Need to Get Back to Chainsaw Carving

Hey folks,

I have worked with chainsaws as an arborist for 6 years and as a chainsaw carver for 4. I'm passionate about carving, and always protected my hearing with adequate protection.

In early May, my girlfriend and I had an argument, it ended in her hitting me on the side of the head with her palm five or so times as I stood there stunned.

She broke my eardrum, and I got tinnitus in my left ear. It's pretty loud, and changes frequency. My life has been turned upside down, haven't carved since. I want to get back to carving with my chainsaws, some of them quite big, and other power tools.

My plan is to double up with protection, using a high quality ear bud with a high quality ear muff. I always liked to listen to music while carving so I may use tight fitting ear buds under the muffs at a low volume.

I'm pretty depressed about the t and associated hyperacusis, but I'm ready to get back on my feet and do the things I love again.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Daniel

 

Daniel,

I'm sorry you ended up with t. It's not pleasant. I also enjoy chainsaws and haven't touched my 020, 036, 044 or 066 since I got t. I've barely used power tools for fear of making the t louder. If I use a vacuum or power drill I wear ear plugs and ear muffs (Peltor X5a's, they're awesome compared to what you get locally) and keep the time I use the tool short, under 5 minutes.

I was exposed to loud sirens for 5-10 minutes a couple months ago and the level of my t is just getting back to where it was before then. Please be careful with loud situations especially when you still have h and the t is new. People will disagree with me but I believe our ears are more sensitive to noise when t is new.

I got t March of this year and used a snowblower with doubled hearing protection hoping to prevent the level of my t from increasing. After using my snowblower during a bad storm I laughed to my wife that wearing double hearing protection really makes the t seem quieter because it blares when you have double hearing protection on.

I'm not sure I would have used the snowblower if I knew then what I know now. When t is new your ears can be extra sensitive and loud noise can make t worse even with hearing protection on. My t came from noise, not a ruptured ear drum, so I don't know if that makes a difference.

@Bill Bauer has a post about how noise affects people with t, especially people with new t. Hopefully he can share the post.

I don't recommend wearing ear buds with t because many people have had an increase in t after using them. I don't think headphones are recommended either.

@Michael Leigh has some threads about using ear buds.

I know this is very difficult news and you must be going through a very difficult time. It's a very stressful and anxious time being diagnosed with t. For many the level of t goes down over time and eventually we get used to the sound if it doesn't go away. I'm handling the t much better than I did 4 months ago though I still have a long way to go.

Last week I tried a Husqvarna battery powered weed wacker and blower, thinking they were quieter, and the level of the t increased for a day. I had double hearing protection and didn't use the tools more than half an hour but it affected the t. If you think having t and h causes anxiety when the level of your t increases from loud tool use the anxiety increases 10x.

This post is longer than most I write because I get what you're going through. If I wanted to relax before t I would grab a chainsaw or mow my lawn or do something with a power tool (and hearing protection). My new hobby has been to go for hikes in the forest. It's not the same but better than louder t.

Please be careful.

John

 

did your ear drum heal?? Maybe T will go away... I wouldn't listen to music while using the chainsaw. No way. In order to hear the music over the chainsaw you would have to put it loud. Just protect your ears completely from the chainsaw and you will be ok

 

Based on @Michael Leigh info, even low volume of ear buds under tight ear muffs is no good to ears.
We may need some input from Michael.

 

The 18 year old I hired to mow my lawn was wearing ear buds alone when mowing which made no sense to me. He now wears Peltor X5A's without the ear buds. I didn't demand he wear them but I think he got the hint when I gave him them.

 

Your T might go away, if it does then I would really be careful when getting exposed to loud sounds.

 

Thank you for your considerate, helpful, and compassionate responses.

Yes my ear drum did heal, the ENT put a paper patch on, then it got infected and drained a lot. But healed up in 6 weeks time or so.

 

Will you do an audiogram? I honestly think your T might disappear for good. Please please be careful as now you know what hell this is.

 

I will do one. Thanks for the suggestion.

Just ordered a pair of the x5a peltor muffs.

 

Dude..now you know what hell exsists and how important is to protect your ears.

 

I am very happy to hear this! Congratulation!

It is the first post on
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/learn-from-others-mistakes.29437/

This will reduce the noise only by about 5 dB
https://www.coopersafety.com/earplugs-noise-reduction

 

I hope that your t. goes away....please do protect your ears for at least a year. Try to find other things to help you relax meanwhile you heal. (not the chainsaw carving) I hope you broke up with her.... she has no respect for you. Wishing you quiet days.

