William Shatner speaks about his tinnitus

Mr. Shatner speaks about his tinnitus and the work that the American Tinnitus Association is doing to reverse the condition for 50 million Americans. Please visit www.ata.org for more information
2006-2013 © by The American Tinnitus Association

[@flatbear333]

My tinnitus dissapeared short time ago after having it for years, after a concert. I am so happy, but still i suffer. I cant stop thinking about the people that suffer from high tinnitus sound, i really hope you will get cured soon enough. Tinnitus may sound harmless but its the sound of hell. Its like cancer, or being blind, and when you get cured from that, you get so happy but you still pity the other victims! I hope your tinnitus will be cured soon my friends!

[@tresVOGUE]

I am 14 years old. I went to my FIRST school dance a few months ago. Rather than getting my first kiss or first slow dance, I came home with a persistent ringing in my ears. Hoping it would subside, I was devastated when the ringing continued, growing stronger at night. I miss, more than anything I have ever lost, the silence you are faced with, when your head hits the pillow, and you fall asleep instantly. I pray for a cure for the condition. My best to everyone ever effected by tinnitus.

[@computermech]

I suffered from Tinnitus from years. I ended up in the hospital with panic attacks. I was taking sleeping tablets, I also used to drink alcohol. I eventually stopped taking those. Tinnitus is almost gone. I can sleep better.

[@nemesiscro]

I have tinnitus since now more than 4 years. Believe me when I say, that I really had suicide thoughts. The first two/three months have been hell on Earth. I couldn't sleep, couldn't concentrate and was always in a bad mood. BUT, now here is something which is 100% true: You will get used to it. It will not bother you anymore. You will actually MISS it sometimes when you do not hear it. I've been DOWN, but if you are strong enough, you will get back UP, I know that now.

[@em7dim9]

I have a friend whose tinnitus went away on its own after 5 years. It is possible.

[@madtownband]

Why can't doctors just remove and replace the cochlea in the ear where the damaged cells are? If they can replace a human heart, surely they can replace an ear.

[@Clubtender]

Has anyone else noticed that a hearing disability is the only disability which people get angry with the afflicted?

[@Blockistium]

I've had tinnitus for so long I don't even notice it anymore.

[@rocafella142]

What helps me with mine is I try not to think of it as a burden. I use Japanese meditation and focus on the Tinnitus ringing to help me sleep at night and it works. If you think of it as annoying then it will be annoying, so dont. Think of it as a relaxing sound. That may be hard but its better than nothing. Use it as a point of focus and it may work for you as it does for me...its the best I can do until that cure is finally made. I hope it works for some of you.

[@PianoKeyzOfficial]

I'm 23 and have had it about a year. If you think about it too much it will get in your head, so try not to make a big deal out of it, and you will be ok.

[@parkey08]

I had tinitus for 4 months after having an ear infection in both ears. I visited my GP and received an ear spray to clear it up. days, weeks and months went past.. sometimes i didnt know if i would make it through the day. I decided to go back to a different GP for a second opinon on what the problem was. She looked in my ear and my ear canal was swollen. She prescribed me and anti inflammatory ear drop. 1 week later my tinitus is now gone. Stay strong people!

[@conifergreen]

Thank you Mr. Shatner. My tinnitus is literally driving me crazy. Your words have helped me. You say it exactly as it is.

[@Biggerbyte]

Dear God bring a cure soon. We are all suffering. I've given up everything in my life that used to make me happy. This noise controls my life.

[@Durusial]

I really hope a cure is found in my lifetime. Im 20 at the moment (got tinnitus at 18) and I'd give anything to hear silence again. I've pretty much habituated to my tinnitus now, but I still live in hope for a cure.

[@Nmcfmusic]

Ive had tinnitus for nearly 4 years now, im a musician and it could have stopped me. Its hard and I still have it all the time in my ear, it never stops but you learn to push it to the back of the other sounds around you with time. To those who are feeling a bit fed up with it, give it time and if yours doesnt go, then it will fade with time. You need to not focus on it. I think any advice we can give is better than nothing, so hope this helps someone!

[@rtbvwerg]

I've got tinnitus in both ears and can sympathize with you all, you can only truly comprehend how devastating it is until you become a sufferer.

