Maximising Hearing and Tinnitus Recovery from Bike Tyre Explosion

Hi all,

I was unlucky enough to have a bike tyre explode next to my left ear last Tuesday (Tuesday 23 June). I've been left with significant hearing loss and tinnitus which has recovered marginally so far.

I did some reading online before seeking medical attention. This proved to be key as it took some persuasion to get a 14 day oral course of 60mg Prednisolone which I began 15 hours after the event. I weigh 87kg though so I am wondering if the dose was too small. I have been using a hearing test app every few days to check my recovery but I have not seen any improvement in the last 4-5 days. I have been seen by an ENT who confirmed my eardrum is intact but has a small scar.

I am an audio engineer so have always been hyper vigilant about my hearing. I am extremely worried and upset that this may be permanent, not least because of the effects on my work.

At the moment I am wearing an ear plug most of the day as it feels so uncomfortably unbalanced with the right ear for HF. I wanted to know if there was anything further I could do that could maximise my recovery?

Many thanks,
Matt

 

Hi Matt,

Actually there was another guy on the forum who had this very same experience a few months ago. Bike tyre explosion..

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-from-a-bike-tire-explosion.37683/

It was wise to use corticoids as soon as possible. Other than that, rest your ears, try not to overcharge neck / shoulders, keep a good posture, stretch, eat healthy .. this makes a difference. But in terms of treatment for tinnitus or hyperacusis unfortunately there's nothing definite, no medication. It is more a matter of rest and time passing for you to get better.

As for earplugs, wear both earplugs, not only one.

Best,

Juan

 

Hi Juan,

Thanks for the link, I did skim through this already but it was very difficult to read. Fortunately I don't think my loss and tinnitus is as bad as his is and I only have it in one ear.

Thanks for your advice, I am very fit and eat well so this should help. I am now 12 days post event and wondered if I should be trying anything from this list taken from Canadaman before it gets too late? I don't know which treatments I see on here are for NIHL and which are for SNHL though.

1. Oral steroids, prednisone or prednisolone. Essential first-line defense. Ideally take within 2 days of onset, possibly effective up to 30 days after onset. Dosage: 1mg/kg of bodyweight, up to 60mg/day for at least a week, tapering off. Dosage matters! Get a high dose. (my doc badly underdosed me) -- DONE
2. Magnesium supplements. No real risk here and some serious scientific reasons to think it works.
3. Vitamin B12. No real risk here and some serious scientific reasons to think it works.
4. Vitamin D. No real risk here and some serious scientific reasons to think it works.
5. Steroid injections into the ear. Possibly effective up to 90 days after onset, but best before 30. Some sources say these are ineffective, some state they work.

Thanks.

 

As for earplugs is there any reason I should wear them in both ears at the moment? I didn't explain this well but I meant I am just wearing the earplug in the bad ear, not the good one. I am down 35 dBFS at 10 kHz and 50 dBFS and 55dBFS at 12 kHz, and 14 kHz.

Thanks.

 

For vitamin D try to sunbathe. Food items that help me deal with hearing issues, in no particular order: raw garlic (laminated, with olive oil, or together with other foods), raw onion on salad, smoked salmon, avocados, sunflower seeds, dry fruits in general, beef liver, mangoes, kiwi fruit, lemon... try to eat season fruit.

Food is important. It can make a big difference.

 

If you use earplugs your ears will enhance bone conduction on the plugged ear. Your hearing and pressure inside your ears won't be balanced.

 

I have been testing my hearing with an app regularly and my ear has recently recovered to within a normal range up to 8k but remains poor above this. The app results match closely with an earlier audiogram so seem accurate. I've also noticed Diplacusis which is very worrying.

I'm wondering if I should try for intratympanic dexamethasone or prednisolone injections, and/or HBOT which is supposed to be good for acoustic trauma? I know these have risks and work better if done sooner, I'm not sure I am a suitable patient given my hearing is within a normal range up to 8k?

I might be in the category where it's best to take no further action but don't want to regret not trying something in the early stages. Please can someone advise?

Many thanks

 

Anyone?

 

I'm so sorry to hear about your tinnitus onset. When my tinnitus first developed, I was ignorant and thought my ENT would do the miracle and didn't really try much except wait. If I were you, I would try as much as possible before you regret. Fight as hard and long as you can. I regret everyday for not researching enough and trying as much as possible.

As for the steroid injection, you should really ask your ENT doc and weigh the pros and cons for yourself. It's a tough decision. But like I said, if I were you, I would fight and do everything possible.

If you do decide to do the injections, be extremely careful when showering as you have a hole in your hear... Or don't shower, and just do a sponge bath and try to get away from washing your hair (it's nasty but its for the health of your ear so it's worth it).

One thing that I do caution about supplement is take careful observations and notes (such as NAC, NAD+, curcumin, magnesium, etc) to see if it adversely affects your tinnitus volume. If it does not spike it, doesn't hurt to try for a few months. Whether it helps or if it's true, many people reports that it helps them relieve tinnitus.

One note of caution for actual medication, be very careful as some meds can temporary spike tinnitus which can last for short periods or very long time for some people. Be especially, especially careful on antibiotics, which can sometimes do permanent damage. So if you develop some other complications or infections in the future, take extra caution and research the hell out of the antibiotic before you take them.

You're already doing as much as you can, especially with ear plugs and trying to take care of your ears. However, do relax on ear plugs at home because using ear plugs all the time is actually not good for you.

Unfortunately, there's not much else to do except wait and see. For acoustic trauma tinnitus, it's much more hopeful for recovery from what I read in the "Success" stories. So don't give up. You might be the lucky few that will have their tinnitus go away or at least most people have their tinnitus become quiet until in a quiet room.

I wish you the best.

 

Hi @matt09

I am about 27 days in with noise induced T(fireworks) and I just had my second session of HBOT. No change so far but I did learn some things about choosing an HBOT clinic. Perhaps it can help you: make sure the chambers are FDA approved, will need a minimum of 5-10 consecutive sessions(don’t skip days), at least 60-90 minutes sessions, and make sure it is 100% oxygen. Also for the treatment to be effective it is good to do before 6 weeks of trauma.