Tinnitus

Manomet said:
The disability payment from the Va has nothing to do with what your pay grade was. There is a table that is periodically updated with rates from 10% to 100%, same rate for an E1 or an O9.
www.va.gov

Current Veterans disability compensation rates | Veterans Affairs

Review 2024 Veterans disability compensation rates. Use our compensation benefits rate tables to find your monthly payment amount. We base your monthly payment amount on your disability rating and details about your dependent family members.
www.va.gov www.va.gov
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Only passing on what the VA guy told me in 2018. He was either incorrect or thing changed.
 
Matt_SERE said:
I turned on closed captions on the tv for good a few years ago. Anyone else? [wave]
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A couple of years ago I got a wireless headset that attaches to the TV. Also have used the closed captions as well. Both helped me with understanding dialog on shows with loud background music etc. I do also now wear a hearing aid in my "good" ear.
 
Matt_SERE said:
I turned on closed captions on the tv for good a few years ago. Anyone else? [wave]
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Never. Not unless I was 100% deaf.

CC never matches what's being said. The words distract me, because if there are words, I must read them, even if I can hear what's being said, and that just screws everything up.

The worst CC of all is of a foreign language that I can understand, and in my head I start arguing with the translation. Totally blows any enjoyment in what I'm watching.
 
KBCraig said:
The worst CC of all is of a foreign language that I can understand, and in my head I start arguing with the translation. Totally blows any enjoyment in what I'm watching.
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This, lol, there's definitely a lot lost in translation. The only thing worse is watching a foreign language show that's dubbed in English.
 
My Mom has tinnitus but never had firearms, a construction job, military job, etc. It’s been with her for a few years now and at that time I noticed when I was talking to her she would move her lips like she was trying to mouth what I was saying. Really weird.
 
I am the same as @Matt_SERE , I can't watch anything without the CC on. But then again I can't turn the volume up because that hurts more. My Granddaughter is now 13 yrs old and all of her life I have had to say, What did she say ? Or now to her, Again Please ? . The parts that bother me most is never being able to hear silence, quiet, and I just can't bring myself to drink or drug myself into a "quiet" nights sleep. Do any of you guys get these like " electric jolts" going across your head ? Picture a little lightning bolt going from the left side of your brain to the right. That is how it appears to me in my Mind's eye. Zzzzt Zzzzt Zzzzt, always in 3's. Then dizzy. Paul
 
djbradles said:
My Mom has tinnitus but never had firearms, a construction job, military job, etc. It’s been with her for a few years now and at that time I noticed when I was talking to her she would move her lips like she was trying to mouth what I was saying. Really weird.
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Generally speaking people with tinnitus also have hearing loss. She may be reading your lips and mirroring it as she does so. I heard from my ear doctor that covid caused a ton of people to come in for hearing issues because with everyone wearing masks people that were relying on reading lips subconsciously were now struggling.

Tinnitus can also be caused by certain medications, high blood pressure, TMJ etc. So you may want to have her evaluated to see which it is.
 
vickers said:
Generally speaking people with tinnitus also have hearing loss. She may be reading your lips and mirroring it as she does so. I heard from my ear doctor that covid caused a ton of people to come in for hearing issues because with everyone wearing masks people that were relying on reading lips subconsciously were now struggling.

Tinnitus can also be caused by certain medications, high blood pressure, TMJ etc. So you may want to have her evaluated to see which it is.
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Yeah, I can attest to that. I can't hear cashiers wearing masks who are behind plastic shields. My hearing loss was pretty sudden & recent (chemo related) so I didn't learn to adapt/read lips gradually over time as many older folks w/ hearing loss do. My audiologist put a setting on my hearing aids called "mask" which makes things sharper/crisper, I can toggle back and forth on the phone app that controls my hearing aids.
 
Ibuprofen ramps mine up.
I've had a mild case since high school. Gotten so I may notice, but it doesn't bother me. I pop a couple ibuprofen and sounds like a field of crickets in my right ear.

I had a sinus infection once set it off too...like smoke alarm territory.
 
I have it. Normally 24/7 it’s a 3rd gear 45 mph level. Somehow I have built up a tolerance over the decades that I can ignore it. 4-12 times a month it goes into as you say overdrive super turbo. It’s so loud I can’t believe the whole town can’t hear it. I find it coincides with my blood sugar level. I can get my blood sugar into spec in about 2 hours. The tinnitus lasts for 24 to 36hrs at the super turbo level. I see my Dr. very often. When I tell her about it she gives my the sucks to be you look. I’ve pushed her on it and she hits me with unless I want to go and meditate with a handful of crystals you’re sol! So basically the available treatment is nothing effective. I feel for you, if you find something that works please share! Good luck dealing with it.
 
