Tinnitus – Not the sounds of silence
Tinnitus – Not the sounds of silence Tinnitus has been a very noisy part of my life for over forty years – ever since the day I first noticed the slight ringing in my ears. At first you try not to notice the sounds within your head but over time and depending on the day it may rage out of control. It didn’t happen in a split second but I think over time. In the Army it was the whining sound of my helicopter’s transmission above my head. You learn to fly in the right seat affecting the hearing in your left ear then as aircraft commander you fly from the left seat destroying your right ear’s hearing. We wore helmets but it did not do an adequate job of total hearing protection from the surrounding noises. I could still hear bullets hitting the skin of my aircraft or the screams from crewmembers or others wounded inside on the way back to the LZ. When I first noticed the sounds within my head . . . I felt alone, very scared. How could I explain to anyone what was raging