Did This Sudden Phone Sound Make My Tinnitus Worse?

I've had tinnitus for 10 months now, I’m learning better coping with it and I don’t panic or respond to it as bad as I used to, with time I’m trying to get better. I’ve accepted the fact that it is not going away. I don’t know why I got it, it just happened one morning in November and hasn’t gone away.

Anyway why I am writing this post is because today, I was listening to something on my phone, I normally am very careful but this time my phone was low to where I couldn’t hear it, so I put it up to my ear and I still couldn’t hear it that well so I knew I was safe, all of a sudden a loud high pitch alarm went off on my phone for a sec and I pulled my phone from my ear!

My tinnitus hasn’t changed so far in my ear that my phone was up to, I don’t have it bad in that ear anyways, my other ear is a lot worse.

How soon will I be able to tell if it’s damaged or not? I’m so scared I’ve made it worse

I need some advice.

 

I had something very similar happen to me (3 months after the onset of my T). My T spiked the next day - it changed from a hiss to a high-pitch tone, and the volume had increased. That was the most serious spike I have ever had, and it lasted for over three months. The good news is that eventually my spike did go away.

It is possible that I had experienced ear fullness on the day of that secondary acoustic trauma, but I can't remember whether or not this was the case. It happened in May of last year...

 

I hope it didn’t cause any damage, so far so good and it happened an hour or two ago, I really hope it didn’t do anything.

 

Usually, if it is a spike, it will happen right away.
I feel that you are OK.

 

Great I sure do hope so.

 

Do not panic. You will be ok.

 

How are you feeling now, @CrystalB ?

 

I woke up this morning and my tinnitus seems to be the same as almost it is every morning. Maybe it didn’t do anything?

 

How are now now @CrystalB? Hopefully you're not worrying too much now...

 

@CrystalB
I don't want to scare you, but my T was caused by a phone. I didn't know it was set on speaker phone and I pressed it to my ear. There was high-pitched feedback caused by the person trying to set up the conference call. I reflexively yanked it away from my ear, so the sound lasted only a split-second, but a split-second is all it takes to change life forever.

Now I will not press a phone to my ear at all. I use speaker phone exclusively. And I'm glad because sometimes I'm talking on the phone and get the BEEP of another incoming call. It scares me evey time because it's loud but at least it's not directly in my ear. I say this because maybe you'll want to consider using speaker phone all the time.

BTW my T started instantly, so since yours didn't change right away, I think you'll probably be okay.

 

Hello SugarMagnolia You too?? That is pretty much how I got my T as well. My screen on my phone showed voicemial, which I had just pulled. I put the phone to my ear to listen, at the same time a phone call came in and rang directly into my ear LOUD. I too pulled it away reflexively, but line you, one second that changed a lot. I do everything on speaker now as well.

 

That's most likely the case! Congratulations, that was a close call.

 

Hi John. Sorry to hear you've joined the club. To think, how many times we've pressed phones to our ears without a second thought. No one thinks about how dangerous it could be until something happens.

 

I’m so sorry yours happened that way, but you are so right, that’s why I had worried about it, because your ears are so fragile and I knew I might had caused damage. So far it’s in the middle of the day and it happened yesterday and my tinnitus is still the same. I won’t never put the phone up to my ear no matter how low it is just Incase this happens again!

 

I’m okay now, thanks for asking! My tinnitus is still the same loud high pitch as it always is so it’s not changed any worse so far

 

@John CC
Did your T start immediately?

 

Hey Sugar Magnolia My T. actually waited a couple of days after the 'incident', and strangely enough it started in my left ear, and not the right ear which was where the phone went off in. A couple of days later my right ear decided to keep up with it's counterpart and it started up, just at a higher pitch. That was about a month ago. Now I experience everything from silence (where even when focusing and listening for anything, I still can't hear anything), to slightly there to really loud where I can hear it over a car on the highway, or in conversations. Fortunately it has been fluctuating and that is what gets me through the really loud (i.e., this morning) moments, the hope it will go down ago (which it did). My left ear used to be worse, now it is quiet for the most part, and now my right ear is worse. When people comment about how T. is a lot of different things, and can be sort of all over the map, boy are they right.
How did your T. feel after a while, and how is it now?

 

My T spiked in my right ear from my boyfriend’s phone alarm. It hasn’t gone away but it definitely went down in volume.

I recccomend changing every ringtone you have to a lower pitched/frequency one. That way, if your phone ever accidentally goes off, it won’t be as brutal on your ears. That’s what I did anyway.

I would also refrain from putting your phone up to your ear from now on.
All the best!

 

My T started immediately after the sound and it sounds today the same way it sounded when it started.

 

I had a tire explode near me and my T didn't get any worse so please don't panic too much. The stress will make it worse then you'll start thinking it's louder when it isn't =]

 

I’m trying not to panic, so far it’s not changed and it’s been a day or so since it’s happen. Thank you for the advice

 

So far, this is what I've heard from everyone who has told me their T came from a single noise.

Is there anyone whose T started immediately upon a single noise?

 

I think immediate T is common for people who have hearing damage from a significant acoustic trauma — like a bomb detonating or a gun shot near their ear. At least this is the case for anyone I’ve encountered IRL who experienced that level of noise trauma.

 

That just goes to show how dangerous a telephone can be if used incorrectly.