Definitely getting worse the older I get. Just looked it up on the mayo clinic. They show the common risk factors associated with it:

Risk factors​

Anyone can experience tinnitus, but these factors may increase your risk:

  • Loud noise exposure. Loud noises, such as those from heavy equipment, chain saws and firearms, are common sources of noise-related hearing loss. Portable music devices, such as MP3 players, also can cause noise-related hearing loss if played loudly for long periods. People who work in noisy environments — such as factory and construction workers, musicians, and soldiers — are particularly at risk.
  • Age. As you age, the number of functioning nerve fibers in your ears declines, possibly causing hearing problems often associated with tinnitus.
  • Sex. Men are more likely to experience tinnitus.
  • Tobacco and alcohol use. Smokers have a higher risk of developing tinnitus. Drinking alcohol also increases the risk of tinnitus.
  • Certain health problems. Obesity, cardiovascular problems, high blood pressure, and a history of arthritis or head injury all increase your risk of tinnitus.

So glad I meet ALL the factors. I'm surprised loud women aren't listed. Not happy about the arthritis part, because that seems to be getting worse as well. I guess I am going to be deaf and cripple in my old age.
 
NHKevin said:
Isn't it too late? I thought you had to do that when outprocessing for discharge?
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Left active duty the first time (enlisted) in 1983. Assistant Machine gunner on a M60 /Infantry/Paratrooper ended up loosing a fair amount of hearing over time.
Went back for Officer Basic in 1988, finished up for good in 1990's. Hearing went down hill over time.

Diagnosed a good candidate for hearing aids about 13 years ago, but the VA was $#!t show when I tried to obtain services. As several other posted noted, the VA has changed and made great progress with regards to processing claims for vets.

Applied a 2nd time in mid Oct 2021 and submitted my civilian hearing test results while making the claim. Set up for an examine about month after I submitted the claim. Tested on a Friday and by the next Wed they called me set up a fitting for a hearing aid in early Jan 2022.

I noted both the hearing loss and Tinnitus during the claim submission and during Comp and Pen exam. The audiologist was very engaged and could tell the coping strategies I have picked up over the years were real. Reading this thread I can tell many of the posters have travelled the same road. Closed captions, back ground TV/Radio to drown out the ringing. Worst at night when things are quiet.

It is not too late and if you have issues give the VA a shot. They have in some way really up their game.
1) Get a civilian hearing test done and get a copy of the results (this helps solidify your claim I believe....maybe overkill)
2) Submit the VA EZ Claim form with your hearing test
3) Track your claim on the VA Web site or Phone App

Comp/Pension rates are based on combined disability rates due to both the Tinnitus and amount of hearing loss. I ended up with 20% (10% hearing loss + 10% Tinnitus) which currently is $301 a month tax free. I already received two pension payments, they moved that fast! Got the official word in writing by Mid Dec. My claim for knees and feet are still moving along, slowly! Finger Crossed.

Edit March 2022 - Picked up the VA hearing aids in Feb. They are life changing for me. I am communicating better in real life (IRL). Same audiologist who tested me set me up for the hearing aids. I can speak highly for the VA audiology center in Bedford Mass. Brothers in arms, don't let this support pass you by. Get the care you deserve and earned.
 
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24/7. I'm rated for it, and it's worse now than when I got rated. It's constant, and drives me batshit at night

Head phones and earbuds work great when watching movies for sure.
 
Despite the mild tinnitus, my hearing is still excellent.

But, being 58 and not looking a day under 70, it's handy to pretend that I don't hear people calling my name as I walk away.
 
Pressure changes. Dental issues.

Honestly. Good acupuncturist made mine go from nuclear (to the point where I was shedding the input from the mad side of my head where the damage happened) to "oh, I can hear again, FSCK! It hurts"

Fixing other things wrong with my body brought a substantial amount of my hearing back.

Literally went down from substantial hearing loss on right hand side to now almost normal. (last hearing check was 2 years ago.)

Fwiw, I can hear high. Like. Way high. As in all the way up in frequency to the end of the tests high and have since a child.

