Stupid Alarm Went Off Throughout the Building at Work :(

I was eating lunch at work and suddenly an alarm went off, it wasn't the fire alarm but like a burglar alarm (in case someone would have broken into our office) and it was just loud and I had to cover my ears straight away. The alarm was going off in the entire building so I couldn't escape the noise anywhere, not having my plugs (they were on my desk) I just plugged my ears with my fingers and thought the alarm would be turned off soon.

It took them a good 10 min before the alarm was turned off and I had no other choice than just to sit there with my ears plugged. I will take some NAC this evening but I'm just so pissed how long it took to turn it off and on myself for not putting the plugs in my pocket before I went to buy lunch.

It would have been impossible to foresee this so I know I shouldn't be so hard on myself but my ears are spiking and I'm just like really annoyed that it went on for so long as my anxiety for being exposed to longer loud noises just kept going wild.

I don't know how loud it was as I wasn't able to check it on my phone as I was busy covering my ears

 

Happened to me in a Manchester Hotel at the weekend.
The pain in my ears was verry sharp !
My tinnitus has never been noise related as caused by Menieres but this spike could be from that of a new medication as does not feel like a MD flair up.
Hope your ears settle and mine too !
Love glynis x

 

What is NAC?

 

it most likely will but it's just anxiety and feeling helpless as you can neither predict when something like this can happen and when it is just going off everywhere so you have nowhere to go to get away from it either. Thanks for the support Glynis, really appreciate it!

 

nac n-acetylcysteine, it is a powerful antioxidant that is said to be able to protect your hearing from future damage or at least make it less damaging.

 

happened to me twice at work and gave me a permanent spike. I keep 37db ear defenders in my bag by my desk now in case it happens again.

 

I always have plugs with me but as I sat in the kitchen and not at my desk I couldn't go get them We need to pass through a second door with ID cards and for that, I would have had to unplug my ears to open the door and then run to get my plugs. As I was scared to be subjected to the alarm with out any means of protection for 30 seconds or more I just kept my hands over my ear. I was prepared but this time it was under the only 30 min I spend away from my desk every day :/

 

That is so unfortunate, it seems like the odds are always against you when you have T. Driving home from work I decided to go another more scenic route, when a crazy loud car drives past me revs the engine and makes a loud backfiring BANG sounded alot louder thsn anything I've ever heard before...what are the chances, now suffering from a spike and increased H.

I opt for ear defenders as there a lot less fiddly to put in when in a hurry compared to plugs

 

You need to find a way to get out of the building asap next time. Maybe ask a colleague to help you in such a case, so you will be able to protect your ears while he leads the way out

You can also talk about it with the security guys, they may give you tips to get out quickly.

 

The problem was that it was at the entrance the alarm went off (and then all the others inside the building) and as the building requires you to basically have to go through every door with ID card it takes a bit longer than usual. There are alarms around the building so I tried to stay away from the closest ones as it was louder near them. Also, I thought the alarm was gonna be turned off within a min or so, never thought it would take them that long! One of my co-workers offered to pick up my plates so I could leave but then it was already 5 min in. Urgh :/

I know where the exits are but they have alarm bells next to them and again, the freaking doors!! I wish the building was so hard on security

 

It seems like whatever you do, someone or something will always be there to mess you up

 

@orbiter12 ..I also have spike because of one stupid very loud car . It's not as bad now but it really sucks ! How much can we really watch out ?

 

If you had plugged your ears with fingers then I say you might be ok..just my guess .

 

Now I always keep two pairs of plugs in my pocket. I have a pair of earmuffs in my car in case I need to quickly protect my ears, including situations which may arise where I need to use my hands. I've had enough surprises.

 

awww ok, I was hoping it was a tinnitus dampener

 

I see. Do you know why the alarm ? Sometimes they just do simulations or tests. They might be able to alert you in advance so you can leave before the alarm.

 

better be safe than sorry!

 

Someone pulled the emergency handle (by mistake) so it was nothing that was planned. They usually tell us in advance if they will test the fire alarm. So very random event

 

Yeah I usually do the same but I had emptied my pockets as my pants have no front pockets for some reason (?) kinda uncomfortable to sit on the plugs. Ah well I guess if not this time then probably life would throw me something else.

 

In a sense, every time we protect our ears from further harm, we are permanently reducing the tinnitus from the level that might have been.

I've found that when I pop a 10mg melatonin it will often be somewhat dampened the next day, more so than sleep alone.

 

hi Glynis,

This has literally just happened to me! Fire alarm off in middle of the night at the hotel I am staying in and it is deafening. My phone app has it at 102db. High shrill!

Did yours settle? I managed to get some earmuffs on around 10 seconds in, but also couldn't get away and escape it for around 3 minutes!

Right ear feels full (facing the alarm from the bed) and tinnitus has spiked. So anxious of oermanent damage now. So unfair!

 

For these exact reasons I always have my peltor headphones with me wherever I go. They are for me just as important as my cell phone. Just bring it with you or always have one laying in your office desk. It’s just worth it.

 

Hi Fangen,

Please update us: did the spike settle?

Kind regards,

Elf

 

It did! Took a day or two but it did settle

 

Thank you for getting in touch. Last night I had a similar experience (subjected to a fire alarm at a hotel at 1am that registered 102db). I was exposed for around 3 minutes. Grabbed some earmuffs to try and protect the ears but it was still deafeningly and maddeningly loud!

Worried about permanent damage and worsening tinnitus!