Noise-Induced Tinnitus — Positive Success Stories

I had the same experience, John. For the last several years I had fleeting tinnitus, just didn't realize it even had a name. It always happened when I went to bed at night, in the minutes before I would drift off to sleep. It lasted for no more than 10 or 15 seconds at a time. The only difference is that it would travel from one ear to another. My tinnitus now is only in the left ear, or so it seems.

It is always so nice to see you posting.

 

About 3 weeks ago I started to occasionally hear a warbly machine noise in my left ear under the t. It doesn't usually last more than minutes to half an hour. I've noticed the warbly noise a few times in the last couple months.

The best way to describe it is like the sound of power equipment coming through a tunnel, it isn't a constant tone and it's kind of muffled. It almost feels like my ear is vibrating when it comes. I notice the noise usually in the morning though I have noticed it at other times of the day. I've noticed the noise the last 3 days now.

I'm struggling to figure out what this could be.

If we're talking noise exposure I have been using a vacuum daily the last week, with peltor x5a's on. I keep a vacuuming sessions under 15 minutes. I'm going to stop vacuuming a few days and see if I notice the noise less.

The only other thing I can think of is I split some wood a few days ago with x5a's and ear plugs on. Those are the only outliers in my t management. I've heard the noise before but it's becoming more frequent now.

My only other thought is the noise has been there all along but other noises have gone down enough to let the warbly noise come through. Dunno?

If anyone has a warbly noise I'd love to hear about it.

 

I researched noise levels of power equipment tonight. Leaf blowers specifically.

I ended up on an Echo website that talks about noise levels of blowers https://www.echomeansbusiness.com/pages/low_noise_blowers_why_they_are_better

First, the website exaggerated noise levels of the places below. I usually see concerts quoted as around 110-120 decibels. I'm not saying that's good but I've never seen a concert listed at 135 - 145 decibels. I'm not going to a concert with a sound meter and standing in front of the speakers either.

• Concerts – these measure anywhere from 135 to 145 decibels.
• Gunshots – depending on the gun, anywhere from 145 to 155 decibels.
• Shuttle Launch – not an average sound, but you can imagine just how loud they can be. These generally measure anywhere from 165 to 170 decibels.

When pitching their low noise blower they measure the noise 50 feet away from the machine with the end of the tube 1" away from the ground. It's required when doing this test that the noise level is 10 db quieter 50 feet away when the blower is NOT running per ANSI 175.2. The manufacturer then states:

So knowing all of this, where does the PB-250LN gasoline powered blower from ECHO fall in terms of decibels? Measured at 50 feet, it is a mere 65 dB(A)! The level of decibels the ECHO blower puts out at the operator’s ear falls well below the range of our examples.

I have to ask how loud the blower is at the operators ear? They only tell you it's "Well below." I'm assuming the sound level is around 105 - 110 db because I've read chainsaws usually come in around 115 db at the operators ear. Why not give the end user a number???

Feeling frustrated realizing that the writing is on the walls but manufacturers choose to hide the truth or skew noise tests.

Most power equipment shops carry ear muffs with nrr rating of 25 db to be used by people, like me, operating chainsaws that generate 115 db. Why wouldn't they all carry Peltor X5A's with nrr of 31 for 10 dollars more?

Did I avoid this information all my life? I assumed if you grabbed any pair of ear muffs you'd be ok and that's what I did. Were these charts on the walls with the shiny toys? Did the dealer tell me to get the best earmuffs I could to protect my hearing? The manuals recommend hearing protection but they don't say how much. In hind sight there's no such thing as too much hearing protection.

I enjoy this website because it shares the sound level at the operators ear https://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/chainsaws/t536li-xp/966729272/ . You have to dive into the content pretty far but the info is there.

A battery powered chainsaw, the t536li, produces 106 db max and 93 db at the operators ear. It's easy to work with those numbers as opposed to significantly below the sound level of the space shuttle.

I found this website which has some great noise levels in it https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Noise/

 

I filmed video and opened a video editing program for the first time since before t, over 9 months, today. I haven't had the courage to turn the camera on or look at a video editing program for 9 months. I now have to remember how to use the program and try to find the enthusiasm I've been lacking.

 

I've been trying to be positive, see the positive, focus on the improvements with time. Things have improved with time.

Today, 9 months after getting t, I left the room my daughter was listening to tv in because it seemed too loud. I returned with ear muffs and checked the volume and it was louder than I normally listen to.

Earlier this week I split some wood for a couple hours using ear plugs and ear muffs using an axe. I've noticed a warbly sound in my left ear more since then and I'm questioning if I'm more sensitive to noise. I've heard the warbly sound before so it's not a new noise. I've heard it more since splitting wood.

Please don't tell me it's anxiety. The cause of the anxiety is increased sensitivity to sounds and hearing the warbly noise. Yes I was anxious the day I split wood because I hadn't done it in 9 months but the anxiety subsided when everything seemed ok.

