A Second of 100 dB Sound from Headphones Caused My Tinnitus / Acoustic Trauma

I agree with not committing suicide. 1-800-273-8255 Suicide Hotline just in case. This sucks, I know, and mine keeps getting worse (new sounds, more hearing loss). Allow yourself to feel sad about this; we're essentially grieving the loss of silence and healthy ears. But we're alive! We can breathe.

But again, I get it, being alive sucks because of the ringing. I have to put on funny shows on while I work to distract myself from the tinnitus and depression. But I'm pretty hopeful for a cure. Not now, unfortunately, not even a year, which is why I caution about the nerve cutting. I'm assuming that would cut your brain's connection to the ear? Wouldn't that mean you couldn't fix it even if a cure did come out?

I try not to think about this too much because it's VERY wishful thinking, but I'd like to think there WILL be a day when I (and everyone here) can have somewhat normal hearing again. And I think about how wonderful that day will be. For now, I have to deal with the present, and my reality is I can't fix this now and have to push through and make it work somehow because underneath it all, life is still worth living.

How loud are yours? If they're louder than mine then I can't imagine how debilitating that is. Keep talking to friends and find ways to find support.

Also, I don't make a ton but I started investing a little bit of money into Frequency Therapeutics. I'm not sure if that'll make them find a cure faster but it can't hurt.

 

My tinnitus turned into more of a hissing. Still, some days it continues as tinnitus. Morse code in my right ear, but lower volume than in my left ear. My worst ear is left ear and hissing. "hiss, hiss, hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissssss..., hiss, hiss, hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissssss"

Is hissing a good thing?

 

Hey @SadMan, looks like our cases are pretty similar...

Mine started last September. First two months were hard and I was struggling with it.
During the last months it has got slightly better. I get two or three average days, then it all goes back to the start. It is just how it is. Hopefully the bad days will become the average days and the average days fine days.

It really seems like it takes time. Stay strong!

 

Has there been any difference in recovery between 3 months and 4 months? I'm in the 3rd month now. Does anything change in the 4th month?

The hissing is sometimes in the form of vibration. I hope we both get well.

 

The major breakthrough I had last month is that those vibrations seem to be gone
In the beginning I had them everyday, then almost every day, then once or twice a week and now they seem to be gone.

You may not notice it, but you are slowly getting better... Trust me! You won't have a sudden breakthrough, forget about that. Just keep positive and deal with it everyday. You will start to realize it is getting quieter.

For me the worst moments are at bedtime when everything is silent. It rings like a siren. But that's not stopping me from getting a good night's sleep.

Of course we will get better! We just have to be patient and keep protecting our hearing.

 

Are you taking any medication? I've tried Betahistine for 2 months, but it didn't work. I started taking Piracetam today. 2 * 1200 mg. I hope it works.

I totally agree with this.

 

The ENT prescribed Deflazacort (cortisone steroid) but it only made the ringing worse after 5 days. She also prescribed Ginkgo Biloba "just in case it works" she said, but it didn't.

I'm not taking any medication at the moment. Just taking vitamins and magnesium because that won't hurt.

Sometimes drugs just won't work and you just have to give your body some time to rest...

 

This is very true. Whether or not my tinnitus is actually quieter, I'm not sure. It's all so subjective, and like most folks it fluctuates daily so it's hard to say. However, I notice it less, I've (almost) stopped crying over it. It used to be on my mind 24/7 and now I can basically ignore it. Doesn't make it suck any less, but it's definitely more bearable. I'm rooting for everyone here and appreciate the positive perspectives

 

Also yesterday I slept without masking my tinnitus. I'm listening to my tinnitus instead of listening to the radio. Maybe this will make my adjustment period easier.

 

What do you think of my results?

First test



Pressure



Last test



They did not say anything about the pressure, but it seems to me that there is pressure in my left ear, also my left ear is ringing loud and generally the one I am troubled with is the left ear. In the past 3 months, whenever I swallow, I hear a smacking sound in my left ear.

 

If you can sleep without masking, you're doing much better than I am. I wish I could just function enough to go back to work.

 

I could not sleep for the first months. I also quit my job. I protect myself from noises. I did not leave the house as much as possible. I think that's how the tinnitus tone changed. For a long time, I listened to my tinnitus constantly without masking it in the quiet room at home. I finally manage to sleep without masking.

However, I would never have achieved this if the ringing tone did not change. If my tone changes and rises again, I cannot sleep without masking. I understand your situation, you are much stronger than me. With all my heart I want an urgent treatment. Scientists need to realize how challenging tinnitus is. Governments need to increase budgets for tinnitus research. Even if there is no cure, a medicine that calms the loudness should be found immediately.

I'm still afraid to go out. My hyperacusis is not gone. I hope gradually my hyperacusis recover.

Stay strong, we will surely succeed. We are gladiators. Those who think themselves strong would not think they were strong if they knew what we were dealing with. The strongest people in this world are the people who fight tinnitus.

 

I'm glad I don't have that sound sensitivity issue. I did at first and it's no joke.

My issue is the roaring tinnitus. It's insanely loud along with ringing on top of that. Add on my hearing loss and I can't hear shit besides the noise. It's super stressful being my hearing and left ear are perfectly normal. I know what I should be hearing but it just doesn't work.

 

100%.

 

101st day. My tinnitus is very loud today (9/10).

 

Can overprotecting ears make tinnitus worse?

 

I don't think this is the case for tinnitus, but it may problematic for hyperacusis.

 

Hello,

I hope you are doing a little better since your last post.

My audiogram is a straight line and my ear pressure is good, and the same, in both ears.

