Does anyone else out there suffer from ringing in the ears? Any tips on what to do to get rid of it or at least make it tolerable? It keeps me awake at night and no matter what position I try nothing helps. I've even tried a sound machine. I've tried headphones (dangerous to fall asleep with them on your head). And I've tried ginkgo biloboa. Any ideas would be much appreciated.

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Time is an equal opportunity resource; no one has enough of it, yet each of us has all that there is.

annidet I don't know how long you have been suffering with the ringing so I'm not going to try to give you a true answer.

I had major ear surgery in 1981 and after coming out of recovery I too had the ringing which as you say is enough to drive you nuts.

I'll be honest with you it is never going to go away but eventually your not going to notice it as much trust me.

You are eventually going to get used to it and won't even notice it. The only time I really know that it's still there is if it changes tones which it is prone to do but not all that often.

When the doctor told me it was never going to go away I kind of went into a depressed state but like I said earlier I do not know when I stopped noticing the ringing, it's like I woke up one day and it was gone and I honestly don't know how long a period it was after my surgery a week a month maybe a year I can't tell you sorry.

One day your going to realize that it doesn't rule your life anymore, just have faith it will happen.

[This message has been edited by gillyharold (edited 12-24-2000).]

Thanks for the encouragement gillyharold. I've had this problem for several years. I've never had surgery, but had severe ear infection when I was about 12. I was totally deaf for about 3 weeks. Pretty scary. I can ignore the ringing to some degree, except at night when I'm trying to fall asleep. That's why I've tried all those suggestions. I'm still looking for something that will help.

Annie and Gillyharold, you might find the American Tinnitus Association's treatment options helpful. If nothing else, they'll understand.

I've heard that hearing a noise of a certain frequency can often alleviate tinnitus. Some doctors can even give you a small device that looks like a Miracle Ear or a small hearing aid, which produces this sound. It sounds a bit better than headphones, anyway. I've even heard of someone who slept with his electric razor running, but when he got a new razor, it didn't do anything for his tinnitus. Hope this helps.

I haven't gotten too far with my research yet, but apparently hypnotherapy can help. As soon as I find out how, I'll get back to you. Good luck