Noise-Induced Tinnitus — Positive Success Stories

Hello, I've been lurking on your forum for about a week and figure I'll post a question here for support.

Here's my story.

About 3 weeks ago I was working on my truck and I used a die grinder for 2-3 hours. I'm very careful about safety so I had on my earmuffs the entire time. I did have a hat on and safety glasses so the earmuffs may not have been as tight as needed.

I've used the die grinder before but only for 10-15 minutes at a time with no issues.

The day I used the tool everything was fine. I had no discomfort or pain from the noise and everything seemed like it was ok. I was elated I got the job done and didn't think twice about it.

About 6 days later my ears had ringing. I assumed it must be from a medication I'm on or the start of a cold because I felt a fullness in my ear. After a week of this I visited an ENT and he ran a test on my ears.

The results showed what the doctor called mild to moderate hearing loss in the higher frequencies. He said the ringing was my ears trying to compensate for the noise they couldn't hear. He said it will usually get better with time and once my anxiety goes down. He recommended a couple over the counter supplements to help.

Unfortunately he really didn't have much to say beyond that.

I've had jelly legs since that meeting because I thought it was a cold or something and it was much worse. I go from times I can barely stand because I'm so scared to times I realize I have to be strong to beat this. I'm only into this for my second week.

Right now I have ringing that is stronger in my right ear than left though it fluctuates between them. I have a pressure or fullness in both ears though sometimes one more than the other. If the room is quiet the noise is always there.

If I go outside, drive my car, go to the gym or do something physical I barely notice the noise but if I'm in a quiet room it is really loud. It is difficult to concentrate and being in a quiet room brings the jelly legs back.

I know I screwed up. I thought ear muffs were enough. I would appreciate if folks can stay as positive as possible in the replies. I've beaten myself up enough.

Can anyone share stories of success with this situation? I had ear protection on and always wear ear protection when using loud equipment. I think it was the duration that did me in.

If anyone has been in a similar situation and can share a positive story about their recovery, or the noise getting quieter over time, I'd really appreciate it.

I'm hoping it slowly starts to fade. I saved a thread on this site about positive stories on tinnitus to read as motivation because I need some good news right now.

Thank you!

 

I'm new here as well. My issues started in December last year, and after much time with an ENT and several hearing tests, I ended up getting tubes in my ears, which has helped the eustachian tube dysfunction but has left me feeling "off" and with pulsatile T in the right ear.

I'm six weeks into the T, and I'm dealing with it better, and you will too.

Are you getting any rest at night? This has been my biggest problem throughout, and my primary doc has helped me work through this. It's hard to de-stress or make progress in anything if you're not resting.

 

Thank you for saying something positive. I got a tear in my eye when you said you're dealing with it better and I will too. I'm getting rest though falling asleep takes longer than usual with all the noise. My wife has been very supportive and been there for me. I don't feel I have the endurance to fight this and go through normal daily activities.

 

It sounds like you are now at a stage that some of us take 6-12 months to get to. Many of us could hear the sound of tinnitus over everything (the sound of a car driving on a highway, shower, airplane, etc.) during those early months following the onset of T.

So this is a good sign - you haven't hurt your ears as badly as many of us here. It might take 3-6-12-24 months, but you might get to hear silence again.

Ear fullness is a symptom of your ears having been hurt. It will most likely go away over the next 3-6 months.

I've been reading the stories shared on this forum for over a year now. Many people with similar damage to your damage had experienced their tinnitus fading. Also check out the studies listed in tip 1 in the post below.

In case you haven't seen that post before, check out the link below. In that post, I summarize everything (27 tips) I learned about managing tinnitus after reading the posts on this forum for the past year.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

 

Bill,

Thank you for your encouragement. While I can say it leaves with adequate white noise it's high pitched and distracting without.

Most people on the site talk about tinnitus from brief noise exposure or gunshots. Do you have any stories where people had hearing loss and they got quiet again? I know I'm hoping for a Hail Mary but to me 2-3 hours doesn't seem like a lifetime.

