How Much of Tinnitus Is Our Own Fault? Or Were We Just the Unlucky Ones?

[kamil1364]

I've used loud headphones for a bit, I moved lawn without protection.

But still I don't really understand whether it all was purely my fault, or maybe we here are just a bit of ,,unlucky" ones.

I never really went to any 120 dB+ concert in my life, never even got any warning ringing. Just first time after moving the lawn for a couple of hours, and it came with sound distortion/reactive tinnitus. Before I truly heard almost pure silence.

And if not for those different weird tinnitus sounds, I would never ever visit any ENT or audiologist because I can't complain at all about my hearing (and I used to be hobbyist music producer).

The only thing I hate in my hearing are sounds that aren't really there, like what the heck.

 

[Matchbox]

I caused the initial acoustic shock but the people around me made it so so so so much worse than it had to be.

 

[MBH]

Mine is from stress. I feel I'm unlucky, but there is not enough info to say otherwise.

 

[weab00]

My own fault from (ob)noxiously loud headphone use. But there is some degree of blame on society for not warning about the consequences of a noise injury. Even then though I probably would've thought something like tinnitus or hyperacusis would never happen to me.

 

[Orions Pain]

It's hard to say it's your own fault for a condition that lacks awareness.

Let's take the example of cigarettes. Most people, especially those who are younger have been taught that cigarettes are dangerous from a very young age through campaigns and other methods. Not everyone who smokes cigarettes will develop cancer, but some will. So in this case, if someone gets cancer I'd say it's their own fault because they knew of the risks and decided to ignore them anyways, along with a bit of "bad luck". No one can say "I didn't know cigarettes were dangerous."

With tinnitus, while we could say it's our fault because we likely induced it through noise and our own "choices", it's not the same as the example above because most people aren't taught that our hearing is a fragile thing. Most people know that loud noises are bad, but they assume loud noises are things like guns, not bars or mowing the lawn. Most people also believe that the consequences of abusing their hearing will just be hearing loss when they're older, not crippling tinnitus, hyperacusis or any of the other horrible things many of us experience.

Never in my life have I had the thought that the music in a club or a bar was hurting me. Or that listening to podcasts at low volume but long duration was hurting me. Or that the volume at concerts is loud enough to damage my hearing within a few minutes and I should be wearing ear plugs.

I do often blame myself, but I also try to tell myself that I just didn't know any better and society failed to inform me of the harm of noise. This isn't taught in schools, or shown on TV, or discussed by doctors or friends and family (unless you know people who are also sufferers), so with so little awareness, how are we supposed to know? I think it's a combination of "bad luck" and not being well informed.

 

[kamil1364]

It's hard to say it's your own fault for a condition that lacks awareness.

Let's take the example of cigarettes. Most people, especially those who are younger have been taught that cigarettes are dangerous from a very young age through campaigns and other methods. Not everyone who smokes cigarettes will develop cancer, but some will. So in this case, if someone gets cancer I'd say it's their own fault because they knew of the risks and decided to ignore them anyways, along with a bit of "bad luck". No one can say "I didn't know cigarettes were dangerous."

With tinnitus, while we could say it's our fault because we likely induced it through noise and our own "choices", it's not the same as the example above because most people aren't taught that our hearing is a fragile thing. Most people know that loud noises are bad, but they assume loud noises are things like guns, not bars or mowing the lawn. Most people also believe that the consequences of abusing their hearing will just be hearing loss when they're older, not crippling tinnitus, hyperacusis or any of the other horrible things many of us experience.

Never in my life have I had the thought that the music in a club or a bar was hurting me. Or that listening to podcasts at low volume but long duration was hurting me. Or that the volume at concerts is loud enough to damage my hearing within a few minutes and I should be wearing ear plugs.

I do often blame myself, but I also try to tell myself that I just didn't know any better and society failed to inform me of the harm of noise. This isn't taught in schools, or shown on TV, or discussed by doctors or friends and family (unless you know people who are also sufferers), so with so little awareness, how are we supposed to know? I think it's a combination of "bad luck" and not being well informed.

