Slowly Losing Everything Due to Tinnitus and Hyperacusis

I have had noise induced tinnitus and hyperacusis since late 2017, but only in my right ear. I had largely learned to deal with it and could lead a somewhat normal life. When I would go outside I would wear some moderate (25 dB NRR) earmuffs to reduce the sound of car engines and whatnot. When it first happened, I couldn't listen to music or TV without getting spikes, but eventually could listen to them again, as long as it was at a low level. I couldn't go to any loud events like concerts or sports, but I could still ride my bike in city traffic and go to the grocery store which is near a train station and an airport. Maybe I would come home with a lil bit of a spike after the groceries, but nothing too bothersome. I used lots of masking noise in my home to help distract me. I continued to work in an environment which was moderately loud and it never let my tinnitus really settle, but I got used to it.

In mid 2020, there were protests near my house and police used a lot of explosives for crowd control. I was exposed to one "flashbang" type device about a block away. It caused a massive spike that lasted for months. Though I generally didn't lose any abilities, it did cause a fair amount of distress and difficulty sleeping and I'm not sure if I ever fully got to come down from the spike.

In late 2020, I took ibuprofen for a week due to some dental work, and this caused another spike with a very odd tone that would fluctuate in frequency and was very hard to ignore, and also made my right ear become sensitive to the noise of air rushing over my earmuffs while riding a bike. Eventually I started putting in an earplug in that ear and it helped a lot to reduce spikes from riding a bike. Thankfully the fluctuating tone has mostly gone away, but the sensitivity to air over the earmuffs never left.

Around this time, I also was noticing watching TV would occasionally cause annoying spikes. I decided to only watch with subtitles and no sound, like I had done when I first got tinnitus in 2017. I assumed I would get better again, but unfortunately I didn't get the chance

At the end of 2020, my neighbor got this crazy loud car with a turbo booster and no muffler. Every time he would start it up, it would make my jump and my ears ring. It cause a lot of anxiety because I had no idea when he would start his car. I started wearing earmuffs inside my house for a lot of the time and this helped me relax. It also cut down on a lot of the traffic noise coming from outside. I had read about "over protection" in this forum but I felt the benefits were outweighing the risks. My tinnitus tends to vary a lot, and wearing hearing protection keeps it a lot more stable. A car or motorcycle driving by my house would set it off and before I would wear hearing protection, I was constantly stopping what I was doing and covering my ears.

If I wore the earmuffs all the time, I would have to listen to the sound of tinnitus, but for the first time instead of masking it, I started to learn to just ignore it. But listening to it all the time like that, I became more aware of smaller fluctuations in the tones, and more and more I would want to avoid anything which would cause even minor changes.

This summer in June and July 2021, my neighbors were going crazy with firework and m80s/m1000s. By the end of the 4th of July holiday, my base tinnitus level was a lot higher than it had been in May, but I was still hanging in there. But the week after, I was exposed to a severely loud explosion at least a quarter mile away (based on time distance between the flash and noise), and despite wearing earmuffs at the time, my left ear also joined the tinnitus club. A week after than, I got exposed to a very loud firework right outside my house while not wearing hearing protection at all, and the week after THAT, I was riding my bike on a bike trail, which I didn't realize was right next to a train track. A train that I never saw blasted me to smithereens with their horn. I had been riding with friends and I had to turn back and go find someplace to basically have a breakdown because the ringing in my ears was insanely loud. I was wearing double protection in both ears at the time of the train, but despite this, the spike was off the charts. I couldn't even think straight and had sleeping problems for a few weeks. And since then, even if things settle down, they can still easily spike back up to those crazy loud levels.

I spent a few weeks basically just struggling to survive day by day. I felt paranoid that some explosion or some other loud noise was going to happen any second after three weeks in a row of random 120+ dB sounds. I never felt safe taking my hearing protection off. I have basically been wearing it 24/7 now in my house, except in the shower and sometimes late late at night when there's no cars driving by my house and the risk of fireworks are lower.

Since my left ear got tinnitus, I can't even comfortably use a phone any more, it's just really harsh and annoying. In the past I had covered up my right ear and only used the left, but now that's no good. I have started using an app which converts voice to text so I can still use a phone when needed, but it's not very good for long conversations, for example with loved ones.

And speaking of loved ones, now my significant other has left me, citing the fact that they and their child could not have a normal life if they were to live with me. They could never listen to music or watch TV, or do be loud while cooking, or anything normal that people do.

