Diplacusis dysharmonica

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arth
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Diplacusis dysharmonica

Post by arth »

A few weeks ago, I suddenly got a light tinnitus and diplacusis dysharmonica (one ear would hear the same tone at a different pitch than the other ear). Hoping that this would pass, I waited. And waited. Well, it's been 3 weeks now, and I still hear Tiny Tim in my left ear. Especially horn music or triangular waveforms are mentally painful because of the disharmony. It sucks big time.

Anyone else here have had that problem, and overcome it?
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MIDI Life Crisis
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Re: Diplacusis dysharmonica

Post by MIDI Life Crisis »

Yes. I've found that Advil over a few days (4 pills 2x a day in severe cases) worked well. You may want to consult a Dr. before using that dosage, but it is generally considered a safe dosage.

In my case, I suspect the variation in pitch is due to a ruptured ear drum as a kid. The damaged drum gets "looser" when I have a head cold, but I haven't had the problem in many years now. The overall effect is that I hear a "rumble" when in fact, is IS two different perceived pitches.

Hope that helps.
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Re: Diplacusis dysharmonica

Post by chrispick »

MIDI Life Crisis wrote:Yes. I've found that Advil over a few days (4 pills 2x a day in severe cases) worked well. You may want to consult a Dr. before using that dosage, but it is generally considered a safe dosage.
Just be careful re: drowsiness.

Check with a doctor. If there's infection causing pressure somewhere, prescription antibiotics may be required. It's rare for a body to get rid of that sort of infection without medicinal help.

I've never experienced any tinnitus or other auditory irregularities, but I did have a bad head cold mess up my inner ear and equilibrium once, and that was horrible. Like being room-spinning drunk without drinking alcohol.
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Post by bongo_x »

Look into meniers syndrome. That may not be it, but you're a lot better off if you're prepared and not taken by surprise. You'll know when you have an insane case of vertigo out of nowhere and probably throw up and pass out.

bb
arth
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Post by arth »

No vertigo, and no problems with air pressure either (going on a plane trip, both ears popped 5-6 times each, with no extra discomfort in the "bad" ear). No fever either, nor discomfort sneezing. So it's highly unlikely to be meniere's or a sinus infection.

It's just a very high pitched low volume constant tinnitus that I don't even notice unless I listen for it, and sounds reaching the left ear sounding higher pitched, which I naturally do notice.

I went to see an audiologist, but found out that over here in the US, those aren't doctors, but hearing aids salesmen. A bum trip, in other words. I guess an ear-nose-throat doctor (otolaryngologist) is the closest thing over here? After 3 weeks without being able to listen to music, I'm going slightly insane. r.

If it can't be cured, at least I hope it can change from being almost 3 tones off to being a pure fifth. :-)
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Post by Dave Bourke »

My sympathies, arth. Look after that ••“ you only get one pair.

Oddly enough, I was talking to a guy today who suffers from tinnitus. He told me that when he was 14, his left ear canal was so itchy it was driving him nuts. So he poked around in there with a matchstick until he felt something come loose.

And then he pulled out an inch-long piece of tightly rolled-up paper thickly coated in earwax. He reckons he'd put it in there himself as a young child and forgot about it.

Shortly after that, he had to have an operation on that ear. He's had tinnitus ever since. Doesn't know what silence sounds like. Guess what he does for a living?

He's a session bass player.

Kind regards.
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Post by arth »

Thanks, folks -- much appreciated!

I take comfort in knowing that old Ludwig Van had much worse hearing problems, and that didn't stop him! (I've seen one of his pianofortes, with a cupola built around the seat to direct all the sound at him so he could hear it. Fascinating.)
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Post by chrispick »

Dave Bourke wrote:Oddly enough, I was talking to a guy today who suffers from tinnitus. He told me that when he was 14, his left ear canal was so itchy it was driving him nuts. So he poked around in there with a matchstick until he felt something come loose.

And then he pulled out an inch-long piece of tightly rolled-up paper thickly coated in earwax. He reckons he'd put it in there himself as a young child and forgot about it.

