Hearing loss and tinnitus

[MeaMaximaCulpa]

I am experiencing tinnitus and hearing loss that seems to have taken an abrupt turn for the worse fairly recently (months). Especially sound, e.g. human voices from the TV and computer is affected, giving a muffled impression, with clear loss of higher frequencies. It is said that tinnitus can appear as a result of hearing loss, as the brain will insert noise to fill the missing parts of the audible spectrum, which can seem like a plausible explaination to me.

 

I went to Bangkok Hospital Pattaya and the doctor simply said (after examination and hearing test): “Old age” (i’m 66), “need hearing aid”.

I do have subclinical autoimmune hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's) and that opens the door to other autoimmune diseases. I asked the doctor about this in relation to ear disease, and she said in that case it is “on and off”. So all in all not very helpful doctor, and I gave up on her.

 

Now I would like to find out more, and want to try Bumrungrad or a specialist clinic in Bangkok to get a second opinion. I therefore need help to find the best expert and diagnostics possible in this field, to explore the underlying reasons, and if possible find treatment to slow down, stop or even reverse the problem.

Perhaps I’m chasing the impossible, but I have a hard time accepting "old age" as a sole reason for this, without any further digging.

 

So please let me hear your experiences, especially @Sheryl

[QuantumQuandry]

I have Tinnitus/hearing loss in one ear, as well (though not Hashimoto's).

 

Wish you the best of luck in finding out more.

[MeaMaximaCulpa]

1 hour ago, QuantumQuandry said:

I have Tinnitus/hearing loss in one ear, as well (though not Hashimoto's).

 

Wish you the best of luck in finding out more.

Well thank you, hope you're coping OK with it!

 

And btw, I have the same situation in both ears, so that will rule out some possibilities I guess.

[Wobblybob]

I have bad hearing in both ears, I can hear low pitch better than high pitch, sat around a table with a few guests I cannot hear what an individual says, struggle to hear what people are saying on the tv etc. I have tried various types of ear phones and all not much good, but I stumbled on these bone headphones that don't go in the ear but to the outside of the ear on the cheek bone, they have really improved my listening capabilities. 

[MeaMaximaCulpa]

6 minutes ago, Wobblybob said:

I have bad hearing in both ears, I can hear low pitch better than high pitch, sat around a table with a few guests I cannot hear what an individual says, struggle to hear what people are saying on the tv etc. I have tried various types of ear phones and all not much good, but I stumbled on these bone headphones that don't go in the ear but to the outside of the ear on the cheek bone, they have really improved my listening capabilities. 

Thanks, I will look into those as part of my search!

[Wobblybob]

Just now, MeaMaximaCulpa said:

Thanks, I will look into those as part of my search!

You can buy cheap ones from Lazada but I would buy a premium pair just for peace of mind. These are the ones I purchased.

 

 

[Sheryl]

I suggest you consult

 

https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/doctors/saowaros-patarapak

 

She is in great demand so may be a bit of a wait to get appointment but she is worth it

 

While tinnitus can be chronic, when  associated with hearing loss, correcting the hearing loss will often improve the tinnitus. Sometimes it even eliminates it. So tretaing your hearing loss would be first priority.

 

BTW there is a new devise for tinnitus available in Europe, UK  and just approved recently in US. As it involves wearing padded earphones may not be ideal for when walking about but can be useful if tinnitus is disturbing sleep as is often the case. Not yet available in Thailand but I expect will be eventually.  https://www.lenire.com/

[MeaMaximaCulpa]

4 hours ago, Wobblybob said:

You can buy cheap ones from Lazada but I would buy a premium pair just for peace of mind. These are the ones I purchased.

 

 

Thanks again! 

[MeaMaximaCulpa]

3 hours ago, Sheryl said:

I suggest you consult

 

https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/doctors/saowaros-patarapak

 

She is in great demand so may be a bit of a wait to get appointment but she is worth it

 

While tinnitus can be chronic, when  associated with hearing loss, correcting the hearing loss will often improve the tinnitus. Sometimes it even eliminates it. So tretaing your hearing loss would be first priority.

 

BTW there is a new devise for tinnitus available in Europe, UK  and just approved recently in US. As it involves wearing padded earphones may not be ideal for when walking about but can be useful if tinnitus is disturbing sleep as is often the case. Not yet available in Thailand but I expect will be eventually.  https://www.lenire.com/

Thanks Sheryl, I will get in line for the good doctor, it will be a good starting point! 

[tandor]

i think all long time Tinnitus sufferers have seen, read a plethora of cures and nothing to date has done anything to alleviate this chronic curse.

OP If you find a cure or treatment that quietens it, please reveal. 

Good luck with your plight.   

