I Need Some Answers

[PlsHelpMe]

Hello, people!! I have tinnitus for about 4 weeks now. I visited my local doctor twice. The first doctor said I should be fine after 2 weeks. Two weeks passed and the tinnitus is still there. Then I started to notice that when I swallow, I hear this crackling, popping sound in my right ear. The cause of my tinnitus is a friend from my class shot a cap gun into my right ear. And I have two questions:

1) Will my tinnitus ever go away?

2) What causes the crackling, popping sound when I swallow? (It's quite loud. So I don't think it's normal.)

Edit: My head posture can change the volume of my tinnitus.

 

[Bill Bauer]

The cause of my tinnitus is a friend from my class shot a cap gun into my right ear.

Was it near your ear, or did a projectile actually go into your ear canal?

What causes the crackling, popping sound when I swallow?

It is some problem with your Eustachian tubes. Having said this, most people on this forum have this, and most healthy people I asked said they heard crackling when they swallowed. You don't need to worry about it.

Will my tinnitus ever go away?

If you are able to avoid any secondary acoustic traumas, your T will most likely fade. It is still possible that you might get to hear silence again. The fading is a slow process that can take anywhere from 3 months to two years. You might consider HBOT treatment (see the study on
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-many-recover-3-studies.21441/
those soldiers had HBOT and 70% of them got cured, although it is not clear whether or not this was the result of HBOT.

Also check out
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

 

[PlsHelpMe]

Was it near your ear, or did a projectile actually go into your ear canal?

There wasn't any BBs in his cap gun. Put he pointed the gun into my right ear. (about 10 cm away.)

 

[Bill Bauer]

There wasn't any BBs in his cap gun. Put he pointed the gun into my right ear. (about 10 cm away.)

It sounds like it was quieter than an actual gun. Since people who got an acoustic trauma as a result of being exposed to the sounds of a gunshot often report recovering, there is a good chance that your T will fade.

 

[PlsHelpMe]

It sounds like it was quieter than an actual gun

Tbh, it was quite loud. I can hear it a couple feet away. Also, when I woke up after the incident happened. My right ear feel kinda full and clogged. Is it normal?

 

[Bill Bauer]

My right ear feel kinda full and clogged.

The full ear sensation, as well as T, are both a sign that your ear has been harmed. I felt the full ear sensation right after my acoustic trauma. I believe that the fact that you felt it the next day seems to imply that your trauma hasn't been as serious as my trauma. The full ear sensation ought to eventually go away (but it might take 3-6 months for this to happen).

 

[PlsHelpMe]

The full ear sensation ought to eventually go away (but it might take 3-6 months for this to happen).

It went away on the same day I felt it. Thought I have ETD. I went to a hearing center a few weeks ago. The test came back normal. I'm just concern about hearing the noise when I swallow. The doctor said that it's normal because i am going to my aldulthood. But this thing is going for about month now and It doesn't seem to go away.

Edit: Will acoustic trauma go away?

 

[Bill Bauer]

I'm just concern about hearing the noise when I swallow.

Ask the people you know whether they hear it when they swallow. I believe you will discover that many of them hear it too.

It went away on the same day I felt it.

That's an encouraging sign.

I went to a hearing center a few weeks ago. The test came back normal.

Most people on this forum are told that their hearing test is normal. The standard hearing test does not test above a certain frequency (it covers only the frequencies of a human voice). Hidden hearing loss occurs when a person can't hear well quiet sounds in loud environments.

Will acoustic trauma go away?

I believe you are talking about the consequences of an acoustic trauma (namely, T and hearing loss). It is a known fact that the hair cells inside of the inner ear don't regenerate. However, tinnitus can fade and even disappear.

 

[dpdx]

Hello, people!! I have tinnitus for about 4 weeks now. I visited my local doctor twice. The first doctor said I should be fine after 2 weeks. Two weeks passed and the tinnitus is still there. Then I started to notice that when I swallow, I hear this crackling, popping sound in my right ear. The cause of my tinnitus is a friend from my class shot a cap gun into my right ear. And I have two questions:

1) Will my tinnitus ever go away?

2) What causes the crackling, popping sound when I swallow? (It's quite loud. So I don't think it's normal.)

Edit: My head posture can change the volume of my tinnitus.

1) No
2) Eustachian Tubes, this is normal
3) Your T was caused by an acoustic trauma.

 

[dpdx]

The full ear sensation, as well as T, are both a sign that your ear has been harmed. I felt the full ear sensation right after my acoustic trauma. I believe that the fact that you felt it the next day seems to imply that your trauma hasn't been as serious as my trauma. The full ear sensation ought to eventually go away (but it might take 3-6 months for this to happen).

Ear Fullness is like a bruise.

 

[dpdx]

Ask the people you know whether they hear it when they swallow. I believe you will discover that many of them hear it too.

That's an encouraging sign.

Most people on this forum are told that their hearing test is normal. The standard hearing test does not test above a certain frequency (it covers only the frequencies of a human voice). Hidden hearing loss occurs when a person can't hear well quiet sounds in loud environments.

I believe you are talking about the consequences of an acoustic trauma (namely, T and hearing loss). It is a known fact that the hair cells inside of the inner ear don't regenerate. However, tinnitus can fade and even disappear.

T dosent disappear, it might fade to mild but it didnt disappear. I dont know whose T ever disappeared that was caused by noise exposure. IS there anyone on this forum whose T disappeared?