Having to wear double hearing protection just to feel safe going outside makes it really hard to hear people, especially if they are wearing their COVID-19 mask. I wear heavy duty Peltor earmuffs, not the biggest ones they make but still quite large and goofy, when before my old muffs could pass for music headphones. I have to get close to people just to understand, and involved conversations are pretty much impossible outside.

I can't keep a relationship going. I can't work at my old job. I can't go to the grocery store. I can't watch TV. I can't listen music. I can't talk on the phone. I can't ride my bike on city streets. I can't even walk out my front door without double hearing protection because cause of all the loud cars. I have become practically a prisoner in my own home.

The only small good thing to come out of this is I no longer need masking noises. When I take my earmuffs off, the ringing is so much quieter than when they are on, that even if I am still aware of it, it is pretty easy to ignore... assuming it's at a moderate level. But if I leave my earmuffs off, the ringing will be brought up much louder by the end of the day due to all the cars driving by my house. I can deal with it fine when the ringing is quiet, but the range is so great and almost anything will set it off. I tried to go the grocery store recently and planes landing nearby made my ears ring loud enough to disturb my sleep the next day.

I can't imagine how I will date again if I can't even go outside. A library isn't exactly a hot date location. Even the most understanding person I have ever met finally realized they couldn't deal with it. Trying to meet new people just feels daunting, and having to explain everything is embarrassing.

I dream of moving to the mountains where it's quiet and I could stop wearing hearing protection so much. I really need to at least move away from my noisy area, but moving isn't exactly easy right now.

This is getting ridiculous how many abilities I am losing, and only over a short amount of time. I can't take another year of these losses. Besides moving I don't know what I can do to help myself. I want to stop "overprotecting" but I can't even go 30 minutes without a motorcycle or something ripping down my street. I can't keep going like this though.

I have started taking NAC 600 mg 2x a day and also cut out aspartame gum. I feel like those two things have helped stabilize my tinnitus and hyperacusis just a tiny bit. I also take 400 mg Magnesium at bedtime. I used to take 200 mg but upped it to 400 mg. This does help me sleep I feel like. But these things don't stop spikes or help me do things I used to enjoy. At least I can still manage the level of ringing but it's been going up and up... and I still hopefully have a long time left on this planet. I don't want to imagine these kind of increases happening every few years.

If anybody has some suggestions on what I can or should do, I welcome them. I feel like moving is my only answer but it's also one of the logistically toughest ones to do right now. When I tell this story to "normal hearing people", they always ask if I've been to a doctor. I've been to three audiologists in the past, but not recently, since none in the past seemed to be able to really help me. Do you think there is a reason to go again?

Thanks for reading this long post and stay safe out there folks.

 

@sjtinguy, sounds like you’ve had a hell of a ride. I’m sorry these things have happened and I hope you catch a break soon. Many people here understand what you’re going through.

Unfortunately this is not uncommon. Hell, I am going through a divorce at the moment.

Cars without mufflers, fireworks and protests requiring police intervention. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head - if you can get to a quiet area and stop overprotecting that sounds like something to shoot for. You can then start exposing your auditory system to everyday noise in a controlled way... slowly.

I think the community could do better in providing platforms for socialising and dating for those with sound sensitivity. It’s quite likely that this will become easier as you protect less (in a controlled environment) and your ears settle. Are there any tinnitus or hyperacusis groups in your area? Humans are sociable creatures and need to interact with others. Sometimes things appear easier after a beer and a chin wag.

Your average person simply doesn’t understand. Most have never even heard of hyperacusis.

Perhaps some of the veterans will be in a position to give more advice. It sounds like you’re overprotecting which you already know needs to change. However, it sounds like your environment is noisy and unpredictable. From what you’ve written I’d strongly consider moving to a quieter area.

Let us know how you go.

 

You should move to a quieter place where you can find a job suitable for you. And then start building on that new foundation: a new place, a new life.

The amount of noise you have described is just astounding. That's just not normal, and the fact that this is very loud, impulse noise (the worst kind of noise for damaged ears) does not help.

In time it is likely that your ears may cope with more noise than now (normal noise, medium levels of the decibel scale) but damaged ears cannot deal with very loud unexpected noise, including impulse noise, like train horns, car horns, power tools, fireworks, firecrackers, sirens and stuff like that.. that's really dangerous. So... move.

 

Wow and I’d come to your post already feeling suicidal!

Well fuck us!

Try not to think about the future, we live day by day with this condition...

Sending some warm thoughts!

What city do you live in...?

Was it your kid...?
How long have you been with them?

 

You owe it to yourself to move whatever the difficulties or costs. Get a camper van or old travel trailer to start, if necessary. (My husband and I have a travel trailer that we use; this is actually a nice way to travel & live.)

