Is It My Imagination...? Have Hyperacusis, Tinnitus Increased After a Car Ride with a Loud Person

I was hoping someone else with hyperacusis could help me. A few days ago I was trapped in a car with a person that has a VERY loud voice for 8 hours. He would not stop talking the entire time and no matter how many dozens of times I asked him to lower his voice and explained that I have hyperacusis, he would just get loud after a few seconds of trying to talk quiet. For whatever reason, he was incapable of lowering his voice.

I was in excruciating pain the entire car ride! And since then the volume of my tinnitus has gone up by at least 5x. Its been 4 days with no improvment. I cant stop crying and the anxiety wont let me breathe. The fear of my tinnitus becoming permanently worse over one stupid car ride has me so riddled with anxiety ive been stuffing my face with Xanax and Ativan to tranquilize myself so i stop crying.

Please help me! Is this going to be permanent? Ive had t and h for 5 years but this was by far the most noisiest 8 hours I have been exposed to this whole 5 years. I hate myself for getting in the car with that asshole. I cant stop blaming myself. Please help the ringing is so loud!

 

Most likely a temporary spike. Keep clear of loud noises and get some earplugs, for such occasions.

 

I hope its just a spike its definitely the craziest spike ive had in the last 5 years. I wish i didnt forget my earplugs at home. That would have saved me

 

Most people have no idea, but some have less idea than others.

 

In my (somewhat small) experience, those kind of situations makes us notice more our problems, and it gets better as soon as we can take our minds of it. At new year's eve, my sister's neighbor decided to play with fireworks. I had some 4 or 5 really bad days with T and H screaming at me, then it was livable again.

 

@Dale Danche ... I'm sorry to be a voice of more "concern" here, but I'm afraid I can relate to your situation in a very direct way perhaps more than 99.9% of "others". If you look at my Profile/Info. you will see some of my long and sordid affair with T and H.

What happened to me in Dec. 2012 was just damn cruel...no other word for it. Basically "exposure time" of a lot less than your 8 hours, and I was kicked in the teeth severely with permanent increased T and H from my already high baselines. I had tried so hard to get a chunk of my life back, and succeeded - hence the "cruel" part! I was also doing a good deed for the community at large. Etc., etc.
Then early November 2015, almost 3 years after this 2012 thing above and still heavily affected by it (my T levels don't change from new higher levels, but H tends to drop 5 - 10% per year IF I don't get zapped!) I was on a 3 hour speaker-phone call (helping a TT member in a T crisis), at 'normal voice volume', sitting 10 feet away leaning against my bed - thinking I was just fine in the "noise zone"...and afterwards realized I had increased H damage! Much more reactive again! Of course I was appalled and kicked myself endlessly for forgetting EXPOSURE TIME, not just volume!... Arrrrrgggghhhh!!! (No good deed goes unpunished!??!)

So, I KNOW how easy it is for me to get "sensitized" in a car. It is a small resonant space + road noise, etc. Very dangerous place for me if someone else in there, and thus I only drive with quiet talkers, or none at all. I don't like leaving plugs in too long as then the T volume (c/o internal self feeding volume loop???) goes through the roof after a while - but comes back to baseline with a good nights' sleep and quiet. That is of course if I was indeed "protected" and had the plugs in...not unprotected damage, as that has not been good! (See history).

OK, sorry, I am NOT saying this to just be a jerk scaremonger (look at my TT history and you will see that is not my MO)...However, what I'm saying is, you may be similar to me in that you are more "reactive" than many/most and thus have to be more careful - as indeed you are not a "short termer" with T (i. e. less than one year or so).

So suggestions!

1. Immediately try and see if your doc will give you some Prednisone (as long as not allergic to it or anything)! It may be too late, but maybe not. There are differing opinions. I would shoot for a minimum of 20 mg twice a day for a minimum of three days. You will know soon if it is going to help...like within a day probably. No need or desire for longer term treatment as it is a fine miracle drug for very short term use but a bastard for longer term. Don't go there. Some reports say it helps up to a month later for hearing damage issues!
*(I think you can find a post if you search my use of this recently - yes here it is, but I thought I followed up and said I was too late, or maybe the prednisone did not work for me - though may have a bit...Mmmmmm
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/to-all-whose-tinnitus-got-louder.11987/#post-147568 Anyway, it will give you some info anyhow).
Be aware that the stuff can increase gut 'acidity' (did for me but I have sensitive gut), though for short term use may be a non issue.