I've been on the forum long enough to know that t is unpredictable to say the least. I'm feeling frustrated at the moment with a touch of anger.

After 9 months I still don't feel confident enough to do things I used to do, like split wood by hand, stack wood without wearing ear plugs, listen to the radio in the car, use power tools without double hearing protection and even then only for a short period.

This is getting old. I don't see an end in sight.

I'm going to try to stay away from the forum until next Sunday. We'll see how I do.

Hoping you find strength and silence.

 

Couldn't you hire someone to do this? My advice is to do what you can to not take any risks at least for another year.

It is good that you naturally shy away from the activities that have the potential to harm you. I wouldn't use power tools again, even with hearing protection.

 

@Bill Bauer

I'm sure I could hire someone. I hired someone to mow my lawn this year. It felt really awkward.

Like many on the site noisy activities are what I enjoyed. Noisy activities are just a part of life. I gave it a try for a little while to see what happened. Not a big bump but a bump nonetheless. Very frustrating.

 

Maybe try what Bill suggested and see how it goes. You’re a good guy and have always been so nice to me. I’m hoping it goes better for you and you see that confidence come back.

 

@Jcb

Thanks for you support Jcb. I was considering getting an electric chainsaw over the winter to try and get back in the game but I won't be. I thought I'd post this episode so people following my thread, possibly years down the road, can know what they're up against.

 

Yes I understand totally, you were trying to get back some sort of normality in your life. Unfortunately in my opinion and I don’t know loads of info about T but loud devise like chainsaws etc even with ear protection aren’t a good fit for us with T.

Hopefully you’ll find something else to help you pass time, another hobby. We all give up certain things when we get this, but I’m hopeful we can find something else to fill that gap.

 

Visited the supermarket today. The speakers were bothering me, they seemed loud. Both times they felt loud I looked up and I was directly underneath the speakers. Again, not crazy loud but loud enough to bother me.

My daughter was watching tv on the volume I'm used to and even on the far end of the room the volume seemed loud to me.

Finally, my ears are feeling full tonight.

The t hasn't amped up much, it seems pretty much in the normal range for later in the day.

I have to assume the cordless drill is what did me in. I would have been using it two nights ago. I was wearing ear plugs and ear muffs. I used a screwdriver on the first 8 screws but started to get a blister and it seemed silly to be killing myself. I used the drill for the next 16 screws, then had to take them out and re-install them. It was perhaps .5 to 1 second per screw. I was screwing into plastic with 1" screws.

Hopefully this will be a small bump. I'm trying to remain calm. Right now it's not that bothersome but I notice something is different and that bothers me. The fact I did this to myself, again, bothers me.

I think people new to t should know that no-one is perfect. We are all going to make mistakes in our recovery. This is my second mistake, the first being staying by the road with ambulances going by for 5-10 minutes. This noise exposure was significantly less than the ambulances. With the ambulances the t amped up in a few hours. It took 36 hours to notice something wasn't right this time.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement.

 

@Jcb

I'll be pursuing my photography hobby more. I'm going to take my chainsaw money and invest it in a good flash. I'm going to delete the electric chainsaw from my shopping cart. Bummer....

 

Please don't be too hard on yourself John. Like you said, no one is perfect.

I hope you feel better tomorrow.

 

I know it’s a downer but as Emma said try and not be too hard on yourself. Take up the photography and I’m sure that will help you the way the chainsaw did. When you get into it post a few pics on here.

 

It's a steady tone now, I usually get crickets in the morning. Volume is a touch louder. Live and learn I guess. With masking I can deal with it and hopefully it starts to settle soon.

This really sucks.

 

Tell me about it. I had intrusive tinnitus and severe hyperacusis since January 2018. I guess we hope for it to get better. Please keep us updated.

 

@dpdx

It's gotten better but nearly as much as I hope. I wish you were getting some kind of a break with your t. I hope something good happens for you soon.

 

It is still very early days for you @New Guy more time is needed and eventually you will see the results that you want. Keep believing and being positive and carry on with your life doing all that you can.

Michael

 

@Michael Leigh Thank you Michael. I needed to hear that.

 

It was a disappointing day.

I went to a seminar today, my first since getting t, and left after 15 minutes. I didn't cry until I got outside and then I was too ashamed/disappointed to cry much. It was in a brick room about 50' x 50' and there was no microphone. Only the speaker raising their voice to be heard. I had ear plugs in and between the sound of the eee in the background and not being able to hear the speaker from the earplugs I walked out.

I wanted a volume control for the person speaking but there was none. I didn't want to sit through the seminar for 4 hours and then regret the decision. I admit I was pretty anxious about this event.

It's been 9 1/2 months since t started.

Last week I either split wood or used a power drill and the level of my t has increased along with h coming back and my ears feeling sore. Both instances were with ear plugs and ear muffs.

