Noise Exposure the Past 2 Days

Hi folks,

it's the local helper Fish here. I am writing a post to tell you guys and hopefully motivate you guys/gals as usual.

Yesterday, my friend came over and he drives a car that is modified with fancy exhausts and a lot of junk that i'd never bother with. We walked to his car and instantly remembered that his car is loud. He started his engine and that loud VROOOOoooooommmm started. I was outside talking with him while that scary noise was on. I must have been outside for 2 minutes.

I was saying to myself, "I hope my hearing didn't get damaged". I went back inside my place and I listened to tranquil ocean sounds through out the day.

Today I woke up and I didn't have an unusual spike or anything. So Today I took my car to have a flat tire fixed. I was parked in the spot where they check the tire air pressure. next to that spot was the garage. IT WAS SO SO LOUD in there. You had drill guns, clanking of metals...it was very scary and loud. No doubt, those folks in there must have some sort of hearing issue. I know i'd never make it in there.

I went in for one second to get some help and some one used an air pressure/air gun and it was VERY loud and I quickly got out of there. As I got out of there, a car that was not even 5 feet from me honked as well.

So far, no spikes. It's the usual loud/intrusive tinnitus I face every second of my life.

The point of the post is this. I have managed to stay calm, no sweating the noise or anything. Keeping ourselves calm is CRUCIAL when scary noise or accidents happen.

Stress/anxiety and constant fear of the events/past events can bring on nasty spikes and keep them going...

***Now, for folks that have hyperacusis or anxiety issues, this situation can way more challenging. I'm just saying that accidents will happen. Loud noises can happen, try to hep yourself by remaining calm.***

I use my experiences to help YOU folks out. hopefully this post was helpful...

PS- All of us are different. My post simply just makes a point that anxiety/stress/fear is horrible and remaining calm during and after an accident is very important.

 

My audiologist told me that the reason why my hearing dropped from 5db t0 30db on 4khz is because of stress/anxiety.

 

Hey @fishbone thanks for sharing.

I, too, had a bad experience with mechanics and cars yesterday.

Was looking over a van that my wife wants to purchase. She hired a mechanic to also come and take a look. Several noises that were loud: him revving the engine with the bonnet up (I walked away from this when he began doing it) and when he also blasted the horn, twice. For the horn blasts, I was only about 5 feet away and was not expecting it. Bonnet was up as well and it was really loud.

Trying to remain calm now. Ear feels a bit full and I feel spent with anxiety!

 

Mine is the same as yours but it's a result of about 50 concerts plus many nights in clubs.

It's very mild at the moment but can be a bit louder depending on stress at work etc.

 

Originally I had no hearing loss but after VEMP it dropped significantly. Mine is always loud as hell. I really wish it could be mild again. Last night it was a 10/10 blasting jet engine sound near my ear.

 

There's definitely more at play than hearing loss, my grandfather is profoundly deaf and wears a hearing aid, only mild tinnitus.

 

I also have dark eye floaters and visual snow? do you have this?? I never had this until March of this year.

 

I've asked mine too because he is profoundly deaf. He told me that he doesn't hear anything.
Some people go deaf and have no tinnitus or minor tinnitus.

I have eye floaters which I didn't had prior to tinnitus. What is visual snow?

 

I have blue field entopic phenomenon, visual snow, and dark/black eye floaters.
Visual snow is pretty much seeing things like this

 

Tinnitus is so much more than ringing in your ears. Tinnitus ruins the brain bit by bit, first It beings to destroy it mentally then physically (visual snow, blue entopic phenomenon, floaters (dark), visual snow, dementia, starbursts, photo sensitivity) it can even spread from visual to other senses such as touch.

 

Speechless about these phenomena. Have you been on any medication? How's your blood pressure?

 

Tinnitus, Sleeplessness and Tinnitus and Sleeplessness can do the same too.

Do you take vitamin b-complex, B12 or antioxidants? Omega 3 helps both in eyes and ears.

 

Listen man I never had issues with my vision or hearing. If you compared me from 7/22/2017 and 7/22/2018 it is a huge difference. Last year on this date I had no health issues whatsoever. In September of 2017 I Developed moderate tinnitus with some floaters (just a few). My T dropped from moderate to mild and I had an audiogram done (it was completely normal-in fact perfect). When I did ear syringing (caloric test) and the vemp test (1oo decibels) back in January, Tinnitus increased from mild to extreme and then dropped to severe. After that I began to see all of these visual disturbances.

