It all began when I went to a loud bar on Saturday night on April 26, 2014. I was there with a friend. I was probably exposed to ~115 dB for about 30 minutes (just a guess). It was tough to hear my friend who was beside me. At the time of the incident I was pretty anxious about my unprotected ears. I really wish I had left the bar.
The next morning I noticed a slight ringing in my ears. The T wasn't too bad; I only notice it when I'm in a extremely quite environment. Unfortunately, 13 days later I made a huge mistake. I was sitting on a train then a person with a baby was beside me. The baby started crying for about 10 minutes. I was so stupid. I should have moved away from the crying baby. When I got off the train, I noticed that my left ear (the one closest to the baby) felt cool. It was like a cold sensation in the ear canal. There was also a bit of pain. When I went to sleep that night, I think my T got louder.
My T still hasn't gone away. I am extremely anxious and I feel like these two incidents have destroyed my life. I just want the T to go away...
So my question is this: after an initial noise insult could another injury (the crying baby in my case) affect the T? Is my T permanent because of this?
To be honest it is hard to say whether your T is permanent or not. I have read some stories where people have said their noise-induced T has gone away - but this can take a long time, such as 1-2 years. What I would suggest is make sure you rest your ears. Take earplugs with you so you can put them in when you come across loud noises - BUT DO NOT OVER-USE THEM. Doing this can lead to Hyperacusis, which means that noises cause pain in the ear. I would only use earplugs if you in a loud environment i.e. when you have to shout to be heard. In general I would avoid loud bars/places, because even with plugs these can have an affect on your hearing.
Could the other loud noise have affected your ear? Yes, in honesty it could have done. I would like to say that the increase in your T could be just a spike and it should settle back down, but it is difficult to tell. Again, avoid loud noises and use earplugs. With all hope it will go away, but this can takes months or even years.
I would suggest that you do the following:
1) Go to your doctor get him to check out your ears. If he cannot see anything I would suggest asking to see an ENT - or even ask to see an ENT in any case. They are usually more help then doctors when it comes to ears, and can do more to help you. It is possible you could have another reason for the ringing. If I'm honest it sounds like it is noise-induced, but it wouldn't hurt to get checked.
2) SLEEP. Your body may need to repair itself, and sleep is the best way to do this. If you are having problems getting to sleep try masking your T while you sleep so you can't hear it. Also, try getting yourself in the mood for sleep i.e. don't watch TV/go on your computer/phone etc an hour before you sleep, as the light from these objects is meant to keep you awake. Try having a bath before you go to bed, and read a book as it is meant to make you sleepy. If you are still having problems it is more likely to do with anxiety, and it would be best to talk to your doctor about meds to help you sleep. I will stress the medication is not a permanent solution and should not been seen as such, but during the onset of T this can be helpful.
3) Keep healthy. As I mentioned, if your body needs to repair itself then eating good food and exercising will help. Exercise is also a good way to beat off anxiety and depression, so I would advise doing it.
4) DISTRACT YOURSELF. T is after all only a noise - very hard to ignore and not worry about, but at the end of the day it can't kill you. Often the T sounds louder when we are thinking about it, but if you distract yourself then you find you can ignore it. Seen some friends, buy a movie to watch (again if you go to the cinema, take earplugs), play games etc - whatever your hobby of choice is. I think it will be difficult at first, but the more you do it the easier it will be - "fake it until you make it" as I think of it.
Good luck and try not to worry too much. T is a symptom that indicates something is wrong so you are right not to ignore it, but try to remain calm. Let us know how you are getting on.
