Ridiculous 4 Days (Firecrackers + Ambulance Siren) — Advice Needed

On Saturday morning someone started shooting fireworks in their backyard. They were pretty loud so I slipped my muffs on and didn't think much of it. Then the very same day at 9 p.m. ish I went to draw the curtain when within a split of a sec I saw a flash of light followed by a huge explosion. That bang sparked fear in me, since I know in my country it's easy to get firecrackers online as loud as 165 dB (comp. a stun grenade - 170 dB). Later on I had some ear pain, so I didn't want to take my chances and went to see an ENT today.

To cut things short: "nuthin' we can do about tinnitus, you're constantly monitoring it thus making it appear worse than it act. is, got told off for wearing ear muffs, that I should throw 'em away etc." The usual.

Now is the big moment. On my way from the hospital, right after I left it and got on the road tb exact, I got stuck in a four lane highway traffic jam. Seconds later an ambulance that was flippin RIGHT behind me turned its siren on and it felt like forever till other cars and I allowed safe passage for it.

Exactly what my ears needed this week. Seriously, what are the odds of that happening?? I was just done seeing a medical professional. Mad and sad at the same time

What should I do now? Get back to the hospital and demand some Pred., take a lot of chill pills aka Clonazepam, or just.. shoot my head right off? Should I be expecting a spike coming or 'even better' new sounds?

*help me survive, please*

 

So sorry! @Jiri do you suffer from muffled ear or pain in the ear or diminished hearing along with increased tinnitus? The explosions from the fireworks and the siren sound are considered LOUD. I would consider going to the doctor/hospital and ask about a prescription for predinzone for sudden hearing loss.

It also is not a bad idea to use the anxiety medication.

 

I got home moments ago, had still some work to do in the city.

I'm pretty much on high alert. No ear pain as of yet but constantly monitoring my tinnitus and yes, it is increased. My anxiety is through the roof too. I will definitely need to take some anxiety medication else I won't sleep tonight.

Sigh, they did an audiogram before the ambulance siren and it looked just fine to them (only up to 8 kHz). I talked with people after the incident and heard them ok.. I can't tell what's right and what's wrong anymore. A dead end.

If I go to the hosp. I have a feeling they'll just get upset (like I dare to waste their time with my phantom noises again). For real, it's a uni teaching hospital and they just tell you to not care about it unless you become deaf or smth. That's the impression I got today. I even asked the doc for the Prednisone and he goes "No. I don't think so."

 

I think you will be ok. One time an ambulance passed right by me on the street and I wasn't wearing earplugs however I did cover my ears fast. No spike happened..this was back around New Years.

 

I wish hard you were right. If it the ambulance flew right by you at high velocity, then yes. Happy for you. I was just stuck at one place and moving fairly slowly.

 

Okay that is a good sign. Instant ear pain or muffling after a sudden loud noise would be concerning. So the chances are good that is why the doctor did not immediately prescribe the Prednisone for possible inner dear damage. You really don't want to have to take that unless it is really necessary. Not worth the side effects of extreme walking the walls anxiety.

I would suggest using the anxiety medication to calm and relax your mind and tenseness. It is so important to treat that first. I also use meditation methods especially when I go to sleep. But if the anxiety is at that high level that it severely affects my body I need both to get back the calmness.

Just noticed your tinnitus is just a year old. I think you are progressing quite well so far.

 

I am so sorry that you continue to get exposed to all of those shocks.

I would try to get some prednisone. Tell them that you had to shut off a false fire alarm at your home, and that now you are experiencing a huge spike.

Having said this, it is a good sign that you haven't had a T spike (or ear fullness) thus far.

 

Thank you for your kind reply and the information you provided.

The unfortunate accident with the ambulance siren took place right after I left my ENT so he doesn't even know about it. I was there to ask about the firecracker explosions in the first place, which now happen almost on a weekly basis in close proximity to where I live. It was the last one that sparked fear - my rough estimate 130 - 140 dB(A) @ 3 feet. That's now sorted apparently and the doc didn't have much to say about it.

Right after I left the hosp. I got stuck in traffic and was exposed to that ambulance siren for a couple of moments, again within close proximity: 4 - 5 m ish. It's 4 a.m. here and my "T" ramped up even after taking all the medication I've got - can't sleep. I'm using some shower masking sounds to divert my attention from the spike.

