Tinnitus: Hyperbaric Treatment vs. SCUBA Diving

I tried a hyperbaric chamber yesterday for one hour. I was unaffected by the pressure. The tinnitus was as loud coming out of the chamber as it was when I entered the chamber. I do get some relief when I SCUBA dive in the open ocean and I am now even more perplexed as to why that relief happens in the ocean.

It is only logical that pressure or temperature would be the source of relief. I've tried ice vests, cold water, and now the hyperbaric chamber...I'm stumped. Perhaps the brain just shifts gears while diving. Perhaps the salt water environment somehow alters the brainwaves or EEG levels at depth. Who knows? It is an odd phenomena. Divers with tinnitus, please comment and let me know if you experience relief while SCUBA diving.

Tinnitus: Cars That Cancel Traffic Noise

A noisy car, squeaky brakes, and traffic background noise can amplify subjective tinnitus and or hyperacusis. As a result, a long drive can be very difficult for people who suffer from these conditions.

Good news! According to Consumer Reports (April 2013) the automobile industry has begun to sell cars that have noise cancellation technology built-in. The technology is similar to modern noise cancellation headphone technology. Here is a list of vehicles that have the technology built-in.

Acura (ILX, RDX, and TSX)

Chevrolet Impala

Honda Accord

Crosstour

Odyssey

Cadillac 

Lincoln

Ford (C-max, Fusion Hybrid)

If you are considering purchasing a new vehicle then you may want to research this topic further. Here's the link: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/02/cool-car-features-you-can-buy-now/index.htm

Tinnitus: Discrimination

Yesterday I heard a BBC radio report about a man with Parkinson's Disease and how he was detained by police because he looked as if he was fidgeting and showed hardly any facial emotion. It was his non-verbal communication that the police perceived as suspicious behavior.

I started wondering about tinnitus sufferers and how we may be inadvertently sending similar non-verbal communications signals to people around us. If we lack sleep we may appear lazy, bored, fatigued, uninterested, and distant.

After a few evenings of total sleeplessness we could be more easily agitated and fidgety. If the tinnitus is very loud we may not know that we are talking over it and so what we perceive to be normal speech may be misperceived by other people as shouting or aggressive behavior. People with hyperacusis and tinnitus may begin to slur words due to grogginess. Slurring words could be misperceived as being drunk.

A friend of mine was accused of being drunk at work, as a flight attendant, and she was placed on administrative leave until, after some tests, it turned out that she was suffering from early signs of muscular dystrophy (a non-visible disability at first). The false accusation really was a stressful ordeal for her.

Tinnitus, like Parkinson's Dissease, is a non-visible disability. Discrimination is typically just a misinterpretation of unintended non-verbal communication. This is why I make sure to communicate my condition during important situations where the stakeholders need to know. Think of police as stakeholders. If, hypothetically, I get pulled over for a broken tail light I would immediately communicate to the police officer that I sometimes speak over my auditory condition and that it can be misunderstood as nervousness, shouting, and anger.

Other stakeholders (people who need to know about your tinnitus) may include:
Spouse
Family
Friends
Medical Practitioners
Supervisor
Co-workers

Tinnitus: Aspirin

According to the National Institute for Health aspirin does cause tinnitus. Since I already have tinnitus, I learned that aspirin increases the volume and annoyance level. Usually the volume will come back down in a day or two.

I realized that, for me, a major headache that lasts for hours is more endurable than major tinnitus that lasts for days. I now avoid aspirin. I use an ice pack applied to the back of the neck as a natural remedy for headache and I simply go outside and walk. You'd be amazed at how a quick change in environment can cure a headache. I try to take a ten minute walk twice per day.

If you have heart problems and your doctor says that you must take aspirin then you should follow your doctor's instructions.

More information:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18225604