Ringing in ears

smokeyjoe
smokeyjoe Member Posts: 1,425 Member
Has anyone had ringing in their ears as a result of chemo.?? This started while on chem. and is still ongoing, sometimes I don't notice it at all other days drives me nuts!!

Comments

  • pepebcn
    pepebcn Member Posts: 6,331 Member
    Yes i do!
    It starter with my first chemo 3 years ago an still intermittent with me.
  • neons356
    neons356 Member Posts: 57 Member
    Yes
    Started with chemo, been there ever since. I think for me it's a permanent side effect. Are you on percoset or similar? I know that that can do it too.
  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    Hey Smoke...
    Got mine about 8-years ago...it's permanent for me...you do learn to live with it. It's called TINNUTIS.

    I also developed what they call "Meneire's Disease." This is a progressive ear disease where the affected ear experiences progressive hearing loss with each attack, until the nerve goes dead - then it stops. Horrible vertigo spells come with this...profuse sweating, nausea, vomiting and total loss of coordination and balance are side effects of this disease.

    -Craig
  • ron50
    ron50 Member Posts: 1,723 Member
    Hi Smokey
    I have had it for a long long time . To me It sounds like a whole bunch of cicadas. My brother and father both suffer from it as well as vertigo. Whereas the tinnitus is bearable the vertigo attacks are frightening and totally debillitating. I take a couple of anti-histamines daily to try to limitthe effects. Ron.
  • smokeyjoe
    smokeyjoe Member Posts: 1,425 Member
    ron50 said:

    Hi Smokey
    I have had it for a long long time . To me It sounds like a whole bunch of cicadas. My brother and father both suffer from it as well as vertigo. Whereas the tinnitus is bearable the vertigo attacks are frightening and totally debillitating. I take a couple of anti-histamines daily to try to limitthe effects. Ron.

    Ron funny it does sound like
    Ron funny it does sound like those when it's on a "bad day", sometimes I have no ringing. I suppose with the other things you guys are dealing with I should not complain about the odd times I do get ringing.
  • westie66
    westie66 Member Posts: 642
    smokeyjoe said:

    Ron funny it does sound like
    Ron funny it does sound like those when it's on a "bad day", sometimes I have no ringing. I suppose with the other things you guys are dealing with I should not complain about the odd times I do get ringing.

    Ringing in the ears
    Yup, me too. Used to happen to me as well when I had too much aspirin.
    Got it right now actually.
    Cheryl
  • Kathryn_in_MN
    Kathryn_in_MN Member Posts: 1,252 Member
    Yes
    I've had tinnitus for many years, but it really got worse on chemo - the first several days of a FOLFOX cycle were awful. The first several days of a FOLFIRI cycle were bad too, but not so bad as FOLFOX.

    When it really gets the worst is when my INR gets too high. I'm on Coumadin (blood thinner) and when my blood gets too thin, the ringing gets VERY loud!
  • smokeyjoe
    smokeyjoe Member Posts: 1,425 Member

    Yes
    I've had tinnitus for many years, but it really got worse on chemo - the first several days of a FOLFOX cycle were awful. The first several days of a FOLFIRI cycle were bad too, but not so bad as FOLFOX.

    When it really gets the worst is when my INR gets too high. I'm on Coumadin (blood thinner) and when my blood gets too thin, the ringing gets VERY loud!

    Interesting Kathryn, I'm on
    Interesting Kathryn, I'm on lovenox blood thinners.....I'll check out that connection.
  • Kathryn_in_MN
    Kathryn_in_MN Member Posts: 1,252 Member
    smokeyjoe said:

    Interesting Kathryn, I'm on
    Interesting Kathryn, I'm on lovenox blood thinners.....I'll check out that connection.

    Lovenox
    Lovenox is a lot more stable than Coumadin. With Coumadin my INR is up and down - I've been up over 6, and at that point the ringing in my ears was so bad I couldn't take it. I've learned to drop back on my dosage if the ringing increases a lot, and schedule a check for my INR.

