You Don’t Have to Live with the Ringing in Your Ears
“The incessant ringing in my ears is driving me crazy!” Is this what you’re experiencing?
An estimated 50 million people in the United States experience some form or level of the neurological disorder known as tinnitus. Most cases involve only temporary symptoms that occur after being in a noisy stadium, a loud concert, a night in the club, discharging a firearm without hearing protection, or experiencing an explosive event.
Those with chronic, or ongoing symptoms that last 24/7 usually find that it’s difficult to concentrate while working or studying, struggle to relax, or find it difficult to get a good night’s sleep due to the severity of the constant noise.
Though chronic tinnitus does not cause you to lose your hearing, it is often associated with the damage to your hearing that leads to hearing loss.
Our tinnitus experts at Allison Audiology and Hearing Aid Center understand your struggle with tinnitus and we’re eager to provide answers about tinnitus as well as helping you achieve ongoing relief through tinnitus management.
Tinnitus is a neurological condition that creates the perception of sounds that are not really present in your surrounding environment, or a “phantom” perception generated somewhere along the auditory pathway. The exact cause of tinnitus is not known, but many researchers compare the condition to the neurological disease known as “phantom limb” experienced by amputees.
Each individual’s tinnitus is unique and can be continuous or pulsating in nature as well as subjective or objective. Subjective tinnitus is usually called “ringing in the ears,” but can sound like whirring, clicking, or buzzing noises that aren’t present in the environment, and are only heard by the person with the condition.
In contrast, objective tinnitus can be heard by others and is treated with surgical or other medical methods. Regardless of whether your tinnitus is subjective or objective, there are several conditions that tend to be present along with or lead to tinnitus, including:
- Hearing loss
- Exposure to loud noise (Noise Induced Hearing Loss, NIHL)
- Head and neck injuries
- Ototoxic drugs
- Meniere’s disease
- Acoustic neuroma
- Hyper/hypothyroidism
- Abnormal growth of bone in the ear
- Tumor on the cranial nerve
- Stress
- Depression
- High blood pressure
- Impacted earwax
Tinnitus Relief Begins with a Tinnitus Assessment
In the beginning, it is important to rule out any medical reasoning for your onset of tinnitus and so forth. During your initial appointment with your tinnitus specialist, we will lay the groundwork for your unique Tinnitus Relief Program with a tinnitus assessment, including:
- A case history, including specific information regarding your condition, such as how it affects your quality of life, any medications you’re taking, medical conditions you might have, or other factors known to present with tinnitus symptoms.
- We conduct a complete hearing evaluation to determine if your condition is associated with hearing loss. (Please let us know if you’ve had a recent diagnostic hearing assessment.)
- The tinnitus questionnaire and tinnitus evaluation measure the loudness and pitch of your symptoms.
- A Tinnitus Handicap Inventory may be used to determine the extent of its impact on your lifestyle.
- Discussion of appropriate treatment options.
In some cases, testing by an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist is necessary to rule out other suspected vestibular or vascular medical conditions that can cause tinnitus symptoms.
- Does your tinnitus frustrate you in a quiet room?
- Does your tinnitus keep you awake at night?
- Is it hard to focus on tasks because your tinnitus gets in the way?
If your tinnitus is negatively impacting your life, then a Tinnitus Relief Program is a good option for you. Dr Lindsey offers comprehensive, personalized tinnitus treatment options at our Houston office.
Our Doctors of Audiology will guide you through a series of appointments (offering in-office and virtual visits), working closely with you each step of the way in order to customize a tinnitus management program to address your unique tinnitus needs.
We combine hearing aids, which often reduce symptoms in those with accompanying hearing loss, as well as sound treatment therapy, behavioral therapy, and more to guide you toward the relief you need from the ringing in your ears.
Patient Stories
"If you are concerned about your hearing and you do nothing about it, you will live your life always concerned about your hearing."
Suffering from hearing loss since he was 7 years old, Billy has endured a lifetime of hearing loss troubles and mishaps.
From punctured eardrums to fluid building behind his eardrums, his luck was falling short and he was concerned his hearing would never improve.
“I felt comfortable and at ease. The people were nice and were willing to take the time to adjust the hearing aids for me and show me how to maintain them.”
“People were always saying I told you that already. I was missing conversations. My mind would have to decode sometimes what someone would say…
“My audiologist was so knowledgeable it made me feel secure and I knew I had come to the right place.”
“I was having to ask people to repeat things and I found myself turning my TV volume up more and more.
“I was worried that wearing a hearing aid would make me look old…
Don’t wait, it will be a change you would not expect – Debbie’s Story
Debbie first noticed she had an issue with her hearing back in 2009 as her hearing began to affect her day-to-day life.…
I can hear nature sounds & understand conversations better, especially with my grandchildren.
Francine has suffered with hearing problems for years due to tinnitus. As it quickly began to escalate, she realized that she needed urgent attention and soon after she came across Allison Audiology…
Fred first visited an ENT clinic to discuss the tinnitus he was experiencing from time to time.
Following his visit, he was surprised to find out that he needed hearing aids and his hearing was in poor condition…
You cannot find a better place to address your hearing challenges. The staff members treat you like family and will go the extra mile to help you.
Frida has spent much of her life struggling with hearing loss. While it was ignored for many years, it gradually began to affect her everyday life and soon she found it hard to socialise with others...
It’s a very clean office with efficient people. You will never be rushed.
While John’s hearing loss was very sudden, he has been amazed at the difference his hearing aids have made to his hearing:
“I never thought I would need hearing aids but am happy to have them now. I could not hear in a busy environment, but now I can...
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