Job Hunting and Concerns Over Potential Spikes in Tinnitus / Hyperacusis

My parents are pressuring me to get a job which I'm completely fine with. But I'm not sure where to look. I don't want to work somewhere in which my tinnitus and hyperacusis might spike. My family isn't very understanding on the issue which isn't exactly helping.

Suggestions? Advice?

 

You are making good progress @Taylorslay and I doubt anywhere that you work is going to make your tinnitus worse. In fact getting out to work will be good for you in my opinion and take away your focus from tinnitus. You are young and getting out meeting people and earning a wage will help to give you independence, purpose and pride. There are few things that are more satisfying than that. Remember you can always use noise reducing earplugs but not too often. I honestly don't think you will need them but have them on your person.

Best of luck
Michael

 

@Taylorslay In California several agencies funded by State and Federal government helps those with tinnitus to find a suitable job based on their disability need. It appears that this is nationwide. This is why in California many public libraries, government supported agencies and non profits employ those with tinnitus.

https://www.superpages.com/yellowpages/c-disability+employment+agencies/

There's also your local State employment office. Your State department of Labor.

At the hospital where I once worked we had five employees with tinnitus that worked in a quiet linen room where they placed linen on to carts to be brought where needed. They played white and pink music.

To add: All intercoms and fire alarms were on a lower volume in the linen room. There was also a connecting break room with a low sound microwave and refrigerator. The hospital ready gave great support and free medical including audio and hearing aides. Also free counseling sessions whenever needed.

 

These days, many folks are able to work from home. Possibly finding this kind of job, might be helpful for your situation. The noise factor, will depend on the job. Some jobs are louder than others, so think about what you want to do first, then apply for it.

Being young is a gift. Live it, learn from it and enjoy it!

 

I would look around the neighborhood and test each business for loudness and where you might want to work. Restaurant are loud. Also, check out usajobs.gov they post alot of different jobs. Check out entry level jobs working for colleges. They are jobs that are quiet.

 

What kind of job are you looking for? Remember sudden loud noises are possible almost everywhere, but the continuous noise can be limited.

 

Have a think of what type of job would bring the best out of you.
Are you a people person?
Animal lover?
Work in a team?
Work alone?
Skills you may have ?
Does the job have room for promotions or trave?
Day or shift work?
Shop work?
Work in the care community eg elderly folks homes,special needs,home help?
Lots to think about and im sure you will find a lovely job and make some nice friends.
Love glynis

 

I was looking into retail honestly. But there is nearly nothing where I live. Only fast food. I'm just worried if that will be too loud. Remember I'm only 17.

 

You won't know until you try @Taylorslay but you do raise an interesting point. Sound levels in a fast food outlet could be noisy. This doesn't necessarily mean that you will be affected especially if you use noise reducing earplugs. I believe it's better to try than not try at all. At least that way you will know. However, take your time and think about what you decide to do. Try not to worry over this.

All the best
Michael

 

@Taylorslay
You could try going out more during the daytime to let your ears get used to normal everyday sounds. This will help to desensitize your ears and auditory system so they are not so sensitive. If you have a portable radio at home or play music while your on the computer, this will help your ears to desensitize. I'm just giving you a few suggestions. The important thing is to avoid silence whenever possible. Don't stop using sound enrichment at night.

Michael

 

Try a clothing store, preferably a department store so that sound doesn't build up in a cramped little area. In my experience clothing stores are kinda chill compared to other places in retail. Work on the floor so you aren't bombarded with cash register beeps.

 

Exactly what I've been doing . The H has dimished a lot since I started a few weeks ago. It's still there but I can wash dishes without a problem.

 

There are none in a close radius to me. I presented some ideas about a few places a 2 miles out. My father got super angry and lashed out at me about it. He like everyone else in my family doesn't care about T or H. They could care less since my audiologist didn't even know what H was and told me to just mask my T. Not to mention I had no visible hearing loss. My problem is they'll only listen to a specialist. And if I don't follow by their specific rules they get angry and sometimes violent. They've always been this way. Sadly. :/ But it usually just tends to be yelling and direct verbal attacks of my person.

