Who here has Tinnitus, how are you managing?

Trucks can be loud, but some are louder than others and can be damaging to your hearing over 10-12 hour shifts 5+ days a week. However, even the new semi trucks can be loud when towing a full load uphill. What are your decibel readings in the truck?
How are the ones with tinnitus managing on a day to day basis? Its not just the hearing damage that concerns me, it's mostly the tinnitus that spikes and seems to get worse over time...

 

If your tinnitus is getting worse see an audiologist and find out why. Don't wait. It might be possible to salvage some of your hearing but if you wait too long it's gone forever.

 

there is no cure for tinnitus.

have had it for years.

 

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I just live with it, I don’t think about it and I’m fine. Once in awhile when I’m bored, that’s when it comes to mind, then I get over it.

 

I have tinnitus. Sometimes it's better sometimes it's worse.

As far as I know tinnitus is not hearing loss. It's that your ears ring so loud that it's difficult to hear beyond the ringing. If you've ever had a really bad head cold and your ears were ringing it's something similar.

How to cope with it? Driving is probably not the best thing. Mostly because regular nights and regular sleep and being very well hydrated and not drinking caffeine, at least not excessive amounts, all contribute to making it worse.

There are some over-the-counter remedies but I have never tried them.

You're not supposed to wear earplugs while driving. However, if you go to an audiologist and they give you hearing aids, the hearing aids actually will limit the amount of noise that goes through them protecting your hearing.

If you're really tricky you can shut them off while you drive and if you get pulled over turn them on no problem. You now have legal ear plugs.

 

Huh, what'd they say? Another blatant "then vs. now". You think modern trucks are loud, how about a 318 with straight pipes? Yeah, I figured you might not know. I've been around loud things for years( then I divorced her), seriously, ringing in the ears is common for just about everyone, regardless of their occupation. I'm no expert, but your hearing is incredibly complex, and a number of factors can contribute. Ear plugs are one solution, but limits your hearing for more important matters, like a rod knocking or a siren. Personally, like most healthcare maladies today, I think it's all BS. A money making ploy to sustain their swanky lifestyles, and do what you can to avoid being part of that.

 

The cause of your tinnitus is key to how you can best deal with it. My tinnitus is, as most here also, too many years of too loud equipment without hearing protection. Some medications can cause tinnitus. Some health conditions can cause it. It's best to know the cause first.
I found a foam ear plug that fits my ear canals just right and wear them. All of the equipment I run has several packages in easy to grab locations. When at the shop, I use head phones, and often head phones over the ear plugs. Now this only helps prevent further damage. It does nothing to reduce the ringing. But I do not want the ringing to get any worse.

As far as dealing with it on a day to day basis, I keep low volume background noise on at pretty much all times. I have several portable stereos, and make certain all of the trucks and equipment have operational stereos. One tractor does not, so I keep a set of radio head phones in that machine and regularly change out the batteries. Even at night at the house, during the winter I can sleep so much better with the pellet stove running as a background noise and summer with a AC or fan noise to keep the brain occupied. Otherwise the brain seems to find the tinnitus as something to concentrate on, which in turn can cause all sorts of other issues including safety.

Basically, if you have tinnitus that is caused by decibel damage over time, you're stuck with it. At this time, there is no known cure or treatment that has been successful on a large scale nor been proven over the long term. So you're stuck with it. You're going to have to experiment with ways that fit your lifestyle to keep the brain occupied and not allow it to concentrate on the tinnitus.
If you are finding that your truck is exacerbating the tinnitus, then a place to start while you look for other means, is to find an ear plug that you can wear for hours without comfort issues or allergic reactions and get used to wearing them. I dont know for certain, but you can even look into the cost of the ear plugs as a tax incentive. ? Ask your tax preparer/accountant. There's nothing worse than stepping out of the truck after several hours, and hearing nothing but the ringing in your ears.

 

Bose noise cancelling headphones work well to block the roar of the engine seeping into the cab of the truck .

It's logical for truckers to want to use them. By drowning out the sound of the engine they actually improve the ability to hear a siren or other noise.