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Spinal Disorders & Back Pain For discussion of all spinal cord injuries, spinal issues, back-related pain or problems. |
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03-25-2007, 01:11 PM | #1 | ||
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Member
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Hi!!
I am 43 years old, and wear 2 hearing aids. I have had severe tinnitus for 5 or more years. My hearing loss was caused by my job, (I am a printer,and run loud equipment) I recently had ACDF at C5/6, 6/7 for herniated discs and bone spurs. The first thing i noticed after being rid of my pain, was how much less my ears ring. my tinitus is 24/7 and after a test for tinnitus, they said anything oer a 30 score was bad, my tinnitus scored at 78....mine kept me awake at night. now it doesn't. Keeping clear of caffeine also helps greatly. Hope that helps!! Dave |
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03-25-2007, 02:39 PM | #2 | ||
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SuzeQ,
I had this going on prior to my first fusion (C3/C4). I had never had this in my life! But my PM explained that the next is like a fusebox...full of wires (nerves). When they are compressed as in arthritic facets, they "crosstalk" to the auditory nerves. I thought I was losing my mind...it was all the time. Plus, it SEEMED the anti-inflammatories meds made it worse. Anyway, after the fusion the tinnitus completely stopped. So, what Printerhead said about his fusions is pretty close to what I experienced. And I could hear my heartbeat loud and clear...that kept me awake at night. Then this past September I had the C5/C6 fused but it was the higher level that caused the tinnitus. All gone now though, thank goodness! I hope the med(s) work for you. |
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03-26-2007, 07:47 AM | #3 | ||
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Junior Member
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I developed tinnitus after the accident that ruptured my C5-6-7 disks. The ACDF surgery made the ringing worse. The only med that I found that would help with the tinnitus was valium. 1/2 of a 5mg tablet will bring it down to tolerable levels.
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03-26-2007, 10:38 PM | #4 | ||
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Hi Stiffnecked, I'm glad to hear that valium has helped. Most people with tinnitus seem to use klonapin or xanax, so I was wondering about valium. My doc has me taking 1/2 - 1 tablet as needed. So far I've been able to tough it out with relaxation techniques and distraction, masking, and the occasional half tablet. At nite the loudness drives me up the wall though, so when I can't mask it, I take the meds. Do you take it on a regular schedule, or just when the tinnitus annoys you more than usual?
The doc also started me on Celexa 10mg. the tinnitus didn't get worse at that point, but when it went up to 20mg last week, my ears started ringing so loud, I had to strain to hear the birds singing outside the window. I'm hoping it's the Celexa causing it to flare like this. At least before it was more tolerable. |
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03-27-2007, 01:45 PM | #5 | ||
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I usually take the valium when I just can't stand it any longer. I also have a script for Ambien, the plain kind not CR. The Ambien will at least allow me to get 3 or 4 hours of sleep.
One of the things that I noticed is that any caffiene based stimulant, like, coffee, tea, diet soda, will really turn the tinnitus up. It also increases my neck pain as well. I don't know it's just a maddening thing sometimes. |
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03-28-2007, 12:23 PM | #6 | ||
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Thanks Stiffnecked, That's the way I'm taking the valium too, although my doc said that taking a 1/2 tablet more often would not lead to addiction problems, and might help relax the tight shoulder/neck muscles more. The neurologist just Rx'd a muscle relaxant, so that's another tool in my back pocket. I just kind of alternate between the two and doing relaxation exercises. It's hard to do them though with that darn ringing...very distracting. Is your tinnitus very loud? With background noise on, mine sounds like a little ringing in the right ear and a soft two toned tone in the left ear. When background sound is off, it sounds more like a roar. A masker helps at nite, but it gets tiring listening to that too after awhile, and sometimes it can actually amplify the ringing in the right ear. Actually I can deal with the back and neck pain a lot better than the ringing.
This started after doing a weight lifting type of physical therapy which was helping immensely. I had a horrible headache and my upper back wouldn't stop spasming (still have a bit after 2 epidurals). So it's pretty disappointing that after a year of maintenance weight training, this started up now. Also had a bad case of bronchitis in Nov/Dec which could've led to some additional neck and back strain. How the heck do you cope with the ringing? I can distract myself for awhile, but it's so loud it's hard to ignore. It seemed to get worse after starting Celexa for the anxiety a couple of weeks ago, so I've reduced the dose to see what happens. The Celexa does help with that, so I don't want to totally stop it. Have my last epidural next week, so hopefully things will settle down more. Suz |
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03-28-2007, 03:33 PM | #7 | ||
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Hi there!
Count yourself lucky...if you want to call it that... My tinnitus is from nerve damage caused from years of loud equipment. I said earlier that mine was better after my surgery (acdf) but it is back now. Mine is so loud, that my high pitch hearing is at the bottom of the scale. That is why I wear 2 hearing aids. I got used to it, but it took about 3 years. Now it only bugs me when I let it. Stay out of caffeine, and msg and it might help. Good Luck, Dave |
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