Did I Just Mess Up My Hearing Further...? Ate at a Semi Loud Restaurant

@jdjd09 - Friendly suggestion: turn your monologue into a dialogue. Maybe you're hearing, but you're not listening, and you're certainly not acknowledging.

 

I've gone to psychologist, they don't help. What helped was time. That is how I got over this eventually before and I wasn't on here for a while, just every now and then. I defended my ears and made one mistake. I realize that psychological help can help some. What helps someone like me is actually knowing what to do, what can happen with what actions I have taken, etc.. I truly don't understand it because if I go to ENT, they don't tell me anything. They say, "here is your audiogram, can't do anything, bye". That is literally how it goes. Went that way once, went that way again.

I'm asking for information because that is what helps someone like me. A psychologist won't help me with that. Sorry if it comes off as a monologue. I'm asking for help and information on what I'm posting though, that is why I'm responding the way I am.

 

Look, this is going to sound tough, it's only my opinion and I'm no doctor, so take it with a grain of salt:

You are a poster child for distorted thinking, which means you would benefit a lot from CBT, in spite of what you are currently thinking.
You are not thinking rationally enough to be in a position to assess what can work for you or not, because (a) you don't seem to know what CBT addresses specifically, and (b) you don't even recognize your own distorted thinking.
I don't suggest you go to just any psychologist: go specifically to a CBT specialist so you can start recognizing the distorted patterns in your thinking, and learn how to counter them to converge to a more rational thought.
Your thoughts are very distorted, and that creates a breeding ground for anxiety, which in turns will exacerbate your T, which in turn gets you more anxious, which leads you to monologues where you ask for help but don't listen.
Give it a try. Do it. CBT, not random psy.
Good luck!

 

I know what CBT is, I studied psychology in school and used it. It has it limits. Psychology is about helping the pscyhological side.

Right now, I am at the point where I need to focus on fixing the physical first and then I will do the psychological. Physical assistance can only be done within first 2 weeks. I will have a lifetime to figure out the psychological part of this.

Can we please help me understand my questions? Just as I have turned this away from a monologue, I would hope you and others would help me with my questions as well.

 

I'm interested in this. Do you happen to have the paper involved or the link to the study? I remember when I first had my onset of T I had a fish tank with running water in the back ground. Maybe this could have some insight? If that's the case I should set up my fish tank again.

 

You're far from them.

Your questions have been answered. There is a consensus on this thread.

 

No, I asked new ones and I would hope someone would answer. I have heard your point and I am asking my questions. I acknowledge you are suggesting that. If it upsets you that I am asking for more assistance, than please turn your eye from this thread.

I have heard you out on CBT, I am asking for help on my previous questions. I appreciate the suggestion, and I will look into it further.

Back to my questions for other who may be able to answer them:

1. What about if the restaurant was 85-90db for 40 minutes? Would that cause damage?
2. What do you think of my audiogram results then? It says they don't see damage really, but I feel it.
3. What further actions can I take in the next two weeks to better my chances of healing?
4. Should I not be listening to music at low volumes. Should I be? I'm confused on what I should and shouldn't do.

Thanks for any insight.

 

Also, how does one even get prednisone without a prescription or get surplus of it to store away for future? I just don't trust a doctor in the future to give me prednisone ;/. They didn't even give me the correct 60mg amount.

 

It doesn't upset me, but at some point I will probably turn my eye from this thread indeed (for another reason)...
Here are your answers, one by one:

Probably not.

They are consistent with the answer #1, which is that there is probably no damage.

Not applicable, since the answer to #1 was negative.

The world is split on that one. Some people are going to forbid you to do that. Others are going to tell you that you can probably listen to music (even with headphones) as long as you keep it at a reasonable volume. That's what all the professionals I've consulted have told me, without any exception.

No idea, but you should know that prednisone is a serious medication: it has serious side effects and shouldn't be taken willy-nilly. It can also make T worse.

These are only my opinions, and I'm not a doctor. They're worth the money you paid for them.

