a large box fan at night while sleeping In the last few years at times I will get a series of beeps that sounds like morse code. I looked it up on google and its a real condition. Usually get the morse code sounds when using loyts of Ibuprofen. At least we know that it a real condition. Back in the 1960s my grandfather had what we call tinnitus but at that time doctors didnt know what it was . They told him it was hardening of the arteries. It drove him crazy.

 

[BULL'S-EYE]

My hearing is mostly Okay, I've always done my best to take care of it. But, thanks to cracking my skull in an horrific accident many years ago, I now have this ailment known as pulsatile tinnitus. Which not only involves ear ringing, but also produces a whooshing/pulsing/throbbing sound, that matches my heartbeat in both my ears.
Nothing can be done about it, and it does bother me at times. But, I've done my best at dealing with it...No choice really.

 

[19drivermaker46]

DAMN all of you guys for bringing up this subject and posting it!! I've had the problem for years before hearing aids and even now with them.
The only thing I find to help is ignoring it and not focusing on the ringing. But NOooo, not this morning. I'm going batty! It sounds like air raid sirens!

 

[Mobuck]

I don't know how you guys rationalize a 'noise maker' while sleeping. I want to be able to recognize those 'bump in the night' sort of noises.