Newbie - 3 weeks of ringing in my ears - it's driving me mad - some advice please

Hello,

I have had this ringing in my ears for about 3 weeks. At first i did not think about it - I assumed it would go away, but after about 5 days, i realised this was not like anything i have experienced before. I felt well - my ears are bunged up for sure (i am getting some drops today) but I have no cold or infection from what i can tell.

I think the trigger is a specialist hammer drill which makes a shrill noise about 80db and I was using that for about 15 minutes and in a small room which seemed to echo the noise in perfect resonance.,

Anyway - i think this is where this started. Its now 3 weeks later and its gotten worse if anything (not sure if thats just my mind playing tricks on me as the last few days i have started to really worry that this is permanent)

Being in my 40's i am now used to the odd health complaint. Ive had back surgery and my knees are shot. But otherwise I'm in good shape. I have friends who have had really severe illnesses like cancer so i am putting this problem in perspective, but i must say, its driving me mad I am sure you've all been there?

The noise is so loud that i can't hear the TV properly. As I am typing i can just hear this high pitched constant tone in my head. Its like torture.

I am not the type to spend my life worrying - i have been there in the past and i dont want to go there again. If i have this then i need to accept it. So i am looking to see if the people here who are experienced can point me in the direction of rational deduction - what has likely caused this, is it permanent and what if anything can i do.

Many thanks,
Walter

Some background on me if it helps to understand.

As I say, im in my 40's and i have noticed my hearing has been getting worse for about 10 years. I find it difficult to hear people all the time especially in a crowded room. In the last couple of years, i have found that i need to turn the TV up more than others would want in the room. Its not so bad that its remarked upon by others, but i notice it.

My Mum has very bad hearing. Has done for 40 years and while not deaf, she has siginificant loss at high frequencies. I think a lot of it is psychological if i'm honest - I'm not sure if she frankly knows how much loss is real or psychosomatic. I mention this only because there could be a genetic component if Tinnitus is hereditary.

The only times i've had tinnitus before, apart from 2 or 3 times from a concert in my 20's, was if I stay up really late working on the computer doing programming or something. Then i notice i get a little ringing but that just goes as soon as my head hits the pillow and nothing in the morning. I never thought anything about it.

 

Dear Walter ,
I am 42 and Oct 18th I woke up with this terrible ringing in my right ear so all of this is very new to me as well. I went to an ent and they found no damage no hearing loss, nothing. I was on tramodol 50 mg twice a day for 5 months. On the 17th of October I felt I didn't need the medication (it's for pain) went to the shooting range with my husband then that night I went threw horrible withdrawels. Following morning on the 18th the T began. Non stop since. I'm full of anxiety and pray a lot for this to just turn off. I will def tell you your not alone and there are things I've tried that has definitely helped me at night when I'm trying to go to sleep. If you have ear buds for your phone and can go on youtube, type in pink noise and just listen to it. It will block out the T and help you. It plays for almost an hour and half. Also there are many different masking sounds you can try. If. You don't have a phone that allows Internet , get a fan put it in your room on high that will block out most of the sound. Any background noise will help. Also when laying in bed move your head around a bit to the noise in your room tv, fan, radio (am radio is great) etc for some reason it helps. It will definitely pray for you Walter. All will be okay. Your so not alone. Xoxo Laura.

 

Hi, you have noise induced hearing loss followed by tinnitus, which is very common here. Now forever you must be super cautious about hearing protection with anything close to 80db. hammering type sounds are very bad for the hearing, same as any banging noise, explosion, gunshot, truck backfire, etc. low frequency noises are quite bad.
i use constant white pink noise, and constantly DO NOT allow any possibility of a loud noise - means i go around EVERYWHERE with Bose QC15 headset. I am sure if you had been wearing the headset while doing your hammering you would have been o.k. - otherwise wear foam plug for hearing protection, or over the ear style, or both. Your tinnitus will slowly slowly get better if you follow all the advice in this forum.

 

Walter: what is making you feel so bad and panicky is the feeling of loss of control. So, the main thrust of treatment is to regain control. That takes four things:
1. Get educated so you know what tiniitus is, its causes, its clinical course and that in up to 50% of cases, it will improve over time or even go away.
2. Get medical help - mild traniquilizers or antidepressants for the acute anxiety and also make sude you get enough sleep - using whatever medications work.
3. Get Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy from a psychologist experienced in this area. This will help you avoid negative maladadptive emotions that worsen the subjective perception of yout tinnitus and will teach you various 'tricks' to be more positive and to deal with the tinnitus when it becomes too intrusive.
4. Sound habituation - see a properly trained audiologist and realize that the treatment may take several months or vene a year or two - but you will be back in control

 

Hi Walter, just wanted to ad this to the good advice you have already. Before I got a masker to help mask the perceived noise, I got out my old AM/FM radio, it has a jack on it for an earphone. I got a ear phone plugged it into the radio, put it on FM tuned it to where there was no station, all you will here is white noise, turn it up to a level that is just below the T noise. If this works for you, then you may want to invest in a masker, or just use it as is. My AM/FM radio is a portable, that will fit in my shirt pocket, so I used it all day while doing other things before I got the masker. I call it the poor mans masker

 

You guy's seem to have been through it, the radio idea I like, but not DAB, that bit if crackling helps.