[Muhendis]

I also have hearing problems which were fixed with a CI by Dr. Lalida Kasemsuwan at Ramathibodi hospital.

She has fond memories of her initial medical training in Bristol UK.

 

https://www.vichaiyut.com/en/profile_doctor/dr-lalida-kasemsuwan/

 

Hope this helps

[sandyf]

19 hours ago, MeaMaximaCulpa said:

And btw, I have the same situation in both ears, so that will rule out some possibilities I guess.

I developed a problem with my left ear shortly after an operation on the outer ear. The surgeon referred me to the ENT and they said that one ear is more of a concern than both.

They tried some medication and a camera up the nose to rule out some possibilities, nothing conclusive and in the end said to go back if it gets any worse.

[MeaMaximaCulpa]

1 hour ago, tandor said:

i think all long time Tinnitus sufferers have seen, read a plethora of cures and nothing to date has done anything to alleviate this chronic curse.

OP If you find a cure or treatment that quietens it, please reveal. 

Good luck with your plight.   

As both Sheryl and I mentioned, fixing the hearing problem might downstream fix the tinnitus as well. Other than that, I haven't so far seen any cure for tinnitus except some anecdotes with very limited success and lasting effects.

 

But I will report back if I do get some good results.

[MeaMaximaCulpa]

29 minutes ago, Muhendis said:

I also have hearing problems which were fixed with a CI by Dr. Lalida Kasemsuwan at Ramathibodi hospital.

She has fond memories of her initial medical training in Bristol UK.

 

https://www.vichaiyut.com/en/profile_doctor/dr-lalida-kasemsuwan/

 

Hope this helps

Thanks, she is added to my list op options!

[Nabbiex]

I think this should be your last resort - If your hearing medical issue is complicated, how about learning sign language?  My native language is British Sign Language (BSL). To grasp the basic knowledge of it needs about at least 10 lessons (each hourly). If interesting, please PM me.    

[LukKrueng]

19 hours ago, Wobblybob said:

You can buy cheap ones from Lazada but I would buy a premium pair just for peace of mind. These are the ones I purchased.

 

 

 

As the op described his condition, it seems he suffers a loss of hearing on some frequencies and not all together. Any of-the-shelf headphones simply amplify all frequencies and that will not help to improve the hearing. Modern hearing aids can amplify selected frequencies according to the hearing test, and that's how hearing is improved

 

18 hours ago, Sheryl said:

I suggest you consult

 

https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/doctors/saowaros-patarapak

 

She is in great demand so may be a bit of a wait to get appointment but she is worth it

 

While tinnitus can be chronic, when  associated with hearing loss, correcting the hearing loss will often improve the tinnitus. Sometimes it even eliminates it. So tretaing your hearing loss would be first priority.

 

BTW there is a new devise for tinnitus available in Europe, UK  and just approved recently in US. As it involves wearing padded earphones may not be ideal for when walking about but can be useful if tinnitus is disturbing sleep as is often the case. Not yet available in Thailand but I expect will be eventually.  https://www.lenire.com/

AFAIK the only "treatment" for tinnitus is masking the "sound" with a kind of background counter sound. I tried it and to me the masking sound is more disturbing than the tinnitus (which I've had for many years after accidental damage to my ears and I kinda got used to it). If you still want it, some hearing aids have this option built in

[Wobblybob]

Just now, LukKrueng said:

 

As the op described his condition, it seems he suffers a loss of hearing on some frequencies and not all together. Any of-the-shelf headphones simply amplify all frequencies and that will not help to improve the hearing. Modern hearing aids can amplify selected frequencies according to the hearing test, and that's how hearing is improved

 

AFAIK the only "treatment" for tinnitus is masking the "sound" with a kind of background counter sound. I tried it and to me the masking sound is more disturbing than the tinnitus (which I've had for many years after accidental damage to my ears and I kinda got used to it). If you still want it, some hearing aids have this option built in

I too suffer from loss of hearing from loss of certain frequencies as described in my first post, probably due to my military service. Apparently these bone head phones bypass the ear drum. The clarity of these head phones are astounding, but I can only tell you about how they helped me.

 

"Although most sounds are transmitted through the air to our eardrums, bone-conduction headphones rely on sound being transmitted through vibrations on the bones of the head and jaw. The sounds from these headphones bypass the eardrum and relays sound directly to the inner ear. Bone anchored hearing aids (BAHA) have been using this style of sound transmission for years to help people who have hearing difficulty."

 

https://www.salusuhealth.com/news/2018/08/how-do-bone-conduction-headphones-work.html#:~:text=Although most sounds are transmitted,directly to the inner ear.

[kennw]

21 hours ago, QuantumQuandry said:

I have Tinnitus/hearing loss in one ear, as well (though not Hashimoto's).

