Tinnitus torture

I'm a retired UK Serviceman and I suffer from dreadful tinnitus and mid-range hearing loss. As does an old friend and ex-military colleague of mine, we both now use hearing aids. We were both in the Royal Air Force and the noises I had been exposed to, have sometimes been so extreme, that it was difficult to breathe in the disturbed air around me. I could feel my lungs vibrating in my chest. My own doctor gave me a few months on a Betahistine Dihydrochloride called Serc 16. It's a travel sickness tablet that apparently opens the inner ear to reduce the vertigo of any motion sickness.

To my surprise, the left ear no longer has tinnitus and the right ear now has a stable and continuous whistle accompanied by low rumbling noise. The volume of the whistle can vary and is often louder than the tv or any conversation. I only hear the rumble in the quiet of the night. The hearing aid does calm and somewhat negate the tinnitus when I'm wearing it. They are not easy things to wear and we live in a very noisy world! Hearing aids pick up all manner of background noises. Very occasionally I can feel a pressure change in my right ear and the tinnitus will fade to silence for a few minutes or even a few hours. Mostly though, the whistle is loud and continuous. Its torture at times. I find that the Serc 16 will peel the skin from my lips and mouth - I know that its not a listed side effect but I assure you it happens. Its so bad that I no longer take the tablets unless desperate. I've heard it said that tinnitus is a brain issue - and maybe it is, because as I focus to write this, my noisy right ear has become much quieter. I'd love to see a video clip from you, to learn more about my (very common) condition. Many thanks for your interesting and informative articles.