Tinnitus and other hearing issues...

[Conquiztador]

But do you hear the voices????

I know the voices are there. But the tinnitus just drowns them. It really pisses me off. If I did not have tinnitus I could be mentally ill!

[stevewederell]

I recently learned.. riding for only 15 minutes at 100k/ph.. (without earplugs...) is enough to give you your maximum daily noise limit quota.. before damage starts to be done

Once is done.. it's done..

Seriously?! Shit, maybe that's why mine has got worse, only when it's dead quiet though. Is that road noise or loud bike noise (mine baby's real quiet)

I don't think the 20+ years in a band has helped things there, apparently just below the drum reads about 120db, I think that's around a 737 on take off!!

[Boob Johnson]

I was diagnosed with tinnitus 6 years ago, mostly from navy service conditions and a major accident 8 years ago when I went through the windscreen of my jag, which didn't help.

I've got 35db damage ea, and 5 Years ago I bought some flash hearing aids which are programmable. I can switch on a therapy noise in quiet times at night, and believe it or not the tinnitus almost disappears for a day or two.

Apparently the therapy noise fools the brain into forgetting about the bloody whistling. Works for me!

ACC offered to assist,..get this... the aids cost $4,000 and the bastards offered me $125.

lol $125??? That IS laughable.

No pun intended but that sounds great
A programmable hearing aid aye, gotta love technology. I have Tinnitus, like right now, certainly after todays ride

She it, what a day, twas hotter than a snakes ass in a wagon rut out this way

[Ixion]

I recently learned.. riding for only 15 minutes at 100k/ph.. (without earplugs...) is enough to give you your maximum daily noise limit quota.. before damage starts to be done

Once is done.. it's done..

How long at 200kph? How long at 160kph without a helmet?

Nothing wrong with my hearing, it's just you young people mumble all the time. Speak up, and articulate properly.

[Iggy]

I was born deaf with about 45% hearing loss in both ears, been wearing hearing aids most of my life. My current hearing aids cost $7500 a pair, no help financially from the taxpayer or acc. They have 4 different settings, 1 for '' normal situations'', 1 for backgound noise ( noisy pubs etc ), 1 for phone use and finally 1 for music concerts.
Bloody expensive I know but have to live with it, so all you guys and gals who have normal hearing consider yourself lucky and start taking care of your hearing. Just my two cent worth.

[Tank]

What sounds do you tinnitus sufferers hear? I subwoofer sounds at about 40-60hz. Mostly at night or when its quiet, but I can hear it during the day if I have been punishing my car audio system recently.

Booom-boom-boooooom-boom 24/7 yay!!

Steve

I wouldn't call Greensleves exactly boom-boom-fucken-boom.

Still at least its a work related injury.

[Manxman]

I have it in my left ear.

Many weekends in nightclubs didn't help I'm sure...used to come out feeling drunk - even if I hadn't been drinking!

A couple of 'left-field' observations that I'd been told:
1) coffee seems to aggravate it.
2) I'd also heard (well, I think I did anyway) that the damage is caused in the same way that putting a tent over a patch of grass kills the covered area.

Unfortunately once done, it's irrepairable.

[1 Free Man]

Tinnitus, yep had it for years. I have just got acustom to it. Goes on night and day 24/7. Suffer from industrial deffness and I am going through the ACC system for hearing aids. mate at work has not long got his through ACC $9000.00 worth. Have an appointment with and Ear Nose and Troat guy for the 16th next month to make sure there is nothing physical causing hearing loss.
Getting plugz for the lugz next week. wind noise on the bike bungs up my ears for hours after a long ride.
Tinnitus can't be cured. Once you have it it's with you for life. At least that's how it is at this time but who knows nothings forever now days.
Louder pipes is probably the answer.LOL

[gijoe1313]

Hmmm reading this thread, I think I will go and get myself some earplugs ASAP ...

[pete376403]

Tinnitus can't be cured. Once you have it it's with you for life.

perhaps, perhaps not. Before I got the CI (implant) I had tinnitus more or less constantly, similar to cicadas, drove me nuts. Since the Ci went in a couple of years ago I don't recall having had tinnitus (but now I can hear real cicadas!)

[1 Free Man]

What's a CI implant and how do you go about getting such a thing. What I wouldn't do for some peace and quite. Got rid of the wife and that helped greatly but the tinnitus remains.

[pete376403]

Cochlear Implant - a reciever is inserted into a cavity in your skull behind an ear, and electrodes are placed into the cochlear in the inner ear. You have a audio processor that goes over your ear (similar to a hearing aid) that links to the reciever. There is a hell of a lot more to it than that, but thats the basics. If you pay for this yourself, you're looking at around $50,000. They are available on govt funding but the wait is long and the criteria tough.
If you are in Christchurch go to Southern Cochlear Implant Program - Milford Chambers, 249 Papanui Road. Your audiologist could (should be able to) tell you more, or you could watch this from Cochlear Corp, one maker of CIs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-iAZ...oducts/587.asp

[Highlander]

Wikipedia tells me it can be caused by a build up of ear wax and with the removal of the wax comes right. Or could be caused by genuine hearing damage and that is irreversable.

Might go get my ears cleaned out to see if it makes the difference.

BTW at highway speeds even the "Quiet" helmets exceed the noise levels that OSH tells you to be wearing hearing protection for prolonged exposure.

Personally I wear ear plugs if riding at highway speed for more than about 15 minutes. Plugz for Lugz are fantastic.

[PuppetMaster]

damn cicadas!!!
Doesnt matter where you go, they follow.
No one has mentioned a proliferation of ear wax that can accompany tinnitus, which can be an issue if you wish to use earplugs.

[pritch]

damn cicadas!!!

Yeah it's coming to the time of year when I start to wonder if it's the tinitus or it really is a cicada...

Took part in a discussion about hearing aids once. ACC will sometimes fund the entire cost of digital hearing aids. War Pensions only fund the old type non-digital ones that cost a few hundred dollars. When somebody pointed this out the local RSA welfare rep said, "But you guys forget, you get free batteries."

WTF? He's supposed to be on our side. Who does he think is going to live long enough to use $8,000 worth of batteries?