 

Wish you the best of luck in finding out more.

Like you I thought going to a prestigeous hospital for a hearing test was the way to go, had the test done (quiet room etc) told to come back in 2 months for a follow up comparitive test. Went back for the follow up but they could not find the original test result. I do not attend the hospital you mention now.

[ChrisKC]

I don't know if this will help but for a while I believed my computer was at fault for a hearing difficulty. Had it at full volume and then could hear adequately.

 

I could hear ordinary speech OK. No tinnitus. 

 

But after some time, very recently, I went to my doctor and asked for my ears to be syringed. I did actually do this 25 years ago in England. He gave me some drops to be used twice a day at home over five days then return to doctor. 

 

I did this and discovered some wax emerging but not enough to have much effect. 

 

He decided to extract the wax himself. It took twenty minutes for each ear and what emerged was quite black, disgusting and of a volume that i found disturbing. 

 

But the result was so fantastic, that I had to put my hands to my ears as the noise from the traffic outside was deafening. My wife and the doctor talking with me so loud, I asked them not to shout. 

 

It took me a couple of days to get accustomed to the new situation but since then, everything absolutely fine. It is obvious that the wax had built up over a few years so the hearing loss was very gradual and therefore a natural thing with aging. 

 

One final note. I wonder how many people have been diagnosed with a hearing loss condition and bought hearing aids when all they had was a blockage. 

 

[Moonlover]

41 minutes ago, ChrisKC said:

I don't know if this will help but for a while I believed my computer was at fault for a hearing difficulty. Had it at full volume and then could hear adequately.

 

I could hear ordinary speech OK. No tinnitus. 

 

But after some time, very recently, I went to my doctor and asked for my ears to be syringed. I did actually do this 25 years ago in England. He gave me some drops to be used twice a day at home over five days then return to doctor. 

 

I did this and discovered some wax emerging but not enough to have much effect. 

 

He decided to extract the wax himself. It took twenty minutes for each ear and what emerged was quite black, disgusting and of a volume that i found disturbing. 

 

But the result was so fantastic, that I had to put my hands to my ears as the noise from the traffic outside was deafening. My wife and the doctor talking with me so loud, I asked them not to shout. 

 

It took me a couple of days to get accustomed to the new situation but since then, everything absolutely fine. It is obvious that the wax had built up over a few years so the hearing loss was very gradual and therefore a natural thing with aging. 

 

One final note. I wonder how many people have been diagnosed with a hearing loss condition and bought hearing aids when all they had was a blockage. 

 

A very good post indeed. When I lived in Udon Thani I used to visit an ear clinic every 6 months to have my ears cleaned out. He used a miniature vacuum device to remove the wax my hearing was fine. I've since moved to Sakon Nakhon and I've tried in vane to find somewhere I can have this done.

 

Not even the ENT specialist who has a private clinic in town has adequate syringing equipment, so I've had to resort to DIY methods which are not as effective.

[ThiAmo]

 

Sorry Wobblybob, I do not quite understand whether these devices can be used as a normal hearing aid (e.g. for a conversation) or only in connection with a bluetooth source (e.g. amplifying the sound of a youtube video), OR for both these cases. 

Thank you!

[kingstonkid]

22 hours ago, MeaMaximaCulpa said:

Well thank you, hope you're coping OK with it!

 

And btw, I have the same situation in both ears, so that will rule out some possibilities I guess.

I have hearing loss from the military and old age.  

 

I am getting tested at BNH.  I found the doctors there are fairly good with it.

 

There really is nothing they can do for me.  I find that there are times it bothers me and times that it is not there.  

If you are having trouble sleeping or relaxing there are machines that can help.  the other thing that can help is white noise.

 

For hearing loss there are different aids.

 

When you make an appointment I would suggest that you ask for an appointment with an audiologist with tinnitus knowledge.

 

[Wobblybob]

1 minute ago, ThiAmo said:

 

Sorry Wobblybob, I do not quite understand whether these devices can be used as a normal hearing aid (e.g. for a conversation) or only in connection with a bluetooth source (e.g. amplifying the sound of a youtube video), OR for both these cases. 

Thank you!

No they are not a hearing aid as such but they work exactly like normal headphones except they don't go in your ear. The bluetooth ones can improve your ability to hear devices like a TV providing your TV is equipped with bluetooth of course. I use mine mainly to watch programs on YouTube etc. The sound quality is remarkable (for me at least) and they come with ear plugs to block out the sound of anyone else in the room listening to their device. Hope that as answered the question ThiAmo.  

