Exposed to a Queue Speaker at the Pharmacy — Acoustic Shock? Should I Get Prednisone?

Hi all,

Looking for some support and thoughts on something that unfortunately happened to me yesterday.

While I was in the pharmacy walking around it was very quiet, but then suddenly I was so unlucky and was standing with my ear next to the queue speaker. It went off right near my good ear (the left one). It was loud.

I knew it was going to hurt and surely the ear pain came fast.

I freaked out and was checking my tinnitus which didn't seem to change at first. But by the time I was going to bed my left ear started to make this crazy loud low humming sound. Louder than the tinnitus in my right ear. Which is loud.

Today the new tinnitus it seems to have gone down, but I am stuck with a low morse code humming in my good ear. It also seems to be very reactive and even though it is pretty low it flares up when other louder sounds are present. It is so low in a quiet place, but I can still hear it outside! I don’t understand this... And I’m so confused...

I did not feel like any hearing was lost, so I guess I did not experience an acoustic trauma. Was it an acoustic shock?

Is it just my hyperacusis flaring up or did it cause new damage? I still have some ear pain and fullness in my ear today

Is there a chance this new sound and the pain will go away?

Should I take prednisone even though I don't think I lost any hearing?
Could it help?

I’m so confused about all the different terms. I know I have hyperacusis, and I guess I have phonophobia. Thinking maybe I have TTTS as well, but I don’t know... I have pretty loud tinnitus in my right ear and head tinnitus sometimes.

Any advice is appreciated!

EDIT:
Went back to the pharmacy to measure the sound with my phone and it said 96/97 dB!
I’m so scared right now... It was right next to my ear, so I went from very quiet to 96/97 dB real fast lasting for like a second... It is very loud, isn’t it?

What do you guys think? New damage done? I still have ear pain and feeling of fullness in that ear... And new tinnitus sounds

 

Yes it can go away.

A beep at 95 dB? I don't think you need prednisone. 95 dB isn't loud enough to cause damage.

Are you feeling paranoid about sounds? Do you think this could be psychological?

 

I am baffled that a store would have a beep close to 100 dB. Are you sure you measured that correctly?

ONLY take prednisone if your doctor prescribed it.

Take some magnesium and NAC if you have it.

 

That was the initial reaction to my noise trauma... It subsided in about 3 weeks. Still sensitive to low frequency noise but my ear isn't fabricating it anymore. I did take Prednisone but it came back (quieter) after.

Time is the best healer.

 

.

 

Yes, I guess I am getting paranoid. But it did feel really loud. Just hope the new sounds will go...

I was thinking new sounds would definitely be a sign of more damage?

 

I was just really unlucky standing in the worst spot I could have in the store. So it wasn’t loud in the store, just in my ear

I measured with an app on my phone, don’t know if they are perfect, but they probably give an idea of the volume?