4 Months After Increase, Getting Worse

I've been hoping for 4 months this increase was a spike or could repair back to baseline and it's not. 18 to 26, T that I could live with, noise induced, and only loud and annoying if I cupped my ear and listed.

I've had some loud exposures during that time, one which gave me a reactive T, hyperacusis and TTTS or a worsening of these things if I had a mild case beforehand that I didn't even notice, and maybe a bit of a T increase over that time that wasn't anything major.

But with out a doubt my life has been changed since June 4th. One week prior to that, a loud wood saw woke me up from sleep right outside my window (which are wide open). I don't know why it took almost a week after that incident to cause T to raise the night i wen't to bed, but it did. Since then, it's been a nightmare.

June and July were hard, and I started to semi feel a bit of potential improvement. I'd even wake up with T pretty low sometimes. Now in September it's worse than ever. I've been exposed recently to loud fireworks (though I believe I was far enough away to not sustain damage), metal gate slamming and general loudness of being out and about in stores.

It's been seemingly changing, pitch, tones and intensity the last few months. Two days ago, I got hit by the loudest and more illegal motorcycle sound I've ever witnessed. I pushed the flaps of my ears in and tried to protect myself but I clearly got hit with a few seconds. I was in this old town type area where you walk around and didnt realize there was a main road behind some of the buildings which is where the motorcycle came down blaring.

Even before this, my T was being odd and having issues and this incident has made it even worse. I've been relatively staying home these last 4 months going out once and awhile and still listening to normal noises, but I feel as if my ears are seriously still really vulnerable and getting worse, especially now with this incident.

I don't know what to do or where to turn. ENT's are useless and I really feel like I'm getting worse, it's not in my mind I literally hear the difference and intensity getting worse. I don't know what to do, can your ears be so damaged and so screwed that it just gets worse even from short term exposures to something loud.

How can I cope and sit here hoping my original increase 4 months ago goes back to baseline when it's getting worse and I'm getting hit with exposures that seem to be loud enough to cause permanent damage. I'm going to have to wear earplugs outside all the damn time, I can't control these motorcycles and they're pumping out 115db easily and destroying what peace I have left in recovery.

I'm just so done with dealing with this and there is nothing out there to help, i don't know what to do anymore.

 

Hi..how old are you? Have you checked your hearing regularly? Have you tried some remedies recommended here after noise exposures ? NAC, magnesium, vitamins, something that will improve blood circulation in the inner ear? I'm not sure you spike has necessarily to do with the wood saw behind the window ..was it long ? I hear you about the motorbikes. Literarily hate them . All the pedestrians must risk their hearing because one jerk feels like showing off on a bike, favoraoubly downtown. Because of them I'm constantly looking around on the street and try to cover ears early enough. But even worse are cars honking for no good reason. However, I don't know where you live but I don't think they can produce as much as 115 db? In th Us that is?

 

26, had a hearing test around June after T increase from what I assume was a delayed reaction from a loud saw incident. Normal tests show perfect hearing, child like hearing. I need to get one done that is past 8k because somewhere past there is probably where my hearing loss is at. The last 4 months the T has been changing in pitch, intensity and tone, so it's unusual and I've never had this.

I've been on Vitminc C, Mangesuium and Tumeric since about mid June. I had some bad reactions with NAC so I'm too fearful to try another brand and I've mixed things on synthetic forms of NAC. I've considered Whey Protein though to get it naturally instead of through NAC but haven't got any yet, it's expensive too sadly.

The loud wood saw woke me up from a deep sleep and I flung out of bed, I was probably exposed for a good 4-5 seconds as I covered my ears and then slammed then window like an idiot to block out the sound when I should of just left the room. I've never had or noticed things like 'spikes' the years before. I've gone 18-26 with pretty much mild T that everyday 30db noises would basically mask. Only if I covered my ears could I really hear it.

The only thing loud that occurred was the loud saw, 5 days or so before going to bed I noticed a huge T increase. Which has given me these last 4 months of hell. Nothing else happened that i can think of. I was on prilosec for a month and got off it around the time of T increase, I also took NSAID a week or two prior for a few days normal dosage for hurt knee. Other than that 5 months of metrogel and adapaleme cream for acne and rosacea. None of this bothered my T before and so the only thing I'm confident is, is that the wood saw did it.

I'm in california and bikes regulations are not enforced at all by officers. They have some type of hold on not having problems with noise ordinances. I've never hard one so loud before in my life and I know with out a doubt it was probably damaging loud if you were a few feet from it. I was probably 15 feet away with small 15foot buildings in the way but it created a echo effect.

I just don't know what to do anymore because it seems to be getting worse just from going out in general noisy/busy environments where you wouldn't expect to need to wear plugs.

I feel as if, from the T levels and intensity that my ears are somehow so damaged that they're just going to keep going up from going out, because that is what it seems like.

 

I would be surprised that the saw did it. You were not holding the saw and although loud, it would seem unlikely as the exposure was short. I wonder about the NSAIDs. They have known ototoxicity but usually after prolonged use not just one week. Hopefully, it will settle down for you.

Wishing you the best.

 

Well a little update here: Although bad it became a semi-stable form where I was believing it wasn't going to go up anymore... but recently has got worse again. I wore earplugs and left the house where jackhammering was occurring 50 feet away or less and the day after and since then, last few days, T has been bad. I actually had days where I woke up like 2 months ago with a lower sounding T and not as high pitch...and I can't f-ing understand now 2 months later it feels even worse.

