Spike After Hair Dryer — Help!

Hi guys,

Just wanted some advice/reassurance or just support.

On Sat I went to cut my hair, not until the hair dresser were almost done, I realized I forgot my plugs in my other bag. It has been great weather so I didn't bring my jacket with my second pair of ear plugs either.
So I sucked it up, and thought that I could withstand it and that my fear was taking over instead of being logical. The hair dresser had to dry my hair before finishing the cut and she had the fan going on for at least 10-15 min. It was loud, much louder than I remember (I never use hair dryer normally) and I got anxious. But I sat there because I didn't want to look like an idiot or having to explain myself with lots of people around. Sometimes the hair dryer got close to my ears for a second or so a few times but I tried to just shrug it off.

Now I am in a goddamn negative spiral again, not sure if I should be worried about the exposure, I know hair dryers can be really loud and I have started to monitor the T again, despite doing so well the last few months.

So..

Is it just my anxiety and monitoring that is causing the spike/increased loudness or am I just having a temporary spike/reactive T? Should I be worried about damage? I always have plugs with me but of course I forget it this time, I have used plugs before when visiting the hair dresser

 

@Fangen

Don't worry, it's a short noise exposure, and sometimes it does react. Hairdryer are normally 70 dB loud, so it won't normally create any damages to your ear. I'm pretty sure if you relax yourself, forget about it and have a good night sleep, it will return to its baseline.

If you really are stressed out, take something to make you relax and maybe it will also make your T decrease.

Next time, please, don't forget your plugs, and don't be shy explaining or telling that you can't bear noise. I did it too at the hairdresser last time I went, I don't care about what people think. My ears first

 

Hopefully you will be fine but if you are concerned research the NAC (N-ACETYL CYSTEINE)
supplement. I THINK I read somewhere that the military uses it before and after loud noise exposure. Can't remember where I read that though. Maybe I am totally wrong. You can get it at Vitamin Shoppe if you have one of those nearby. If I remember the article it is supposed to be administered shortly after the noise exposure. I can't remember the dosage but maybe you can find it online somewhere. Hope you get better asap.

 

Hi Sara!

Thank you for your reply, you're correct indeed. I should have said something to her but I was too stubborn and too scared of what people might think. I wanted to try to withstand my fear, and well.. I guess it didn't work quite the way I wanted too. Next time I'll say something, I feel like an idiot for not doing so from the beginning, that way I wouldn't be here right now.
I read that hair dryers can go all the way to 100 db, which seems like a lot. I ran an app on my phone to test the decibel and it was between 70-75db, but the phone was of course not next to the dryer, but around my torso. So it does seam that you are right about the db level too, I just feel that I am listening to the T all over again. I could go and lay down in my bed and hear the T the first few min and then forget about it. Now I just listen for it before sleep and as soon as I wake up :/ Stupid me.
Next time I will not forget the plugs, that is for sure. I could have bought new plugs if I had remembered that I had forgotten them but it was already too late

 

Yep!

Good way to put it - short and sweet: MY EARS FIRST.

This is a great phrase to just carry around with us and to remind us to remove ourselves from any sudden situation that arises where we feel uncomfortable. MY EARS FIRST.

It could save us each a LOT of grief later on.

@Fangen , please be good to yourself and have as restful thoughts as possible so you can return to your pre-spike state. Sending hugs.

 

Yeah, that is a great motto I should have done that but I felt so ashamed for some reason. Not that anyone could have cared if I told them to stop but I guess I was more ashamed to have to say anything at all, I just want to be able to carry through "normal" situation without freaking out. It would have saved me a lot of grief in hindsight.

Thank you @Path Maker, I will try. I have slept okay but I still feel that my ears are going up and down in volume. This morning was bad again, while yesterday it was better. Honestly I am mostly irritated that I have started to listen for it again :/

 

@Fangen I'll bet you'll be okay! It's normal and human to slip up - every single one of us does this at times. I've forgotten my ear plugs in the past, and stuck myself into some noisy situations when I shouldn't have. And then, learned from that. So try not to be so hard on yourself! And just learn, going forward. And if yesterday it was better, then take heart that it CAN get better. Hang in there and you WILL get through this to a better place again, okay?

 

Hi @Fangen

Don't be so hard on yourself, we all made mistakes like this. I recalled forgetting my plugs in the city with the noise of buses, trams etc... My H&T were spiking almost one week! But this event made me recall that I should be protective to my ears. We are all learning, and sometimes we don't know what's gonna happen, we are just stuck in some situations we couldn't anticipate. That's life
I'm pretty sure, you'll be ok, and even better .

 

Thank you @Sara_Bond and @Path Maker, you guys rock! I'll try not to judge myself so hard. I know everybody makes mistake but this time I could have said something and I didn't. But yes, life is unpredictable and I've had cars honked at me and motorbikes roaring past me without plugs and I was still OK after that.
I am sure that it feels worse now that I am listening after it and telling myself it is worse (probably not even that!)

Take care of yourself and thank you for all the support! <3