Thursday, February 12, 2015

eeeeeeeeeeeee


I've had tinnitus since 1977. My ears have not stopped ringing for 38 years—as in eeeeeeeeeeeee.

You get used to it, sort of. You have to, because tinnitus is incurable. And you don't always notice it because there are distractions like conversation, radio, etc.

My hearing is fine. It's just that inside my head there's this high-pitched eeeeeeeeeeeee going on all the time. It gets pretty loud in here.

We tinnitus sufferers are a desperate bunch. We don't want to hear eeeeeeeeeeeee all the time. So imagine my ecstasy when I found an online ad for a surefire cure! I don't usually click on ads but this might be it!

There's an audio file. No video. I like audio files because they distract from the eeeeeeeeeeeee. The man tells me he was once a sound engineer and he got tinnitus and he found a doctor and all you have to do is eat these foods, readily available on your grocer's shelves. "I was amazed I had waited so long, searched so far, and the solution was simple! All I had to do was eat these foods!" he said, not mentioning what the foods were.

Then there were testimonials. Many testimonials. "Thanks, Joe" (or Hiram or Zeke or whoever), "I had tinnitus and now I don't because I follow your program and eat these foods!"

Over and over again, without telling me about the foods. eeeeeeeeeeeee.

I listened for as long as I could stand it, hoping to learn the secret. Carrots? Canned pineapple? Ice cream?

After a long time JoeHiramZeke still hadn't told me a damned thing. I turned it off.

I know when I'm being had. I'd rather listen to eeeeeeeeeeeee.

18 comments:

William Kendall said...

I've got something else entirely- my hearing is below and above the normal pitch of human hearing, so I can pick up on things that most people don't. I only learned that was unusual during a hearing test for an inner ear infection.

Denton said...

I have the "say again" curse .. a hearing aid would remove the curse (smile)

Ms M said...

I have tinnitus that ebbs and flows. So far I haven't found that any particular food makes a difference. But then I've never come across JoeHiramZeke. :-)

Good music helps....

Petrea Burchard said...

William, mine goes above but not below. I'll bet you hear some good stuff.

Hi Denton! The curse is common, I assure you.

Ms M, something like 20% of Americans have some form of tinnitus. I can tell you that avocados, salmon, grapefruit and lettuce don't help, but with balsamic dressing they make a nice salad.

Ms M said...

That would be a nice salad! Add some good chocolate for dessert and some fine wine and we won't care about tinnitus....

Petrea Burchard said...

I'm wishing for that dessert right now.

Bellis said...

I loved this! eeeeeeee. I always have the radio or an audio book on when I'm alone, so I guess that drowns out the secret life of my ears. But now I've read your blog, I can hear an annoying high-pitched buzzing, like walking under high-voltage electrical wires. There's no way eating anything will help with this! Not even fresh raccoon.

Petrea Burchard said...

Maybe that's what he was leading up to, Bellis. Fresh raccoon!

Anonymous said...

eeeeeek! Like Bellis, I sometimes hear the sound of silence, but this is something else entirely.

Petrea Burchard said...

I think it is. I don't remember silence much, but if you sit very still you can hear the air. It does have a little whoosh to it.

Pasadena Adjacent said...

I'd of kept listening. Probably bought the product. Then ended up confessing it at some 12 step group surrounded by other shame filled suckers.

I'm a robot

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Petrea Burchard said...

I don't know if you would've, PA. This guy was obviously a huckster. I wanted to believe him but I'm too old to bother with that stuff anymore.

Carla Hurst-Chandler said...

Supplemental zinc can help a bit. It doesn't completely stop it...but it does help!

Petrea Burchard said...

Carla, thank you. That sounds reasonable. I like reasonable!

Shell Sherree said...

How are your vitamin D levels, Petrea? I read recently that low vitamin D can be a culprit. Could be worth sussing out! If it is low, I thoroughly recommend heading to the health food store to get a vitamin D supplement so you can get a nice natural one.

Petrea Burchard said...

I think my D is good because I take it with my calcium supplement. (My doctor says my bones are amazing!)

irinapictures said...

I am so sorry about your tinnitus. These guys are so inventive when they want to sell, we say here "he is so cool, he can sell his dearest mother"..

Petrea Burchard said...

Haha! I don't think this guy could have sold me a gnat!