I wouldn't of thought the saw would be a problem, but how else could this happen? I believe with out a doubt that my ears are damaged and more susceptible to noise and perhaps all it takes was a quick 10 second exposure. I mean we may have semi-damaged or barely living hair cells or neuron trasmitters that are barely hanging on and one loud little exposure could finally push them over the end. The saw was literally 5 feet outside my window. I awoke in a panic amd I closed my ears with my palms like an idiot and waited for him to stop and slammed my window in anger (another stupid idea). At that point I've had T for so long I never thought about it much. It always was the same and everyday stuff masked it, even the light hum of my lights. (though earplugs, muffs, plugging ears ect. and it would be loud, but it didn't translate when my ears were open unless it was quiet )

I'm sitting here 3 weeks from 6 months and still feel awful. Everything is different now. I have sensitivity I never really had, a severe phobia of noise now and loud T. I'm not recovering and I'm fearful that at 5 months and 1 week that means its over for any recovery now.

I just can't believe that exposure did this to me.

 

H @shasta0863,
Wow. I am so sorry. From what I have read, spikes do not last as long as you described and although I only know a few folks personally with T, both of whom have had it for over 20 years and have had spikes, neither have never had a permanent increase in their T. Both have hearing loss by the way. My audiologist told me that apart from bomb blasts and stuff like that, noise exposure has to be a decent duration. Not a few seconds unless it is a fire cracker in your ear or something. It seems from reading the posts above that you have had T since you were in your teens. Do you know what brought it on? My T is like how you described your original T to be. I too am absolutely terrified of it getting worse. I have musicians ear plugs which are molded to my ears and used them at a party last night that was in a hall with terribly loud music. Worked out ok. No spike. But I stayed at best 1.5 hrs. I too am terrified of loud environments. And dead quiet, as that is when I hear my T. And my ENT and audiologist do not want me protecting my ears in moderately loud envirornments so I am always struggling with the definition of moderate. Over protection can make T worse and bring on H. What a way to live. Always trying to plan around the sound level. I just flew for the first time since T this past week as well. Used noise canceling ear phones to manage the load engine noise.

Please know that I am thinking of you and hoping that things improve for you.

Danielle

 

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, my original T was from noise damage. I probably had very minor damage from 12-14 from little dance club events I went too, I can't remember if I had T and if I did it was probably so low I'd have to be really looking for it and in an almost silent room. I wen't to a music festival at 18 and music was so loud I got a temporary threshold shift (Couldn't hear speech and it was muddy, thankfully it was temp.) and I stayed even after that for awhile, like an idiot.

That was when I had T...I knew it. But it wasn't bad and for most of the years I never noticed it because even in 35db area it was masked, only if I covered my ears could I hear it or sleep.

I was ok with that, but now I can't handle this. It's all the time, I always hear it. It's piercing through stuff it never used too. I don't think the theory behind having to be a loud explosion is right, because I'm a perfect example. I awoke to loud saw and my door was shut and was covering my ears with palms and was too scared to put my hands down and open door. I waiting a good 8-10 seconds for it to stop and slammed my window in absolute anger.

About 5 days later at night for bed I noticed the T was loud. For weeks and months after it was shifting in tones and intensity and 5 months later it's bad still. I'm pretty much screwed though I read from others that 6 months is a general time frame usually for repair and seeing where the T will settle.

There comes a point where your ears may be damaged so badly or you have hair cells barely hanging on that all it takes is one exposure to screw you over. That wood saw was literally outside my window and in between the condos connected making an amplified sound and at 100+db it was enough. He ruined what peace I had left because he couldn't care less about the noise he was emitting.

I never had spikes before or problems and even had some loud hits from stuff in past and was ok. My luck ran out. I've stayed home a lot last few months and to be honest, it's hard to not want to over-protect. I don't want to go out. Yes, I'm letting it control me, because why would I want to risk it getting worse? I've already had a few incidents (fireworks near and loud metal gate slamming) that I had no control over. If the T were to get worse, I wouldn't be able to deal with it. I can barely hang on as it is. It's like starting over again but it's worse than before. I don't blame people for secluding themselves, because higher T isn't worth it.

The biggest joke of it all is my hearing is perfect in normal ranges, like kid level good. So my damage is probably at the 10khz+ frequency.

 

Hi,


Mine was probably due to noise too. A ridiculously loud ACDC concert. Although it was outside, there was a speaker near us. I had a threshold change where my ears felt blocked. I have had that happen before. My husband and everyone there had it. But it is usually temporary. Mine was temporary too but I my hearing loss during the threshold shift did not seem as drastic as yours. I could still hear. It was not muffled. Was fine the next day but a few days later noticed the T. But also had fluid in my
Ears and ETD so me thought it was that. Anyway, it totally sucks. I am so sorry. I hope it will still improve for you.

Try to hang in there. Do you think you would be a candidate for TRT?

 

I meant MD thought it was fluid and ETD.

 

I don't understand how I can have 1 week of improvement and the T seems a bit more static/low frequency which is a godsend and now last night, with OUT any noise damage it's louder. Today, it's louder. 8 years of same T.... and now it just doesn't make any sense. I get it, my ears got damaged again like 6 freaking months ago...so why isn't it just picking a tone/frequency and being done.

To give me semi-relief for a week and then to get screwed over again makes no f-ing sense.