Tinnitus...and Balance

There is one 'sound' that I'd rather not hear. The sound that comes from inside the head - I'm talking about Tinnitus. Don't know about yours, if you have it, but mine ranges from birds twittering - which is tolerable, to a constant whistle - or at its worst it is a turbine generator / constant whine in either or both ears. Each time that I have 'lost' my hearing (in 1990 and April this year) - the Tinnitus has been extra 'loud', so much so that its hard to concentrate on anything during the day eg lipreading, which I am totally dependant on, to keeping me awake at night. The concentration is so bad that I can't even read a book to while the early hours away. Actually, the tinnitus wasn't at all bad yesterday - gentle twittering in my ears (a new way to hear nature?!). The distraction of an adorable 6 week old kitten - not mine, alas, but one brought along by friends of ours, also helped. Here's the kitten - as yet to be named....


No, its not your eyes, the pic is a bit out of focus.

This visit was followed by a delightful evening with those same friends - they do say 'laughter makes the world go round'! We had such fun - I tend only to 'socialise' at home(s) and in small groups since restuarants and public places are just too NOISY for me. Those powerful digital aids that I have just amplify EVERYTHING. I can usually cope within a group of up to 4 well-known people, especially when they understand that I need to know who is talking and for them to face me when doing so. So we had a ball and I went to bed feeling refreshed.

After that though, was one of those nights - awake at 4.45am which actually isn't too bad for me - and unable to get back to my slumbers. It does mean that I eventually get up to do chores, but I'd rather be sleeping. With a wee one to look after I don't always get a nap during the day - I'd rather not in any case and save my sleep for night time. What causes the tinnitus or makes it worse? That I don't know the answer to although I do notice that it can be aggravated after being in a noisy environment. I guess the amplification of all sounds, and not just speech, can get too much for my inner ears. As I say, I do get some extra jobs done about the house...I guess...

I have heard that you can get masking devices that can distract you from 'hearing' the tinnitus, but as you have to hear them I guess that is not an option for me (I have been told this)

The other trouble that I can have is loss of balance - without the drink! I can stagger in either direction or, at its worse, hardly walk at all. Even closing my eyes when lying still doesn't help - I feel like I am going into free-fall.....a horrible feeling! That in itself doesn't stop me sleeping though - I can usually tell myself that my sensation of falling is not real. (luckily I dont usually get bad tinnutus and loss of balance at the same time) My last 'bad spell' was about 2 weeks ago for four hours but as we were near the GP surgery, I went in and was given a prescription for Stugeron. Now, I have to say, that I can be sceptical about medication particularly for balance problems and I am not one for taking tablets, but in this case it does seem to have helped. I am also more aware of the warning signs of an 'attack' - which can come on for apparently no reason at all, or I just haven't identified the cause yet. With this awareness, I slow down (for those who know me, that can be hard for me to do, eh?!) - and it seems to stave off the worst of an attack.

So why I am telling this to the whole wide world - its not a particularly stimulating subject? However, if anyone reading this also has the same problem then they can say "hey, I'm not going mad after all - there ARE sounds in my head"! Also, if anyone knows of any trigger factors or self help tips, maybe they can share them through this Blog? Even though it may not seem so at the time, in my experience, the tinnitus DOES eventually wear off or 'calm down', and the balance/co-ordination returns, but it IS scary the first few times. You just have to have patience - something else I am not particularly renowned for - and the sensations WILL pass - maybe in hours, days or months.

Ah..it looks like its going to be an okay day today - the sun is shining at the mo. Now to tend to the 20 baby plants that I received yesterday - I got them at a bargain price and hope to nurture them enough to make it into the garden!