Hey, I'm new here and I currently have tonal tinnitus. (LONG POST)!
So let's start with my mistake. I poured household bleach on my head and it got into my left ear. (For those wondering why, I was insecure about my blonde hair not being blonde enough.) I washed it out as soon as I started feeling pain. I went to the doctor the next day, and she described it as a "rug burn" on my ear. This happened on August 1st, 2025. There wasn't a hole in the eardrum, so I don't know if it counts as a perforated eardrum.
At first, I honestly don't remember the tinnitus in the first few days. I didn't even know what tinnitus was, even though it was listed as a possible consequence of bleach getting into the ear. Fast forward to August 6th, I was at work. They were doing construction inside, but when I arrived, the giant saw they usually use to cut wood was outside, so I didn't think to put in earplugs. Inside, they were painting, vacuuming, and drilling. I had headphones on—NOT noise-canceling—and the volume was very low.
While I was sweeping the auditorium, the sound of a saw went off. I could hear it through my headphones, and it was loud. Again, I didn't have earplugs in because I thought they would be cutting wood outside, not inside. I went home, still no ringing, until I went to bed that night. That's when I first heard it. It was a very high frequency, a constant "eeeeeeee."
A big part of me blames myself for not wearing earplugs. Maybe that is what caused the tinnitus. But my doctor firmly believes it's from the burn on my eardrum. I should also mention that I was on day 6 of taking Ciprofloxacin Ophthalmic Solution at the time. I stopped it on day 14 after reading it might cause tinnitus, which increased my paranoia and anxiety.
Besides the new tinnitus, I had small earaches, like someone pressing a finger above my ear and then letting go every few minutes. Anyway, that's the day I officially noticed the noise. I've read that with a perforated eardrum tinnitus can go away, but mine wasn't an actual hole—the eardrum was intact, just burned.
The noise was so loud that I had panic attacks, my anxiety skyrocketed, and depression set in. I couldn't hear the TV over the ringing. Normally I'd keep it at volume 20, but I had to raise it to 26 to hear over the noise. At night, with my ear against the pillow, it was especially loud. Those first few weeks were terrible. Honestly, crickets became my best friend.
I've also been wearing earplugs in the shower to keep my ear dry. Since I'm writing this now on September 9th, 2025, here's what I've noticed:
My next check-up is on the 22nd. Part of me hopes the doctor will say there's still a small wound, because if it's fully healed and the ringing remains, my fear is that it's permanent. She told me if it's still there, she'll schedule an appointment with an ENT to test my hearing.
I've read that the first three months are considered acute, and after six months it's considered chronic. I'm only at the one-month mark. So, has anyone else had experience with this? For those who had a perforated eardrum, did the tinnitus go away once it fully healed? Or did it linger for a while after healing? If it lingered, how long did it take before it was gone?
I've also read that sometimes it takes time for your brain to "catch up" with your body. So maybe the ear is healed, but the brain still registers the damage. That gives me some hope. Still, I hate myself for not wearing earplugs that day. Maybe the saw was the true cause, not just the burn. That thought makes me feel depressed and foolish.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing your comments.
So let's start with my mistake. I poured household bleach on my head and it got into my left ear. (For those wondering why, I was insecure about my blonde hair not being blonde enough.) I washed it out as soon as I started feeling pain. I went to the doctor the next day, and she described it as a "rug burn" on my ear. This happened on August 1st, 2025. There wasn't a hole in the eardrum, so I don't know if it counts as a perforated eardrum.
At first, I honestly don't remember the tinnitus in the first few days. I didn't even know what tinnitus was, even though it was listed as a possible consequence of bleach getting into the ear. Fast forward to August 6th, I was at work. They were doing construction inside, but when I arrived, the giant saw they usually use to cut wood was outside, so I didn't think to put in earplugs. Inside, they were painting, vacuuming, and drilling. I had headphones on—NOT noise-canceling—and the volume was very low.
While I was sweeping the auditorium, the sound of a saw went off. I could hear it through my headphones, and it was loud. Again, I didn't have earplugs in because I thought they would be cutting wood outside, not inside. I went home, still no ringing, until I went to bed that night. That's when I first heard it. It was a very high frequency, a constant "eeeeeeee."
A big part of me blames myself for not wearing earplugs. Maybe that is what caused the tinnitus. But my doctor firmly believes it's from the burn on my eardrum. I should also mention that I was on day 6 of taking Ciprofloxacin Ophthalmic Solution at the time. I stopped it on day 14 after reading it might cause tinnitus, which increased my paranoia and anxiety.
Besides the new tinnitus, I had small earaches, like someone pressing a finger above my ear and then letting go every few minutes. Anyway, that's the day I officially noticed the noise. I've read that with a perforated eardrum tinnitus can go away, but mine wasn't an actual hole—the eardrum was intact, just burned.
The noise was so loud that I had panic attacks, my anxiety skyrocketed, and depression set in. I couldn't hear the TV over the ringing. Normally I'd keep it at volume 20, but I had to raise it to 26 to hear over the noise. At night, with my ear against the pillow, it was especially loud. Those first few weeks were terrible. Honestly, crickets became my best friend.
I've also been wearing earplugs in the shower to keep my ear dry. Since I'm writing this now on September 9th, 2025, here's what I've noticed:
- August 17th – The frequency changed. It went from a very high-pitched "eeeeee" to a medium-high "beeeeep."
- August 27th – I couldn't hear it between songs while listening to music anymore. I always have the fade in/out setting, so there are brief moments of silence, but by this point the tinnitus wasn't noticeable there.
- Unknown date – I could set my TV volume back to 20 again. At volume 16 the tinnitus is still louder, or at least very noticeable.
- September 3rd – If I lie on my right side (right ear against the pillow), the tinnitus fades in. If I lie on my left side (left ear against the pillow), it instantly becomes noticeable.
My next check-up is on the 22nd. Part of me hopes the doctor will say there's still a small wound, because if it's fully healed and the ringing remains, my fear is that it's permanent. She told me if it's still there, she'll schedule an appointment with an ENT to test my hearing.
I've read that the first three months are considered acute, and after six months it's considered chronic. I'm only at the one-month mark. So, has anyone else had experience with this? For those who had a perforated eardrum, did the tinnitus go away once it fully healed? Or did it linger for a while after healing? If it lingered, how long did it take before it was gone?
I've also read that sometimes it takes time for your brain to "catch up" with your body. So maybe the ear is healed, but the brain still registers the damage. That gives me some hope. Still, I hate myself for not wearing earplugs that day. Maybe the saw was the true cause, not just the burn. That thought makes me feel depressed and foolish.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing your comments.