Shortly after that, he had to have an operation on that ear. He's had tinnitus ever since. Doesn't know what silence sounds like. Guess what he does for a living?

He's a session bass player.
Awesome story! :D
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Post by Shooshie »

Dave Bourke wrote:My sympathies, arth. Look after that ••“ you only get one pair.

Oddly enough, I was talking to a guy today who suffers from tinnitus. He told me that when he was 14, his left ear canal was so itchy it was driving him nuts. So he poked around in there with a matchstick until he felt something come loose.

And then he pulled out an inch-long piece of tightly rolled-up paper thickly coated in earwax. He reckons he'd put it in there himself as a young child and forgot about it.

Shortly after that, he had to have an operation on that ear. He's had tinnitus ever since. Doesn't know what silence sounds like. Guess what he does for a living?

He's a session bass player.

Kind regards.
Amazing. And totally believable. I can see a kid doing something like that. But it seems like his parents or doctor or someone would have found it at some point. You never know, though. Makes a great story, too.


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arth
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Post by arth »

Just a follow-up.

The dysharmonica has now gone away (Yay!). I still have some minor hearing loss on the affected ear, and a 24/7 very low volume tinnitus, but at least now I can enjoy music again, which was completely impossible while experiencing dysharmonica.

As I figured, the doctor was useless for other than placing a diagnosis and billing me for his next set of golf clubs.

Thanks for your help, all!
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Post by MIDI Life Crisis »

arth wrote:... and a 24/7 very low volume tinnitus
This is a very misunderstood condition. You aren't actually hearing a sound (instruments placed in the ear don't register noise). But you are defintely sensing that you are hearing a sound.

You probably know that in many cases this is due to damage to the tiny hairs that vibrate and transmogrify the vibrations into 'sounds' that our brains recognize.

The point of all that is this: while it is an annoyance, in many cases it has NO EFFECT on your hearing. That is actually quite unbelievable to me, but I can say from personal experience that it is true.

I do know people whom cannot stand it and it drives them nuts, especially when it is first noticed. You can learn to ignore it if you're lucky and unless someone actually mentions the condition, I don't even notice it's there. But it is and it is 24/7.

So how do you deal with that? Well for myself, what I like to do is pretend that it isn't a condition or an impediment, but rather that my hearing is so good I can hear background radiation or perhaps the left over reverberation from the Big Bang. Sure, that's a very childish way to deal with it, but then again, kids are remarkably resilient and maybe their imaginations are why.

If the condition is so severe that it is extremely loud (usually from a trauma like an explosion or extreme pressure) then I would imagine the above mind games may not apply. But the fact is that medical science can do nothing about the condition, and finding a way to deal with it is the only way "out."

After time, you will (hopefully) stop noticing it. Focus on what you CAN hear. If your hearing was (is) excellent, chances are it is still pretty damn good. Besides, remember that Beethoven was deaf most of his adult life, and he did pretty good in the music biz. :)

Good luck.
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Post by npatton »

arth wrote:Just a follow-up.

The dysharmonica has now gone away (Yay!). I still have some minor hearing loss on the affected ear, and a 24/7 very low volume tinnitus, but at least now I can enjoy music again, which was completely impossible while experiencing dysharmonica.

Thanks for your help, all!
Thanks for the update, arth. Glad you can listen again! (What a scary thought, to not be able to enjoy music. You had me unable to sleep for a while...)

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Post by Pappy725 »

Dave Bourke wrote:And then he pulled out an inch-long piece of tightly rolled-up paper thickly coated in earwax.
I had a moth fly into my ear canal once. Drove me crazy when it fluttered it's wings trying to get out. Had to walk back to the office and get one of my coworkers to pull it out with tweezers. (I was a letter carrier for the PO at the time)

Weird s*#t.

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arth
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Post by arth »

Pappy725 wrote:I had a moth fly into my ear canal once. Drove me crazy when it fluttered it's wings trying to get out. Had to walk back to the office and get one of my coworkers to pull it out with tweezers. (I was a letter carrier for the PO at the time)
Had you engaged in, how should I put this, wooly thinking?
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Post by twistedtom »

I think blood pressure could add to this, just my hunch I have not researched it yet.
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