 

Hi David, most of us have found different ways to deal with T through this site, because pretty much everyone shares what helps them. You are correct, a lot of us have had been through it. What work for one person may not work for another, then again it just might help. You have to keep trying to find what is best for you.

 

David what do you mean by "but not DAB, that bit if crackling helps'

 

Give it time, Walter.

It can take a month or two for acoustic trauma to heal.

 

Hi All,
Thanks very much for all the advise and tips. The ringing is still there. Maybe a touch quieter than at first but higher pitched. Most of the time its central in the head but when it is asymmetric, its definitely in the left side.

I think it probably is the hammer drill, but i think it was more like 10 minutes max and the tinnitus did not start for a week after or more. The only reason i remember the drill is because that night i had a bit of ringing but it was gone in the morning. And at the time I thought that ringing was very normal (expected). I am generally very good at not exposing my ears to loud music or sounds. That drill was a total one-off.

I happen to have a pair of Bose QC15 because i fly a lot for work and they are great at cutting out the engine noise so i can sleep. I also have a pair of Peltor 3M Optime III for any noise work - like i say this drilling without ear protection was a total one off. I am not in denial but just didnt want to give any of you a bum-steer in terms of ruling our any other cause.

** thanks for the positive messages and hope that it can clear ** Are we all agreed that pink noise (or white/brown) does not damage hearing?

Lastly - what is the considered opinion on Audio Notch - sounds plausible (i am a medical scientist) Tinnitus Treatment Sound Therapy - AudioNotch | AudioNotch

Thanks,
Walter

 

Sorry one last thing. I have been taking 5mg Oxynorm/ 10mg Oxycontin per day for about 6 months now as my back operation was not really a great success. I wondered if these drugs could be playing a role.

I have seen the huge list of Ototoxic drugs but that list seems to include every drug type possible. I wonder how this data has been collected. Causation and correlation are often confused. Are a large percentage of people without any history of tinnitus that go onto Opiate painkillers often afflicted with Tinnitus months after starting?

Thanks,
Walter.

 

thanks Laura - I tried the Pink Noise and it does help take my mind off it. I didnt have headphones the first night and it was driving me mad so i had to play it out loud - my very patient wife deserves a medal. As you may have seen in a post a minute ago, i am taking Oxynorm for a back injury and I am wondering if the drugs are the problem. We all are susceptible as humans to jumping to conclusions and find causation from correlation. Maybe i could have had a thousand other times of a loud noise where tinnitus did not start. But if it does happen, its easy to ignore other factors which could be a problem and blame the noise as the obvious culprit. If its medication induced then i can hope in th emonths to come as i come off the painkillers that the hearing will improve. I would speed up the withdrawal from the Oxynorm if i thought the hearing was going to be damaged more by continuing and if i see relief. Its very hard to stop Oxynorm and i dont want to just go cold-turkey so thats the reason for being cautious. I will think of you too - i wish you well.

 

Dear Walter
Do I think it's from what your taking? ...yes and maybe. Yes because I think any med can do weird things to our body and maybe because I'm not a doctor. BUT my husband is, he is an ER doc and says Tinnitus is very difficult to pin point and or treat so not knowing to much of any solid details anything we put into our bodies may and can cause things like this. Here is something ...... Today is day 25 with anxiety , lack of sleep, non stop questions to my husband that he has answered already 100 times and being loving understanding and kind and 2 and a half hours ago the ringing for me stopped. Walter , I don't know what your beliefs are when it comes to a higher power but I know for my self I'm nothing without God. I'm not going to preach to you but since this whole thing started, all I did was pray. I know that there is no cure medically but I also know there's only one being that could cure. I chose that route. Like I said I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow but what I do know is that it's gone right now and I'm grateful. If it is from what your taking, it's going to take time for your body to realign itself. Not just a withdrawel. You have a serious back problem don't come off meds until you talk with your doc. Those withdrawels are a killer ! BUT weening is key when your ready. I will pray for you Walter and as you said your wife deserves a metal, no , she's your wife for a reason and loves you for who you are, better or worse and everything in between that's why she was the one. My love to you and prayers for healing. Laura