Need Serious Help — Will My Tinnitus Go Away? What to Ask ENT?

Exactly three weeks ago I went shooting with my grandpa. I had ear protection for every shot, besides one, when i had one side lifted to talk to my grandpa. Someone shot an AR-15 and I immediately put the protection back on. My mom took me into the ER (she's the manager there) after a week of it ringing and she looked into my ear and saw nothing wrong, so did another person that works there. The other person said it would take about two weeks to go away. It has now been three weeks, and im very depressed about this. Mainly because it was such a silly mistake and that im very young (14). That was my first time around anything that loud without protection, besides one concert about two years later (which had no effect on me). Basically, im just wondering whether you guys think it will go away or not. I have an ENT appointment tomorrow, anything I should mention/ask?

 

Thank you. So far I've had no difficulty falling asleep really, maybe a few extra minutes. Ive always slept with a fan on. It is just very annoying during the day.. and how much i wish i could have silence. I'll post another reply tomorrow after my ENT appointment, hopefully it goes well, and they dont just say "might go away and might not just live with it"

 

You will be alright young man. Give it time.

 

I agree with Jay & Karen. No need to worry much. You are young and the T is new. The less stressed you are about T & the less attention you pay to it, the less if will be an issue over time. If you can sleep well, you are ahead of many new T sufferers already. So take it easy.

 

Your gonna be okay! Your so young things will improve! I got T from noise exposure 8 months ago and can say that it improved and got more quieter. T is so unpredictable but our ears need time to heal from damage like that. one day at a time, and the future looks good for all of us, i believe everyone will get there silence back in this life theres much research into treatments and cures and there will only be more and more! dont be afraid to talk to someone about it, if you have questions need support just keep posting thats what were all here for

 

Thanks, everyone. You helped a lot. Anything I should ask for or about at my appointment tomorrow? And I will be sure to keep everyone updated. I never knew what could happen and how big of an effect ear problems were.. if it does go away or not ill always be more protective with my ears.

 

We are here for you. I shot 50 rounds and others probably hundreds a little over a month ago and unfortunately the ringing is still there but it did subside once I stopped paying attention to it. Give it time and try to relax. Force yourself to do things that will keep your mind off the T. I bet you will be fine. Mask it at night with a fan or some apps on your phone. Mask it in the day as well. Don't look for it all the time. I give you this advice from experience from what I did wrong and what helped. Wish you a speedy recovery, we are here for you.

 

Jordan, I would ask if he has seen someone as young as you have T from loud noise, if so, how long did it take for that person to get back to normal. Be glad you can sleep, you are lucky in a sense that you know exactly what caused you're T. Most of us, when we first get T go nuts trying to back track and figure out how we got it. Noise, meds, stress, TMJ, infection, the list goes on and on. I wish you the very best outcome. Be sure and keep us updated...

 

Agree with everything others have said Jordan - you must not concentrate on your T - keep yourself occupied and in quiet moments have some quiet noise or music (sorry not grunge) in the background and concentrate on that noise which will let you forget abut your T - I'm sure this will fade over time as you have youth - you're not an old fogey like me - keep positive and teach yourself to ignore it by distracting yourself so you don't think about it.

 

Just got back from the ENT. They did a hearing test in the most common frequencies, 250-8000. Perfect hearing. He said that I most likely damaged the higher frequency hearing. He said tinnitus is like phantom pain, and ill just get used to it over time.. He didnt say anything about it going away, but im still hoping. If it doesnt go away, there is research going on to fix this, so that makes me happy.

 

@Jordan4 it may also go away... your ears need time to heal...but even if it's permanent, just know that you can have a wonderful life even with T.

Big hugs xx

 

When your young you heal better. That goes for cuts, bruises, broken bones, everything. You have a better chance than anyone on here of having your tinnitus disappear .
And don't beat yourself up over doing something stupid at 14. I'm 35 and haven't stopped doing stupid things yet. Good luck at ent.

 

I'm sensing age discrimination(Joke). I am 65 1/2 get senior citizen discounts. Looking for a discount to my T(lol).
Hang in there it does get better, patience.

 

Think of this as temporary and this too shal pass.. Thats what i tell myself and it just helps my mentality of accepting it and being positive and hopeful that a cure will come

 

hang in there @Jordan4
It's a tough thing to deal with. But you can live with it. Life is too good and short. I wish you the best. Just stay positive.

 

@Jordan4 I agree with @SoulStation hang in there. Time is your allied. Talk to us.

 

Hi, @Jordan4. I don't know if you talked to your ENT about this, but you know what caused your tinnitus (noise) and you are in the very early stages of the disorder. This means you are a good candidate for treatments like steroid injections or hyperbaric oxygen treatments. I don't know if you are from the USA. If so, it seems like our ENTs never discuss possible early stage interventions with patients. From what I hear from TT board members, it seems steroid injections immediate post-onset are much more common in Europe.

So you and your mom might ask about these procedures soon, while they still can be effective. They need to be done as soon after the noise exposure occurs as possible.

In the meantime, as others have said: You are young, your tinnitus has just started, and it very well may go away on its own. Sounds like you are handling the situation very well, by the way. Just protect your ears while you heal, don't beat yourself up about it happening, and keep that positive attitude.

 

Wasnt there something about if a person gets tinnitus they should take steroids because if taken soon after getting T they can make it go away again? But only in the beginning?

 

In some cases (but not all), yes, as I mentioned in my post above yours. Steroids can make tinnitus go away. But you do need to have the injections, or take the pills, as soon as possible. And steroids themselves have serious side effects, so you need to weigh the risk against the advantage.

I didn't know any of this until I was more than three months from onset, at which point it was too late.

 

So what should I try to take, then, and how would I get it?

 

Talk to your parents, tell them to make you an ent apt again and then discuss with them the sterioid injections.. Maybe have them call your ent first and find out if they would be willing to offer you steriods to see if it helps.

 

@Jordan4

4 weeks ago today my T randomly began while I was reading a book. The first week I had panic attacks all day and at work and was scared this thing could disable me. It was so freaking loud and I couldn't concentrate. The next week and some mild anxiety meds later I had tons of anxiety but no panic and had a couple days where it went into the background for part of the day. Third week I went on vacation to a quiet resort and just had to listen to it. But that really helped me stop fearing it and I had a good time. Forth week I didn't hear it more than 50% of the time and it was less intrusive when it was there. Had one bad day and that was still better than any day I had week one or two.
I hope yours goes away. I hope mine does too. But just accept that it is there, take a little time to listen to it and realize that it won't hurt you, then try to completely stop worrying about it. That's hard, I'm not there yet. But MUCH closer than when it first happened. Don't change how you act or the things you do, socializing or stuff like that. Even if it's tough just fake it and before you know it it will either be gone or your life will be the same and you'll occasionally notice it but not be bothered by it.

For prednisone you have to have a prescription. If you're young and healthy your PCP or ENT will likely give you a prednisone taper if you ask and it's generic and cheap. I don't have any experience with hyperbaric oxygen but if you ask your ENT they may know.