 

I do see floaters occasionally yeah, slight visual snow if I look at a white background but I think I have always had that.

 

With respect @dpdx your comments help no-one least of all you because it is a totally negative mindset. I have known you for quite some time and like you because you have manners and respect. This proves to me you were well brought up. You also like classical music which is in your favour too! You are a young man with your whole life ahead of you. Please try and get some help by seeing a Hearing Therapist for some tinnitus counselling. I know you are averse to antidepressant medication but I wish you would try them or something like St John's Wort. It is shame to see you carry on this way.

Take care
Michael

 

They are strange but I agree that they can happen. I got the same floaters you described after getting mild to moderate tinnitus. Ear syringing is dangerous and 100db on an eardrum with increased ear pressure would be like 140db. I don't know really what to say. Tinnitus is an awful condition that causes much more than hearing loss.

 

Michael Leigh,
You have mild-mod-severe-extreme tinnitus, but what I dont get is how come you dont have visual disturbances? My mindset has turned completely negative after those ear tests which caused me moderate hearing loss and severe tinnitus which is just awful. I had a misfortune of tasting what mild-moderate-severe-extreme tinnitus is like. I know its a shame with two degrees in Math/Economics and knowledge of four foreign languages, but hey its life what can we do. In September it will mark one year for me with this and I am suspecting that my life will not resume where it was. On top of Severe T..I have visual snow and dark eye floaters. Though those dont bother me as much as the tinnitus which can be heard over a running faucet full blast, over sound oasis machine, etc

 

One thing is sure: hearing loss in 4KHz isn't from anxiety.

 

Not according to him.

 

How long did it take for your T to settle. It says your profile you had it since 2012.

 

My tinnitus does vary from: complete silence, mild, moderate, severe and can reach very severe levels @dpdx I have never experienced the additional symptoms that you have mentioned. I personally think a lot of what you're going through is caused by [STRESS] if this was brought under control I think you would start to feel a lot better and you'd find the visual disturbances fade away in time. If stress isn't brought under control, a whole load of problems can start to manifest themselves.

Michael

 

It’s always been the way it is, never been severe. Can fluctuate a but if im stressed or tired.

 

Those visual disturbances dont bother me as much as the Severe Tinnitus. If it could just drop down to mild where it was I would be happy, but sadly it has been since January and it didnt get better at all. I would love to resume my life where it left off with all my heart, however it dosent work like that.

 

One way to achieve this @dpdx is to try and get some tinnitus counselling and take something to help reduce your stress which I believe is affecting you. Once this starts to reduce you will begin to feel better and have a more positive outlook on life instead of looking at everything so negatively. I have been over this with you before. You have got to want this to happen because it won't happen by itself.

Take care
Michael

 

(Scientific) Source?

I think you are confusing correlation and causation. See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28723606

 

I just wish it can return to the way it was before (Sep-Dec), it was so tolerable and it would only be annoying. I would only hear it when i would be in a quiet place. Now it is debilitating and it covers everything. I do have hope that it will return to where it was one was, but not much of it remains after these seven months that passed. I would love to continue where I stopped but in my heart I am suspecting that wont happen.

 

It is normal to have doubts but the first step in trying to get back to place you were before things took a turn for the worst, is to start reengaging positive thinking. If you can't get to see a Hearing Therapist for tinnitus counselling see some sort of counsellor that can help you to look at life more positively.

 

Are you afraid that listening to classical music on HI-FI might worsen tinnitus? I listen to classical on my laptop but at a volume of 20. I am too afraid to listen to it in the car with a higher volume.

 

I love listening to classical music, opera and American Jazz fusion: Bob James, Lee Ritenor, Diane Shurr, Michael Franks. Please get the New Michael Franks CDs: Music in my head. It is out of this world. I have all of his CD. I love my music and been an Audiophile since the age of 16. At 58 and having recovered from two noise traumas, it hasn't deterred me from listening to music on my HI-FI. I regularly listen at 60 to 75 decibels and have no problems at all.

Try not to promote fear and anxiety. Listen to music in your car and start at a low level. Negative thinking can do a lot of harm and we must try and guard ourselves against it.

Stop listening to classical music on your Laptop that's awful sound quality. Get a good HI-FI system and if you want some advice I can help you.

Michael

 

Do you like Debussy?