 

I took prednisone a few times never had issues besides difficulty sleeping

All these side effects show up after prolonged usage - a few days at 60 or more isn't going to make a healthy man drop dead

The key is to start asap so the only way is to stock up at home or even better - take some time to identify and note the places that do injections beforehand - and when required rush to such places that can do injections into the ear that's the best option because oral gets diluted and is slow to build up

 

Plenty of good advice here @jdjd09. I suspect you're in a rather intense anxiety loop at the moment, which is understandable. It'd be great if you could bust out of it somehow.

Just to further allay your fears though, I saw another member point out that the standard noise danger chart, indicated that at 90 dbs, one would have to be exposed for four hours continuously, to suffer hearing damage. So you should be fine, if that was the noise level you experienced. You're having a short term spike.

 

I don't really have spikes though. Ifnthisbisbthst, how will I know if and when it willl go away?

Also, couldnthat decibel range hurt someone like me in my situation? With already hearing loss? What is the danger range for those with hearing loss already?

I'm so confused on what isnsafe and what will come of this situation.

 

Are you talking about those injections into the eardrum? How can one identify places like that?

 

Someone asked a question right attractive I order, so I believe my question is "hidden" now.
↑
I don't really have spikes though. If this is a spoke, how will I know if and when it willl go away?

Also, could that decibel range hurt someone like me in my situation? With already hearing loss? What is the danger range for those with hearing loss already?

I'm so confused on what isnsafe and what will come of this situation.

 

There's pros and cons.
Clearly a local delivery is more efficient than a systemic delivery, and has way fewer side effects since the drug doesn't just diffuse into your whole body, but an ear injection is not risk free either: there are risks of damaging the ear during the injection, and you always end up with a hole in the drum, which generally heals wells, but can also have complications that can create issues that are way more serious than the hypothetical problem you were trying to deal with in the beginning.
The ear is a very delicate organ: you better have a good reason to poke it.

 

Sorry last post had typos. Phone edits. I meant to say I don't have spikes and don't know what those are. I feel like this has just gotten worse. How will I know if it will improve? I am almost done with prednisone.

Do things heal over a month? Is there an estimate time I can tell if things are just worse from now on? How do I know if prednisone did anything?

 

Was 40mg not enough? I was given that amount for 3 days, then 30mg 3 days, then 20mg 3 days, and then 10mg 3 days. Is that sufficient?

Should I be taking more action now? Asking for higher dose now?

 

What's gotten worse?

 

I'm concerned that 40mg wasn't enough or I didn't get the correct treatment for my situation. What is the correct treatment in my situation?

I feel things got worse in one ear before treatment. At this point, I don't know if anything is really happening to help my ears. I want to know if I have done everything I should do or if there is more I should be doing right now.

 

My doctor said that for prednisone the rule of thumb is 1mg per 1 kg/2.2lbs body weight. So someone weighing 60 kg would want to take 60 mg per day. The normal course is 14 days long + tapering.

 

Well, mine did 40mg 3 days, 30mg 3days, 20mg 3 days ,and 10mg 3 days. So, what now? That shouldn't help me then? I have no idea what actions I should be taking at this point. I saw the ENT. They gave me a hearing test and only noticed one frequency off. They said finish my medication and nothing else compared to the previous hearing test. Everything else matched. However, they wrote it off as a "glitch" with the previous, because it was sitting at around -10db.

Now what do I do? Anything?

 

Hopefully it was better than doing nothing.

I got a 7 day supply of 50mg, and then the next doctor refused to write a prescription for more.

Keep in mind that prednisone is a powerful drug that can lead to bone loss (losing bone loss around teeth can cause one to lose teeth).

You could go to the emergency, lie that you were exposed to a loud noise recently, and get a 5 day supply of prednisone...

 

So, is that something I should do? Or is what I did good enough and move on? I really don't know who or what to trust anymore. Doctor's won't give me proper information or prescribe stuff correctly. ENTs have no idea what to do, they just tell me continue with my prescription until it runs out.