I have had severe tinnitus (per THI testing) but sitting outside makes it better. Masking helps. Of course, I live in a quiet neighborhood so that's totally different. I've changed a lot in my life to get better. That's my number one goal and lots of techniques (and supplements) together have been working.

Doctors can't help unless impacted ear wax. And I'm currently kicking myself from a spike caused by a different type of vacuuming device for my ears (used by doctor) than I was used to having in the past. That was 5 days ago and I'm still praying it will calm down, and wishing I had refused the only thing he had to offer.

And I was just getting over a spike caused a few weeks ago by high dose antibiotics that I needed from a wild kitten bite (kitten showed up at our door and we were trying to help her).

Right now masking isn't working for me. I'm praying that will settle back down, again. I'm pretty nervous that it might not.

Needing to be so careful sucks. I'm thankful that normal noise doesn't bother me. But again I live in a quiet place. You should too, ASAP.

 

Hi @TinaRuns.

I notice that you run which is a good thing to do. I don't know if you are aware, certain aerobic exercises can make tinnitus worse including running on hard ground or on a treadmill. It is caused by impact underfoot that travels up the legs into the upper body, head and auditory system. I have corresponded with people that have had to stop running because their tinnitus spiked or increased over time. Others are not affected by running. Some people have had to stop weightlifting, judo or karate.

It is just something to keep in mind.

All the best.
Michael

 

Terrible luck you've had, sorry to hear that such things have happened to you.

If you don't mind my asking, I'm curious as to what kind of demonstration, and where this incident occurred when the cops used flash-bang explosions to control the crowds. Thank you.

 

I appreciate the advice. I don't mean this offensively. But running is saving me. My husband has had pretty bad tinnitus for years and has also been a runner.

I have learned enough about tinnitus to know that people never know what's making it worse. Was it the ear cleaning? Was it the antibiotics? Was it the pain killer? Was it the supplement? Was it the car that backfired? Was it sleep? They also don't know the cause or even mechanism as far as I can tell.

There is no chance that anyone knows how or why or whether running causes tinnitus to worsen. I can tell you that it gets worse temporarily but then actually gets lower after I relax, probably from lowered anxiety. I've had tinnitus for 1.5 years and run the entire time, very long distances. No plans to stop. Tinnitus up and down but always with other obvious causes to spikes like the ear vacuuming last week and immediate dizziness and noticeable spike.

I've been a distance runner for years with no plans to stop. I would have lost my mind without running this past year. And I really resist hearing bad news about things that keep me sane.

I think everyone should run, unless they can't bc of their joints (and even a lot of info on joints + running is not accurate).

I'm just saying. I appreciate your advice. I just don't want any advice or scary warnings. I only want positive encouragement and suggestions and that's the only reason I read this forum. I try very hard to ignore everything else. If I didn't, I would just sit in a room and decide not to live.

I am not meaning to be rude. I'm just very protective of being told I can't or shouldn't live in the way that makes me feel the best.

Take care and enjoy your Sunday.
Tina

 

Thank you for your reply @TinaRuns. As I said some people with tinnitus notice it increases when they run and can get worse over time. Others are not affected like you. My comments were only a suggestion and something to think about.

I wish you well.
Michael

 

Thanks everyone for your kind words and advice. I agree I need to move heaven and earth to move out of my current place. Some things are falling into place which may allow that to happen soon.

@Luman, mid-2020 would be the Black Lives Matter protests. The police in my city were particularly heavy-handed. Using flashbang type devices can cause potential harm to so many innocent bystanders, I think they should be banned

@Exit, no not my child, that would be even worse. I am hopeful maybe that situation can be turned around, and I'm sure getting out of this terrible cycle would probably help

 

What you should have done, Michael (and what any competent therapist would have done) is firstly ask TinaRuns how her running (for better or worse) affected her tinnitus before you so sententiously lorded over her with your tirelessly wrongheaded commentary (and believe me, even a sixth grader knows that the impact from running courses through the entire body).

What she is politely trying to tell you is that she is in touch with her body to the extent that she is quite capable of assessing on her own whether or not running should be continued.

Any competent therapist would have used this recognition as the starting point for a discussion.

What you backtrackingly concluded was that running is good for some people but not for others.

Is it really necessary to continually dispense such stupefyingly banal advice?

 

Just make sure you wear earmuffs when you go to a protest.

 

@TinaRuns, just run. You’ll be fine. I love running and I started again. Running won’t affect tinnitus and those that think it does - did it ever occur that this is probably PSYCHOLOGICAL?