There's a thread somewhere on the site that really helps me where people talk about recovering from their Tinnitus. I saved it for motivation:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...recovery-after-2-years-not-habituation.21313/

 

Im 4 months into my T, from about 30 minutes of a loud band playing in a small venue. After 4 months its reduced a lot and continues to fade but its really really slow going. Iv been taking all kinds of supplements, which i think might help, b12, magnesium, omega 3 6 9. Im going to start with all kinds of other stuff pycnogenol, reservatrol, grape seed extract, reservatrol, soon. This will reduce inflammation and increase the blood into my inner ear.

Time is the only thing that really helps though but in my case time is certainly doing its thing. The difference from 2 months ago to now is enormous. Its really important you dont go anywhere loud for a good while, even busy pubs or restaurants will aggravate it. It still irritates me when I'm trying to sleep but i mask it if i need too. Im making progress though which is helping my overall mood, im trying not to think about how am i going to cope with this etc what if this what if that. Im just concentrating on what i can do to help my situation and not worsen it and thanking my lucky stars every time i notice some improvement. You will improve and as you do you should start to feel better. Thats the only good news i can tell you really. Hope you make a full recovery.

 

Hey New Guy. I'm hoping for you that it will subside with time. Ear ringing is really discouraging to come to terms with. No qualification needed there. But, as a lot of people who have been on here a while can show, it either can reduce with time, and/or we can learn to manage/deal better in ways that don't disrupt life. My situation is quite similar to John Paul's. About two months ago, I was at a rock concert for a half hour, and it's been here since. Someone's it will fade, sometimes it will be a bit louder, but for me it's definitely quieter than was after three weeks, and I probably accept it better that I can live with it even if it doesn't go away. I hope it gets softer for you as well, and hopefully goes away entirely.

 

Hey New Guy, just like you - I got my T from a noise-induced incident(Fire Alarm).
I can say that after a month - it has faded a lot from the initial screeching loud sound, you can probably count on that happening to you as well, and hopefully a full recovery.

Remember that time is the best healer when it comes to it, and protect your hearing as much as you can right now to allow your ears to heal.

 

John Paul

Thank you for sharing your story. I started taking a supplement a couple days ago. Not sure I'm allowed to post names here but it's one found at the drug store with lots of B12. The ENT said he recommends the one you get online but didn't want to tell me either was a cure.

I'm glad you notice a difference after 2 months. I'm hoping I do too. While I don't want to set deadlines I keep thinking that if there is a greater power please make this go away.

I wish you a steady recovery and reading of your success on the forum.

 

Dal523

Thank you for sharing your experience of progress with time. I keep telling myself to be patient and not do anything stupid with my ears and it will improve with time. The thing I like most about this forum is I can find people who have improved since their Tinnitus happened. That's what I need to hear.

 

DIJ111,

The thought of listening to a fire alarm would be unbearable to me. I've read many people carry ear plugs to prevent exposure to loud noises while on the heal. I'm going to put a pair somewhere handy today.

I will work hard on reminding myself that time is the greatest healer and thank you for sharing that great insight.

 

All,

Thank you for your positive replies. It really helped me at a low point last night.

When I went to bed last night I heard some popping noised in one of my ears which was weird but I'll take anything I can get right now. This morning when I woke up it seemed like the ringing was going up and down in intensity for a while, possibly with my heart beat. I'm not sure I'd call these events progress or focusing too much.

I will say that I woke up this morning with the ringing and did my best yet to roll out of bed and get going. I owe that to all of you who took the time to reply.

I look forward to reading of your progress on the forum and I can't thank you enough for taking the time to write and help me.

 

hi, I didn't read all the replies after your original thread. I found it odd that the ringing didn't start till 6 days later. Very strange to me. When I damaged my ears after a concert they were ringing the next morning. I can't understand how that tool you were using damaged your ears but they started ringing 6 days later. Maybe the ringing was from something else. That in my opinion would be good since from what I know the ringing from loud sounds tends to stay around.

