I Think I Just Hurt My Ear with a Phone

A phone rang. Normally I use my healthy ear when talking on the phone. This time, I used by bad ear. The voice I heard was loud, and this was made worse by the fact that there was no space between the phone and my ear.

Now I have that full ear sensation(!) Back in January when I had my acoustic trauma, I also initially had just the full ear sensation. Eleven days later, I started to experience T.

I wonder how much damage I just did to myself... I guess simply anything can, under the wrong circumstances, hurt your compromised ear now.

 

Hopefully no damage but it is so frustrating isn't it.

 

Now, my t is spiking...... I can't believe how vulnerable my ear is turning out to be - it was just a phone...

 

@Bill Bauer

Your not even going to think about it after a good night sleep, I have done that countless times with no lasting problems.


Try not and give it any power, those phones aren't that loud.



Louie

Quietatnight

 

Thank you for your kind words. This particular phone is an old junk landline phone that sounds too loud even for my normal ear. But it is still encouraging to read about your experience.

This will be a perfect time for me to take some amitriptyline pills that helped me to sleep in the early days..

 

I am getting worse - now having a sleepless night...

 

Hi Bill, it seems to me that you are stuck in the negative T cycle; we've all been there, I certainly have countless times. You are monitoring your reaction to every perceived threat and it's heightening your anxiety and putting your CNS on high alert. If you teach yourself to react this way every time a noise worries you, it will eventually become a conditioned response.

You have handed the keys to the car over to tinnitus. Take them back and take control again. It's not easy, but with time and the right support and outlook, you'll begin to react to these events like you would have in the past. You'll totally ignore it and move on.

T is like a negative voice in your head constantly telling you that all sorts of sounds are dangerous, but in reality most sounds aren't. Unless you're at a firing range or something. The point, is that no matter what, you're gonna come across the odd knock and bang from time to time across the rest of your life. It's inescapable, so don't stress over it.

Whatever concern you have now will pass. I had a gizzillion encounters like you're talking about now, and they never amounted to anything. I learnt that I was stressing out big time, and that was the problem.

 

Use the yoga technique Bill, take five counts to breath in (use your stomach), hold it, then take 7 counts to exhale, don't immediately breathe in again. Think of nothing, lie on your back and make sure you check every minute that you relax you muscles (especially in the face).

 

The research here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26657094 suggests that the middle ear muscle reflex might be an indicator for cochlear neuropathy. This seems to be in line with what I've been thinking for quite some time; middle ear issues can be brought on by cochlear issues. It is all connected.

The acoustic reflex normally protects the ear against high-intensity sounds by stiffening the muscles in the middle ear to make sure less vibrations make it to the cochlea. However, it seems that with people where cochlear damage is present (neuropathy or synaptopathy), the acoustic reflex behaves differently and possibly more erratically even to lower intensity sounds. This is what you might be experiencing and it manifests as ear fullness and popping. This means you probably didn't cause more cochlear damage from the short exposure, but it does mean you are likely to have some cochlear damage (from an earlier exposure) causing your acoustic reflex to behave erratically and more intense at lower intensity sounds. It will probably normalise again, but future exposures might bring it back.

 

Vinnitus: My recent research agrees with what you are saying. Often tinnitus is waiting to happen. Exposure to sound sometimes isn't cause thru one experience. Many times it's repeated actions before it sets off the cochlear nucleus area. The cochlear is part of the 8th cranial nerve called the vestibulocochlear nerve. This problem is often caused from repeated sounds within the mouth. Another way to damage the cochlear is to have loud noise enter the ear, mostly at close range.

Bill: the Db of your ring for damage is in the 8 second constant range. I did a lot of calculations taking in your handicap. One ring isn't eight seconds. But most of us with noise exposed T & H, need to be careful of other exposure. Something messes me up every day.

 

Thank you for that info. So if there were to be nerve damage then it could cause more intense reactions not just diminished. I have nerve damage but I think it is retrocochlear (is that just the balance portion) so maybe not applicable.

 

I don't think you've done any damage. Just give it time and things will improve....

 

The episode yesterday (with the loud noise going directly into my bad ear) was very similar to the episode that caused my acoustic trauma (noise was going directly into my ear). The sound is more high-pitch now. I am hoping that this might be temporary. I guess I will know in a week or so... Or do we know of spikes that lasted longer than a week, only to calm down later?

It is shocking that one has to think through every move one makes, and that everyday things like answering the phone can possibly cause a lifetime of suffering...

 

Exactly, thats my life too. Thinking of every single thing... Really became neurotic

 

I am still living through a spike. It got worse now that it is evening...

This is terrifying. To quote a character from the Matrix: "Not like this"...

 

Hi Bill Bauer

This phone was even too loud for your normal ear ? Definately not good that you used this phone..


It did not cause any ' new damage ' ..but it sure aggravated the hel outta your T.


When i did something like this.. I found that for 2 to 3 days i would suffer for what i did

If by Friday ( June 2 ) ..or in other words, after 3 full days have passed, your Ears should be back to where they were before you did this phone thing to them..

 

If your Ears are not back to ' where they were before the phone thing ' ..after 3 days

..Then YOU HAVE JUST LEARNED THAT YOUR EARS ARE IN A EXTREMELY TENDER state

..and you need to be EXTREMELY CAREFUL for the foreseeable future


By the way, did you ever do an ' introduce yourself ' Thread ? I'd like to read your story, how you got T

 

This is actually very encouraging. It is definitely louder than it was 48 hours ago. If this nightmare ends after 3 days (and I go back to how I was before I picked up that phone) I would be thrilled...

