How is everyone’s hearing?

[Black Stuart]

Ali Tait,
my wife got just such an infection which left her with tinnitus that got worse and worse. Now she can only listen using in ear phones.

I well remember shelling out for a really **** hearing test at the end of the 90s' in the UK or wait 6 months to see the same charlatan specialist - what an expensive joke.

Moved from the Aveyron a bit further south to the Tarn where on registering you are sent for a full body assessment which included a proper hearing test carried out by a professional audiologist. I was given a print out, can't remember the exact figures and gave it with all my medical paperwork to my new doctor but I was surprised at how good my hearing still is. The left ear is 2K down on the right ear thanks to the student moron with a Lee-Enfield all those years ago on a film set.

Really shocked at how badly some of you have been affected, as listening to music is something that doesn't require a lot of physical effort - so it goes.

[Ali Tait]

Well I'm assuming it was an infection. I woke up one morning, turned over and the room started spinning. Turned the other way and was fine, so just happened when I turned to one side lying down. This went away after a couple of days so I never got it seen to. Came back a few months later but again only for a couple of days. Tinnitus started after that.

Guess I should really go and get seen to.

[bob orbell]

I don't think you will ever be without tinnitus now Ali, mine is quite loud and it is present even when listening to head phones, it dose subside after a night on the ****, but returns with a vengeance. I too had a bad ear infection after trying in ear phones, had to see the doctor, it took some time to clear, never again . Bob

[Ali Tait]

Guess i was lucky then Bob, it was fairly loud to begin with but has tailed off a lot, so guess i got off lightly.

[Baggy Trousers]

Pardon?

[bob orbell]

Come on Baggo, you should have said, YOU WOT . Bob

[pre65]

Eh ?

[Black Stuart]

I wonder how many get cursed with tinnitus after contracting a virus?

Many years ago I had a viral infection that bizarrely manifested itself in the muscle adjacent to my right collarbone, it gave me bloody gip, seeming to lock the muscle.

Our first doctor here in France was an Englishman - John Whitely. His explanation about treatment was backed up by my wife, a retired lecturer in nursing. Cutting out the scarred tissue would only result in more scarred tissue. His advice was truly effective - get my wife to massage 3-4 times a day the scarred tissue, this slowly dissolved the scarring and the problem disappeared over time.

I mention viral infections because we met a couple from Kent once when travelling back to Spain and the husband and ex soldier was partially paralysed by a viral infection that left him with a pimple on his brain stem which was inoperable - just a few inches to the left and that could have been me - so it goes.

Certainly in my wife's case it was a viral infection that caused her tinnitus. I wonder if those who posted with tinnitus remember if they had a viral infection preceding the problem - just a thought.

[prince of darkness]

When visiting one of my brothers, I always clearly hear the animal scarers that he has in his garden (if we go outside). Neither my brother, nor either of our wives can hear anything. Depending on model, I believe that these have a lowest frequency of 16 - 18kHz. Seems my hearing range is holding together pretty well for my 54 years, supposedly they are only audible to animals and humans up to late teens / early twenties. Doesn't seem to affect the selective deafness, which my wife claims to have observed