[@NicStride]

I've had tinnitus since birth and only recently discovered at the age of 15 that this screeching sound in ears isn't normal, it's actually tinnitus. I've never experienced silence so I'm not missing anything. Loosing it must be horrible but actually from my perspective not having this ringing is a scary thought. Peace.

[@vendarsr]

Capt. Kirk knows my pain. Some times this condition can drive me mad. Thanks Bill as usual YOU ROCK!!

[@em7dim9]

Keep in mind people that if you read internet message boards like this one, 99% of posts will be from current tinnitus sufferers. The people who recovered aren't here anymore! And most don't come back to forums to say they got better. So the 'net paints an unfairly negative picture unfortunately. I believe that the recovery percentage is much higher than is believed. If someone got better and never told anyone, HOW WOULD ANYONE KNOW???

[@DASH1ful]

The way the emergency services bleat out their sirens does not exactly inspire absolute confidence in their understanding of the condition.

[@Shamefulroleplay]

@MrTheOneAndOnly48 I got tinnitus after a simple ear infection. It has kept me awake for days on end and caused me to go through a nervous breakdown. Tinnitus is not always due to loud noise exposure. It's terrible how it affects your mental balance. I'm still on sleeping tablets to get to sleep because of it. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. It's not always peoples fault.

[@Planetoxo]

I had it for two weeks. It drove me crazy. Then miraculously it went away.

[@jtpinnyc]

I think the number of people with tinnitus is going to get much larger the next time they do a national survey...I'm 39 and most of my friends have tinnitus of varying degrees, many of them quite bad. Why? Too much exposure to loud noise at raves and nightclubs back in the 90's, followed by further damage from headphone after the iPod revolution took off.

[@meisha1954]

My husband has constant loud tinnitus in one ear. He has been through the dental treatment that supposedly slowly moves your jaw. At least a thousand dollars later, he still has this horrible condition. It bothers me, his wife, because I do not like knowing he is constantly suffering, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Depression...loss of sleep...not good. I didn't know there was an American Tinnitus Association. I will check that out now, for my husband.

[@kbrocx]

I woke up one morning with my ears ringing and it never went away. That was about 7 years ago. At the time I was taking oxycodone, but I don't know if it's related.

[@cowsquid]

yeah my tinnitus gets louder when I clench my teeth,

[@DemonicSymphony]

It's a great thing to know we're not alone and that someone out there is fighting for us. Hats off to the ATA and you Mr. Shatner!

[@TheCondemnedProphet]

I dunno what caused my tinnitus. All i nkwo is that its getting worse every week. 2 months ago i couldn't hear it over hte bathroom fan. Now i can hear it over it. Last summer i could live with it easily. I wouldn't even worry about it. But now, i hear it everywhere unless i'm busy (playing sports, with my friends etc.) I just dunno what to do. Im 16 and I just feel as though my life hasn't started and never will because of this loud buzzing in my head. Why me? But then i suppose y every1 else?

[@CCTV9]

I'd had tinnitus since I was very young about 8 years old. Back then I would hear a POP then my ears would ring very loudly for a few seconds. My ears don't do that no more but now I am stuck with constantly tinnitus. Its always there and it never stops. Its a ringing which is nowhere near as bad as the pops I used to get. I understand what Mr.Shanter is saying when he said it robs people of silence. However, what I dread most is silence because that's when I become fully aware of the ringing.

[@Danekaas92]

i cant remember the silence :!

[@get30inc]

The hardest thing is dealing with the fact that I will never know silence again. I haven't abused my ears, listened to loud music, worked with power equipment. I first noticed it after getting a bad flu and it has never gone away. Sometimes it ebbs down a bit. I am getting used to it.

[@omarfikret]

i am from iraq and i am suffering from tinnitus, i hope if there is any cure to this disability, you wont have a prob at day but it all starts when you put your head on the pillow its not a good feeling but we have to cope with it , i hope they will find cure to it as soon as possible

[@fubar12345]

I have always had a theory of a cure. Tinnitus through excessive noise is caused by the death of hair cells in our ears which do not regrow, yes? So, surely we could use stem cell technology to grow new cells and somehow transplant them to sufferers. Is this logical? Could it be done?

