^^ that's extremely good advice.
The only good news about something bad happening for no apparent reason is there's no particular reason why it won't get better. I see neurological patients all the time with chronic miserable symptoms (frequent migraines, chronic pain or tingling or dizziness) where all the tests are normal and there's no evident trigger for the problem. It's still good news, even though it doesn't seem like it, not to get a specific diagnosis in these cases -- most specific diagnoses that cause chronic severe symptoms aren't fixable and produce permanent neurological damage.
If there's no hearing loss and no nerve damage, the tinnitus should eventually improve, or even resolve completely. Which is not to say, unfortunately, that you or your doctors or anyone else can make it go away. In the meantime, getting along with things as much as possible despite the problem is probably the best you can do, as maddening as it must be to be in this situation.
I feel for you, this is a really tough situation. Wish I could be more help.
― Plasmon, Tuesday, 20 November 2012 23:23 (eleven years ago) link
thank you Plasmon. that's encouraging. my suspicion is that the MRI won't turn up anything and oddly that's what I've been dreading most. but you've given me some perspective
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 00:01 (eleven years ago) link
even though my hearing brings me like zero joy at the moment I do take some comfort from there not being any hearing loss
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 00:07 (eleven years ago) link
Pete Townshend was on Letterman last night, and they compared tinnitus experiences (Letterman suffers from it, which I didn't know). Townshend said his has gotten better over the years, mainly due to homeopathic treatments. I know you've tried that, but who knows, there could be another homeopathic route that will yield better results.
I also read somewhere that Jerry Harrison had it, and not only did it suddenly/mysteriously clear up, but his hearing actually was better than it was pre-tinnitus. So there's definitely hope. Wishing you the best!
― and I scream Fieri Eiffel Tower High (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 00:10 (eleven years ago) link
yeah good luck. i can't imagine. there's this quietus stuff- "discovered by a rock drummer".
http://www.quietrelief.com/
― road to per diem (brownie), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 00:13 (eleven years ago) link
if Pete Townshend has any functional use of his ears at all in 2012 there's hope for all of us
― some dude, Wednesday, 21 November 2012 00:14 (eleven years ago) link
otm
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 00:17 (eleven years ago) link
― pplains, Wednesday, 21 November 2012 00:20 (eleven years ago) link
on the sleep front, if last night is any indication, for me the magic combination is ambien to put me to sleep and trazadone to keep me asleep (unfortunately I was woken up abruptly by my daughter after 5 hours or so). While I am really unhappy with the prospect of taking prescription drugs to get to sleep every night, at least these are non-physically addictive and can be taken relatively long-term if necessary. I guess I used to habitually have pot and/or booze at night that probably helped me get to sleep but those are out for now.
xp
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 00:23 (eleven years ago) link
also it means a lot to have everyone's support here. I am not posting much lately cuz it's so hard for me to focus on stuff and I feel sort of joyless in general but any words of encouragement at all really mean a lot to me. I have never felt so emotionally needy in my life and it's not something I welcome but that's just how it is.
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 00:25 (eleven years ago) link
Townshend said his has gotten better over the years, mainly due to homeopathic treatments.
uh Shakey is apparently suffering pretty severely here, no need to be a dick itt
― ( ͡° ͜ʖ͡°) (sic), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 00:32 (eleven years ago) link
sic, tarfumes wasn't being a dick, he was just trying to give him some encouraging anecdotes. chill.
xpost to shakey<3
i guess there's some consolation (kind of?) in maybe finding out where the cause is if it's not hearing damage. but it still sucks that you're having to go through all this
i hope it gets easier for u, dude
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 00:34 (eleven years ago) link
As someone who has had occasional bouts with tinnitus, I would never joke about this, nor intentionally be a dick about it. I was just pointing out what worked for Townshend as a means of encouragement and possible further investigation for Shakey.
― and I scream Fieri Eiffel Tower High (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 00:38 (eleven years ago) link
well I have a history of sinus problems and that's what I originally thought it was but the ENT was pretty thorough and didn't see anything. and I'm not congested or anything like that. the longer this goes on the more it seems just random.
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 00:38 (eleven years ago) link
re: homeopathic stuff - no need to fight guys. I've tried some stuff already with no real success, and there's other things I won't really bother to try. if the MRI turns up nothing then most likely my next step is to check in at the UCSF tinnitus center. they're not on my health plan, but they have a whole clinic devoted to this so at least I might be a useful test case or something.
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 00:40 (eleven years ago) link
of course how I would pay for that is a little uhhh with new baby on the way but I'm on some one day at a time shit at the moment
Maybe they'll name a treatment after you & u will be famous
:)
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 00:41 (eleven years ago) link
tbrr the non-medical option at the top of my list would be to go see Jodorowsky in Paris for some psychomagic
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 00:45 (eleven years ago) link
ok sorry, assumed anyone recommending taking str8 up water as medicine was trolling.
― ( ͡° ͜ʖ͡°) (sic), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 01:57 (eleven years ago) link
trying to get appt with UCSF tinnitus clinic
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 19:00 (eleven years ago) link
best of luck Shakey. This whole situation sucks and I hope you find a way to get past it soon.
