I've had tinnitus (ringing in the ears) since I can remember. (oldest memory of it goes back to when I was about 3 or 4yrs old)

It normally doesnt bother me, but sometimes I can hear an electrical humming in my ears. I wonder if it's coincidental that there are some high tension powerlines that are just on the other side of the street that run the length of my neighborhood. If I stand below the power lines, I can hear almost the same exact humming noise coming from them.

Some noises do bother me. My parents seem to both be going deaf. (they constantly say "What?" when we're talking, and they have the tv so loud that I just want to curl up in a fetal ball and cover my ears.

They get mad at me when I ask them to constantly turn the freaking tv down.

Oh, and some frequencies bother me. My mom, for some reason known only to her, is constantly humming this off tune hum. My mom's sister hums the same tune, but thankfully she can actually sing, but it's the same tune my mom does. I think they learned it from their music teacher (same teacher that taught Faith Hill...wonder if she hums the same tuen)

That hum my mom does drives me insane. I wish she had singing talent like my aunt, because then maybe it wouldnt drive me nuts and make me want to scream. It's like fingernails on a chalkboard. Like getting feedback thru a phone or a microphone. It's not the hum itself that bugs me, because I've forced myself to sit and try to analyze why the hum bugs me. It's, I guess, the frequency that my mom hums at.

What sucks, is that it's apparently an unconcious habit she has, so just asking her to not hum doesnt work for long. She'll be back to humming within a minute or five after asking her to stop. She doesnt realize she's doing it.

Me...... I do! Loud noises actually cause me pain in the ear drums these days. Loud music, TV up too loud, noisy cars, that sort of thing. If a door slams, I get a sudden sharp earache. Not nice!

Like the others, I can hear tnings not usually audible, but so far I've not over-heard anything beneficial to me, ...... which is sad!

MSCHEROKEE,

Spiderman got his abilities from a spider biting him. You've gotten super hearing from MS. Remember the bionic woman? You're like the bionic woman!

I know what you mean tho. I hear high pitched buzzing and I don't know if it's in my ears or somewhere else. I did find the source one time and it was something in the house. Of course DH doesn't hear any of it.

For some reason men have a reduced sense of smell and hearing. Or at least my DH does.

Sometimes I try and play soothing jazz music to drown out the other stuff. Sia and Norah Jones are much better to listen to than a buzzing noise.

I get overwhelmed by noise, especially when I am tired, but I never considered that I was actually hearing it louder then others do.

I often do hear things that others don't though . . . so maybe that's why it overwhelms me so. Interesting.

Cherie

I have to have some sort of background noise going on when I'm sleeping. I leave the tv on, or I have my computer playing an audio book or something. Otherwise, the tinnitus gets so loud it keeps me awake.

Wow, this is probably the weirdest symptom. LOL I don't have tinnitus but do know some people who have it and they say it's sometimes difficult to hear a conversation because of all the ringing and buzzing in their ears. Must be the frequencies.

I also get overwhelmed by noise, moreso when I'm tired. Like right now as I'm trying to wake up and DH is sitting next to me playing some video game trailer extremely loud. Makes me want to go pull the plug on the speakers!

There was an article in our local paper about TV advertisements and how they're using different pitches and frequencies to catch our attention. Wish I could find that info again because it had a link to a website where you could test how many frequencies you could hear. I could hear lots more than my DH, especially the higher frequencies.

Guess we're all Bionic Women and Six Million Dollar Men...and yes, I'm telling my age.

for those with late night spouses, you should get head phones for them. I told my hubby that if he wants on the puter past 10 when I go to get rested, and try to get into a zone for sleep, that I would love it, if he would wear head phones. I have a pair laying out and handy for those late night trips to finish his work, or do on line bills.

I too get over whelmed by noise. I find music in places like stores, or MD offices not only to be obnoxious, but too loud! So, with the bright lights, the high volume and the old ladies who drown themselves in colonge I just wont go into stores during peak hours. not me! I am gonna stay home till the slower times.

I hate people who marinate themselves in perfumes and colognes. Most of them are people who've worn that particular...stench...for so long that they've burned out their nostrils and cant smell it anymore, so they pour more on until they can smell it again.

Which means once they walk into a room I'm in, I'm flat on the floor, trying to breathe, or stumbing blindly out the door to get to fresh air (impossible because they dragged their odor thru the hallway and it'll take days to get the smell out of the carpet and furniture.

One time, I went to my neuro, and the lady who was in there just before me apparently bathed in White Diamonds or some other horrible caustic chemical. The room reeked of it. I mentioned to my neuro that I have some sort of chemical allergy because perfumes and cleaning chemicals make me ill.

He said that he has the same problem, and has asked the woman to refrain from stinking herself up when she visits. She refuses to listen to him. If I were her doctor, I'd fire her as a patient, or at least pawn her off on some other doctor.

The only perfume I could stand when I was younger, and I dont know why it's the only one, is Chanel's Coco (I can sort of stand Chanel No 5, but not for long) Now I cant stand any perfumes.

I just googled Chanel perfumes, and I think I know why I cant stand the Coco scent any more. In 1998, they switched from using Civet oil (oil from a gland in Civet cats) to using a synthetic version of civet oil. That may explain why I cant stand Coco any more. It's synthetic now. (they switched to synthetic because PETA pushed them to do it)

I can stand bright lights, lots of (non-perfumed) people, and most loud noises a lot better than I can deal with perfumed people.

*sprays whole can of cheap bathroom spray*

There! That oughta get rid of any synthetic civets lurking in here.

*gasping*

*trying to reach phone to call 911*

*more gasping*

*breathless screaming* (phone battery dead)

*more gasping*

*cough*

*crawling to the door*

*gasp*