    I get to go off Coumadin this week! I had my port out (#3 port crapped out on me - got a hole in the catheter). I've had to stay on Coumadin one month since having it out, and now get to go off.

    But that probably won't last long... my CEA is rising. If I can do surgery or radiation to attack whatever is growing this time, I'm ok. If I have to go back on chemo and get port #4 placed, I'll be back on Coumadin...
  • SisterSledge
    SisterSledge Member Posts: 332 Member
    likely from chemo
    I"m taking cisplatin and etoposide...they said the cisplatin can cause permanent ringing in ears and hearing loss...that I should tell them if such begins to occur in which case they'd likely change the chemo drug. I'm hoping to not get this side effect as I don't think I want to change drugs right now. What chemo are you using?
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    7 years out....yeah, me, too....
    I did go have it checked out, though....just to make sure it was harmless...

    The only 'cure' is to wear special 'hearing aids' that will counteract the noise, according to my audiologist...

    I can still hear over the buzzing (more like locust in the summer), and I have trained myself to ignore it...I still hear it, if I think about it, but otherwise, I'm not ready for something in my ears...

    Dutch knuffels, Kathi
  • Doc_Hawk
    Doc_Hawk Member Posts: 685

    likely from chemo
    I"m taking cisplatin and etoposide...they said the cisplatin can cause permanent ringing in ears and hearing loss...that I should tell them if such begins to occur in which case they'd likely change the chemo drug. I'm hoping to not get this side effect as I don't think I want to change drugs right now. What chemo are you using?

    Bells
    Hi all, I've had tinnutis for a very long time, way before I was diagnosed. But after reading this string, I have noticed that the frequency of the ringing changes more often. At least, I think that's what it is. I'll get this strange sensation in my skull like it's caving in except that there's no pain, then a small amount of vertigo and then the pitch of the ringing changes from higher to lower or vice versa. It used to happen only once or twice a year, but I've noticed it happening two or three times a month lately.

    I'm currently getting treatment right now and the ringing is pretty loud, but only in my left ear which is my "good" one. I have 40% hearing loss in the right ear and 25% in left, due to an on the job accident when I was in the Air Force.

    Sister Sledge, I opted to hit reply on your post because of your comments about cisplatin. If this is the drug I'm think that it is, it works on your nerve endings as a side effect. This causes intolerance to touching or ingesting anything cold and also causes neuropathy in the extremities which can leave you crippled. Please, talk this over with your Oncologist just to make certain that this is the same drug I'm thinking about and how to plan your long range battle. In my case, I already had neuropathy in my legs (due to the above mentioned accident) so it's possible that my case is unique; I simply do not know and am most definitely not qualified to attempt a diagnosis, so again, talk to your Oncologist, please.

    God Bless and remember: chemo-brain is contagious, you get it from your oncology team!

    Doc
  • smokeyjoe
    smokeyjoe Member Posts: 1,425 Member
    westie66 said:

    Ringing in the ears
    Yup, me too. Used to happen to me as well when I had too much aspirin.
    Got it right now actually.
    Cheryl

    Cheryl interesting, doesn't
    Cheryl interesting, doesn't aspirin affect you blood clotting too??
  • smokeyjoe
    smokeyjoe Member Posts: 1,425 Member

    Lovenox
    Lovenox is a lot more stable than Coumadin. With Coumadin my INR is up and down - I've been up over 6, and at that point the ringing in my ears was so bad I couldn't take it. I've learned to drop back on my dosage if the ringing increases a lot, and schedule a check for my INR.

    I get to go off Coumadin this week! I had my port out (#3 port crapped out on me - got a hole in the catheter). I've had to stay on Coumadin one month since having it out, and now get to go off.

    But that probably won't last long... my CEA is rising. If I can do surgery or radiation to attack whatever is growing this time, I'm ok. If I have to go back on chemo and get port #4 placed, I'll be back on Coumadin...