That's true, but another thing is that almost no one I know uses hearing protection when mowing the lawn, I know plenty of musicians who don't use hearing protection etc.

I was just listening to earphones for two years at 70% for average one hour daily. Volume level I find comparable with instruments like trumpets or accordion in a closed room, and plenty of people practices those for multiple hours daily for years, and they don't suffer from tinnitus.

I know it's a little bit of a rant, but I never ever even got any ,,warning" temporary tinnitus. I don't complain about my hearing at all, it was measured in extended range. No speech in noise problem, no dips in my hearing, nothing.

If it wasn't for hearing noises that aren't there, I'd be the last one to ever enter ENT office.

 

[Snake]

It's not our fault, it's our brains' fault. We're unlucky ones to suffer with brains that are spoiled in some way, and medical community not acknowledging that.

 

[kamil1364]

It's not our fault, it's our brains' fault. We're unlucky ones to suffer with brains that are spoiled in some way, and medical community not acknowledging that.

That's something I agree with. I know I abused my ears a little, but I just looked at others who were abusing it even more and didn't end up with tinnitus.

 

[donotringatme]

I have a feeling that structural changes to the ear or - for the unlucky ones - anatomical predisposition, leads to a reduced activation of the muscle responsible for dampening sounds and thus trauma occurs. I mean, a healthy young person gets tinnitus but a 300-pound marlin competing in slap tourneys doesn't. Erhm.

 

[Juan]

I've used loud headphones for a bit, I moved lawn without protection.

But still I don't really understand whether it all was purely my fault, or maybe we here are just a bit of ,,unlucky" ones.

I never really went to any 120 dB+ concert in my life, never even got any warning ringing. Just first time after moving the lawn for a couple of hours, and it came with sound distortion/reactive tinnitus. Before I truly heard almost pure silence.

And if not for those different weird tinnitus sounds, I would never ever visit any ENT or audiologist because I can't complain at all about my hearing (and I used to be hobbyist music producer).

The only thing I hate in my hearing are sounds that aren't really there, like what the heck.

I think there is a lack of education about hearing problems, and that informative sessions on hearing issues should be mandatory from elementary school, to raise awareness among kids.

 

[Poseidon65]

Depending on the cause, it can be both our own fault and also bad luck.

For example, I got my tinnitus after attending a live music show. The show was definitely too loud, and I had no protection. That is my fault.

However, nobody else at the show had protection either. I'm sure they didn't all get tinnitus. My wife didn't and she was sitting right next to me. That's bad luck for me.

So in my case I consider it some of both.

 

[frpp]

50/50 the music, the aspirin and stress were my fault, all the misdiagnoses, ototoxic drugs and microsuctions were the classic work of people undeserving of a medical license.

 

[Foamearplugssuck]

A bit of both I imagine. I got my tinnitus two weeks into my concert photography internship. I'd started to wear earplugs, but by then it was too late; the damage had been done.

I was talking to my boss about it, who has been going to loud concerts for decades. Never wore earplugs. Didn't have permanent tinnitus, though he had a lot of hearing loss.

So, it was my fault for not wearing earplugs right out of the gate, but to be fair I couldn't have known it would take a week of concert-going to give me a one-way ticket to "eeeee" hell. I think a lot of the blame can be placed on brain/genetics. it sucks, but that's life I guess.

 

[Gabriel5050]

In hindsight, after recollecting all the times I've used headphones on loud volume it would seem to be my fault. But also, I couldn't even fathom the existence of such a thing as tinnitus before I got it myself. After I did get it, over time, for me, it became worse. Even though I took precautions. So I'm just trying to drag out the process.

 

[Gareth Davies]

I put olive oil in my ear for 5 minutes to deal with some wax, and got an ear infection for my trouble.

And then tinnitus as a symptom of that infection.

The infection is gone but the noise remains.

I'm still coming to terms with the fact that my actions - taken over a single evening - lead to this.

And I agree.