Whatever the case don't worry. Take care of your ears in the future. Try not to harm them. When I got T I felt suicidal. I stayed home from work 3 weeks. I was a total mess. Now almost 3 years later I'm fine. Still have the ringing. Exactly the same. But I'm used to it. Back to my old self. I still hear it but it doesn't bother me. I do try to take care to not damage them anymore. Carry ear plugs! Still wish it would go away but I'm fine. Take care of yourself.

 

I didnt notice until later the following day, thought nothing of it and didnt notice it again for days until i remembered about it and listening in for it. Found it and from then on it just got worse for about 3 weeks to the point where it was like burning or grinding in my head at night. Those were scary nights. After that my left ear was howling intermittently for hours at a time, this lasted a few weeks maybe a month and from then on it just calmed down thankfully. The odd bit of fleeting tinnitus every other day sometimes weeks. No more howling and harder and harder to notice it. Iv been staying home for months now though because i know that these banshees are just raring to go. I working on the mental side of it at the moment and tying not to give it any attention and zoning out at night time to feel like I'm in silence even though I'm not if i focus on it.

 

Robert 44,

That's the odd thing to me too that it started 6 days later. When I saw the ENT I had a list of things that I thought may have caused it, including drugs I was on, but he said it's typical tinnitus from noise exposure. I had no ringing when using the tool nor discomfort in my ears. For 6 days after I felt great about completing the job. When my ears did start to ring I didn't associate it with the tool, more the meds I was on and I freaked out it was a reaction to a drug.

My anxiety comes and goes and I pray I get used to the ringing or it goes down.

I wore ear protection because I wanted to be safe but the tool was louder than I realized and I used it for a while. This is what really gets me down, I was doing everything I thought I should be. I suppose many on this site feel the same after going to a concert who would thing it would effect you....

Thank you for sharing you stayed home from work for 3 weeks. I've been anxious and unproductive for two weeks on Tuesday. I'm trying to take baby steps back toward normalcy. Pay some bills today, go to the gym tomorrow, go to the store for my wife today. There's this dark cloud hanging over me and I don't know when my emotions will get the best of me.

Thanks again for your support.

 

John Paul,

I'm glad your T calmed down for you. Mine is still up and down depending on the room I'm in. I know rooms that will bring it out because they're quiet and I know places I can go where background noise will take care of it.

The day I noticed it I thought nothing of it. I was like, "Huh, my ears are ringing. That's wierd." and I went about my business. By the second week I realized there was more to the story and decided to see an ENT pronto for some explanation. They ran the usual tests and said I have noise induced hearing loss and my ears are trying to cope.

Like I said in the original post I'm praying for a Hail Mary here. I know there have been posts by people who went to concerts who lost there T. I want to be one of them too.

 

Went to the Gym today and exercised for about an hour. I notice my ears feel fuller either in the afternoons or after working out. I wonder if things will quiet when my ears start to lose the full feeling. I hope the full feeling is my ears trying to heal and hopefully succeeding. I know I'm pulling at straws but I'm doing my best to find a light.

 

My T turned on 11 days after my acoustic trauma...

 

My ears felt full the odd time and basically my entire head felt odd at times, my right ear which was/is the least effected, is popping quite a lot or was until a few weeks ago. You will probably notice a lot of different odd changes as things gradually get better. Going to the gym should help, getting your blood circulating and those feel good endorphins will really help. A bath in the evening as well is a good idea just to really chill you out.

This is the 3rd time iv had T, first time about 7 years ago, it lasted a week, i was having musical hallucinations and everything it scared me so bad that when it went away i just wanted to forget about it so bad. I couldn't pin it on loud music as the music seemed not that loud to me so i was confused by it all as was using medication at the time. Second time about 3 years ago, again not that loud music but this time it was obvious it was the music. Again went away in about a week. Told myself my hearing was screwed and id avoid loud places from now on. Stupid me went and pretty much forgot about it again and ended up in this mess I'm in now. But each time its happened the process is the same in how it heals. Im right at the final stages of it going its just lingering around now. I'm just praying that it lets go but I'm not overly convinced it will this time because ive had some sort of base line now when i come to think about it for a good while but it was not something that i bothered about, it was nothing to me really as dumb ass me didn't know what it was, or really care even. Id been using my iPod too loud for years when running past years so I'm putting it down to this, and the fact i was an alarm engineer for 10 years. The first time i got T and had musical hallucinations i was hearing a bellbox real quiet when i plugged my ears. SCARY SHIT. I'm still absolutely terrified by this at the moment as i have a terrible memory and its only just started coming back to me.