I lost a lot of midrange for over a decade. We thought it was due to an exposure to some very loud and bad stage monitors on a gig. (I was sitting next to one in an orchestra pit. Ended up having issues after with headaches and hearing loss )

That was also about the same time my wisdom teeth started cutting. So who knows.
 
centermass181 said:
Anyone ever have their tinnitus like, upshift, dump the clutch and hit the nitrus ? At some point today mine went from where it normally is, to making me dizzy Kinda weird.
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Yup. One time mine decided to go to 11 in the middle of the night. It woke me up it was so loud. I went to the Dr's in the morning because I thought it was an ear wax buildup problem or something. They saw nothing. I could not hear anyone because of it. It slowly went away over about 18 hours. It was pretty scary because I could not even sleep because of the sound.
 
Mine got much louder a couple weeks ago. It doesn’t bother me, but it’s odd that I just noticed this.

As for the VA: I finally got convinced to put in for disability. What a joke. Drove three hours to their doctor, got 10%, paid $140 twice and then nothing. I stand by my original assessment: worse than useless.
 
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My tinnitus is rather annoying, My physical therapist told me there are hearing aids which can be adjusted for frequency to "tune out" or at least mask the tinnitus and I saw an audiologist (recommended by primary MD) who did confirm a moderate hearing loss and said there's no such hearing aid as the PT described. She did try to sell me hearing aids though. Cost was over 5K. (Not covered by insurance or Medicade) Each. I believe I'm being sold a bill of goods on this (I'll stop short of calling it a scam) As long as someone's facing me when talking I'm fine.

Does such a tune-able or masking device even exist ? I have difficulty believing the cost is not covered by insurance. Not covered by medicaid ? Wouldn't surprise me.
 
Hearing Aids do work and I can attest to that. Without mine my tinnitus is so bad I can’t hear anything at all. Before the VA got involved I had a private audiologist sell me a set that my dog ate. Afterwards the VA gave me dual sets. They helped tremendously and now with Bluetooth they are unbelievable.
 
tuna said:
Mine got much louder a couple weeks ago. It doesn’t bother me, but it’s odd that I just noticed this.

As for the VA: I finally got convinced to put in for disability. What a joke. Drove three hours to their doctor, got 10%, paid $140 twice and then nothing. I stand by my original assessment: worse than useless.
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That doesn’t make any sense. Once given the disability the payments should be automatic for life. Time to give the VA a call.
 
Twigg said:
My tinnitus is rather annoying, My physical therapist told me there are hearing aids which can be adjusted for frequency to "tune out" or at least mask the tinnitus and I saw an audiologist (recommended by primary MD) who did confirm a moderate hearing loss and said there's no such hearing aid as the PT described. She did try to sell me hearing aids though. Cost was over 5K. (Not covered by insurance or Medicade) Each. I believe I'm being sold a bill of goods on this (I'll stop short of calling it a scam) As long as someone's facing me when talking I'm fine.

Does such a tune-able or masking device even exist ? I have difficulty believing the cost is not covered by insurance. Not covered by medicaid ? Wouldn't surprise me.
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Good hearing aids are available at Costco for less than $2K for the pair. Exams are free. I have Resound hearing aids and they would have been >$6K from a hearing aid audiologist that I used to go to. Cost was $2.5K back 3 years ago. It's worth checking out and well worth the membership fee.
 
Twigg said:
My tinnitus is rather annoying, My physical therapist told me there are hearing aids which can be adjusted for frequency to "tune out" or at least mask the tinnitus and I saw an audiologist (recommended by primary MD) who did confirm a moderate hearing loss and said there's no such hearing aid as the PT described. She did try to sell me hearing aids though. Cost was over 5K. (Not covered by insurance or Medicade) Each. I believe I'm being sold a bill of goods on this (I'll stop short of calling it a scam) As long as someone's facing me when talking I'm fine.

Does such a tune-able or masking device even exist ? I have difficulty believing the cost is not covered by insurance. Not covered by medicaid ? Wouldn't surprise me.
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Sound around you helps you to not hear the whining, screeching high pitch tones, so a hearing aid can help by letting you hear the other sounds that kind of drown out the noise.

I can kind of ''forget/ignore'' the sound a lot when there are other noises around me. When I talk about it I'll hear it, but most of the time I can ignore it.

white noise devices are ''supposed to'' help, but I tried one and the sound made me wake up a lot so I stopped using it.
 
centermass181 said:
Anyone ever have their tinnitus like, upshift, dump the clutch and hit the nitrus ? At some point today mine went from where it normally is, to making me dizzy Kinda weird.
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Yes,it is now combined with headache slight dizziness.. I think maybe stress contributes to this. The reeeeeeeeeeeee is definitely louder.

F'n sucks.
 

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