2. BE CAREFUL!!! I would keep a very low sound profile right now. To hell with all the ideas about "sound exposure" and so forth being good for you. NOT NOW...I would "rest your ears" as much as possible! Open ear canal, nature sounds, nothing too loud, watch out for long conversations on a phone (especially cell or wireless as 'digital sound' is different = much "harder" on hearing = my direct experience!), movies at home put subtitles on, etc., etc.
Use your common sense, but to summarize, I suggest "resting your ears"...give them some quiet and softer than usual sound levels. Even a week can help a lot, then feel it out....elevate to more what you are used to SLOWLY!

3. Always carry earplugs as part of your body. It's a noisy world and loud people in cars are a hazard of the occupation of being alive in this modern western trip. (California - unless you live in the wilderness of the Sierra!).

Good luck and I hope you recover back to where you were, then more so after that... As Bill Clinton said: "I feel your pain"...From hard experience I'm afraid.

Take care, Zimichael

 

@Zimichael Thanks man. Im gonna call the doctor tomorrow. Im even afraid to go to the doctor because the nurses there have loud high pitched voices and i can barely get myself out of bed. I think im going to try to get a prescription over the phone because i cant deal any sounds at all right now.....like none at all. I dont even want to talk or be conscious at all. It hurts like a bastard. Im only 32 and i think i have it just as bad as you do or worse. It doesnt help having crappy medical either. I bet theyre going to make me fill out paperwork for 2 weeks just to get the prednisone just like they do with every single medication im prescribed. I just cant take this crap man. what the hell is this

 

@Dale Danche ... Dale, not sure what mean about all the paperwork (are you on Covered California??? - Though answer in a PM if you want...) With Obamacare you basically "have" to have insurance so you must have some drug coverage??? Anyway go to this site here: http://www.goodrx.com/
Type in Prednisone and your zip code and you will find you can print out a coupon or whatever and get the stuff really cheaply for cash, without any insurance hassles or whatever. Look for the best price and get your doc to phone it in ASAP!!! Time is of the essence with this strategy. If your doc does not know anything about it push hard and say "Google it! Prednisone and acute tinnitus!"...Whatever it takes, as it is worth a shot. If you can't get out of bed try and get a friend or someone to pick it up for you. I doubt it but they may need your ID??? Or phone the pharmacy and tell them you are bedridden and a friend is piking it up if that is the case. Don't delay with weekend coming up...




I totally hear you re "loud voices" and all. I quit my dentist for another one as the assistant was just so darn loud with a penetrating voice, even with plugs in! Some people can get sound through the goddamn skull bones or something, with skill it seems! Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh!!!

I forgot to mention yesterday: My "recent/new" increased H from early November (2015) and that 3 hour speaker-phone call, has decreased to nearer where it was before that call closer to its prior baseline. Maybe still 25% above that level - which is shitty and reactive enough thank you - but is going down faster than the "longer term" H damage I have, which seems to only go down about 5 - 10% per year.
So yeah, rest it up and you may 'recover' to where you were before in a while...and indeed the Prednisone may help you! You are a lot younger than me so healing is generally faster/better.

Anyway good luck as I know how crappy all this is believe me... Zimichael

 

Most likely your imagination and the fact you over focus on your tinnitus. To lose hearing you have to be exposed to extremely LOUD noise.

A loud person other than irritating, is hardly going to make you lose your hearing and cause hyperacusis!

 

Are you sure about that?...seems like a lot of people get louder titinus from much lower exposures than "guidelines"....

 

Unfortunately "guidelines" for just about anything always seem to be always a work-in-progress.

 

I am meeting just such a person tonight! Tell as many people as you can about your condition so that they can start to understand. Unlike when someone has a broken arm in a sling, people avoid them so as not to hurt them, hidden injuries have to be explained to people so that they can make allowances for you.

When alas Mr. Loudmouth does not lower the volume then I afraid survival has to kick in. Forget politeness, your health comes first. Be assertive and tell him/her that they are causing you severe pain. I had to once. They will come te accept it and realise that not all medical conditions are visual. You do not have to suffer in silence.

 

is it better

 

One thing I learned when it comes to loud noise exposure is to not sit idly by and let it happen. It's a natural reaction to just not be bothered by it but I would have done everything in my power to make it stop. I would have made him shut up or get myself out of the car lmao. Always put yourself first. I dont care if it makes me come across as weird or whatever. Least I can have peace and quiet when Im home

 

For eight hours! I can't believe what you had to gone through... Like the people in this thread said, I hope it's only a temporary spike.