Can ~15 Minutes Train Ride at 80-88 dB Cause Acoustic Trauma with High Frequency Hearing Loss?

Hello everyone,
I'm sorry that this post is so long, I'm just freaking out, because audiologists didn't offer any help and neurologists keep insisting that my c1 and c2 vertebrae are causing problems with blood flow to the brain and it might be causing my tinnitus. My pulsatile tinnitus is somatic and only in my right ear (I have spasms in my right neck artery) and absent 90% of the day. Also I don't have vertigo, just some black pulsating spots in my eyes, fatigue, problems with concentration. I received IV injections addressing this symptoms early November and felt really good for a while, but now they are coming back.

Do I have super fragile ears after getting tinnitus or is it something else? Is it just a temporary threshold shift? Should I take another steroid treatment? I'm going to have at least 5 more HBOT sessions next week.
Can neck problems or ETD cause such symptoms and this dip on audiogram?

My audiogram on November 23 showed 15 db at 10000 and 10 db at 16000 hz in my left ear.
On December 7 it showed 30 db at 10000 and 30 db at 16000 hz in my left ear through the air and 10-20 db through the bone. So it seems that I've lost ~15 db of hearing in my left ear in less than a month. I was at the same clinic and the same doctor did the test.
Audiogram of my right ear is fine without changes at 5db through the bone and 10 db through the air.
How could I manage to lose so much hearing without any excessive noise exposure? Doctors keep on insisting that my tinnitus is caused by either unconfirmed ETD or c1 and c2 vertebrae misalignment and arterial spasms, but I also had an aggravation after a brain MRI which leads me to believe that my tinnitus might be from ototoxic antibiotics/accumulated noise exposure.

Between November 23 and December 7 I had several unprotected noise incidents:
~20 minute cafe visit at ~65-70 db
2 supermarket visits at ~80 db about 20 minutes each
2 car rides at ~80-85 db (with the heater on) 15-20 minutes each
9 HBOT sessions
1 train ride at 80-88 db ~15 minutes (December 5)
Obviously all of these "incidents" are quite safe for the general population and I didn't feel any discomfort myself. After each exposure I experienced a temporary spikes that went down within a day.

Unfortunately after HBOT session I was feeling a bit confused/drunk and I forgot my earmuffs at the clinic and only remembered about them when I was already riding back home on the train. I didn't feel any discomfort while I was on the train and I didn't feel it was too loud, but after I came home I realized I felt some ear fullness (like a pressure on the eardrum) for ~30 minutes and following that day I noticed that my TTTS has worsened and my Morse code in the left ear went from 2/10 to 4/10 along with the spasms. I have also developed a faint tone in my right ear that's only noticeable in complete silence. I think I had it after an MRI, but it faded since then. I'm not sure.
I actually had an significant improvement in TTTS from HBOT, but it came back up after this train ride although it's still better than it was before.

1 day later I injected myself with 90 mg Prednisolone, because my allergies flared up (probably from vitamins). I had to stop taking all medication and supplements.

2 days later I went to the audiology clinic to do a new audiogram, OAE, DPOAE.
AOE and DPOAE up 8000 hz came back normal and didn't show any damage. I noticed "aural fullness" in my right ear after these tests and within 20 minutes I started my HBOT session. The fullness didn't resolve until the morning. Additionally I had developed another additional tone in my right ear that evening. It was moderately loud and not too high pitch. It went away in the morning. Also my blood pressure was elevated to 140/80, this is not normal for me.

Now it's been 3 days and today I woke up with just "head tinnitus" (mostly on my left side of the head) and a slight ringing in my right ear, but immediately after I went to bathroom spasms in my left ear from TTTS came back along with Morse code. A few hours later I started feeling aural fullness (like pressure) and burning sensation on my ears. I've had this burning sensation before, when my TTTS was really bad, I think it's just a symptom. It also seems that I have acoustic shock disorder that almost faded down to zero, before this train ride. I get a bit freaked out by the sound of my phone vibrating from SMS and I get anxious in anticipation of some sounds (like video loading on my phone).

Right now my blood pressure is 140/80 again and my tinnitus is more aggressive and intrusive than it was 3 days ago. At this point I think I'll try wearing earplugs everywhere except my bedroom to see if it makes any difference.

Could this train ride cause damage to my ears? I find it strange that hearing dropped only in my left ear.
Could the audiogram, OAE and DPOAE aggravate my tinnitus and TTTS? I refused to do tympanometry and acoustic reflex tests. I only experienced ear fullness in my right ear 3 times in my life. Once after power tool incident (before tinnitus, 10 minutes at ~90 db), after this train ride and after these new tests.
My mother has mild tinnitus (2 hernias in her neck) and she frequently gets ear fullness when her blood pressure rises or weather outside changes.

I'm sorry for rambling, I don't know what to do, at this point I'm afraid to do any more tests or medical interventions aside from HBOT and medicine for brain blood flow.
I think I have started to develop phonophobia. I don't want to leave my apartment anymore. I'm severely psychologically traumatized by the MRI incident and this experiences with a train ride and ear tests are just adding fuel into the fire.
At this point I've read so many horror stories that I don't know what to believe anymore.

 

How did you measure these volume levels?

 

App on my phone. I understand that it's not very reliable, but I tried 3 different apps and the all showed same numbers with 2-4 db difference.
And I'm sure the noise from the train wasn't very loud, I used it frequently when I studied at the university with no problems.

 

You could have at least pressed your fingers on your tragus...

 

Honestly, in that state I was thinking clearly at all. I feel like I'm encapsulated in a fog 24/7, because of tinnitus and after HBOT treatment I was feeling disoriented.

 

What phone do you have?

 

Galaxy s7

 

Android phones are known to be quite unreliable (due to fragmentation), unless the app is specifically calibrated for the S7...

Perhaps you could check calibration yourself with an SPL meter...

 

I was mainly trying to tell you what you might do, should you end up in a similar situation in the future... I was surprised to discover that for most noises, the muffs, earplugs, and fingers pressing on tragus seem to offer similar protection.

 

Thanks, I didn't know that. I'll buy and iPhone when I have the money, I can't afford it right now, because I'm spending a lot on treatments.
When I was researching the loudness of my headphones I used apps on my phone too and I found a review of my headphones with a proper SPL meter and I got similar results (1-2 db difference). So I think it was at least somewhat accurate, and I was near 90 db noises before, the train was definitely under 90 db.

Also I've read on the internet that you shouldn't avoid noises that are comfortable for others if you suspect or have hypercausis. The train and the supermarkets were fine for everybody myself included. It's also safe according OSHA guidelines. I don't know what to think of that.

 

Thank you, Bill, for your advice I will use it next time in a case of emergency. I didn't know about that.
I think we misunderstood each other the first time. I didn't mean to come off in a bad way or anything like that.

 

I'll ask some of my friends to go to every doctor and treatment with me so I don't do anything stupid like that again.
I'm feeling very lost and losing touch with reality.

 

I stopped using the bus a year ago after a trauma with the intercom. After stopping I found that my (reactive) T lowered. I don't think it will do permanent damage but if it's loud like a public bus is then it might be better to seek long term transportation of a different sort. Keep in mind I also have always had H since onset.

 

I dont think so