― EZ Snappin, Wednesday, 21 November 2012 19:10 (eleven years ago) link
it's weird the kind of music that kind of helps me ignore this, however slightly. Martin Denny, ZZ Top, things with lots of vibraphones ... white noise and gregorian chants, not so much.
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 23:27 (eleven years ago) link
anyone know any good vibraphone-heavy albums that do not have a fucking saxophone on them
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 23:28 (eleven years ago) link
what's the common factor, things with lots of harmonics/overtones?
― have a sandwich or ice cream sandwich (Jordan), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 23:29 (eleven years ago) link
i never listened to the Modern Jazz Quartet much, but i love Milt Jackson's solo records, especially this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeRCfV-YtBA
― have a sandwich or ice cream sandwich (Jordan), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 23:31 (eleven years ago) link
xp maybe check out some Modern Jazz Quartet
― Brad C., Wednesday, 21 November 2012 23:31 (eleven years ago) link
also this Gary Burton record:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-58mzVdK1M
― have a sandwich or ice cream sandwich (Jordan), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 23:32 (eleven years ago) link
things with lots of harmonics/overtones?
I'm not really sure exactly but I'm kind of thinking yeah... my tinnitus is pitched *really* fucking high (like above 11,000 Hz) so it cuts through a lot of shit.
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 23:37 (eleven years ago) link
Can't go wrong with Ray Charles/Milt Jackson records. Also, Andrew Hill's Judgment! which has Bobby Hutcherson and no horns.
― and I scream Fieri Eiffel Tower High (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 23:44 (eleven years ago) link
Gary Burton is nice - stuff that is not too mellow or has a lot of space in it is good. space is just filled with ear-splitting irritation for me.
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 23:45 (eleven years ago) link
yeah I love Hutcherson. Jackson too but the stuff I have of his has 'Trane on it... didn't know about the Ray Charles recs
Maybe some Tortoise stuff?
― Una Stubbs' Tears (Trayce), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 23:46 (eleven years ago) link
sort of hated post-rock stuff when it came out, but this has upended so many things about my life already...
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 22 November 2012 00:09 (eleven years ago) link
you never know maybe you'll discover that only late 80's smooth jazz works
(JOEKS)
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 22 November 2012 00:10 (eleven years ago) link
as aero said
Eat a trillion dicks young punk self, relaxation music is the business.
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 22 November 2012 00:20 (eleven years ago) link
my wife suggested I go Metal Machine Music style and make a record with my tinnitus tone pasted over everything
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 22 November 2012 00:40 (eleven years ago) link
sorry about this shakey. my wife has had intermittent bouts of this through the years (mainly from going to too many shows when she was younger with no hearing protection, including MBV at Slim's which I think really did her in), and it got significantly worse after she had cancer. apparently the platinum-based drug they gave her exacerbated it. it comes and goes these days.
― akm, Thursday, 22 November 2012 00:45 (eleven years ago) link
Mayb u need to fight fire with fire and listen to Ventolin by Aphex.
― Una Stubbs' Tears (Trayce), Thursday, 22 November 2012 00:46 (eleven years ago) link
I think yr wife is onto something Shakey
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 22 November 2012 01:21 (eleven years ago) link
Just thought of another horn-free vibraphonecentric record: Cecil Taylor's Looking Ahead!, with vibraphonist Earl Griffiths (about whom little has been heard since).
― and I scream Fieri Eiffel Tower High (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Sunday, 25 November 2012 18:27 (eleven years ago) link
Not vibey, but I've found a lot of early jazz with somewhat big bands to work well. Louis Armstrong's hot fives & hot sevens, various Jelly Roll Morton. Lots of stuff happening + scratchy recordings.
― Øystein, Monday, 26 November 2012 09:11 (eleven years ago) link
fuck you tinnitus
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 26 November 2012 17:00 (eleven years ago) link
keep checking this thread hoping for some good news. hope things go better, shakes
― liljon /bia/ bia (k3vin k.), Monday, 26 November 2012 17:22 (eleven years ago) link
fuckin zoloft givin me the jitters something fierce the last few days
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 26 November 2012 20:07 (eleven years ago) link
yeah that's pretty common, unfortunately. what dose were you started on?
― liljon /bia/ bia (k3vin k.), Monday, 26 November 2012 20:15 (eleven years ago) link
it's like the lowest dose possible 25mg
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 26 November 2012 20:21 (eleven years ago) link
me and pharmaceuticals are not a good match, I hate being on all this shit
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 26 November 2012 20:22 (eleven years ago) link
oh for the days when I could just rely on good old fashioned booze and weed
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 26 November 2012 20:23 (eleven years ago) link
someone tell me something encouraging plz
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 26 November 2012 21:36 (eleven years ago) link
i think you're gonna beat this thing. it might take some time. either you'll find the right drug balance and/or lifestyle changes. or it'll dissipate on its own. or both!
― goole, Monday, 26 November 2012 21:38 (eleven years ago) link