This is just taking months instead of a week to go through the same processes as before. When it happened before i instinctively did all the right things though and totally put it out of my mind. It went away and maybe a week later i was like oh shit yeah its gone away phew put that to back of my mind again and carried on with life. Ill never ever forget it this time that is for sure and maybe this is why this has been worse because i panicked this time.

Try not to think about it getting worse as you can find stuff on the internet where you just read about it getting worse easily. This has not been my experience at least not since i wised up to my situation and looked after my hearing. Invest in ear plugs and some muffs if you haven't already. Even things like my smoothy machine are loud so i wear muffs when i use it. The fleeting T is the worse for me it really makes me panic while it happens. Its not that often though and like someone said its like everything drops off for a second, you hear silence and then BOOM. Id like to think of that as some sort of test by your brain to see if it an go back to normal yet or not, who knows.

The best advice I can give you is do not pay attention to it, dont zone in on it and fill your day with things for your brain to do that are hopefully not loud. Try to remain optomisitic you need to tell your brain your in a good place. Its a vicious circle because the ring created by the brain is a bit like a warning, it thinks your life is in danger, you then panic because of the noise and your brain gets signals that your still in danger so keeps the ring going. Thats the psyche part of it obviously there is the reality part as well which is your hearing is damaged but there is no real reason why you can't just be a bit deaf and thats it. Chamomile tea in the evening before bed might help you too its a natural Benzo.

 

John Paul,

Thank you for sharing all that. I want to not pay attention to it but that's going to take time. I've been searching it on the internet and it's been cranking up.

Can you tell me your stages of Tinnitus? A simple list will work fine so I can compare where I'm at to where I may be.

Again, I'm only 2 weeks in and I've got ringing usually louder in one ear than the other though it will go back and forth occasionally. I hear ringing in quiet places but have to search for it if outdoors near traffic or in the shower. Apparently it gets louder and quieter depending on if I'm searching for it on the internet.

I swear, all the positive feedback yesterday and this morning had me feeling great but now it's really making some noise.

Thank you!

 

Google is your worst enemy, seriously. I know its hard though all you want is reassurance it can go away but it can really get your anxiety going. In real life you will find the real success stories its common and it can go away many years down the line.


The stages iv experienced are sort of like this. This time its been different more severe and prolonged.

The usual vice ring, high pitched electrical ring weeks 1 - 4
Really bad grinding sensations or burning in the head at night, like painfully shrill noise. week 3
randomly howling in sessions of hours at a time in my worst ear,
all this goes away and calms down to be flat lower in severity and volume around month 2
can't hear it in the day only at night, feels like electrical signals flowing all over my brain, not so much high pitched anymore. But like a field of crickets at night time.
Month 3
Sounds like needles or splintering with muffs on, kinda hard to explain. kinda like someone tuning a radio.
Noise is now localised to either side of my head, (the banshees) hissing white noise/air and spluttering and squealing. Sounds like a tuning fork now instead of a radio tuner with like some reverb or echo or something. like wahhhhhhh
The banshees are now quieter and squealing and spluttering not as fast. At first they would squeal and splutter so fast it was a continuous tone, now its a flutter/squeel every 2 seconds or more.
Sounds more like a hum or a buzz like an old CRT TV
Month 4
My left ear is now no worse than my other ear these past few days. I can't hear it unless i zone in for it or trying to sleep. masking is way easier and i can manage without masking it if i just tell myself the noise i hear is just the sound of silence. Im judging my progress based on how comfortable do i feel in a silent place, as that is all that really matters to me ultimately.

Hope that helps sounds kinda crazy trying to explain this stuff but its always been the same process.

 

John Paul,

Thank you for sharing your experience. I know mine will probably be different but at least I know it's not always going to be the same. I totally get the high pitched electrical ring. That's definitely where I am. I pray this isn't where I stay.