    Kathryn, so sorry to hear
    Kathryn, so sorry to hear your CEA is rising, lets hope it's not cancer related.
  • smokeyjoe
    smokeyjoe Member Posts: 1,425 Member
    KathiM said:

    7 years out....yeah, me, too....
    I did go have it checked out, though....just to make sure it was harmless...

    The only 'cure' is to wear special 'hearing aids' that will counteract the noise, according to my audiologist...

    I can still hear over the buzzing (more like locust in the summer), and I have trained myself to ignore it...I still hear it, if I think about it, but otherwise, I'm not ready for something in my ears...

    Dutch knuffels, Kathi

    I had Folfiri.

    I had Folfiri.
  • John23
    John23 Member Posts: 2,122 Member
    KathiM said:

    7 years out....yeah, me, too....
    I did go have it checked out, though....just to make sure it was harmless...

    The only 'cure' is to wear special 'hearing aids' that will counteract the noise, according to my audiologist...

    I can still hear over the buzzing (more like locust in the summer), and I have trained myself to ignore it...I still hear it, if I think about it, but otherwise, I'm not ready for something in my ears...

    Dutch knuffels, Kathi

    Noises...

    If it sounds like an old black-and-white TV that's gone off sync,
    it's a real noise and not "in your head".

    The range of sound is in the range of the lowest radio frequency,
    and bordering on some people's hearing range.

    It's been suggested that it's the harmonics from transmissions
    from satellite installations, but there's been no serious efforts
    to prove it one way or another.

    The noise will be heard loudly at times, sometimes producing
    neck and head aches. At other times, one will forget that it even
    existed.

    If enough people took notes regarding the exact times it is the
    loudest, and compared a few months worth of notes, it will
    be enough to understand just how real the noise is, and just how
    widespread across the world it exists.

    You can't have millions of people (and animals) all suffering from
    this at the -exact same time-, and call it "hearing problems".

    I found it to be hysterical, when I learned they were calling
    it "a new form of tinnitus".

    Oh well. I'm sure someone here will let me know just how nutz I am.

    Best of health,

    John
  • westie66
    westie66 Member Posts: 642
    John23 said:

    Noises...

    If it sounds like an old black-and-white TV that's gone off sync,
    it's a real noise and not "in your head".

    The range of sound is in the range of the lowest radio frequency,
    and bordering on some people's hearing range.

    It's been suggested that it's the harmonics from transmissions
    from satellite installations, but there's been no serious efforts
    to prove it one way or another.

    The noise will be heard loudly at times, sometimes producing
    neck and head aches. At other times, one will forget that it even
    existed.

    If enough people took notes regarding the exact times it is the
    loudest, and compared a few months worth of notes, it will
    be enough to understand just how real the noise is, and just how
    widespread across the world it exists.

    You can't have millions of people (and animals) all suffering from
    this at the -exact same time-, and call it "hearing problems".

    I found it to be hysterical, when I learned they were calling
    it "a new form of tinnitus".

    Oh well. I'm sure someone here will let me know just how nutz I am.

    Best of health,

    John

    Aspirin
    Hi: Yes, aspirin thins your blood (i.e. you can't take it for what is it 2 weeks before a surgery (if you have a choice!). But the alternatives, like Tyenol, isn't good for your liver. Catch 22. I take low dose aspirin now.
    Cheryl
  • smokeyjoe
    smokeyjoe Member Posts: 1,425 Member
    westie66 said:

    Aspirin
    Hi: Yes, aspirin thins your blood (i.e. you can't take it for what is it 2 weeks before a surgery (if you have a choice!). But the alternatives, like Tyenol, isn't good for your liver. Catch 22. I take low dose aspirin now.
    Cheryl

    Kathryn I have a question
    Kathryn I have a question for you, was there any issue with you being on Avastin and blood thinners?? Did you have a blood clot that you need to be on the blood thinners for. I get the feeling from my onc. that I don't "qualify" to get avastin because I'm on Lovenox. I'm not on chemo right now, but when the time comes that I have to go back on it I'm gonna bring up Avastin to him.