After 9 1/2 months the t had gone down a bit, not much but enough to notice, especially when it got louder again. I thought it was time to start reclaiming my old life. I guess not.

The lesson I learned is if the volume of the t starts to go down don't assume everything is ok. Give it more time before testing the waters.

I was feeling optimistic a week ago and getting excited about working toward having a life again. Rather than moving forward I went backwards.

I don't see how I'm going to get back to going to seminars. I don't see how I'm going to get back to using power tools. I'm having a hard time figuring out how I'm going to become a productive member of society again.

I remember the first months how anxious I was and I had this feeling my life was over. I'm not anxious now but I still don't have a clue where my life is headed.

Apologies for the negativity. Until four days ago I was feeling like things were moving forward.

 

John, I can hardly describe my feelings, but I want you to know that I cheer you on, and ask you to not take setbacks too hard. There is some way to get through and live a good life and you will find it. Like Michael said, it all may take time.

My own idea is that you may have to come up with some regimen at home, of listening to music/noise at slowly raising decibels, ie 50 db one week, 55db 2 weeks later, 60db for awhile etc. Eventually, with luck, you can tolerate those seminars and such.

Good luck friend.

 

I hear you, same boat for me New Guy, what to do .? I'm in slug mode, from being strong, happy, capable of replenishing sleep.... to a complete mess. I am picking up the pieces slowly. I was a sculptor, I had a decades work envisioned, kids, work as a teacher...everything has changed. We can adapt, we can survive this....you can, I can....Perhaps we can put a posative spin on it, I don't usually do that , but it will probably pay dividends in the long run. Feel your pain 100percent.....Iam on this forum searching for hope, help, info...peace

 

@PortalNaut Thanks for the support. I'm doing my best to find hope and positivity but there are times it gets hard.

@Daniel Lion Slug mode describes it perfectly. I've lost a sense of purpose and I'm doing the minimum to get by. I thought the last couple weeks were a new beginning but I see I need to give it more time. I've been trying to help around the house, grocery shopping, picking up the kids, washing dishes etc. I was vacuuming but I decided to give that up for a while.

With t all we can do is give it time and try not to get emotional about it. I'm back into give it more time mode.

 

We have to be patient, I most likely,97 percent, will never carve wood again or stone, can't go to movies with my kids, fun noisy places..etc. I have completely lost the plot, and it sucks for my kids. To minimize the crap for my kids, I try my best,,, make an effort as you do. Vacuuming.. out of the question for my sensitive to sound ears. Coming up on a year, what a fiasco, but like I said, something may be shifting in me. I went to the local steam bath today and it was nice. "We can do this", we can potentially suffer and have peace. I am far from there, but this existential crisis may not beat us. Let's take it slow, do right by our kids and wives, and see what happens. Take care my friend. Your story and so many stories here resonate with me. Slow , no stress, miniscule accumulated gains is the mode for now. Peace

 

@Daniel Lion

Did you earn a living carving? If you did I'm so sorry. I can do what I used to do but it's not the same and could never be profitable without the equipment. Have you had a hearing test done? I'm assuming you have Noise Induced Hearing Loss as well.

Your attitude sounds exactly what the doctor ordered. I thought 9 months was enough time to start moving forward, that my ears wouldn't be as sensitive, but it wasn't.

Since posting that I've spoken with a couple members who got t around the same time and they are far ahead of me in recovery. I guess I'm in the back of the pack.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I'll have to look up some of your posts and see how you've been doing.

 

I talked to a mechanic today who was disconnecting a battery on a charger and it arced and made a really loud noise. He said he had t for about a week afterward and since then whenever he's around loud noises his ears ring for a few days.

I've spoken to three mechanics now who have had ringing ears for a week to a month and they all said how hard it was to get to sleep at night. I must be F'ing Superman to deal with this for 9 1/2 months. I sure don't feel like Superman. I feel like the guy who just got his ass kicked by Superman.

 

Have you done an audiogram? DPOAE?

 

@dpdx

I've had two hearing tests done and they show Noise Induced Hearing Loss. Both ENT's assured me it was from a lifetime of noise exposure. I'm in my late 40's.

I don't know what DPOAE is.

 

I had this conversation or whatever it's called with @PDodge yesterday. I want to post it here to remind me that there is hope for all of us. He said his t took over a year to start going away, and while it hasn't completely gone it sounds like it's a lot better than it was when he got it.

 

The fullness in your ears is due to hearing loss. I have hearing loss, and my ears feel full too.

Here is the good news:

Hearing aids will correct fullness. They are small and hardly visible at all. Some even come with bluetooth, so you can use with your phone. As soon as you wear them, the fullness goes away. That has been my experience.

More good news:

T can be miserable with hearing loss, because the sound is perceived as internal. But with hearing aids, having more external sounds offers relief.

Bad news is that hearing aids can be expensive, and not always covered by insurance. I know Costco has more affordable hearing aids, but I have not tried their brand.