I was thinking of taking these steps:

1. Emailing the hospital to ask what sort of sirens they are using and their amplitude + frequency (there's a law for it, so they have to provide this kind of information.) I found out i.e. that if an ambulance passes you by quickly then the sound vibration that reaches you is usually around 92 dB(A). If I find out what type of siren they are using then I'll be able to use the inverse square law to calculate the sound wave that hit my car [a huge difference between 120 dB(A) and 130 dB(A)]. The distance I'm guessing could be 5 m between my ears and the siren - the car body attenuation I'm guessing again could be 7 - 10 dB(A) and I have to add that some moments later I managed to slip my Peltor Bull's 1 earmuffs on BUT there's one problem. These muffs don't actually provide the real attenuation as advertised on the box. First off, they are - 27 SNR (European rating system - Single Number Rating) and not NRR. SNR is less than NRR. Then, earmuffs are measured against a different weighting scale - the dB(C) which is not weighted according to human sensitivity. To adjust for the dB(A) scale I have to then substract 7 from NRR. It gets a lil bit more complicated but for me figuring out the actual sound intensity that hit me will at least help with my anxiety.
2. I won't go anywhere tomorrow but I'll give a call or email some of the ENTs I know of, explain the situation to them and ask what to do next. If they can prescribe anything to me and tell me how to dose myself responsibly, then that's great. I'll just get the e-recept and pick the medc up at the pharmacy.

I believe the same applies to me. I'm 5 months in with my tinnitus. Just having a bad luck, hyperacusis, lots of overprotecting and perhaps a reactive "T". Anxiety.

Tell me about it. Like someone's doing all of this to me out of spite or smth, but thank you for you sympathy.

They'll most likely say no to Prednisone. I asked today and got denied. The Czech Republic + I'd still need to know the right dosing. I'll see if I can find an ENT who'll be willing to care enough and be proactive.

P.S.: I am experiencing a bad spike viz above. It's 4 a.m. here and I can't sleep even after taking Clonazepam so I'm just gathering info online instead... it keeps me busy and focused on smth else.

 

According to my doctor, it is 1 mg per 1 kg of body weight, per day, not to exceed 60 mg per day. The standard course is 14 days + tapering, but taking it for 3-5 days is probably also helpful.

 

I find it amusing how all these ENTs "specialists" want you to throw away all of your protection and then go live life like nothing's really going on. No big deal. Then if you follow their idiotic advice and you're exposed to a shock event, they measure your audiogram (the one up to 8 kHz) see that that's fine and it's all a psychological problem all of a sudden because tinnitus can't hurt you of course... just don't focus on it they say. Lol. Problem solved. Next patient.

Good lord. I try hard to stay positive but today, especially after this week's events I feel super hopeless again and want this torture to go away as soon as possible. T is loud, changing tones... slowly killing me. Like it's the only escape.

I found last 7 pills of Prednisone. That's all I've got. If I at least saw some positive progress over time. But no.

 

How many mg is each pill?

 

16

 

I would take 3 pills now, followed by 2 pills in 24 and in 48 hours...

 

Yup, they brush it off as anxiety and stress.

 

Ok. What about neurotoxicity? I'm still tapering off from Brintellix/Trintellix, Pregabalin (Lyrica) & Clonazepam.

100%

 

If you don't think the expected benefit of prednisone outweighs its expected costs, then you shouldn't take it. Otherwise, you will want to take it and try not to think of the possible problems.

 

This is difficult. You see, it's mixing chemicals here. The ones I mentioned aren't ototoxic (apart from Prednisone *sigh*). I'm not sure, whether or not the combo could cause some neurotoxicity going on.

A neurotoxic damage to the vestibulocochlear nerve is irreversible.

 

Oh I'm sure that they're up-to-date on the latest research on hidden hearing loss and it's causes and implications. These are professionals.

 

They are very slow. I dont think we will have anything for T until maybe 2040-2050

 

AI might accelerate the field.

 

Just a little update:

My spike still hasn't got back to my baseline "T". On top of things my gran broke her foot, so I had to take care of her (she's safe in the hosp. now).

Now it's Easter time here - everybody's holidaying and my tinnitus just had to get worse since the incidents.

Out of curiosity I called the hospital's ambulance service dept. to ask how loud those sirens really are. They kept putting me through to different departments then but it appears that no one in the whole hospital has any idea.