Delayed Loud Tinnitus Spike from a Loud Video Clip or the Dentist? Confused and Scared

Hi everyone,

I have had tinnitus for 2 years ago from going to a loud concert. It caused me stress and anxiety within my first couple of months but it eventually faded and I was able to get used to it. Just recently last night, my tinnitus has gone from mild to insanely loud overnight.

I recently, 2 days ago, went to a conference where at the end they played a loud video clip that caught me by surprise but I covered my ears hoping it wouldn't have done any damage to my tinnitus. Nothing really happened to offset the spike, until yesterday, when I went to the dentist. My tinnitus would spike gradually over time and my hearing would sound a bit muffled and more louder than before.

I just woke up in the middle of the night typing this right now hoping it would gradually go down, it's so loud I can hear it over myself speaking and in the shower. I can't mask the sound, and I'm scared how this has gradually happened so fast.

Will this spike eventually go down, I hope it doesn't stay this way. I tried taking care of my ears for the past two years, just to undo the progress and make it worse all in one weekend.

I'm really scared, would love any advice and help in my situation, thank you!

 

HI @reflection

What you are experiencing is stressful, difficult and quite overwhelming for one to understand when going through it. Unfortunately this can happen among some people with "noise induced" tinnitus and the cause is usually related to one or two things.

The first is the original cause of the "noise exposure" that caused the auditory system to be affected resulting in tinnitus, wasn't treated or if it reduced by itself, as in your case and habituation occurred, can give the person a false sense of belief that they are cured or the symptoms managed and won't get worse. This is the danger I am afraid, because nothing could be further from the truth. The tinnitus is always there dormant, quietly waiting in the background and ready to strike, just like a viper should one make the mistake and subject themselves to overly loud sounds, or be cavalier as some people are and return to using headphones, with the belief as long as the volume is kept low, they are safe and the tinnitus will be unaffected.

If you have been using headphones over a period of time, even at low volume this I believe would have contributed in making your auditory system more sensitive which eventually would cause your tinnitus and possibly hyperacusis to increase.

The spike may reduce over time put or you may need to be referred to a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist that specialises in tinnitus and hyperacusis management and treatment. For now try some of my self help suggestions. I advise that if you use headphones or headset never to use them again even at low volume. Start using sound enrichment especially at night. More about this is explained in my articles below. Please click on the links and read them thoroughly and not skim through them. I also advise that you don't start overusing hearing protection or immerse yourself in silence as this will not help you long term.

Hopefully things will improve so try not to worry. Speak to your family doctor/GP if you are feeling overly stressed.

All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/acquiring-a-positive-mindset.23969/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-the-negative-mindset.23705/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-habituation-process.20767/

 

You will need to wait 4-6 weeks. If it doesn't begin fading by that time, it would be a bad sign. Until that time, you can assume that it is temporary.

Make sure to do your best to avoid the mistakes that led to this spike.

 

You have a delayed spike, that can occur up to about 2 weeks after a noise exposure. A few days after is quite common. The dentist appt may not have helped either.

Protect from further noise, and give this a chance to get better, which can take months.

 

Hi Michael, thanks for the reply!

I haven't used headphones since the incident two years ago that caused my tinnitus, I have been careful on my road to recovery to take caution wherever I go and bringing my hearing plugs with me. I never expected the incident to occur where there would be a loud sound clip in the conference which would affect my tinnitus again later. I'll check out the the articles and read much as I can, I'm feeling really distressed because I thought I had my life in control after trying to be as careful as I could.

Thank you.

 

Thanks for the reply Digital Doc, I'm honestly hoping it will fade again and I will habituate to it. I'm just scared that since it happened so fast overnight, I'm not handling this spike really well.

 

As I have mentioned in my previous post @reflection two things will cause tinnitus to increase. If you haven't been using headphones. Either the original cause of the noise exposure was not treated, which is possible in your case as you habituated without treatment which is fine up to a point. However, as I have said the tinnitus is always there quietly waiting in the background to strike. Secondly, the overuse of earplugs can cause more harm than good. If you have been using them a lot especially when around normal everyday sounds, this will over time lower the loudness threshold of the auditory system and make the ears more sensitive to sound.

It is my strong belief your symptoms are sound related and you may need specialist treatment with a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist, that practices tinnitus and hyperacusis treatment and management.

Michael

 

As much as I agree with you on taking reasonable precautions, I don't really see any easily avoidable mistakes here...

OP, stay strong. As with any spike - this is very likely to reduce in volume, at least some, or even go back to how it used to be. Tinnitus is horrible, but you can do this.

 

When a person has noise induced tinnitus, spikes occur usually for two reasons. Either exposure to loud sound which in some cases may not reduce to its previous baseline level, resulting in the tinnitus permanently increasing to a new and higher level of intensity. Secondly, the tinnitus and hyperacusis which is often present in exposure to loud noise hasn't been treated. If the hyperacusis has not been treated, spikes can become a frequent occurrence due to the auditory system being hypersensitive to sound. Some people try to address this problem by using earplugs almost on a daily basis, which unfortunately, often makes matters worse over time.

Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...why-has-tinnitus-hyperacusis-increased.19091/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

 

Please come back and let us know when it subsides.

 

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to give everyone update on my progress at the moment, the spike has subdued noticeably and I am slowly recovering. It's not back to the original baseline yet but it's way more quieter and fading throughout day after day.

Thanks for the advice and hope, I really appreciate it.

 

How do you know what sounds or noise exposure is too loud? Some might be obvious but I can't help feel that some of us are fucked because some of us try to avoid getting hyperacusis by not using ear plugs too often.

I have overly loud tinnitus and ear plugs are uncomfortable and maybe even painful. I use muffs but when needed. But, I am concerned because there's a lot of noise in my area and in general, there is noise at times. I don't know what my threshold is so I don't know what noises are non-damaging or "safe."

 

@Michael B Regarding Headphone, if you have to talk on the phone or use headset for 3-4h a day can I use earplugs under ? I want to keep my ears improving and not have setbacks. Since so many people’s give that advice, I gave it a go and it’s been 2 months already. Sometimes I don’t hear my clients but ask politely to repeat. I was scared that I would have to quit and find a new job but really who ever gave that advice in this forum is a genius it really does make a difference. I don’t wear plugs after unless it’s needed to avoid over use.