 

[Bill Bauer]

IS there anyone on this forum whose T disappeared?

jjflyman and several others (too bad I haven't recorded their usernames). Recall that a number of studies in the stats thread
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-over-70-recover-3-studies.21441/
indicate that a significant fraction of people experience it disappearing. I believe that based on those studies I once estimated that fraction to be at least 20%.

 

[dpdx]

jjflyman and several others (too bad I haven't recorded their usernames). Recall that a number of studies in the stats thread
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-over-70-recover-3-studies.21441/
indicate that a significant fraction of people experience it disappearing. I believe that based on those studies I once estimated that fraction to be at least 20%.

Probably less than that.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Probably less than that.

It depends on the characteristics of the person (e.g., age) and how bad of an injury had caused their T. For some groups and injuries it is lower, and for others it might be higher...

 

[PlsHelpMe]

Welp, rip me then. My T is very quiet in the morning when I wake up. And it becoems louder if my heart beat rise. Hopefully, it goes away.

 

[PortalNaut]

I have heard some very loud cap guns. While actual guns are 140-150db, the cap gun was likely >100db if the loud kind, and I bet it could be 120db. Being close to your ear also meant high pressure.

OSHA would allow 7 minutes of such sound while NIOSH says 7 seconds before possibility of NIHL.

I'm sorry your friend was so unthinking.

Good luck.

 

[PlsHelpMe]

I have heard some very loud cap guns. While actual guns are 140-150db, the cap gun was likely >100db if the loud kind, and I bet it could be 120db. Being close to your ear also meant high pressure.

OSHA would allow 7 minutes of such sound while NIOSH says 7 seconds before possibility of NIHL.

I'm sorry your friend was so unthinking.

Good luck.

So, my tinnitus won't go away or what?

 

[JohnAdams]

Welp, rip me then. My T is very quiet in the morning when I wake up. And it becoems louder if my heart beat rise. Hopefully, it goes away.

A potential cure is coming out in the near future. It's called fx 322. Read up on it.

 

[Bill Bauer]

So, my tinnitus won't go away or what?

Looks like you haven't bothered to look at the links that I posted, or you would know the answer to this question.

 

[PlsHelpMe]

Looks like you haven't bothered to look at the links that I posted, or you would know the answer to this question.

I read it. But he said "good luck"....

 

[Bill Bauer]

I read it. But he said "good luck"....

Some people's T never fades. Others get unlucky and have a second acoustic trauma (e.g., a deployed airbag, a fire alarm) that does them in. We all need a little luck.

 

[PortalNaut]

So, my tinnitus won't go away or what?

@PlsHelpMe I'm very sorry if my answer left you feeling worse or worried. If I had to bet I would bet that your T would diminish and likely go away. As far as my saying "good luck" I mean it in only the most positive of ways, and it's something I feel everyone at TT needs. Everyone here is subject to the vagaries of the condition and (for some, their) treatment, and finally...progress...all of which may indeed take some (good) luck.

 

[PortalNaut]

Oh yes, and if 120db is approximately correct for the capgun, and NIOSH "allows" 7 seconds, you only had a 1 second exposure. So that would be far less than the worst cases.

 

[PlsHelpMe]

Thanks for the help and positive encouragements! I might have to see the doctor again and ask him for advance hearing test. Also, I need to an ENT for both my tinnitus and my ETD. The sound that I hear when I swallow is quite loud amd it's not normal. If I have any questions, I will post it here. @Bill Bauer @PortalNaut

 

[PlsHelpMe]

Can I go to the movie theatre??

 

[Bill Bauer]

Can I go to the movie theatre??

There are two "schools" on this forum. One group of people believes that as long as you wear earplugs, you should be fine. Another group of people (I am one of them) believes that since there are many reports on this forum of earplugs providing a false sense of security[ https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/learn-from-others-mistakes.29437/ ], it means that the risk of going to a cinema (even if you wear earplugs) is non-negligible (at least 1%). Do you really think the benefit of that movie is worth taking a risk that your body will become uninhabitable?

In any case, whatever you decide to do, consider giving your ears rest for 6-12 months (in other words - no movie theaters or concerts), to give them a chance to heal.

 

[david c]

Can I go to the movie theatre??

Everyone is different but I must say that I have not been able to go to the cinema since tinnitus the noise levels are so bad and my tinnitus is so badly affected. I did go once - wearing expensive earplugs - and the tinnitus worsened so much afterwards it's been never again for me. Watch films on dvd or streaming instead. There are some lucky people with mild tinnitus who can go to the cinema wearing earplugs and their tinnitus isn't affected. But I wouldn't risk it if I were you.

 

[linearb]

I have no problems with theaters, given earplugs used during loud/action sequences. However, I think the American public is in general boorish and I don't really love spending lots of money to be in crowded theaters.

I set up a 1080P projector and a 120" screen in my home for the cost of about 100 movie tickets; very much worth it, IMO! Now we have total control over volume, I can pause it when I need to pee (which is a lot), and we can fit movies in easily around our own schedule whenever our kid is asleep.

 

[sirhand]

Ear clicking can be allergy related. I think mine is. It's hard to ignore when some fresh T is making you focus on your ear sounds. I developed some clicking shortly after the onset of my T, but after 1 1/2 months it's going back to normal.
Oh yeah and punch your friend in the nose for me.

 

[coffee_girl]

I would sue that child's family for damages, but maybe i'm just really upset that this happened. Nobody deserves this.