What now? What is the point now? Could someone with experience with what I am dealing with tell me definitively what I should do at this point, with this occurring now 9 days ago?

Let it go and move on or go for more medication? Not psychological help. That can be sought after I deal with the PHYSICAL TRAUMA issue. What do I do?

 

When I had hyperacusis real bad this was an issue for me. Some busy restaurants would aggravate my symptoms (increased pain, tinnitus volume, tones, distortion, etc) if I didn't use ear plugs.

What I found in my experience that any spikes in my symptoms were all temporary. Sometimes it would subside after a few hours, other times it took a couple of weeks or more. It can really be nerve wracking and drive you insane with anxiety but in my case every spike was temporary.

When I was new to tinnitus and hyperacusis my symptoms were whacky as hell - and it was a truly rollercoaster for a couple of years but eventually subsided significantly with time, good habits and positive attitude.

I had a very quick read through the thread, so sorry if I missed something.

I don't think that level of exposure would have done any permanent damage. Prednisolone is good, and it's a good thing you did a course - at least to ease your mind. Keep in mind that it can surpress some of your hearing (temporarily) while on it (this was what I experienced during my course, higher frequencies in my case) - so that could affect audiogram results temporarily. Also I have found that audiograms can vary greatly depending on where you go, at what times, the condition you're in, the condition of the facility, the competency of your audiologist or ENT. Variations of 5-10db at specific frequencies are very common and can change daily even in the best conditions.

Anyway, corticosteroids can limit damage as you already know. You can look into anti-oxidants like NAC (particularly interesting and very cheap to source), melatonin and other supplements such as Niacin, B12, Magnesium to help with your hearing. They're not a sure thing but they won't hurt either.

 

Also exercise. Sounds stupid, but it will help with your stress and has actual neurological (and physical) benefits that go far beyond just making you feel "better".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurobiological_effects_of_physical_exercise

How would this help your hearing? The benefits of exercise is that it limits the damage of excitotoxicity (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excitotoxicity) we experience when we damage our hearing and deal with disorders like tinnitus and hyperacusis.

 

Thanks for your response. So, the noise exposure was probably realistically between 85bs and 95db. I got a real decibel reader and compared my phone app to it. It was a little low.

So, overall, do you think I have done everything I can at this point and should just let it go and move on? Or take further action? Also, what do you think of the dosage I was given? I'm 165lbs by the way.

 

I will give that a shot too. I have been trying to make sure I exercise since this happened and trying to make sure I keep up with it.

 

Nobody knows, including the doctors. Every drug and treatment that some people have used to improve their T, also has the potential to make it worse... It is always a complete guess...

You might still see some positive benefits from prednisone as you would be taking it during the first two weeks. But you never know.

My guess is that it will be a temporary spike.

 

Yeah dosage is fine IMO, I weigh around 200-210lbs and was given a similar course to follow. I definitely think if terms of exposure, you're fine in that I highly doubt you've done any permanent damage - even though it might feel like it right now.

Corticosteroids like prednisolone are definitely the most effective treatment that I know of. So, other than that I think if you really want, get on some of the supplements I mentioned. Specifically NAC, there are a lot of benefits to using it regularly and supposedly it's otoprotective. Magnesium is great also, but get a form that is high in bio-availability. I personally use magnesium di-glysinate. I know melatonin is an effective anti-oxidant, and Niacin helped my hyperacusis (purely anecdotal experience though). B12 is always good. But if you're tight on money, just get some NAC/magnesium. Even then you probably don't need them. And yeah exercise has been probably my #1 helper throughout my whole experience - I run 3 or4 times a week, lift weights and do some HIIT routines.

Been through this sort of thing many times myself, so I can definitely empathize with how you are feeling at the moment. But I'm positive this is a temporary spike.

 

There will be another noise exposure in the future. Be prepared for that one. Always carry a pair of earplugs in your pocket, just in case.