I had my tinnitus evaluation today. The examiner asked if I experience any persistent sounds in my ears. When I replied that I have constant ringing, she immediately cut me off and claimed I wasn’t allowed to use the word “ringing.” She told me to pick from options like humming, buzzing, or pulsating. I said, “Well, it is ringing, but I guess I’ll call it buzzing then.” Has anyone else experienced this? Is that actually the official VA terminology?
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It is likely just the specific checkboxes they have on their medical forms.
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I actually pulled out my phone, opened a frequency generator app, set it to the right pitch, and turned it up until they looked uncomfortable. I told them: ‘That. You describe it.’ That definitely made the point.
I told them mine sounds like a never-ending swarm of a million mosquitoes.
I informed my examiner that everything sounds muffled because of a non-stop eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
I’m sitting here reading these comments while dealing with stereophonic hissing in both ears. I’m getting my new hearing aids on Jan 31st and I’m hoping they can help drown out the noise.
This link helped me find the right words to describe it: What Does Tinnitus Sound Like? | The Tinnitus & Hearing Clinic
I honestly can’t remember why I had a hearing test through the VA in 2017 after being discharged in 2010, but I did. During the exam, while the audiologist was talking, I politely interrupted and said, ‘I’m sorry, the ringing in my ears is starting up and I can’t hear what you’re saying.’ She made a note of it, and a few months later my rating went from 10% to 20% for tinnitus. I don’t know how else to describe it; the ringing just hits randomly. When it’s happening, nothing else can drown it out.
I explained mine as the high-pitched whine you get from an old, cheap CRT television.
Lol, the sound I’m hearing right now is a sharp ring. That is exactly how I’d describe it. It isn’t pulsing or humming. It just sounds like a constant, high-pitched “eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.” I’ve tried EarProMax to help manage the discomfort, but if I have to pick from their list, I guess it’s a buzz. 
Your examiner sounds like a total control freak. I have service-connected tinnitus and I always describe it as ringing. I have very little patience for that kind of behavior, and I think I would have asked, ‘Look, as a layperson, I call it ringing. Since you’re the expert, what term do you want me to use to replace my description so it fits your definition?’ Man, I really dislike people sometimes.