Sickly Barbra Streisand Visits Beverly Hills Doctor

Barbra Streisand is getting ready for a busy 2017, although the legendary voice was looking tired in Beverly Hills! The National ENQUIRER caught the star out for a doctor's visit in Beverly Hills, as Barbra prepares for the 2017 Grammy Awards and two summer shows in New York City. But while the 74-year-old diva should be basking in her Grammy nomination for "Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway," she's also battling a killer brain virus making her moodier than ever!

Tragically, Barbra contracted the virus as a child, and it’s left her battling an incurable ear condition that causes a terrible wailing inside her head — a noise only she can hear! “I was in the sixth grade when I started to hear these noises, and I would put scarves around my head to try to block them out,” she lamented. “I was afraid to find out what it was!”

The condition, known as tinnitus, has plagued the “Funny Girl” star since she was 7 years old. Most disturbing, the chronic ringing and hissing in her ears is getting progressively worse! “I’ve tried all sorts of things — white noise machines, masking devices, you name it. Nothing helps!” a frustrated Barbra has said.

The inescapable buzzing has wrecked her sleeping habits and even caused Barbra to collapse — while also being blamed for her many angry outbursts during a short tour in 2016. “It’s annoying and I long to hear silence,” said Barbra, who intentionally restricted her concerts to just 10 dates to manage the madness. A spy on the tour tattled: “When she’s doing a concert and the audience applauds, the background noise helps to drown out the wailing. But if she pauses in a song or something, the pain just gets worse.”

Barbra is also tormented, said insiders, by the constant fear that she may lose her hearing — or worse! Although tinnitus can be the result of a childhood viral infection, it can also “be the sign of something as serious as a brain tumor,” according to Dr. Derald Brackmann, a former otolaryngologist professor at the University of Southern California.

Haunted by the tumor threat, Barbra has told husband James Brolin and pals she’s terrified the condition will kill her! “She already is deeply distressed by the endless torment she’s endured from this condition,” said one spy. “Now she’s convinced it could claim her life altogether!”