[@Firebolt773]

i dont know what caused mine either and im 15 :/ My ringing started like 4 years ago when I was 11 all of a sudden... i dont listen to loud things at all. i got used to the ringing but recently this past march 2012 i heard another new ringing start, then the other day i heard 1 more new ringing. These 2 new ringings i hear are louder :( I hope we all find a cure soon

[@Biggerbyte]

Mine has really been bad the past couple of days. If I could just have one more day of silence.

[@mrcydonia]

I've had tinnitus since I was 24 (I'm 39 now), but I've learned to completely ignore it and I'm no longer bothered by it. I must have a mild case.

[@theeninja1918]

Im only 14 and i use to listen to my ipod all the time, one day in track i had to stand by the gun and in my left ear i lost my hearing for 3 seconds. Now everynight i hear a constant hissing. Im scared. Im too young to lose my hearing or have tinnitus! And no one is helping me either with this problem.

[@gatrekfan1111]

I have had this for 19 years now. I went to a handful of loud concerts without protection before I got wise and started wearing ear plugs. I swear no one ever told me when I was young that going to a single loud concert could result in permanent hearing loss. Why aren't children educated about these risks? Even the music at my high school prom was loud enough to leave my ears ringing. Music is much more enjoyable at a reasonable volume and I wish people would quit exposing children to this.

[@jl30568]

I feel really sorry for anyone stuck with this awful condition. I had it for about half a year before I got in to see the specialist and it turns out there was a hair in my ear that was causing the tinnitus. Now it's gone and I have my sanity back.

[@armabarma]

mine is so loud the neighbours can hear it..driving me fking nuts it is !

[@JohnnyBeane]

I have it in both ears from years of playing loud guitar without wearing ear plugs. Can deal with it during the day but at night it really sucks. Please wear ear plugs people!!!!!! You don't want to "hear" this!!!

[@TeamAlfie]

I've suffered from tinnitus for four years now. To begin with I thought it would be impossible to live with. The volume of voracity has not decreased over the years but for the most part it's now just an inconvenience. I do require sleeping pills regularly , though. Tinnitus is at its most spiteful during the night. You never appreciate how beautiful silence is until you lose it forever. There were times when I thought deafness would be preferable.

[@SpencerStaudinger]

should i wear ear plugs to rock concerts so my tinnitus doesnt get worse?

[@zmariuz]

a good way to get rid of it is to not think about it, works for me somtimes :)

[@RioDio]

I've had tinnitus for 8 years and it's never got better, never got quieter and makes my life a living hell.

[@spotdathief]

Most people who have tinnitus don't have to be in a silent room in order to hear it. They hear it ALL the time, wherever they go. It's INSIDE their heads, so it's the closest sound to them. So i dont think thats tinnitus (:

[@kleban10]

I regret not wearing earplugs while drumming

[@mydongboy]

im hearing a very soft ringing in my ears when no noise is around...do i have tinnitus?

[@Grillzor]

I can remember ringing in my ears since I was a little kid, and since then I though the sound of "nothing" or what quite sounds like is this ringing. I didn't know of this illness till I saw a TV commercial about it. Hopefully one day I can here what quite is suppose to sound like.

[@2277fallout]

ive had mine since i was 6 years old and i really hope there is a cure in my life time so i can finally know what quiet sounds like

[@szashnia]

The really sad thing about me and Shatner's tinnitus is that it was caused by an accident, not by abusing my ears. I have always been careful with my ears, never listen to loud music and have never been to a music concert in my life (I don't like them). Just 5 seconds of noise from my earphones of a voice recorder left at max volume when I was using the speaker. I keep telling myself I didn't deserve this but accidents just happen. At least for many sufferers they enjoyed loud music beforehand.

[@GaryWeichannel]

@TheCondemnedProphet I feel u man I worked so hard to get to university and have a future but don't know if Ii can have a future anymore

[@jorytory]

The first half year after I developed mine it was like insomnia to me, but after multiple tests, and being told it would never go away until they found a cure, after some time I got use to it but it still annoys me just not as much Does anyone else have hearing changes since developing it such as hearing noises they could never hear before such as light bulbs, small electronics beeping/humming, but yet when someone is standing right next to you it seems harder to hear them?