 

My advice to anyone that has got tinnitus caused by: exposure loud noise, noise trauma or headphone use, is to never use headphones even at low volume. It doesn't matter what the type of headphone is used, there is always a risk of making the tinnitus worse. If the tinnitus should increase most probably it will not return to its previous level.

Michael

 

I don't know. That's what they say but I find that earmuffs over the earplugs adds a good deal more protection. But I suspect it's because the earplugs don't really offer the protection they claim.

Have you noticed that muffs seem to reduce noise significantly better than earplugs? Try either one with, say, a blender and tell me if you notice a difference.

 

6 dB = doubling of the sound pressure
3 dB = doubling of the sound intensity
http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-levelchange.htm

So 5-6 dB added noise reduction would mean 50% of the sound pressure and 25% of sound intensity.

I looked into this in the past (over a year ago), and the noise reduction seemed similar. I compared Peltor X5A muffs to 3M 1100 earplugs https://www.amazon.ca/3M-1100-Foam-Plugs-200-Pair/dp/B008MVYL7C

 

I've worn plugs and muffs together at times when driving because I was too lazy to take the plugs out. When I take the muffs off with the plugs in I'm like, "Wow! I didn't realize how little the muffs do." Then, when I take the plugs out everything gets significantly louder.

Since getting t I've noticed how much noise gets under ear muffs when you wear safety glasses. That reason right there is why everyone should double up on hearing protection, with or without t, when using power equipment.

I stopped wearing sunglasses when I drive because if I do the noise is significantly louder.

More stuff I never thought about until getting t.

 

I have had T for 14 years because of playing music, since that time i used -25 db custom made plugs (leak proved). I didn't even play much often. Last year I bought new equipment and started playing more intensively, always with plugs. Since a few months now i have severe T and H. You can live with severe T but H is what you DON'T WANT. Really i can't express this enough. Be very carefull, you don't get another change!
I'm selling all my musical instruments, so i don't pick them up again when i'm having a good day. I'm 52 and played music all my life, so this is very hard for me too, but there is no other option. Currently I cannot even slap a bass without amplification!

 

I find that ear plugs do a significantly better job at reducing low frequency noise then ear muffs, while the higher frequency noise seems to reduce equally well. So I prefer ear plugs as the low frequency stuff seems to be bugging me the most.

 

I mean, in an ideal world, you’d have neither...

But I agree that H makes things significantly harder and is incredibly isolating

 

Hi John, I just wanted to say to be careful about the way you’re protecting your ears. You seem to be going down the over-protection route and I really don’t want to see you become phonophobic. There are already too many people on here who are in a terrible position because of this type of behaviour and I don’t want to see you become one of them.

It’s a very slippery slope. Some are now scared to talk without double protection; that’s how bad it can get. All I’m saying is be careful buddy. Protecting your ears is important when it’s really noisy, but try not to turn this behaviour into a necessity, where you can’t function without earplugs and/or muffs. Behaving this way doesn’t tend to improve tinnitus, it usually makes it worse and creates obsessional tendencies.

These excerpts below perfectly highlight what can happen, and I help many people with these problems via PM. It’s a vicious cycle that many fall victim to:

Hypersensitivity to everyday sounds leads some patients to develop phonophobia - an overwhelming fear of sound or noise. Patients with hyperacusis and phonophobia often spend an inordinate amount of time monitoring sound levels in their immediate environment. Some of these people mistakenly believe that exposure to low-level sounds can cause additional damage to their hearing. A majority of patients with severe hyperacusis overprotect their ears by wearing earplugs or earmuffs (or both) much of the time. Overuse of earplugs or earmuffs (that is, daily use even when the patient is not exposed to hazardous sound levels) can lead to further hypersensitization of the patient's auditory system. A vicious cycle of overprotection- hyperacusis-phonophobia (OHP) develops. Some patients stop going to movies, restaurants, religious events and other functions because sound exposures in these environments are perceived as painful or potentially harmful. Patients have quit working because anxiety aboutpossiblesound exposure at work was overwhelming. In extreme cases, patients become recluses, rarely leaving their homes. The vicious OHP cycle can have devastating consequences for a patient's personal relationships, self-image, lifestyle and quality of life.

And another:

One common feature of people with altered sound tolerance is that they try to avoid loud sounds. Although this may seem like a commonsense precaution, it can turn out to be counter productive and can make you even more sensitive to sound. As people avoid sound their environment becomes quieter and the auditory system becomes more sensitive to sound because of this lack of sound input.

