I have tinnitus – ringing in the ears. It’s annoying but I’ve learned to live with it for the past 2-1/2 years.
What is Tinnitus?
: tin·ni·tus
: Tinnitus Pronunciation:
: noun \ˈti-nə-təs, tə-ˈnī-təs\
: Definition of TINNITUS
: a sensation of noise (as a ringing or roaring) that is caused by a bodily condition (as a disturbance of the auditory nerve or wax in the ear) and typically is of the subjective form which can only be heard by the one affected.
I don’t mention it very often, and it’s hard to explain what it’s like to have tinnitus. I just tell people that it is a constant hissing that never stops. The only time that I don’t notice it is when I take a shower or when the outside hose was running. The sound of the running water washes out the hissing sound (pun intended).
It doesn’t stop me from going to sleep, but it might be why I sometimes wake during the night. Well, that and the fact that I have to go to the bathroom. I don’t dream of hissing sounds, so when I’m sleeping is the only time that I don’t hear it at all. So, the question is, “If I’m asleep and don’t hear it, is the hissing still there?” It reminds me of the riddle, “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” I’m sure that it does.
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