[@Durusial]

Almost a year since I developed Tinnitus. I'm starting to adapt to it, I don't think I'll ever accept it though, I still say to myself that it will just disappear one day, though I know deep down, I may have it for the rest of my life. Its just a horrible condition which I wouldn't wish upon anyone.

[@Sephiko]

Mine started on October 6, 2012. I had enough anxiety and stress beforehand...

[@OctavioGaitan]

I'm only 20 and last Friday, I got a faint ringing in my right ear that's only hearable in a quiet room and while I have my ears covered. It has been going up and down for the past few days, and I fear that the noise from my AC may have ignited it. I love to draw and write books and since getting my tinnitus, I have since lost pleasure in doing those things. I also have to sleep with my MP3 player radio on static. I don't listen to music anymore because of this (don't listen too loud). I'm sad.

[@gusenb01]

I am 16 and i think i have tinnitus. (Havent been to an doctor yet and checked. I think i have had it since the mittle of august. I listened music all the time back then, but not so much anymore. But it is only ringing when it's completely quiet. ex. when im gonna sleep. I am feeling really depressed and scared about it.... I think i already have ruined my life...

[@Dadutta]

May The Lord give us His inhuman strength and divine ability to overcome this affliction. May He make treatment available to all, may He bring His blessed silence back to our ears and hearts.

[@Biggerbyte]

I have it some days really bad. It is so loud right now I can't stand it. It is also painful, and loud noises make my ear canals pulse. I'm so distraught and disappointed. It has been about three months now. I have no idea how I got this. It is difficult to stay positive, because it effects everything I do, day, and night. Somebody help me... PLEASE!!!

[@MrNDUDE16]

I have tinnitus,aching,fullness and objective tinnitus in my ears.

[@Electr0nicMusicLab]

there's something wrong with the sound on this video, all i hear is ringing

[@CelineNguyenIAM]

I've been having pulse noises that come and go but sadly a constant ringing and when i listen to music (of course at a accepteble volume) in my left ear sounds are contorted/sounds are just shallow... is that another form tinnitus ?

[@Sean1991Guitar]

I'm 20 and have had it for a little over 2 years, I still remember how devastating it was at first. But my brain has gotten very good at blocking it out so I barely hear it now. Loud noises don't seem to bother mine as well. Gotta be careful with your hearing so you can avoid it. It seriously sucks to say the least

[@Durusial]

I've had Tinnitus for 6 months. I have good days when it barely bothers me, and days when I feel like killing myself. The other morning I was half awake and half asleep, and I could not hear my Tinnitus, but pure Silence. It was so good to hear silence again Shame it only lasted for 5 minutes before I woke up completly and my Tinnitus was back.

[@ShoMpa]

Guys! Im 21 years old.. I've had it since i've been.. 10? at the start I fist tought it was normal.. so I didnt care about it.. then commercials on tv told me its not OK and people actualy live a life without the sound.. So I was like. ok? cool.. so.. ah man this sucks.. I was around 16 years when I realised this. "Dont listen to high sound, you will damage your hearing!" ok but thanks for not delling me you will get a no ending PIIP in your ear. anyways.. I learnt to live with it. DONT GIVE UP!

[@Arrakeen77]

I saw these pills at my local Walgreen's called "Ring Relief". Though I read some reviews and it seemed that it was essentially a sugar pill, nothing more. However I'm taking lipoflavanoids and ginko biloba. It's been a week and I'm noticing a difference.

[@JTelli786]

i had a major ear infection for a month or two, and it lead to temporary tenitus, my father has it and i have no idea how he works with it but it is a teariable thing to have, i honestly hope that one day in the future they will have a cure for this, and i believe the day will come when it will be cured, but as for how long, i have no idea.

[@jasonleverton3378]

there is a sound to silence, but its a peacefull sound, i have meniere;s desease and my stupid specialist doctor put a gromet in my left ear to drain out fluid which bought on tinnitus it is the loudest most horrible ringing constantly i hear it above everything, no you are not mad to say there is a sound to silence but thank god for you it is not tinnitus you will know for sure if you have it, try not to expose yourslf to loud noise terry gibson

[@tigergoldgto]

Thank you for speaking out on tinnitus. I too suffer from this and have been told by Air Force audiologists just to live with it.