So anything past a mile away from my home is something they told me I can't apply for.

Only things within a mile away is fast food or convience stores. I live off a big intersection. Those convience stores are always blazing with loud music and tons of people all day long.

Idk this seems like a rant as I write this at the end. But I just feel stuck. Because I'm trying. But all I get is people screaming at me constantly.

 

Believe me I want to leave this household.

 

That's good @Taylorslay. Carry on doing the same thing and I don't think you will have any problems working anywhere. I believe you have made remarkable improvement and think this is partially due to you being young. Your body has been quick to recover. However, I advise you and I'm very serious about this: please do not to use headphones ever again not even at low volume. Go out and enjoy yourself. If you happen to be going to the cinema or club where there is loud music be careful. Have "noise reducing" earplugs with you. Remember if sound is loud enough at a club or concert it can pass through your skull and reach your inner ear. This is process is called "bone conduction".

I believe you will make a full recovery and in a year from now tinnitus will be well behind you. Unfortunately, this is when danger can present itself. With you getting on with life which is what you're supposed to do it's easy to forget. If you get a second "noise trauma" as I did, your recovery might not happen so quickly and the tinnitus and hyperacusis could return with a vengeance that you will not believe is possible.

I am not saying these things to frighten you. I'm telling you this because I have personal experience and don't want what happened to me to happen to you. After my second noise trauma it took 4 years to habituate. My tinnitus has not returned to what it was before but it's manageable.

Take care and I wish you well.
Michael

 

Can I say: I went back to work and had to live with alarms that went off right above our heads, and they weren't even relevant to us (dumb f**ks). At first I would run out of the room, which would amuse and sometimes frustrate those around me, but eventually I just stopped running out of the room because it seemed stupid, and I worked out that the alarms weren't actually hurting me, they were just f**kin loud. My relationship with loud had changed, and that was the problem. Loud doesn't always equal extending injury. Its just f**kin loud.

 

Well said @PaulBe your style is always straight to the point and something I like. Fear of loud sound being harmful I believe is one of the biggest problems that many members in this forum have and this is unfortunate. I think it's often fear and anxiety that causes a lot of people to have spikes for the mind is very powerful and you've expressed that quite well in your post: Loud doesn't equal extending injury.

All the best
Michael

 

@dpdx Listen to Michael. Take this into huge consideration.

 

I would personally not work fast food with T and H. But I am newer and more anxious about sound than the others. Why do your parents not let you go further out? Is it because they are worried about you walking that far? Do you have a bus you can take or a bike?

 

No they just want to control what I do. I have a bike. I can ride the bus too. I'm just not understanding the disconnect with them. It seems they are trying to make things more problematic than they need to be. They always do this, but this time it is a serious issue.

 

They fear for your safety. The way the US looks nowadays to we outsiders, I can't say I blame them.

 

It's not unsafe in the US. Quite the opposite. I live I a bustling city. I may live on the poorer side but that doesn't mean I'm gonna get mugged if I go outside lol. If it was about safety they would have mentioned it. If it was about safety and they cared so much about it, then they would have listened to me about T and H. What they don't want is it being counter productive. However, I have a bike and can take the city bus.

 

Hey what up fellow Floridian.

There's lots of jobs I would say are pretty quiet, when I was at radio shack, is was pretty quiet, so maybe a wireless retailer, and other small stores, I'd avoid working at places like walmart or target because they get loud. Perhaps the government buildings need an entry level person, I feel like they are all about being quiet. Heck maybe even the library could use someone.

I'm a web developer now and my office is never above a dull hum. White collar jobs tend to be in quiet environments.

 

@Michael Leigh

Wow, that's quite a statement you're making.... and there are many, many people here who would disagree w/ conviction with what you're saying. There is good reason too why they disagree - because their T suffered permanent increases in volume and tonal changes due to loud sounds. I think it's dangerous that you are sending this message out to people here who are new to T or who haven't yet researched thoroughly.