Started New Job, Tinnitus Getting Louder

I got a severe ear infection about a year ago while partying in a club that definitely broke health and safety regulations. A wall of speakers so large with bass so strong it felt like there was an extra bounce in your feet and your finger tips would be vibrating, actually every inch of your body was vibrating you just had to focus to feel it. (The place was open for two years I think and closed down last month)

The infection hit on the Monday but I was working in a busy hotel during summer so I ignored the pain and worked on. Woke up on Wednesday that week deaf in my right ear (blocked by fliud), got to the doctor on Friday...he freaked a bit when he looked inside. During the anitbiotic and being deaf for three weeks I noticed a buzzing in my ear, knew it was tinnitus and that it was linked directly to the ear infection. That buzzing stopped soon after my ear was flushed out. Also suffered permanent hearing loss.

Fast forward a year and I got a new job in a factory with machines at 80-100db, around the time of my 3rd week I noitced the buzz again (I wasn't wearing ear protection), went to the doctor, he said the eardrum was inflamed and he pulled out a MASSIVE ball of pus and wax and sent me on my way.

Ordered the #1 selling ear protection on Amazon that would take a week to delivered (workplace did not supply them)

Every night I noticed it getting louder and louder sort of like a churping sound with a flat ring to it, I was at the doctor again before the ear protection arrived and he told me to use ear drops that had been prescribed the year before...

Now I have worked with ear protection and ended up going to the doctor again today and the ear canal is inflamed and I was prescribed a new antibiotic,

Sorry for the rant before making a point, but could anyone advise me here (Irelands doctor's are fucking useless), with the ear protection I still hear the machines all day (8 hours), I had Thursday and Friday off last week and on Friday night the buzzing was extremely diminished, I couldn't hear anything sat/sun. Yesterday night it was there but very low and as I write this it's just loud enough to keep me awake..


Is the ear protection even going to help? I feel like even the exposure to consistent 50-60 db is still too much.

Thanks for reading all replies are greatly appreciated.

 

@JerryB93 i find this interesting as I have t right now from an ear infection for three and a half months now. But I’ll say that when I am home in absolute silence it’s a 3/10. If I go outside even for an hour to play at the park with my kid and then go home it’s easily a 6-7/10 just from an hour of wind and kids laughter. I’m at a loss. How long did your t with ear infection last? Did you get ear flushed surgically or do you mean it just drained? Sorry you have suffered permanent hearing loss. I hope you get better soon. I am in need of ear plugs.

 

It ought to help, but there is a chance that it won't help. If it is easy for you to find another (quieter) job, consider doing it.

If you have to work there, consider using double protection (muffs + earplugs). That ought to add 5 dB of protection to the noise reduction due to the most effective hearing protection of the two.

 

jerryB93, All flight deck crews use both ear plugs and earmuffs with foam inserts. I hope you find some relief by wearing both. TinA#7oct

 

Thanks for the replies, the majority of the factory have to work near machinery, I think my best course of action is talking to the foreman and seeing if I can be moved station.

I've been reading these forums and there's a lot of great stuff here, someone posted saying wearing earmuffs for long periods of time will effect it too, but I dont hear it because the machines still penetrate the earmuffs.

 

with all the ears infections issues I would use good ear muffs instead of plugs, buy a pair of Peltor x5a those are the largest but the best by a long shot and quite comfortable too..

 

I would move to a quieter environment as soon as poss. My T flared up whilst I was in a job around a lot of machinery (large mixing vessels, boilers, homogenisers, air pumps, etc). On some occasions I would leave the environment and retrun to the office with muffled hearing, even with some degree of hearing protection. Noise damage is irreversible, so it's not worth it. I moved to a permanent office job, which can be loud, if open plan, but manageable.

 

ABSOLUTELY COULD NOT AGREE MORE. -- So many sad stories on this forum from people who were experiencing glaring warning signals to protect themselves from a life sentence of chronic tinnitus and/or hyperacusis, and they didn't heed those warnings nearly enough.

I consider injured ears to be similar to a concussion. They can take many months, to a year and longer to properly heal. What makes this healing time so critical, is that if they sustain another concussion before they've healed the first, it will likely be about 5 times worse than it would have been. -- The risks are just not worth it.​

 

Hey I missed your reply last night, after the first ear infection the T lasted for a week after I was finished the antibiotics and the doctor told me that would be the case. The T did persist after the infection for about a week and then completely diminished, and then a in my new job a year later it came right back.

 

Thanks for all the replies guys! I'm feeling optimistic now if I can escape the loud sounds my tinnitus will at least go down to a level that my thoughts can drown it out.

 

Nearly finished my antibiotic for the inner ear infection, it's the right ear, my doctor is confident the tinnitus will be gone within a week or so, I'm posting because my left ear has been getting a buzzing sound that rises and disappears after a few seconds, could this be the antibiotics causing this? It's only the right ear thats infected.