Did I Have Tinnitus for Years and Not Notice?

Hi I’m Yves and my tinnitus story goes back almost 20 years. In 2001, a work medical found slight hearing loss in my left ear and I avoided noise and wore ear plugs since. In 2013 I noticed some tinnitus in super quiet environments. Last week, I walked into a large meeting room and noticed fairly loud tinnitus.....did I not notice it for years? Anyone else with this experience?

 

Seems like it just increased in loudness through the years, to the point that it is now raising above a threshold that makes you take notice.

 

@GregCA It’s ironic that I worked at the office on the weekend, the day before I noticed it, and commented to my wife about how much work I got done because it was so quiet with no one around.

 

When one one has tinnitus hearing loss even ever so slightly, other physicals that also cause tinnitus can come into play. It could be the neck, jaw or facial or even lower body issues. Often tinnitus will then involve fluid activity from neck, sinus, E tubes, oral, jaw, facial or even digestive. Muscles and nerves and posture can also have interactions.

 

I've had low pitched tinnitus which I would rate at about 3 out of 10 since 2007, and a new high whine for the past six weeks which varies between 3 and 6 out of 10. But looking back I was occasionally conscious of an almost imperceptible high whine for some time before the spike. Occasionally there would be a louder squeal in my ear which would last up to a minute and then subside.

I guess I ignored those high pitched warning signs, thinking they must be nothing, since "the hum" I.e. low pitched pulse was my thing.

 

@Mister Muso Unfortunately that is usually how it starts. We don't connect the low hum to hearing loss or that it will become louder. Then BAM BOOM!

 

BAM BOOM is how it all kicked off for me - see my comments on pyrotechnics at rock concerts. Combined with the gradual damage over the years, my efforts to salvage the situation were just too little too late.

There really needs to be more education and awareness on the dangers. I'm going to do my part by being totally open with my family and friends about my use of earplugs and my need for reduced volume in what to them are everyday situations. Seeing some good friends tomorrow at a fairly large gathering, so wish me luck...

 

Good luck with tomorrow's gathering... and be sure to bring your earplugs.

 

Completely agree with your post. Think about this, countries are creating weapons like lasers to blind people and hi frequencies to destroy hearing and balance. Crazy world.

 

Terrible how little info the public gets. You buy a new tool, like a weed wacker, and it just says that hearing protection is recommended, along with a pile of other stuff like you need to wear a face shield, which I have never seen anyone do. The picture on the box shows the guy using it without a face shield, or any hearing protection.

Would it really be too hard to have the picture on the box show the guy using it with some hearing protection to clue everyone in? Also, the statement that "This device puts out noise at 96 db's, and OSHA recommends workers wear hearing protection at 85 db's, and mandates it at 90db's to protect from noise induced hearing loss (the most common cause of losing your hearing). Unprotected exposure to this level of noise for more than a few minutes WILL result in loss of your hearing, deafness, and tinnitus, etc." is far more impactful, and informative than anything I have ever seen on any of these products. Heck, my gasoline lawn mower and weed wacker, both < 5 years old, don't even have a sticker on them to indicate to wear hearing protection. They really need to give us a fighting chance to do the right thing. Maybe they should partner with some earplug companies to put a starter pair in the box to encourage use. They manage to provide the first dose of oil to mix for a 2-cycle engine, and the ear plugs are infinitely more important in this situation.

I realize no manufacturer wants to admit their product is not safe, but what we have with folks getting hearing damage from these tools- both as professionals and homeowners is a worldwide tragedy at this point.

 

Yes it would be a good idea but the ear plug manufacturers are lying about the efficacy of their product. Just another liability. Research 3M military earplugs and find how they knew the ear plugs were defective for over 12 years until a whistle blower revealed to the public. It is greed!

 

@Ken219

I am familiar with the 3M lawsuit, and that concerns a specific earplug,and loud, military explosions that can be up in the 140 - 160 db range or so with high caliber rifle fire and explosions. From the pictures I have seen, they appear to be silicone plugs, that are NRR 25, so even less effective than foam earplugs.

I am under no illusions that foam ear plugs, the best ones are NRR 33, can protect from any noise exposure, and would still be inadequate for these military noise exposures, although an improvement on what the soldiers were offered in previous conflicts which was no hearing protection.

On the other hand, a decent set of ear plugs could be quite effective for the prevention of NIHL with a 2-cycle power tool, such as a weed wacker, and mine has a range in the mid 90's, if my phone app is accurate. Then again, at this point I don't rely on them fully, and combine my ear plugs with a set of ear muffs to be sure I am taking the best precautions to prevent any further damage. With this regimen I can mow the lawn, weed trim, and use the blower for a little over 2 hours, and my ears have no increase in T or other symptoms.