Not really sure how I got the ringing. I played with fireworks a lot as a kid. I went to many rock concerts but I was never one to stand in front of the speakers. By the time I was 20 I was cognizant of ringing when it was dead quiet but it really didn't bother me much. Soon after, I would take ear plugs to concerts. I even used them while vacuuming the house. My hearing was exceptional even with the slight ringing. I could hear the leaky faucet or the fan running on the other side of the house. I play guitar by ear. But in 2010 I spent over 8 hours holding 10-foot steel fence post upright so a backhoe could pound it into the hardpan ground. The absolute stupidest thing I have ever done. I was so scarred I might die that I completely forgot about ear protection. A neighbor that lived one mile away said she could hear the pounding inside her house. My ears were so sore the next day that I winced at some normal conversation tones. They felt plugged-up for weeks after. When the smoke finally cleared the ringing and fuzz and birds chirping and a lot of other things were present and really loud!!
The event was more than sound blasting over my head and the physical connection of my hands on the post. I believe the emotional torment of knowing I really screwed up, played a part in what has seemingly become a permanent disorder.
Note: Just had a horrible night. I can't really talk about this stuff without focusing on it. The only real thing that has helped, and I've tried a lot, is ignoring it. I hear it above theater "surround sound" tracks, that are always too loud.
I have found a few things that helped me cope. Those are for another post if anybody wants to know.
When it finally became a manageable thing, in 2012 I had my upper left wisdom tooth pulled. That set off a more intense ringing in the left ear only. Prior to that, the noises in my head were equalized. Ever since the tooth pulling the left side is prominent. The root of that tooth must have been very close to my eardrum. Last night that ear put me into a panic that I have not experienced since the initial ordeal in 2010. Reading the welcome guide here did not help. Hearing that the vast majority of tinnitus victims get better makes me feel all alone. My wife cannot imagine what it's like. I don't want her to know that I almost lost it last night. My dog helped when it started barking after I got up. The mp3 ocean waves were almost lost in the ringing but the dog broke through. I had just prayed but I couldn't concentrate and I was on this slippery slope. Note: My dog has barked two times in the middle of the night in the last 2.5 years. So whatever the cause of his barking, the first cause was an answer to prayer. Thank God!
Are there many long term tinnitus ears here?
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