[@mooncatx1]

My Tinnitus began in February 2012. I woke up to a constant squeal in my ears. It was near maddening. Some days it was worse than others. I noticed once, that as I was chewing, the pitch of the tone in my ear changed and then i realized that by varying the position of my jaw, I could vary the pitch and volume of the ear ringing. and, when I clench my jaw, the ringing abates. I think it has some connection to my temporomandibular joint but I still cannot get it to stop.

[@beyondbelief360]

I’m 24, I have tinnitus, hyperacusis and some hearing loss 16/7. I experience 3 permanent sounds and an infinite number of different frequencies and sounds that pop in and out. It’s like having an antenna capturing sound from space for me. Blindness separates people from things, deafness separates people from people, tinnitus separates you from the world. One day

[@slapstik89]

I'm more fortunate than many in the fact that mine seems to be worsened by the cold, i.e. during winter, but abates during the warmer months - Spring and Summer. To some extent mine gives me the superhuman ability to pick up sounds below 2kHz - not a good thing mind you, my eardrum reverberates to low frequency noises and every single truck within a 5 mile radius makes my ear rattle. At least its nice to know the issue is being researched.

[@DavidTheCatholic]

@ATAJD it's fine, mine isn't that severe at all, can only notice it when it's very quiet that I hear it, it would be awesome if I didnt have it tho, I feel better now that I know David Attenborough and William Shatner have it.

[@Durusial]

I've had Tinnitus for about 4 months now, it came on with no warning. It bothers me mostly at night, but usually I find if I concentrate on the sound of my breathing, rarther on the ringing, it does help me to sleep.

[@Razzics]

William is one of my favorite human beings ever. Not just for his career, but he's just a nice, unassuming, sweet man. There aren't enough people like that. I'm not even like that and I know I should be.

[@TheRandomSweed]

My father in law who is an engineering major in the Air force, one day at work stood behind a jet engine and the pilot did not know about it so he fired up the engine which blew right into my father in laws left ear. He landed in the hospital for a month and his hearing was replaced with tinnitus. I myself have occasional tinnitus in various stages from being a musician for more than 15 years. Thank you for sharing your story Mr. Shatner.

[@murderaddiction]

I've had tinnitus since I can remember (I'm currently 17). Unfortunately I'll never know what silence is. It never leaves but I can go weeks without even thinking about. When I do notice the ringing it can be very depressing. As long as I have a background noise I can focus on that rather than the ringing in my head. It's really making me start to wonder just how big of an impact it has made on me over the years.

[@TeslaEmperor]

I have had tinnitus since I was little because of listening to my mp3 player too loud. I don't pay attention to it during the day and when I go to sleep I just listen to my podcasts to mask the noise and it really helps.

[@ARSA525]

Short nap during the day increases the noice on me too. )*: Short naps during the day are one of my favourite things to do. )*:

[@lowedt]

Im 23 as well. (there must be alot of 23 yr olds with it.) I have it in both ears and it is noise induced. dmi3011 is totally right. If your not religious, you can always ask God to come into your life. Faith really helps me get through this. Dont lose hope yet. There are several treatments out now and more on the way. One comes out at the first of the yr that has shown great results. Hang in there.

[@JeffreyOsb]

I went to Iraq in December, 2004. I came back in December, 2005. Due to some rifle firing without earplugs and nearby explosions, when wind blew into my ear, or I listened to music with headphones or heard low bass sounds I heard ringing. I used to race cars at the track, now I can't do it without the horrible sound of constant ringing...

[@Sean1991Guitar]

I am 18 and have had it for 3 months now, woke up with a plugged ear and what sounded like a robot toy gun going off in my ear, That all went away in 3 days but I was left with constant ringing tinnitus, Man, It was awful at first.... Just AWFUL ! But ive found that if I do not concentrate on it I do NOT hear a thing, Thats hard in a silent room but it works for me 90% of the time. Until others have it they will not EVER understand how it is to be robbed of silence. I pray for a cure soon !

[@michaelpeacestewart]

i have put up a vid with notched music to help tinnitus suffers like myself.music therapy with frequencies notched out.a cutting edge therapy:)

[@fatboi6238]

Ive been having Tinnitus since I was 10.

[@Maconochiejohn]

Is Williams tinnitus gone? Well my tinnitus gets louder when I watch tv or near a heater and such.