 

So sorry to read this. I've experienced many similar events in the past 8 months - was blasted by a train horn (while wearing protection but the train was very close - 25-30 meters away), was passing each workday under airplanes that were landing and were flying very low (the airport is only 2-3 miles away from my workplace - I am wearing double protection when I go to my office from the parking garage), was often being exposed to loud noises at home that caused massive spikes and lasted for months, was getting semi-permanent spikes from medicinal ointments or other medications... tinnitus is truly an awful ordeal! But - I am still here, and kicking, and not giving up! I feel for you and I hope that soon there will be an improvement in your condition.

The previous posters have offered valuable suggestions, so my only advice is, given all the circumstances you mentioned, to be careful with supplements and medications, because those might give you a permanent increase, while most spikes caused by loud noises will eventually subside (the longest I had was for about 4 months). Of the supplements you listed, it is interesting that almost all give me an instant spike for a day or two. I use low-dose Melatonin (0.6 mg.) at bedtime, as well as Mirtazapine (30 mg.), and they help me sleep - the Melatonin in fact makes my tinnitus better for a while (2-3 hours).

I hope that there is a change for good in your life soon. I live in a relatively quiet neighborhood but close to very noisy urban areas and there is simply no way to go anywhere without ear protection: there are motorbikes without mufflers, lawn mowers, tractors, etc. It sounds like you are overprotecting, but, hopefully, moving to a quieter location will address this issue.

 

That is interesting how different people have different reactions. I've been taking Magnesium ever since I first visited an audiologist and they recommended it. I notice if I don't take it, my ears tend to ring a lot louder when I wake up in the middle of the night and I have a much harder time falling back asleep . The NAC I just recently started and I was vary wary that maybe it would cause a spike or some other reaction. Sometimes I feel like within the first hour of taking it, my ears will ring slightly more, but then they settle down a lot and stay much more calm and stable. Maybe it's placebo but I have overall noticed a rapid improvement since I started taking it. Though I also cut out aspertame at almost the exact same time. Between those two things, my ears ring less, and the sensation of the world's volume being "turned up" is also less.

 

Thank you!! Needless to say, as lifetime distance runners, both my husband and I discussed this post at length last night. My conclusion is that a truly serious runner would never stop bc of tinnitus. Seriously.

But what *might* cause an issue on a treadmill is the sound. I measured the sound in my treadmill room, with television louder, and it was about 86 decibels right near my ear. I alternative running outdoors versus indoors, depending on the weather.

I'm not enough of a tinnitus expert to really know whether that sound for 1-2 hours might eventually have a negative effect. (WHO says that level of sound is not a problem for regular people but I don't know if people who already have hearing issues need to be more careful with sound.) Personally, other than avoiding LOUD sounds (like putting my fingers in my ears when running and a siren drives by, or using earplugs when I use the food processor), I've been careful not to baby my ears. I don't want to be afraid of normal sound because, logically, that seems like a recipe for mental disaster and probably worsening of sound sensitivity, not improvement.

I've been fine even on the treadmill but have decided to order Bose sound canceling Bluetooth headphones for my treadmill runs, just in case. If anyone had a problem with running on a treadmill, my guess is that it would be the continuous fairly loud sound, not the foot strike. The foot strike theory makes no sense to me -- and I want to see the scientific studies proving that theory. I respectfully believe those people were blaming running and there was another issue going on.

Exercise is good and running is great. If you want to not feel suicidal, go for a run.

Running itself has not caused spikes in me. Actually the shower afterward is a bigger problem. But the shower spike goes away within a few min.

I am extremely self-aware as a lifetime athlete and have been crazy hyper aware with tinnitus (I know this isn't good). But running has never caused a spike for me that lasted. I'm sure I would know. I regularly run 5-12 miles, 6 days per week. So I think I would know at this point.

This is contrasted with things like taking certain meds, where I have a spike overnight after taking them. And the spike goes away when I stop taking them. Or when the doctor suctioned my ears last week (grrr...) First I was dizzy and then the SPIKE came very soon after. Today is the first day that spike calmed down.

But anyway running is something I never plan to stop. Sorry to be defensive about it but that's my mental lifeline so I have to push back.

 

Yeah @TinaRuns, just run.

....or, stop running, but change your name.

#solved

 

@TinaRuns, I think you’re even overthinking the treadmill… honestly just live your life and unless a fire alarm doesn’t go off directly in your ear most things are ok. I go to bars. I don’t wear earplugs. Sick of living my life like this and not feeling ‘normal.’