Barring "passing" mention in history books concerning the soldiers who'd suffered tinnitus during WW1 from the constant shelling / gunfire - I've NEVER heard ANYONE discuss or mention this affliction.

Not in books, health / safety adverts, TV, online articles, magazines, chat shows, podcasts... - nowhere.

Hearing loss, here and there.
But nothing about tinnitus.

No real warnings or education; but then would we have even paid attention - no one believes they can be injured until they are.

We drive half-ton wheeled metallic vehicles, everyday, powered by explosives at the speeds capable of only the fastest land bound animals - often for HOURS - and we think nothing of it.

 

[weab00]

I put olive oil in my ear for 5 minutes to deal with some wax, and got an ear infection for my trouble.

And then tinnitus as a symptom of that infection.

The infection is gone but the noise remains.

I'm still coming to terms with the fact that my actions - taken over a single evening - lead to this.

And I agree.

Barring "passing" mention in history books concerning the soldiers who'd suffered tinnitus during WW1 from the constant shelling / gunfire - I've NEVER heard ANYONE discuss or mention this affliction.

Not in books, health / safety adverts, TV, online articles, magazines, chat shows, podcasts... - nowhere.

Hearing loss, here and there.
But nothing about tinnitus.

No real warnings or education; but then would we have even paid attention - no one believes they can be injured until they are.

We drive half-ton wheeled metallic vehicles, everyday, powered by explosives at the speeds capable of only the fastest land bound animals - often for HOURS - and we think nothing of it.

There should be warning labels for tinnitus, hyperacusis, and hearing loss on all headphone boxes in the same way that cigarettes are legally required to warn about lung cancer.

Prevention is the number one cure. I do think we will see a regenerative cure within the next 5-10 years, but we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place had we exercised caution.

 

[kamil1364]

There should be warning labels for tinnitus, hyperacusis, and hearing loss on all headphone boxes in the same way that cigarettes are legally required to warn about lung cancer.

Prevention is the number one cure. I do think we will see a regenerative cure within the next 5-10 years, but we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place had we exercised caution.

Yeah, it pisses me off too. I EXPECTED some hearing loss, but not to hear additional noises that aren't there. I didn't get enough hearing loss to start taking precautions. No problems with hearing, really. Tinnitus kicked first.

Yeah, I blasted them for a while, but I wasn't aware of consequences even in 5%.

And on top of that I didn't know headphones on max volume can output as much as 100dB, and that it damages hearing in 15 minutes.

I didn't know that my grass cutter outputs 103 dB (from specs I read), and it damages hearing within few minutes.

I was silly, but also not properly educated.

 

[linearb]

free will doesn't exist, everything unfolds spontaneously and perfectly in the only way it could.

 

[ehrfried]

Who cares whose fault it is?

However, if you know the cause then this is a benefit.

 

[ehrfried]

Depending on the cause, it can be both our own fault and also bad luck.

For example, I got my tinnitus after attending a live music show. The show was definitely too loud, and I had no protection. That is my fault.

However, nobody else at the show had protection either. I'm sure they didn't all get tinnitus. My wife didn't and she was sitting right next to me. That's bad luck for me.

So in my case I consider it some of both.

Did you know that you can get around €7000 from the music shows organizers' insurance if you just tell your lawyer about this?

I recommend spending this money on LLLT + Vitamins (especially B12 in the form of methylcobalamin) as it was, personally, my main cure.

 

[funeralcry]

We are all victims of an messed up human body. Something like this shouldn't be allowed to exist.

 

[weab00]

We are all victims of an messed up human body. Something like this shouldn't be allowed to exist.

Agreed. Unfortunately the brain doesn't give a shit.

 

[Orions Pain]

We are all victims of an messed up human body. Something like this shouldn't be allowed to exist.

Agreed! It doesn't matter what caused it, the fact that this is a thing in the first place is a terrible aspect of human design.

 

[kamil1364]

We are all victims of an messed up human body. Something like this shouldn't be allowed to exist.

Oh yes, absolutely agreed. It has to be a joke. Instead of regenerating hearing, let's just create phantom noise which serves completely no purpose!