I Hate Having to Keep Alert Around Noises

I know I will habituate to this tinnitus eventually, but I hate the constant worry of loud noises, I am worried when walking my dog that an emergency vehicle is going to blast my ears with a siren. I am fed up thinking I can't go back to my old workplace in a manufacturing plant, I worry that earplugs won't be enough, I used to take any job I could before tinnitus, but they were always jobs in loudish environments. Where I live jobs are very hard to come by, a lot of unemployment in my area. I hate that I am trying to make it in a noisy world, sure if I won the lottery I could shield myself away from loud working environments, but it isn't reality, I'm scared that all it took was me slamming shut a car bonnet/hood to permanently increase my tinnitus, I don't know how I'm going to support myself when I am paranoid about loud noises, my dad retires next year and then I'm on my own. I'm so limited because of tinnitus, I'm only 26 and I have got 40 years of working ahead of me!

 

You're not the only one brother. I feel the same way and it's exhausting, I feel like my ears are made of glass and I have to make my way through this loud would.

 

I totally agree lequack, I have basically hid myself away these past 17 months because of tinnitus, but even this is a luxery I won't have soon when my dad retires, i will have to work in a loud environment out of no choice, everyday I will be in constant worry/panic. How do you live normally when every loud noise has the potential to increase your tinnitus?

 

Mick... I had wanted to add a little footnote to your prior post that I had responded to and I will do it now (just back online here), as the theme is similar.
You said at the end of the previous discussion: "To hell with tinnitus, iI have to let tinnitus do it's thing while I do mine." Afterwards, when I read that it worried me. I wanted to get back to you and indeed, as you are posting here above, Tinnitus is not that easy to be "un-worried" about... AND YOU SHOULD BE!!!

Mick, it is kinda heavy to say that, but I mean it in all good intention and with as much empathy as I can have you believe. I totally agree with you that we must try and live our lives as richly and fully as possible, without tinnitus (and/or hyperacusis) ruling over us like some tin-pot dictator having us cower in fear. Absolutely! BUT...Please, take my word for it. Once you get trauma/sound induced tinnitus, I think it needs to be something that you be aware of for a long time ahead, if not your whole life. Just like looking both ways when you cross a street becomes much more real after you get rammed by a bicycle unexpectedly. One pays closer attention! That is what learning is all about. It's not necessarily a "heavy" thing, but sort of just a fact like thing.

To me and my long experience with tinnitus, it's a 'real injury' despite being so darn goofy, and hidden, and invisible, and mysterious, and inexplicable, and not so easily treatable...yet. Yes, we can habituate to it and mostly do. And yes, with some lucky few it can miraculously disappear. That may happen to you. I sure hope so....But, I was worried when you almost sounded to me like you would challenge the tinnitus by living your life and doing what you wanted irrespective...to hell with it! Etc.
Yes, DO THAT, but also be careful. Be aware that you are on of us that seem to get zapped by a loud sound and pay for it, where others are not and just say: "Wow, that was loud!" No damage. No tinnitus. No suffering.
Unless you are very lucky (we are all different physiologically), I would continue to be cognizant of potential damaging levels of sound, and protect...in those instances! Not elsewhere. Don't let it rule you everywhere for sure...But also don't underestimate the biological'structural makeup of our hearing/brains that seem to do this wacky thing to us irrespective of what we think about it. And here I mean the actual "damage" part, not our attitude or thoughts about it, or how it should be or could be.

You are 26. That is a real big plus, as we heal faster when younger and are by nature more adaptable. You will get over this.....but don't tempt fate and push it too far too fast with the exposure. As many have said here: TIME is the big thing. It really is true. Take your time...And yes, I know how hard that is to do.

Take gentle care. Zimichael

 

A suggestion but maybe you could work a shift which is not noisy? It may take
Awhile adjusting to the hours. It might pay better just a suggestion.I often wondered how
Pete Townsend toured for decades with severe tinnitus I know he took ativan for decades
And had a special quiet section on stage made for him but those decibel levels were insane.

 

What i think is if I was wearing earplugs when slamming shut the bonnet I would still have mild tinnitus...but everywhere I read...don't wear earplugs in normal situations, be it walking down the road etc because of hyperacusis, but unexpected loud noises can happen in these situation's, that's why I worry, what Im going to be exposed too. With the getting a job situation, maybe if I get a good set of custom made earplugs I would be OK, even around loudish work environments?

 

Have you considered noise cancelling headphones? Those would block out most outside sounds, while still allowing you to play something quietly that would help you focus on something else besides your T.

If you want to make absolutely certain that the noise won't damage you, use a decibel meter to measure the general background noise of an environment. According to OSHA standards (yay, USA), you can be exposed to 85 db for about 8 hours before risking any damage. Subtract the DB value of your hearing protection vs. that environment, and if it drops to 75 db, you're probably completely safe.

(Only things that can break that rule are fire alarms. Make sure wherever you're working that you won't get blasted by one of those things at your station or while on your way out. Otherwise limited exposure with hearing protection still shouldn't cause any lasting damage.)

 

Thanks smoogle, I'm thinking brief loud noisies in a loud working environment would be are 100 decibels, if I wear custom made earplugs that lower noise around 25 decibels, then that would be reduced to around 75 decibels, should be safe right?

 

If it's louder than a vacuum sweeper, it's too loud. They are manufactured to meet a noise limit.
I worked for 34 years in a place where I received head injuries, being knocked out twice, a broken nose, neck and back injuries and bad noise from time to time. I had tinnitus before, during, and after my career. Loud concerts were the culprit though.

 

So your tinnitus never got worse with workplace noise? Only concerts worsened your tinnitus?

 

Yup, I'd say that's about right. Hope you find something that works well for you.