All I can tell you is that it's been 7 months with my tinnitus and that for the moment since Saturday, it calms down every other day (when it does not calm down, I hear it more or less all the time and I have pain in the sinuses, head, teeth and especially in part of my head either to the right or to the left).

So, I don't know if our situations are similar or not but since our tinnitus was caused by headphones, I thought that supporting each other was a good idea.

 

@Damien0000, I’m glad yours tends to be every other day, but tinnitus is rough, isn’t it? Most folks here have normal audio grams because they only test up to 8 kHz. At home at a very low volume using online tone generators I can hear up to 14-15 kHz (which is normal), although my left is can hear significantly fewer frequencies than my right.

How loud is your tinnitus? Does it interfere with daily life? For me it’s less the sound but more me worried about it getting worse. Things like landscapers, vacuums, and smoke alarms give me enormous anxiety. No longer attending concerts breaks my heart. It feels difficult to function as a normal adult. Even my job opportunities feel limited because of this :/

 

Hi @Adaś,

How is your situation now? Has there been any reduction in your tinnitus? Do you have hyperacusis or did you have it?

 

Hello, I am sorry to answer only now.

Regarding my tinnitus, there are days with and days without. There are days when I feel like it goes away and others when I just think about it.

Let's say that I only hear it if I focus on it and I'm in a quiet room.

There are times when I can totally forget about it for about 3 days and then my stress comes back and therefore my tinnitus.

If I have a normal level of sound I manage to no longer hear it: when I watch television for example.

In terms of tone it has the same intensity as a computer fan (in low mode).

I hope it goes away with the FX-322... I think it can help now when it comes out.

I also don't know if it will totally go away... I just know that there are days when I feel better and others not. The hope of a working treatment keeps me going.

 

4.5 months have passed. However, my tinnitus has not reduced.

 

Hello, I am totally new to this forum and to forums in general, so excuse my ignorance on how to proceed. I have had tinnitus for 15 years and it has become worse recently (louder and a higher pitch in the last 4 months). Can anyone tell me if there is some repository of information from people with tinnitus who know exactly when there tinnitus began and if so, what they were doing at that moment/time? My ENT specialist tells me that my tinnitus is likely neurological or due partially to my hearing loss, but I am certain that it has a physical/mechanical component to it because of my experience of when and how it began. My father, who also has tinnitus, also recalls when his began and our experiences were very similar. I do not believe in coincidences. Can someone point me in the right direction? Thanks, and sorry for my ignorance on this process.

 

Hi Robert,

You have had tinnitus for quite some time. The first thing to try and find out is what's making it worse, as something is usually responsible? Is it an underlying medical problem as your ENT doctor suggests or something else? Are you a regular user of headphones, earbuds, or headsets even at low volumes? Are you exposed to other forms of loud noise, for instance: work in a noisy environment? Do you fire a gun on a shooting range?

If you don't use any of the devices I have mentioned above and don't work in a noisy environment, or are not regularly exposed to loud sounds, then the tinnitus is probably getting worse due to a medical problem, as your doctor has said, and hopefully it can be treated.

All the best
Michael

 

Michael,

Thank you for your thoughtful response. I really appreciate it. I am getting a check-up in a month and will discuss the medical issues with my primary doctor (there may be some) and my ENT. I am not near loud sounds regularly but have been to a shooting range recently, though I had earplugs in while I was there. I recently started using hearing aids, as my hearing at the higher frequencies is that of an 80-year old. It is hereditary. My tinnitus frequency is around 8,000 hertz, very high, and recently very loud.

Can you tell me if there somewhere to find a list (or stories) of when people first noticed their tinnitus (if they remember) and what they were specifically doing at that moment? My tinnitus started when straining my back/neck/abdomen muscles and my father's started when he was lifting something heavy. Of course, these are only two examples, but I have to believe that there is a physical/mechanical trigger/break that started this problem, and therefore, there may be a physical/mechanical solution to it. I am certain I am not the first to suggest this. I am not a bright-eyed delusional young person (quite the opposite actually) to think there may be some miracle solution, but I do not believe that my case is simply a result of hearing or neurological issues. There is a very physical component. I felt the pop in the top of my spinal chord (like a thump), perhaps in the area of the internal acoustical meatus and/or the vestibulocochlear nerve. Hearing the noise equally in the center of my head tells me the problem is central. I'm an engineer (not a doctor) who believes there are solutions to every problem (some maybe very complex).

Anyhow, I am sure I have bored you, but I am just looking for more information on how people's tinnitus started? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and consideration.

 

Hi Robert,

I am unable to direct you to a list of stories you have asked for, but suggest you use the search box at the top of the page. Please be aware, even though you were wearing hearing protection when at the shooting range, it is still possible for your tinnitus to be aggravated. If external sound is loud enough it can pass through the head/skull and be transferred to the inner ear by bone conduction and spike the tinnitus. Some people with tinnitus especially those with noise induced, think wearing earplugs even professional moulded types they are completely safe, when going to concerts, clubs or around other types of loud sounds. This is not the necessarily the case so be careful.

All the best
Michael

 

I'm in the 5th month. There has been no improvement in tinnitus. I have not gotten used to the tinnitus. It screams when I wake up in the morning.

Did any of my Tinnitus Talk friends who had bad tinnitus up to the 5th and 6th month mark get better later on?

If there was no reduction in tinnitus until the 5th month, could there be a decrease after this time?

 

Hang in there!
I had my first positive changes only after 10 months.

 

Thanks for your support, but I'm about to give up. I really can't stand it. There is no medicine left that I haven't tried. I can't do anything because of the ringing in my left ear. My life has turned into hell.

 

What was that change? I am at 3 months and no changes at all except for my left ear worsening and the development of hyperacusis. So worse.