[@thespy1]

@gunrunners1 You're not alone. I'm 20, got hearing aids when I was 17/18 because it started as tinnitus.

[@CaptainRex619]

tinnitus is really depressing me now. I dont know if im going deaf or what. I sometimes and i mean sometimes, listen to music a bit louder than recommended. I had otitis media back when i was around 7. My tinnitus is a radio static type sound, not ringing. The reason why I'm really scared is im only 13, and i dont wanna go deaf, really early. I love playing and listening to music.

[@nemesiscro]

I know exactly how you feel. I'm only 22 and I got it since about 6 months im my right ear. Since then, sometimes it also appears in my left ear and I'm scared to death that it, one day, will stay in the left ear. I also thought about suicide in the first three months, but thanks to my lovely girlfriend, family and friends I found a reason to go on. Giving up is the easiest way, but not the best, always remember that.

[@shusterandy]

Is there ways to deal with tinnitus that keeps rapidly getting worse, like mine. I can accept the fact there is no cure, but mine is so incredibly hard to tolerate, because its gotten a whole lot louder since I got 8 months ago.

[@JTelli786]

will alcohol worsen tinnitus or just iritate it

[@chanoom]

Anyways...I as a tinnitus sufferer as well, hope from the bottom of my heart that one day they'll come up with a cure. In the mean time, to all of you fellow unfortunates, i'd like to wish loads of strength!

[@leftstanding]

Tinnitus is truly a life sentence of suffering. I happen to have it because of TMJ, which is also incurable. I will never be able to sleep in peace nor eat some foods without the fear of having my jaws locked. Im only 21. Life can be so cruel sometimes...

[@mr_guy661]

I'm a guitarist. So when I jam with my friends, I crank my amp to match the drum's volume. Every time I did that, literally all I could hear was the loud, high pitched ring. I just though it would go away, but it's been half a year and it's still here... I literally thought there always happened to be a computer around or an old TV making the noise. I tend to listen to loud music now to mask the noise, but that just makes it worse -_- I feel like I'll go mad if it continues.

[@tqsuited]

My left ear sounds like a tape recorder playing back dead air... all. the. time. It just never quits. Usually when outside i won't notice it, but once home - peace n quiet, i can't escape it.

[@ThePfantzypantz]

I think I just got tinnitus a few moments ago, from vacuuming... its a loud vacuum, but it wasnt painful or anything, but it was on for a long time. It's this loud high pitched ringing in my head, mostly right ear, and I'm pretty worried. I'm the kind of person who enjoys silence and alone time, but with this, I don't think I can enjoy said things anymore, I'm 18, didn't expect to get this so soon...

[@RunOut1724]

Same thing just started happening to me about a week ago. I have had it for about 7 years now but i have always been able to ignore it. For some reason latley i have not been able to get it out of my head. I play guitar in a band and am taking a break because of it which sucks. This problem is no fun. I would even be happy if it just got lower. I understand it might never go away but at least getting it not as loud would help.

[@horustk2]

I've had tinnitus for 2 years and 7 months, about 6 weeks ago I discovered tinnimasker, and now I can cope.

[@gNarlyRat]

can someone help me, Im just wondering if this tinitus causes deafness or partial deafness. My right ear felt clogged for awhile and it became more and more difficult to hear out of it. Once before I got swimmers ear and it was kinda similar but im sure this isnt that. I dont know how long after this clogged fealing lasted before i noticed it but my ear started ringing and hasnt stopped for a few weeks now. I thought i had a wax buildup but now idk. Someone let me know what you think

[@123MISSDEBBIE]

its nerve wracking! mine comes and goes, but my poor brother has it most of time.. i don't know how he stands it! he thinks its his blood pressure doing it.. i hear people say sometime vitamin supplements can help, like lipo-flavenoid.

[@murderaddiction]

I've found simple "meditation" to help me deal with tinnitus. I'm not sure if the results are real or purely psychological, but when I can't sleep due to the ringing sound- I'll mentally visualize a stereo with the volume knob cranked up. Imagine the sound of tinnitus being generated in the stereo and passing through the speakers- then slowly turn the volume knob down. It always presents the illusion that the sound is actually diminishing. It definitely gives you a sense of control over it.