I have a headache all the time now and I bet it's from the never ending ringing in my ears. Before Dec. 27th I might have had a few times were I could here the ringing in my right ear if the room was really quit (I have some mild hearing loss in that ear from when I was 15).

Than the day I went 1/2 numb I could tell the ringing was loader but didn't think much of it at the time.

Than after the LP headache the ringing was even loader and I told the ER Dr. about it but since thats a sign of a spinal headache we both thought it would stop when the headache stopped, it didn't.

Now the ringing is so loud that I can hear it ALL the time, I can't stand to be in a quit room. It almost hurts to be in a quit room.


It's bugging me that the ringing started to get bad when the numbness started up.

I know what you're feeling, Julie. I had that for two years continuously (combined with intermittent deafness in one ear) and eventually went to a specialist. He explained to me that tinnitus is a very common problem, even amungst the general population, and is actually a very uncommon symptom of MS specifically. In fact, he had tinnitus, and advised that it was unlikely to improve.

Several months later I went off Celexa and within a few weeks I noticed the tinnitus and hearing problem were both GONE. I only have it (slightly) once in a blue moon now.

Cherie

I've had tinnitus since I was a young child. First time I really remember it I was probably about four years old. Thought that it was normal for years until I saw a tv show about it.

It's pretty constant for me, but since I've lived with it my whole life it only really bugs me when it's really bad, like when I'm sick or have a migraine. I've got a cold right now, and the congestion in my nose, ears and sinuses is making the tinnitus worse.

When I had mononucleosis in 1996, my head was so plugged up with congestion during that time that I wasnt able to hear normal sounds for about two weeks. The tinnitus sound was so loud during that time that I wasnt able to sleep for very long. That was the worst that it's ever been. So, I can sympathise with you about how annoying and distracting that it can get when it's really bad.

I sleep with the tv on because the sound of the tv is just loud enough that it covers up the ringing. (when I'm sick it sounds like high tension electric power lines humming, and noise from the tv doesnt always help)

I hope yours leaves you alone soon. It gets really maddening at times. Have you gone to an audiologist and had it checked out?

They do make commerically available "tinnitus maskers". Devices that produce white noise. My dad has one that plays ocean waves, or rain sounds...sometimes he uses the sound that sounds kind of like static. You could get one of those, or maybe you can play classical music on a radio or cd when you dont want to have your tv on, and dont want to have the house totally quiet.


Did you know that William Shatner AND Leonard Nimoy both have tinnitus from hearing damage due to a special effect going off too early (or they were too close to it) while they were filming an episode of Star Trek.

Shatner actually successfully completed a treatment called "tinnitus retraining". They put what looked like little hearing aids in his ears that played white noise into his ears. It taught him to not listen to the tinnitus. He said once you're not listening to the tinnitus, you can wean yourself off of using the white noise generators. You might want to ask an audiologist about that.

I googled "tinnitus retraining", and found this site

I've been nearly deaf since I was about 31, and have to wear hearing aids in both ears..I notice the ringing all the time, but when the hearing aids are out, it can get pretty loud. I suppose I've gotten somewhat used to it, but I understand how miserable it can make you feel. I hope yours is very temporary!

This is interesting. I haved been living with ringing in my head for years. Don't know if it has a name, just have accepted it. I started sleeping with a fan on to block the noise. The reason I know it is worse now, I can now hear it loudly over the noise of the fan. I just realized this after reading your post..... okay, ringing.... SHHHHHHH NOW!!!!! Ha!

O.K., let me preface this by saying that I am NOT one of those people who think that MS is caused by artificial sweeteners!!

I ONLY drink ice tea flavored with SWEET AND LOW, prefer SPLENDA SPOONFUL in my coffee at home, and use EQUAL packets in my coffee at work and at restaurants...and consume whatever sweetener diet pepsi uses when I drink my many cups of D.P daily.

That being said...

My father developed tinnitus quite some time ago and spent many hours with his ENT and audiologist.

After many false starts, they finally determined that his problem was caused by Aspertame.

It turns out that a VERY SMALL number of people can develop a sensitivity to Aspertame that can manifest as a ringing in the ears (tinnitus).

It took my father approx. 1.5-2 months of abstaining from equal for the ringing to completely disappear, although it started to fade much sooner than that.

He kept completely aspertame-free for about 5 years, and then started introducing it again. When he did start using it, he severely limited it. I think the most he would consume would be two diet cokes per month.

Once splenda made it's debut in the US, my parents made the switch and now it's only on the rare occasion that he ever touches aspertame.

It might be a very long shot, like I said, his doctors told him that the percentage of people who have this sensitivity is ridiculously low...but it might be something to try if you use a lot of aspertame. If you are like my father, if aspertame is to blame, you would probably know fairly soon. If not, you won't have wasted much time.

I use Splenda exclusively (no aspartame) and I have ringing all the time. It's worse at times - like right now I can barely hear it. Towards the end of the day it's like an alarm!!

I have used a small amount of aspartame for years, I don't think I have increased the amount I'm using now but this IS something worst looking into. Thank you.

Like I said, the *aspertame* induced Tinnitus happens in only a very small amount of the population.

So my guess would be that yours is caused by something else.

I only threw it out as a suggestion to try knowing that it would be something the MXS could try right now, while waiting on doctors to do something else.

Do I think it will work, probably not. No one else in my family (mother, my children, my father's siblings, neices, nephews) have this. And we ALL drink artificial sweeteners.

But I would feel awful if I didn't mention it and she suffered for a year and then a doctor found out that she had a rare sensitivity to it.

I'm not diagnosing, I'm just giving insite into something that happened to my father on the very off chance that the information might be helpful to the person who just go on a message board and ASK for help.

If this isn't helpful to you, just ignore my suggestion.

By the way, if I'm a little sensitive, I apologize. I'm on day two of my "solumedrol smoothies".

Have had tinnitus since milogram (sp) in 70's - first went deaf in left ear and then when hearing returned - so did tinnitus - you do get used to it although it's nice to have sound in the background - sometimes it's louder then others - sort of sounds like loud tree frogs - did audio test and I don't hear sounds of a certain pitch - birds singing for example - did get fitted with a small pair of hearing aids that amplify the sounds I'm not hearing and thus minimize the tinnitus - but they fit behind your ear and as I wear glasses I constantly get feedback and that's worse then the tinnitus - and I'm told sometimes it goes away by itself -