Have you ever heard of that??  It is a condition I have in my left ear.  There are a couple of links below, which describe it, and give some believed causes for it.

But…Describing it clinically and having it are two very different things.  I suddenly developed tinnitus one summer a few years back.  I have history of developing a lot of wax build up in my ears, so  I first thought I couldn’t hear very well because of that.  So after a series of doctor and specialist visits, which took several months, I was told that I had a condition which is not curable.  Basically, you are just told to go home and live with it.

It was depressing because not only did I have a loud ringing in my ear, I was told that they had no idea what caused it, and “maybe” it was caused by a virus.  No cure.  Now what?

Two years before that, I had been tested and was told my hearing was perfect.  I remember him telling me I could hear like an eight year old.  That suited me just great, because I had to deal with eight year old kids all day long!  I was an elementary teacher of second graders.

But now.

When you get tinnitus, it torments you the first year or two.  You have this loud ringing, rushing or buzzing in one or both ears and you are constantly trying to find ways to get rid of it or rack your brain trying to figure out how you got it.  I was always on line looking for reasons, cures, helps, etc.  Nothing I tried worked.  The loud roaring in one ear makes it hard to even hear out of your good ear.

The first Ear, Nose and Throat specialist I went to told me I could “try” some hearing aides but it probably wouldn’t help.  I did.  He was right.

The second one told me that I would have a wonder cure with his Baha Implant.  Oh, but then, on the second visit he changed ‘his tune”.  He just happened to mention that I might hear a little better, but the tinnitus noise would not go away.   Hmmm……  What was that going to help the situation?

The third specialist and the fourth had some of the same comments and ideas.  I tried about five different kinds of hearing aides and nothing helped enough to hear a classroom of busy little kids.  Everything was just NOISE.

Hearing one child who came up to me was almost impossible.  The agony of wondering how to handle it all.  The stress of changes.  The mighty rushing in my ear which reminded me of Niagra Falls—-24/7.

It made me search.  I tried “tinnitus miracle herb pills”, hearing aides of various kinds, and considered several surgeries.  Asked for healing prayer.  Nothing took the roar away.

The story had a long difficult ending, but God had other plans for me.  He proved himself faithful to me throughout it all.

I have made peace with my noise.

What seems like such a curse, can turn out to be blessings in disguise.  God took me out of teaching, but He moved me into some other wonderful things.  His plan was different than I desired at the time, but of course it was better than mine.

Many know the famous verse of Jeremiah 29:11 in the Bible.  But it goes on…a very comforting story of God’s grace.  Read a little farther…

Jeremiah 29:11-14a–“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back from capitivity…”  NIV

So true.

If you have a story about having tinnitus, please tell me what yours is.  There’s a plan and hope for you too.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tinnitus/DS00365

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tinnitus/DS00365/DSECTION=causes