[Irish star]

21 hours ago, Sheryl said:

I suggest you consult

 

https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/doctors/saowaros-patarapak

 

She is in great demand so may be a bit of a wait to get appointment but she is worth it

 

While tinnitus can be chronic, when  associated with hearing loss, correcting the hearing loss will often improve the tinnitus. Sometimes it even eliminates it. So tretaing your hearing loss would be first priority.

 

BTW there is a new devise for tinnitus available in Europe, UK  and just approved recently in US. As it involves wearing padded earphones may not be ideal for when walking about but can be useful if tinnitus is disturbing sleep as is often the case. Not yet available in Thailand but I expect will be eventually.  https://www.lenire.com/

I heard very expensive but it reduced my friend’s tinnitus 

[tandor]

4 hours ago, MeaMaximaCulpa said:

As both Sheryl and I mentioned, fixing the hearing problem might downstream fix the tinnitus as well. Other than that, I haven't so far seen any cure for tinnitus except some anecdotes with very limited success and lasting effects.

 

But I will report back if I do get some good results.

Ok..i was quite specific and mentioned Tinnitus only. Case by case. In my case i suffered both at the same time from a non-consentual neck manipulation causing Tinnitus not in my ears but in and around my head, i suffered 70% hearing loss in one ear. The Cilia in my (R) ear have flattened and will never stand up again. Best of luck with your prognosis.

[khunPer]

On 11/9/2023 at 4:38 AM, MeaMaximaCulpa said:

I therefore need help to find the best expert and diagnostics possible in this field, to explore the underlying reasons, and if possible find treatment to slow down, stop or even reverse the problem.

To my knowledge there is no proven way to reverse the problem – other than getting used to it and ignore the high frequency tinnitus, and learn to pay more attention to what is spoken  – I also suffers from it from many years in pro audio business.

There are a number of alternative treatments that you can find searching the Internet, probably they won't harm anything, so might be worth a try, if you find one that seems usable.

 

Today there are very discreet – almost invisible – hearing aids available, if that becomes the solution.

[spidermike007]

Very very sorry to hear about this tonight is not something I would wish on anyone as far as I know there is no cure I have tried 20-30 different things everything except hypnotism by tinnitus specialist at which is only three in the United States. 

 

Many years ago I developed a serious ear infection and after treating it with massive doses of antibiotics I ended up with tinnitus which has never gone away. It's been almost ten years now. Within the first year of getting tinnitus I couldn't sleep anymore because  the sound was too loud. I ended up consulting with a neuro and a shrink and they told me I had a year to live, that if I didn't start sleeping well my organs would start failing!

So, I chose the pills over death. Ever since then I've taken rivotril, started with .5 mg of now I take 1 MG. a day. I sleep fantastic every night and wake up every morning refreshed. I don't care that I'm addicted, I have a life again, so go for it, it'll change your life.

 

Be careful, as many antibiotics are ototoxic. I would not wish my condition on anyone. Except perhaps Hun Sen, Than Shwe, Putin, a popular politician in the US, and Xi.

It has never gone away, and it's very very loud. So the only way I can sleep at this stage is to take sleeping pills. 

 

I've been taking them for over 10 years, I do sleep rather well, and I take a fairly minimal dose of Rovitril, which is non generic version of Clonazepam. I do recommend them for somebody with a significant sleep disorder. 

 

I hear cannabis oil can work for some. In my case I think my condition is too severe for that to be effective. We make our choices in life. I chose to get some sleep.

[Wobblybob]

5 minutes ago, khunPer said:

To my knowledge there is no proven way to reverse the problem – other than getting used to it and ignore the high frequency tinnitus, and learn to pay more attention to what is spoken  – I also suffers from it from many years in pro audio business.

There are a number of alternative treatments that you can find searching the Internet, probably they won't harm anything, so might be worth a try, if you find one that seems usable.

 

Today there are very discreet – almost invisible – hearing aids available, if that becomes the solution.

It's nice to know hearing aids have improved, when I got one from the Nat Health all it did was amplify the distortion so never bothered with it, it is so frustrating at times when sat around a table and be not able to join in the conversation.

[khunPer]

4 minutes ago, Wobblybob said:

It's nice to know hearing aids have improved, when I got one from the Nat Health all it did was amplify the distortion so never bothered with it, it is so frustrating at times when sat around a table and be not able to join in the conversation.

There are numerous available, this image of invisible hearing aid is from a Norwegian manufacturer quickly found by search...

 

 

Worth also to look at Danish Oticon and Widex, and there is also a Swiss manufacturer.

[Callmeishmael]

I am sure that your doctor already checked this, but I had tinnitus and hearing loss in both ears and when I finally saw a doctor, he stuck the world's tiniest vacuum cleaner into my ears and sucked out an amazing amount of solidified ear wax!  My hearing instantly went back to 100% and the tinnitus stopped as well.