I found a recording of rain falling you YouTube that does a great job of creating white noise when it gets out of hand.

Thanks again!

 

Looks like this is going to be my journal besides my home journal.

I went to see a mechanic at a local gas station and asked about ringing ears. He kind of laughed and said he sometimes has ringing ears for 1 week to 1 month when using the tool I used. I'm amazed people can have an incident like that and think nothing of it or using hearing protection. He said the ringing usually starts that day and lasts up to a month. He specifically mentioned going to bed at night and how you turn over on your side and hear the noise.

I spoke to someone that said what I've been doing is good. I saw the ENT and I'm being careful. She said it's possible I already had the hearing loss and the T could be temporary or at least go down. I hope so. She said T is a sign your ear has been damaged and it's trying to heal itself. I have to focus on the heal itself part. She recommended white noise or low music in the background to avoid constant focus on the T. I'm going to try that.

I got a little freaked out listening to the car radio today because it didn't sound as crisp as usual. I've also been listening to it at a whisper or just keeping it off. I got home and put the TV on and everything sounded the way it normally does so hopefully that's my anxiety getting to me again...and again...and again.

If I go outside the house I swear unless I look for the T I can't hear it. Unfortunately I look for it and I think it would take a baseball bat to get me to not look for it. If the weather gets nicer I'll go for some long walks in the woods to burn off some anxiety.

Worry isn't going to do anything though it's there no matter what I do. All I can do is give things time and be patient. That sounds so easy to do but yet it's so hard.

 

Try not to over think things. Its hard but its a good idea to approach it like forget about it until it becomes impossible to forget, like at night time. Then deal with night time with masking it. If its not bothering you in the day time try not to keep seeing if its gone away/got better. If you dont hear it just let it be that way. Ignorance is bliss with T.

 

Great tips John Paul. It's going to take time to get there but hopefully a little better every day.

 

I was just reading the tips for new users. One of the tips was if your ENT says you have Tinnitus, just deal with it, dump them. I assure you I won't be going back to the a-hole that walked in, told me I have T, and within 5 minutes started to walk toward the door because he had to go. I think today I'm in the angry phase.

I searched for Tinnitus ENT's in the state and found a few. I know there's no miracle cure, though sometimes time helps, I would like to talk with someone who can share stories of success with this and just answer all the questions I have.

I'm not sure who runs this site but thank you for that explanation and all the help I've already garnered from this site.

 

Started watching a seminar by Dr. Hubbard shared with me by a member https://www.cbtfortinnitus.com/webinar.

Of everyone who gets T about 1/3 of people get T Distress. Those people are usually the type that already suffer from anxiety and/or depression. Yup, that's me.

He says it takes 6-18 months for people who have T Distress to habituate to it and lead normal lives. Only a small percentage of people have trouble habituating.

I'm assuming if you're on this forum you're having distress, again, like me.

I'm a little over 2 weeks in and reeling. Life has changed for me in a big way. I also admit I'm probably feeding the fire with posts like this.

I know people can get used to T and go on with life with it. A little at a time I need to change my attituede.

 

Hi @New Guy

Recovering from noise trauma takes time and mustn't be rushed as this can cause your symptoms to become worse. Please click on the links below and read my posts, as they may be of some help. Take your time to read them in full.

All the best
Michael


https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/is-positivity-important.23150/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-the-negative-mindset.23705/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/acquiring-a-positive-mindset.23969/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-ent-doctor-and-hearing-therapist.24047/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/inspiration.22894/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/can-tinnitus-counselling-help.22366/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-habituation-process.20767/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/a-change-of-lifestyle.20643/

 

Thank you Michael. I'll go through them and glean as much as I can. Thank you for your support.

 

Michael,

I saw a post where you mentioned sleeping with a sound machine (Oasis) so your brain learns to tune out the sound. I also say you recommend TRT by Professor ?. Do you have a link to a post about sound machines and does the Professor have a book?

I've got so much to learn. I thought if I could hear my T and not get anxious that was progress but I'm actually encouraging it by being alone with the sound.

Thank goodness for this forum.

Thank you,

New guy