I already knew that my ears were fragile. I learned this three months ago (about a month after the onset). My only excuse for not changing this phone is that I seldom have people calling me here. I will try to be more vigilant and pro-active...

It is too traumatic for me to write about it. Suffice it to say that on January 22, a sonic toothbrush came into contact with the opening of my ear canal for a fraction of a second... (Just typing this made me cry...) Who could have known that something like that would completely ruin the next four months, force me to cancel my trip to Alaska, and change the rest of my life...

 

This forum needs a "painless and reliable suicide methods" section...

 

I am so sorry that you underwent such a traumatic experience with your T. Why did you cancel your trip? I have a trip in a week and am nervous for the flight and my T and ETD , but have been advised to take decongestants, afrin, and use ear plugs.

 

I was planning to use earplugs + Peltor earmuffs. I also paid to have isle seats towards the front of the plane (they are supposed to be the quietest ones).

There are many more people on this forum reporting that their T is fine (even after they take dozens of flights in a short period of time), compared to the number of people who were unhappy with their T after a flight (I believe most of them haven't worn any ear protection).

I am a very risk averse person. In addition to flying, the trip would have involved a lot of driving. T is such a horrific experience, that I was worried about taking this risk. Perhaps I made the wrong choice, and I would have been better off if I were to take my mind off of T. I know I would not be picking up that phone, if I were in Alaska...

 

I'm sorry to hear it Bill but please try to remain calm. I had a fleeting spike that should've lasted for 30 seconds but I had it for 18 hours.

Anything is possible if you give it some time.

 

If you planned that big trip .maybe you aren't as risk aversive as you think you are. That is an adventure lots of people haven't taken. I had to have a relative drive when I moved here and thought they'd have to leave me halfway . So even long drives are a challenge for me. Can you plan another trip perhaps even on a less grand scale? I agree it is so important to try to find distractions.

 

It keeps getting worse: louder and more piercing. I can't believe this is happening to me...

 

No it doesn't. Nor do you.

 

Are you able to see your doctor for something to help relax you because it's something I strongly suggest.

 

I already took an Ativan pill. It is not helping me fall asleep. It doesn't help to be aware of the fact that Ativan is ototoxic.

I remember how in the early days I would think that I always had an option to check myself into a psych ward, where they would be able to give me drugs to make me sleep. Childhood ends when you learn that chocolate and ice cream are bad for you. There is an analogy here somewhere that has to do with one learning that the drugs you would get at a psych ward are ototoxic. No way out.

Speak for yourself...

Let's just say that if I were an American (with access to a gun), there would be no more messages from me, by now.

 

Not all medications are ototoxic. Since you are here to try and get some support for the distress that you are in, I advise you to try and get out of that the mind-set of thinking all medications will make tinnitus worse because this is certainly not the case. My blood pressure medicine is listed as: can cause ringing in the ears. I have noticed no increase in my tinnitus and have been taking it for many years. Furthermore, I prefer taking it or an alternative drug to control my blood pressure in preference to having a stroke, kidney failure, heart problems or my early demise from this mortal plain.

If I were in your position then I would seek medical help from my doctor in the manner I've already suggested, and get a referral to audiology to see a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist for tinnitus counselling and treatment. There is only so much a person can do by themselves. Whilst tinnitus forums can be helpful, there is a limit on what they are able to do for someone that is having emotional difficulty coping with the condition.

Michael

 

@Bill Bauer, understandably you are in distress, but the sheer fact you think a suicide section would be a good idea shows where your head is at. At this point you need to find professional help for the depression and anxiety you are under. That should be your absolute priority, because you are showing all the hallmarks of catastrophic thinking and it needs to be dealt with.

Many drugs are ototoxic, but a lot has to do with delivery and dose, and in most instances this means they are safe. When depression takes over though it's hard to see the positives in anything. Most of us on here have been through this and totally understand how it feels. Instead of seeing the benefit to a treatment, we look at what will go wrong instead. Our thoughts totally distort our future at every turn making it hard to function at a basic level.

At many points in my life I can say I've been suicidal (extremely depressed). There are at least two particular instances - that stand out in my mind - as being so traumatic that I felt there was no solution, and literally wanted to die. My thoughts were so distorted that my future appeared pointless and anything remotely positive was immediately snuffed out by my depressed brain. However, the future I envisioned never materialised (I've had set backs), but on the whole when I look at my life objectively the last 15 years have been awesome.

I've been on some amazing holidays all over the world; owned cars that I never thought I would; bought my own house; gigged with various great bands; started my own business; got married at Warwick Castle; got some amazing friends; and have memories that I wouldn't change for the world. The point I'm making is that back when I was 14-19 my outlook was horrendous. My thoughts were so catastrophic that all I saw was misery, but I was wrong. We don't know what can or will happen until we find help, and attempt to turn our lives around. Don't trust your emotions when you are anxious or depressed, because they are toxic, and rarely ever represent reality. I'm not saying life is a bed of roses, but it's often a whole lot better than what we realise sometimes; even when we have immense issues to deal with. I hope the right support finds you and you turn your situation around.

PS: right now I'm far from happy, but past experience has taught me not to trust my thoughts or emotions. That's how I survive, and that's how I get through.

 

Bill - What Ed wrote is what you learn in depression 101 for those of us who have had to take the course. Your not thinking clearly right now (you've had no sleep even). And emotions and feelings are just that. They don't have to define you and you don't have to be held hostage by them. Get some help. Take care.

Lynn