Greetings from a New Member...

Greetings all,

After reading a support thread on the site, I decided to start my own. My name is Eric and I live in Pennsylvania. I have been a construction worker on and off for the past twelve years and a heavy equipment operator for 5. About 5 weeks ago I was running a machine that is louder than average and even with hearing protection it must have caused some permanent hearing damage. I have an otherwise excellent life and the onset of tinnitus has been pretty tough. I have trouble concentrating and some trouble getting to sleep. My girlfriend has been supportive, but there is only so much that a person can do. As I write this she is watching a movie next to me because I can no longer follow shows and movies. So I could use a sympathetic ear.

My first ENT appointment is this week but I am not hopeful as I can remember the day that T started. Since it was caused by an extended loud noise, the chances of it leaving are getting slimmer by the day. But hey, I did think of a good joke just now....

IT'S BETTER TO HAVE "T" than "LOW T" ....... Get it?


Anyway, I wish you all well and best of luck with all the racket. -Eric of PA

 

Hi there,

welcome to this neat forum. Everyone here understands, what you are going through. Tinnitus can be a tough thing to handle and concentration and sleep mostly get affected by tinnitus. The key is to cope or try to cope with it. It is very hard but it is possible.

Distraction is the key, when it comes to tinnitus. The busier you are and more activities, makes the tinnitus not as bad. Getting outside and living life, is key. Being home and inside is when, the noise is at its loudest.

Good luck with ENT

 

Good luck with the ENT. Prepare to be disappointed with what they have to say or lack of things to say. When mine first started years ago, I went to see 2 ENTs and both basically said sorry there's nothing they can do.
The best thing to do is to stay active and keep your mind busy. Support from anyone, anywhere is also great. Take care and good luck.

 

Hi Eric,

Sorry to hear about your T, it always feels bittersweet to say welcome to new members since I know that we all come here to seek some support. But glad that you can here despite everything around!

I also have T due to noise exposure, that was me being an idiot and not having plugs to a concert. Since you still used your ear muffs/plugs during the exposure, you may find yourself lucky that it might go away at some point.
But I always recommend to not cling everything to that hope, it can prolong the anxiety at onset. So try to live as normal as you can (easier said than done) and if it goes away one day, hey, that's great but don't go around and waiting each day for it. I did that the first two weeks and it just made me feel crappy and desperate. The sooner I accepted that it might be there for good, the sooner I could go on with getting better.
You may find yourself hearing new tones or new levels of the loudness, don't get scared! T is rather unstable the first few months and I know it can be scary for someone that is rather new and haven't experienced all the up and downs with T and it's baseline. I know mine have changed back and forth and I got scared each time, you start to see how your T behaves during the day so you can see the pattern.
ENT haven't helped me at all, doctors where I live don't even prescribe vitamins, steroids or anything towards T. It's more like, lets take an audiogram and then you are on your way home. Glad to see that your girlfriend is supportive, that does make things easier even though she can't really do anything to make it more quiet or go away.

Good news is, you'll get better. T will feel less and less intrusive, but the onset and the first period is tough, it has been for all of us. We know how you feel. Don't feel like a stranger to ask for help if you encounter any difficulties.

I hope that you feel better soon! Take care!

 

Hi @ErictheRed,
Sorry to hear about your tinnitus and how you got it.
Hope ENT are understanding and get a reffural to audiology and your hearing checked and then see if hearing aids or Maskers can help you.....lots of love glynis

 

There are things you can do to improve the damage - make sure you protect your ears for sound above 60db for the next 6 months and get on prednisone ASAP
Avoid loud places etc
It can get better or it can get worse and it all depends on how you protect your ears in he next 6 months
Ears can heal to a certain extent but normal loud noises will prevent this crucial process

You can deal wiht t later on

 

Get a hearing test and even if you have mild hearing loss ask for hearing aids. They can reduce the ringing and even be manipulated to reduce it even further if the guy programming knows what they are doing. Get one with a masker function so even it doesn't completely get rid of it, you have something that might calm you down. I wear small hearing aids and most people don't even notice. In fact, no one has said anything about them to me for about 3 years. I can also cover them with my hair if I wanted to. Hopefully, the T will go away in time.

 

Hey everyone,

Thanks for the kind words, I went to the ENT today and it went as expected. Hearing loss in higher frequencies that are classic for people who work around loud equipment. Today I went to the job site and gave them the ear protection speech. Nobody looked too convinced, but it was worth a try.

Thanks Bobby for the advice on acting fast. I did get a prescription to prednisone so there is some hope that it will come down a bit in volume.

On the up side, I think that hearing from a doctor that this is permanent is crucial to moving on. I feel a little better already and my girlfriend and I are looking into systems to help me with sleep. Maybe a fan or noise machine. I had a mini meltdown this morning at her expense so I think that flowers are in order.

Thanks again and best of luck. -Eric

 

If you're looking for a noise machine, they have phone apps that play all kinds of noises from white noise to waterfalls or combinations. Easier, cheaper and portable.
Good luck. Hope all is well with everyone.

 

Thanks, I will look into that.

Just as a follow up in case anyone was interested, I am 3 days into my prednisone course and my hearing is feeling the slightest bit better. However, it could be in my head but I am trying to stay optomistic that I may be able to bring the volume of the ringing down to a livable range.

As far as coping I have been using the positive thinking approach. Every time the sound gets louder in volume I pretend that it is a standing ovation of people cheering me on. Rediculous I know, but it seem to work for me. Mind over matter.

-Eric