Ear protection should not be used for normal day-to-day activities. Whilst it is understandable that people may wish to use ear plugs or ear muffs when doing something such as emptying a dishwasher or driving a car, it will not help with learning to manage hyperacusis in the long term. Of course, it is sensible to use ear protection measures when doing something really noisy such as using DIY tools.

If ear protection is currently being used for everyday situations, it is important to discuss strategies for reducing their use with the hyperacusis therapist. They will have some useful suggestions and be able to provide support through what can seem like a daunting time. For advice on appropriate ear protection measures, see the BTA leaflet Noise and the ear.

I'll post one more:

The overuse of hearing protection is almost universally discouraged based on evidence that it will lower loudness thresholds over time. Risks of overprotection include increased auditory gain, anxiety induced hypersensitivity, and reinforcement of negative associations with sound. Positive results from studies of Sound Therapy & Counseling reinforce the notion that overprotection can prevent people from building sound tolerance. These treatments emphasize a gradual increase in sound exposure rather than sound isolation. It is often recommended that those with hyperacusis walk the fine line between setbacks and overprotection rather than follow a course of isolation and hypervigilance. Practically applying this guideline is not always straightforward.

http://www.audiologyonline.com/arti...eracusis-phonophobia-tinnitus-retraining-1105

https://www.tinnitus.org.uk/hyperacusis

http://hyperacusisfocus.org/research/earplug-use-2/

 

Not only headphones but any loud places or ear tests (as in my case), which can increase Tinnitus for good.

 

@dpdx

I do not fully agree with what you have said, as there is a danger of some people avoiding sounds in everyday environment when there is no need to. People that follow this practice of sound avoidance have the propensity to develop phonophobia and misophonia. Please don't think this cannot happen because it can. I have corresponded with a few people in this forum that have developed these conditions, following the advice from negative thinking people that write posts on wearing earplugs and earmuffs at the slightest hint of loud noise and to run for cover if they see a fire truck or hear a police car with its siren on. This is quite extraordinary and goes to show how some people can easily be lead down the wrong path.

Michael

 

Loud places as in clubs, concerts, cinema. I would also refrain if I were a newbie from doing ear tests as well. All those things I mentioned can do damage. As a result my T has increased triple fold. Police Sirens and Ambulance are OK, they didn't to anything to me when I had Mild T.

 

@Ed209

I'm trying to be careful while still protecting my hearing. The t is new and my ears are still very sensitive. I appreciate, and recognize, the concern and I do my best to cautiously walk the line.

 

I know you mean well @dpdx and know you have had an unfortunate experience. However, please tread carefully with this sort of advice because I don't think it is really helping people. I do not agree that a newbie should refrain from ear or hearing tests. Speaking for myself: I had very severe tinnitus and hyperacusis and I've often mentioned this. I had the full range of hearing tests including Tympanometry, where a rubber bung is inserted into the ear and pressure is applied. I had no problems at all. I have never had the caloric test which you refer to and have said made your tinnitus worse. Perhaps it might be a good idea for people not to have this particular test.

I see nothing wrong with a person that has tinnitus, particularly noise induced, going to a club or concert where music is played. One must be careful. Use noise reducing earplugs and listen to their auditory system, it will let you know if sound levels are too loud. I wrote in my post: Hyperacusis, As I see it. I went to a venue where sound levels were 100 decibels and stayed there for 30mins and used no earplugs. The next morning my tinnitus was completely quiet and my hyperacusis stayed the same as it had been for 18 years, completely silent.

Michael

 

I will never go to club, cinema, concert, festival ,etc. Too risky for me....anyways I am reaching 1 year mark with T and H it feels like yesterday..

 

I can't say I blame you considering what you have been through. The problem that some people face is when they habituate the tinnitus can reduce to a very low level. If the tinnitus was originally caused by exposure to loud noise, and they start to attend venues where loud music is played or use headphones frequently they have forgotten, and slip back into the old lifestyle and this is when danger can strike and strike very hard! So bad in fact the tinnitus can spike, increase and not return to its previous manageable level.

Michael

 

Not me! I have learned m lesson for all times. My only wish is to see a classical music performance in Prague or Vienna.

 

In time hopefully you will feel able to attend the classical performance. Think positive....

 

I agree, but he already has T. H is like odorless gas, you don't really are aware of it untill it's too late.