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Tinnitus Has Hit Our
Family
I received a phone call from one of my family members and after the regular pleasantries; she started bringing me up-to-date on her husband who was trying to deal with ringing in his ears.
She said, “…that at first when they got the diagnoses of Tinnitus, they didn’t think it was so bad. Uncomfortable yes, but you know how these things go, it takes time but you take the tests, get the right medicine and get over it – right?”
It had been over a year since he was diagnosed with tinnitus now and apparently it is not going well. The Doctor of course sent him for different Tinnitus tests but nothing seemed to be working and her husband had mentioned he thinks it is actually getting worse. By worse, she explained, she meant the noises were getting louder.
She also said that his disposition has certainly changed. Where he was a fun loving and good natured kind of guy before, now he doesn’t like to go out. He doesn’t get into the great conversations they used to have about everything. She went on to say that even their children have started commenting on how their dad was changing. He doesn’t go with them to the movies or ball games any more either. He said the noise there made the noises in his ears worse. He was also after every one to turn the TV down too.
That conversation got
me thinking about what
was Tinnitus? Dad
used to complain
sometimes about
ringing in his ears
too, but no one paid
to much attention to
it. We didn’t even
know that ringing in
the ears had a name.
The ringing in his
ears seemed to come
and go for him and he
said he thought it was
from all the machines
they used at his job.
He was a welder
working in a machine
shop. Those were the
days before ear
mufflers or plugs were
used on the job.
I got to thinking
about it and decided
to go on the Internet
and check out exactly
what Tinnitus was and
was surprised to find
that there no
definitive cure. Not
only that Tinnitus
wasn’t even a
disease. Tinnitus is
only a symptom of
something else that is
wrong in the body.
I also found that
Meniere’s disease will
some times be
diagnosed as
Tinnitus. Although it
is very similar and
the prognosis is the
same there are
different ways to try
and obtain relief from
it.
There were a myriad of
possible cures or ways
to find relief from
the noises but it
looked like a
pig-in-a-poke to me.
I realized if I wanted
to help my
family it would take
awhile and some trial
and error too.
- Overview:
1. See Your Doctor for possible ear infection and confirmation if Tinnitus.
2. Check list on Wikipedia for drugs that can induce Tinnitus
3. Make your diet as nutritionally full as possible.
4. If no improvement in 6 weeks start taking Gingko Biloba.
5. If Gingko Biloba helps, your circulation needs stimulation. Exercise more.
6. Join some Tinnitus Forums and find out how other people are coping.
7. See a Physiologist as depression usually sets in if condition unattended for a period of
time - mostly from lack of sleep. They can give you some suggestions to lessen the
aggravation.
8. Join this Life Style changing group. Difficult for some people but has been very beneficial
to many of the participants.
9. Communicate with your family so they can appreciate what you are coping with.
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