New Member: Asking for Advice & Support

Hi. I just joined the forum. I've had tinnitus for two years in my left ear. It was caused on a conference call where the facilitator was getting feedback on his equipment and I was on speaker phone but didn't realize it was set to speaker phone, so I put the phone directly to my ear and just at that moment, feedback screeched into my ear. That was the end of silence.

I'm here today because I had a second noise trauma in my left ear and my tinnitus is louder now. I was at a doctor's office and whenever the door opened it made a loud high-pitched tone. Not realizing the source of the sound, I sat in one of the few chairs available--next to the door. The minute a person opened the door, the tone blasted directly into my left ear.

Previously I had adjusted to the noise in my ear and was able to function with it, but since yesterday the noise has been impossible to adjust to. I'm assuming this is permanent and I'm so scared.

 

Why are you assuming it is permanent?

 

Most spikes caused by things that healthy people don't even notice are temporary. But it might be a good idea to wear earplugs when you are somewhere where you could be exposed to noise.

 

This is a spike. it will go away.

 

The reason I assume it's permanent is that everything I've learned says that damage is irreversible. The sound was so loud and high-pitched and was right near my ear.

I had a spike once. I had to take antibiotics and my tinnitus increased after I took a pill, but it would come back down in a few hours.

It's been two days since this happened to me and the sound is consistently louder than before.

dpdx - May I ask? I see your tinnitus worsened after you first got it. Yet you think I may be experiencing a spike that will go away. I'm wondering how to tell a spike that will go away from additional trauma that is permanent.

Thank you all for replying. I feel so alone in this hell.

 

The most reliable way is to wait for 1-3 months. The longer it relentlessly stays at that louder level without any improvement or fading, the more likely it is that it is permanent. If it is still as bad by the end of month 3 as it was soon after onset, at that point there is a good chance that it is permanent. However, if by month 3 (or earlier) it appears to have faded (if only a little), there is a reasonable chance that it will continue fading.

 

Thanks Bill. The high-pitch of the sound, the volume, and the closeness to my ear leave me with little hope. I am now so terrified of a third trauma that I am wondering if I need ear plugs or ear muffs. Since unexpected noises are, well, unexpected, I would have to wear them all the time. I don't know how I could function if I plug up my ears.

 

Why do you think you might have trouble functioning if you plug your ears?

Plugging your ears is probably a good idea (at least when you are in this vulnerable state, and while you are living through a spike). You will want to do something to ensure that you won't develop hyperacusis. For example, you could do something like watching TV at the loudest volume at which you can comfortably watch it, for several hours each day.

 

Hi Bill. I'm thinking I won't be able to do my job if I can't hear people talking to me at work. Also, that it could be dangerous walking around outside if I can't hear anything. But I'm more scared of the tinnitus getting louder than getting fired or run over by a truck, so I've been researching ear plugs. I tried them (before tinnitus) when I had a noisy neighbor, but they hurt so much I couldn't leave them in for more than a minute or two. I'm open to suggestion for ear plugs that aren't so painful. I don't think I could wear ear muffs because I wear glasses.

 

I finally got up the nerve to phone a doctor for an appointment and I got the answering machine. Normally I don't leave messages but this time I did. Since I don't normally leave messages, I was unprepared for the loud high-pitched tone of "leave a message after the tone." It's the irony of my life that my tinnitus would be made worse from calling a tinnitus specialist. But I guess it's my stupidity for not remembering what that tone is like. (In my pre-tinnitus days I never gave it a second thought.) Now my tinnitus is even louder than from Tuesday's injury.

 

Have you Tried it? It sounds like either you haven't tried walking around outside with earplugs in, or perhaps you have some hearing loss. When I walk outside with earplugs in my ears, I can still hear everything (people talking, car horns, the sound of approaching cars, etc.) it is just a little quieter.

Only your left ear was subject to an acoustic trauma, so you can wear an earplug only in your left ear. If you do that, you will be able to hear what people say to you with your right ear. Try it, and see whether that is the case.

I wear glasses when I drive. I also wear my Peltor X5A muffs
https://www.amazon.com/PELTOR-Ear-Muff-Headband-X5A/dp/B00BBCTQK6/
when I drive. It is definitely possible wear them together.

My plugs of choice are
https://www.amazon.com/3M-1100-Foam-Plugs-Pair/dp/B0067NKCO8/

Watch a clip or two about how to insert foam earplugs correctly. Here is one clip

How to fit your 3M roll down earplugs

 

Should you decide to purchase ear muffs, you might consider getting X4M muffs, as they are not as bulky as X5M. Of course X5M provide more noise protection, but they are not easy to wear in public...

 

Thanks Bill. I do think disposable ones would be the most convenient. In the past when I tried them they hurt so much. Based on your experience, how much discomfort is to be expected? What I experienced was pain, not merely discomfort, so maybe I was doing it wrong. I appreciate the video.

I think ear muffs would be great to have for back up. I would certainly want lighter ones. I'm just wondering how they fit over the arms of the eyeglasses.