Tinnitus

[DiveRunk]

I'd recommend you see an ENT physician as soon as practical.

Best regards,
DDM

Thanks for all of your input as always. IS IEDCS usually distinguished from barotrauma by more vertigo related symptoms rather than tinnitus and hearing loss from barotrauma?

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Thanks for all of your input as always. IS IEDCS usually distinguished from barotrauma by more vertigo related symptoms rather than tinnitus and hearing loss from barotrauma?

Inner ear DCS can be really hard to distinguish from inner ear barotrauma in practice. The differential is largely made on dive history and symptom onset time.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[Dapper Dan]

I developed tinnitus while in the military, I’ve had it for over 35 years. It has never caused me any issues while diving. Other than the “ringing” though, I’ve not had any other issues like you described.

Same here. TBI from Iraq. Constant tinnitus but I don't hear it when diving as there's "bubble sounds" and other noise that distract from the ringing.

I do notice I can't hear my computer beeping when it gives alerts. I have to see the screen blinking the red or yellow warning. When I first got it I thought it was not working properly and the sound wasn't working, but dive buddies tell me they hear it, so it must be hearing loss in my right ear and the tinnitus ringing.

Spearhead/Long Knife '88 - '92

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Same here. TBI from Iraq. Constant tinnitus but I don't hear it when diving as there's "bubble sounds" and other noise that distract from the ringing.

I do notice I can't hear my computer beeping when it gives alerts. I have to see the screen blinking the red or yellow warning. When I first got it I thought it was not working properly and the sound wasn't working, but dive buddies tell me they hear it, so it must be hearing loss in my right ear and the tinnitus ringing.

Spearhead/Long Knife '88 - '92

Have you seen a VA audiologist?

Best regards,
DDM

 

[Dapper Dan]

Have you seen a VA audiologist?

Best regards,
DDM

Yessir.
The diagnosis was damage to the nerve from the explosion concussion. They issued me a hearing aid several years ago. It helps with the deafness in my right ear but the ringing is constant.
Thanks for checking with me though.

 

[John Bantin]

A lot of my diver friends (inc. me) suffer tinnitus. Strangely enough, we all agree that it's not there when under water. I have found it worse when my blood pressure increases.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Yessir.
The diagnosis was damage to the nerve from the explosion concussion. They issued me a hearing aid several years ago. It helps with the deafness in my right ear but the ringing is constant.
Thanks for checking with me though.

Sorry to hear that. I have hearing damage as well though not from the same source. VA issue hearing aids were a game changer.

Another thing you might consider is the Neuromonics application. It's a free app that plays a masking noise plus music that you can customize to the frequency of your hearing loss. It requires good earbuds with a really high top end. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can also be effective. It's primarily for refractory severe depression, tinnitus is off-label, but you might be able to get the VA to try it. That helped me as well. Just a personal story, your mileage may vary.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[Dapper Dan]

Sorry to hear that. I have hearing damage as well though not from the same source. VA issue hearing aids were a game changer.

Another thing you might consider is the Neuromonics application. It's a free app that plays a masking noise plus music that you can customize to the frequency of your hearing loss. It requires good earbuds with a really high top end. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can also be effective. It's primarily for refractory severe depression, tinnitus is off-label, but you might be able to get the VA to try it. That helped me as well. Just a personal story, your mileage may vary.

Best regards,
DDM

YES! The hearing aid the V.A. issued me has that feature. It's using the "ReSound" app on Android/iPhone. Best thing ever. I like the cicadas, croaking frogs, and crickets track. Anyone with tinitus should check it out. Do you prefer the Neuromonics app better? I only have used the ReSound app as that's what came with the hearing aid.

I also find I have less pain and fewer headaches for a day or so after diving. I did some layman research on the net and some say the compression at depth helps as a type of aqua therapy. I'm lucky to be able to dive. I had a bullet go thru my face and through my brain and lodge in my spine. I spent 30 hours in brain surgery and a month in ICU. The bullet missed my brain stem by 1/2 inch the surgeon said. My sinus were shattered by the bullet, so I'm amazed I can equalize. Surgeon said he left the bullet in my spine because he was afraid if he tried to remove it he might paralyze me. As I said diving helps. The V.A. prescribes 800mg Motrin for the headaches but the Dr. chewed me out because I told him at my last checkup I was taking 3000mg per day to control the headaches. Other things that I understand might relieve pain for some aren't available in NC legally yet. I was lucky to have a friend who is a Special Forces doctor at Bragg to sign off on my PADI medical form so I didn't have the hassle of spending weeks at a Dr. trying to convince them for a PADI permission slip to dive.

Thanks for your advice and input you provide on SB, DDM. I appreciate your generous professional suggestions for the divers here we'd otherwise have to pay for.



My souvenir from Iraq
1,000 years from now when someone discovers my bones and finds this copper/lead object in my neck, after their archaeology research they'll conclude I was from Chicago.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

YES! The hearing aid the V.A. issued me has that feature. It's using the "ReSound" app on Android/iPhone. Best thing ever. I like the cicadas, croaking frogs, and crickets track. Anyone with tinitus should check it out. Do you prefer the Neuromonics app better? I only have used the ReSound app as that's what came with the hearing aid.

I also find I have less pain and fewer headaches for a day or so after diving. I did some layman research on the net and some say the compression at depth helps as a type of aqua therapy. I'm lucky to be able to dive. I had a bullet go thru my face and through my brain and lodge in my spine. I spent 30 hours in brain surgery and a month in ICU. The bullet missed my brain stem by 1/2 inch the surgeon said. My sinus were shattered by the bullet, so I'm amazed I can equalize. Surgeon said he left the bullet in my spine because he was afraid if he tried to remove it he might paralyze me. As I said diving helps. The V.A. prescribes 800mg Motrin for the headaches but the Dr. chewed me out because I told him at my last checkup I was taking 3000mg per day to control the headaches. Other things that I understand might relieve pain for some aren't available in NC legally yet. I was lucky to have a friend who is a Special Forces doctor at Bragg to sign off on my PADI medical form so I didn't have the hassle of spending weeks at a Dr. trying to convince them for a PADI permission slip to dive.

Thanks for your advice and input you provide on SB, DDM. I appreciate your generous professional suggestions for the divers here we'd otherwise have to pay for.



My souvenir from Iraq
1,000 years from now when someone discovers my bones and finds this copper/lead object in my neck, after their archaeology research they'll conclude I was from Chicago.
View attachment 851337

Wow. Not sure there's a way of truly honoring your story in an online forum. Thank you for what you've gone through on behalf of the rest of us and I'm sorry you're dealing with all of this.

I do have a similar app in my hearing aids but they help the tinnitus so much by themselves that I haven't really felt the need to use it so don't have any way of comparing it to Neuromonics. I would assume that the basic principle is similar but I'm not an audiology expert so don't take my word for it.

I've had two bouts with tinnitus over roughly 10 years. The Neuromonics worked like a miracle the first time and was not effective the second time, which I suspect was from a subclinical bend d/t a work-related event. That's when I had the TMS done. It mitigated the tinnitus a bit and also (for lack of a better way of putting it) re-wired my brain so it doesn't cause me nearly as much distress as it used to. Combine that with the hearing aids and it's basically background that I don't notice unless I'm thinking (or typing) about it

I'm so glad to hear that diving is therapeutic for you. Thank you for sharing this.

Best regards and very respectfully,
DDM