Tinnitus with hearing loss

[mjf981]

After a systemic infection which affected my ears, I now have bilateral tinnitus. A hearing test shows severe high frequency loss in one ear, and mild in the other. An audiologist has advised that hearing aids won't help with the losses, and I don't feel I need them day to day (yet..). I did trial them for the tinnitus only and they didn't seem to help much (maybe a tiny bit).

I'm about 4.5 months in and struggling with the tinnitus. Has anyone else with diagnosed hearing loss, learned how to 'tune out' or habituate to their tinnitus? I have the impression that it is easier to achieve this if you don't have hearing loss. Looking for some hope!

I have tinnitus caused by vitamin B12 deficiency, I find the best way to tune out is to play songs in your head, imagine them at full blast, after a few minutes you forget the tinnitus. I also if it is really bad sleep with my iPod on & wired earbuds playing music quietly & on regular nights wear earplugs which seem to help.

Sympathies. I got it after an infection and I can tune it out now. Started off using white noise apps but now it doesn't really bother me. The only thing I did was stop thinking about it.

Thanks. Do you have hearing loss on an audiogram?

I have it too. Stop thinking about it and learn to live with it is all I can say.

I've had it for 20 years now.

Yes I'm trying to. I need to get off the forums and get back to real life.
It's a ridiculous condition.

I’m surprised they said ha won’t help. Mine amplify the higher ranges so I get a better balance overall and have less tinnitus when wearing them. You can get cbt for tinnitus.

I know. 2 audiologists had the same opinion.

To be honest the main tinnitus that bothers me is actually in the other ear to the one with significant loss - the tinnitus in they ear is quiet, but rather than a regular tone, it is warbling and irregular. It's hard to get used to something that is like morse code. I so hope I can tune this out in time, but am really struggling.

My sympathies. When I first got it (bought on by extreme stress when I was caring for my mother) I was very anxious about it and went to forums etc. I can honestly say that the best thing is not to think about it. The only time it bothers me now is if I wake up in the early hours of the morning when everything is silent. I usually just go back to sleep after a bit. I have accepted that my hearing will never be normal again, there is no cure and I will have to live with it and I do. Good luck to you.

Don't go to forums or support groups. It will increase your anxiety. Learn to live with an incurable disease. My advice is ignore it as much as possible. As soon as you stop thinking about it, the symptoms become less troublesome.