Bad Tinnitus Spike from a Loud Vehicle: I Feel Like I'm at the End of My Rope

I was driving home today after a perfectly quiet walk at a local park with one of my best friends. As I pulled up to a red light, a very noisy car pulled up along side me. It was noisy to me even when it was just idling next to me (I do have hyperacusis and misophonia. My LDL's are between 60 and 65dB). When the light changed, the car accelerated as fast, and loud as possible. To me, it was extremely loud. It was so loud I could kind of feel the sound in my body. It lasted for a two seconds or so, and then he slowed and the sound level dropped.

As always, I had my 22dB reduction silicone earplugs in. Of course I also had all the doors closed and the windows rolled up all the way. Still, I'm noticing a spike in both ears right now. It's especially bad in my right ear, which is the side the car pulled up on.

I had my decibel meter running, but I didn't have it set to give me a max reading, so I'm not sure how loud it got. I'm kicking myself for not having it set properly, as knowing how loud it was would really help calm the anxiety I'm feeling. Do you guys think there's any way it reached a damaging level inside my car, and through my earplugs?

Gah I really just hate this condition. I was feeling so good after my walk. I was happy. My tinnitus was quiet and I wasn't thinking about it. Now I'm an anxious mess. It's all I can think about. I feel like crying and just don't know how much more of this I can tolerate. Any support ya'll can offer would be much appreciated.

 

You had the windows rolled up with 22db earplugs in? Unless it was a top-fuel dragster, I highly doubt it did any damage.

 

Personally, if any sounds make you "feel" it inside your body, then it makes sense that it can mechanically disrupt your middle ear bones, air pressure, ear fluid etc. People with tinnitus are very sensitive to any drastic changes. For example, I got a extremely bad spike where white noise doesn't mask my tinnitus. I was using an ice pack too long on my ear which caused an extreme temp difference that probably cause air pressure changes in the ear.

Give it a few days to a week for the spike to go down. I know my spike went down in a few days. Scariest spike I had but it did go down. Hopefully, yours will too.

 

haha well with hyperacusis it really felt like being next to a top fuel dragster. I hope you're right though. This spike will be the end of me if it doesn't calm down

 

Yeah I could definitely feel the vibrations. I've felt this before when standing on the subway platform in NYC but I had dual protection and didn't have any issues. I hope this time will be similar. I guess I should give it a few days to settle down before I freak out lol

 

Please don't say that. Yes, with hyperacusis your ears are highly sensitive and that is why it bothered you so much even though you had ear protection. Hopefully, in a few days it will calm down. Crossing fingers for ya!

 

Reading your story breaks my heart, because I was where you are up until 4 months ago, when I decided I'd had enough and stopped wearing hearing protection. I doubt my hyperacusis was at the same level as yours is, but I could see it going it that direction. I came to the conclusion that I needed to give my ears the chance to get better, and the only way that would happen was if I decreased their sensitivity by exposing them to sound.

It's been a slow process, but I've experienced a great improvement in my ability to process and deal with everyday loud noises. I just had to accept the fact that, even though I have tinnitus, my ears are no more susceptible to actual cochlear damage than someone without it. I know some others disagree with that statement, but I really do believe that's the truth. Will the loud noise affect my tinnitus? Maybe, but it has never been permanent, and it seems as if the time it takes for me to recover has shortened. This past Sunday, I was taking out some trash, and I heard some firecrackers nearby on my street. Of course, it startled me, but I wasn't worried that it would cause a permanent spike. My tinnitus can be intense for days at a time for no apparent reason, so I didn't notice any significant change because of it, but, yesterday, my tinnitus was almost unnoticeable, and it has been through today. I just have to accept that I'm going to have bad days and good days.

I'm not saying this kind of exposure therapy will work for everyone. I know it's scary, but, for me, it's been completely worth it. I've experienced a incredible improvement in my quality of life, and I hope you can, too.

Here's my story, if case you'd like to take a look:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...ection-and-antidepressants.40082/#post-523162

 

For me it would have meant a setback. Depending on how loud, so many days to suffer afterwards. I would have covered my ears before the light switched to green. That is always my survival strategy: cover your ears with your hands, even if you wear earplugs.