LIving With Tinnitus

Tinnitus, which is one symptom of Meniere's Syndrome, (The other three are vertigo or dizziness,low-frequency hearing loss and a sensation of fullness or ear pressure)

is the perception of sound in the ears or head where no external source is present. It is a subjective "noise" since only the person who has the condition can actually hear it.

Ear ringing is the most common perception but they can vary. Perhaps tinnitus is best described as crashing waves on an ocean shore. The pitch of the various noises will also vary. Tinnitus can even occur in those people who are completely deaf.

For some, the condition is temporary, while others experience these sensations 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These annoying sensations can interrupt sleep, disrupt concentration, and can make even ordinary conversation difficult. It can also cause psychological strains and impact personal relationships, particularly if a family member, spouse or friend does not seem sympathetic to the condition, since it isn't something they understand or hear themselves. It can also gradually get worse.

Debby Seguin has lived with tinnitus for the past three years; Here's her perspective (from a recent interview):

Q. Is your condition severe or is it intermittent?

"My condition can be severe, to the point where you're crawling to get from one place to another in your home. My state at the present time (knock wood!) is like living a very normal life, as you would be-no ringing, no dizziness, and my hearing to date is perfect so far. I do have to try and control it by watching my salt intake, caffeine consumption and stress. And when I'm tired, I have to sleep."

Q. Does tinnitus hurt? Do you actually get distinct sounds, like a ringing or crashing waves? Are you thrown"off balance" by this?

My condition doesn't hurt at all; It's like being in a cloud of high-pitched noise that you can't get away from. It drowns everything out and takes away my hearing functions from the other ear. You often feel like you're the only one on earth who's trying to cope with this. I hated mornings and bed time because that's when the ringing was at its loudest. The quieter the surroundings, the louder the humming was. So being in a busy area was great, because the noise would just blend in. I'm not thrown off balance with the ringing; with the Meniere's I was thrown off a couple of times.

Once I just got this tingle on the top of my head...and down I went, right in front of a car. He had to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting me. It left as fast as it came. I only ended up ripping my knees. I cried, only because it was sooo scary!"

Q. How does this affect your everyday hearing? How does it affect your everyday life?

"The ringing would affect me the second I woke up in the morning; My focus would go right to my ear. If I was "ringing", chances are I wasn't going to be a happy camper that day. I would tell myself over and over, well maybe later or tomorrow the ringing will go away. There were many days and nights that it would wake me from sleeping (I'm not a light sleeper).

My husband and kids were and are super great with my condition. I have a lot of love and support from them; They're the reason I got and get through my days. In all honesty, if someone has this 24/7, I can relate to them thinking of hurting themselves-the ringing/humming can drive you nuts. When it's there, it's There. You just want to scream, STOP IT! You get sooo tired of saying 'I'm sorry, what did you say?' Or trying to focus to hear what is being said to you."

Q. How did you acquire tinnitus?

"It all started when I was at the regular doctor's for my thyroid. I told him that my ear was really bothering me; At times I would get the ringing every week, lasting about 2-3 days, and with the vertigo, my head was in the toilet; I didn't know what was going on.

I was referred to an ear specialist. Some tests were done, and the diagnosis was Meniere's Syndrome".

Q. Is this condition permanent, even with treatment? Is tinnitus hereditary?

"Yes, it's permanent and there's no cure. And the "tricky" part about having Meniere's is that I can get my "attacks" once a week, or once every ten years.

Everyone's case is different. And yes, I was told that this is hereditary, but not one person in my family has it. Lucky me!"

According to Dr. Andrew Cheng, M.D., an ear, nose and throat specialist based in New York, tinnitus is usually a sign that the hearing nerve function has deteriorated; and therefore it is permanent. Tinnitus is usually not hereditary, not even when related to Meniere's.

Q. Do older people usually get this, or does tinnitus afflict across all ages equally?

Dr. Cheng-"Until recently, tinnitus was experienced mostly by those over 50 (The hearing function has a natural tendency to gradually worsen with aging; But you just never know-Seguin is well under 50). However, with the increased use of the newest devices that stream loud sounds directly into the ear (iPods, hands-free phones, etc.), the growing epidemic of ear ringing is becoming a more widespread problem among younger people-one that isn't going away anytime soon."

  In addition, many of the troops returning home from overseas are reporting a high incidence of tinnitus despite the fact that most of them are quite young. According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, hearing damage is the no. 1 disability in the war on terror and some experts say the true toll could take decades to become clear.

They also reported that nearly 70,000 of the more than 1.3 million troops who have served in the two war zones are collecting disability for tinnitus. More than 58,000 are on disability for hearing loss. "The condition" said Dr. Cheng, "is reaching epidemic proportions."

Q. Do you need a "health alert" on your driver's license or carry a special card with you?

"Thank God, not yet. But if it does get worse, my license will be pulled, and as for my job (I'm a letter carrier), Canada Post is aware of my condition.

I was told that if need be, I will have to work inside. Not something I want. But I must say that when I did find out about my condition, I told my ball hockey coach and soccer coach about it. This way, if something did happen to me, they're aware of it."

"This is something that just can't and hopefully won't let take control of me. Everyday I wake up and if I hear "nothing"...It's going to be a great day!"

How can you be sure you have tinnitus? There's no specific test, but an exam by your doctor can rule out other serious conditions that could be causing this sensation.

Request that your doctor give you special hearing tests: an electrocochleography test-to record electrical signals in the inner ear, and vestibular ( balance) tests. Also ask for a MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).

Be sure to tell your doctor about any new medication supplements or vitamins you're taking to rule out a drug reaction .

For more information or to take an online quiz to see if you're at risk for developing tinnitus or already experiencing symptoms, visit http://www.stopearringing.comhttp://www.lipoflavonoid.com. For further product information, go to http://www.dsehealth.com.

Some famous people who had or have tinnitus include: Barbara Streisand, Neil Young, William Shatner, David Letterman, Steve Martin, Burt Reynolds, Eric Clapton, Peter Jennings, Cher, and U2's Bono and The Edge.