Tinnitus After Being Subjected to Loud Noise — Looking for Advice!

[Auron]

Hello, new here.

On 5/22 I was subjected to loud noise.

Since then I have a mild tinnitus which I rate 2/10 (maybe even a 1 but it's there). Nothing has made it "spike" as some people have mentioned here. I do have some sensitivity to some noises but nothing has made it spike nearly 3 months in (this goes for food high in sodium, coffee etc). It's very easy to mask and doesn't bother me at night since it's very faint. It's just consistent.

Some noises such as fans make my ears ring, but this is sometimes louder or quieter. And initially I had some noises not sound right.

I did go see an ENT who said nothing can be done and that medications often make things worse.

I had a hearing test done 2 weeks after the incident which resulted as "normal" and 2 more hearing tests after, 3 weeks apart which only resulted in improvements (which I guess is good news).

I guess what I'm getting at is what should I do? Things have gotten much better in terms of distorted noise and hearing tests have also improved. So should I just keep going as usual or should I talk to my doctor about trying some steroids (probably too late to help). I feel as if I have made big recovery but far from where I wanna be.

Also, can some people make a near 100% recovery?

What about hearing protection? I read a lot of people talking about always wearing ear plugs everywhere they go.

 

[Contrast]

I had a hearing test done 2 weeks after the incident which resulted as "normal" and 2 more hearing tests afterwards, 3 weeks apart which only resulted in improvements (which I guess is good news).

https://hyperacusisfocus.org/innerear/#hiddenloss

Hearing tests don't measure hearing loss outside of the bare vitals of human speech range. Damage outside those ranges still cause tinnitus, ear pain, hyperacusis and muffled/distorted hearing.


Magnesium supplements *could help but this usually happens early on
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0196070994900361

What about hearing protection? I read a lot of people talking about always wearing ear plugs everywhere they go.

You might not end up like those suckers if you let your ears rest and protect your hearing from an early on point. Most of these guys did get better and knew to avoid loud noise but choose not too those re-injuring their ears and now the problem is more severe. You have to resist the temptation to avoid all loud social events. You may never be able to go to concerts or loud events for the rest of your life but you won't be a slave to hyperacusis and noise induced pain like some members on the forum.

It's true some people get injured bad enough the first time that they never recover optimally, but from what I observe mistakes are frequent. There's a thread or post on Reddit every few days asking if it's safe to go to a concert or party. Those are the people that end up with ear plugs for the rest of their lives.

 

[CroakyBat]

Hi @Auron and welcome. I'm new to the forum as well so I am not sure how helpful my advice will be but I will try and echo some of the tips I have gotten so far. I am in a very similar situation as you - very mild tinnitus that can really only be heard in silence. I am a little over a month in.

It's great that you have already seen improvement in two and a half months. Many people have explained that the healing process can take as long as 1 to 2 years. Given that you are already seeing results without doing much, I think you can be optimistic that things will keep improving. And yes, there are plenty of people whose tinnitus will fade away altogether.

Regarding the steroid my ENT prescribed me a week of prednisone treatment towards the beginning of my onset. I believe I noticed slight improvement, but the side effects were too much for me - it gave me really bad headaches. I guess it probably wouldn't hurt to try it, but I would see what other people on here think about it in terms of the timing.

There are also some supplements that some claim can help. I am currently taking Ginkgo Biloba. I haven't seen any crazy results yet, but I have only been taking it for about a little more than a week and I think it takes some time. Curcumin is another one that you'll find quite a bit on the forum.

Overall I would say you're in a good place now and there's a lot to be optimistic about. It will just require some patience, which is definitely easier said than done because I am struggling with that myself. But, the most important thing is that you don't let it affect your lifestyle too drastically by stressing out over it. Just make sure to continue protecting your ears when in loud places and otherwise live your life. The fact that it's mild will hopefully make that easier.

Probably not super helpful but I wanted to provide some encouragement Cheers and hope to hear soon about a 100% recovery!

 

[Auron]

Here I am, soon to be 3 months into this new life challenge. I posted my first thread recently and tried to look at the positives. But to be honest I am struggling immensely. I'm depressed have high anxiety and INCREDIBLE guilt. I feel so bad for not getting better treatment in time. But I didn't know better and to be fair the ENT I saw said "Nothing can be done" and when I asked about steroid's, he replied "Meds often make things worse". So I was sent away when no directions other than "Careful about loud noises".

Since the incident (loud noise)I have been unable to do anything that use to bring me joy now approaching 3 months. I haven't listened to music much, and there was a video game I was SO EXCITED about for years that is about to release, but even that can't bring get me excitement anymore and have no plans on playing it. I was also studying music theory,but that dream is dead. My spirit has been shattered. When I look to my future all I see is pain and anxiety from every noise, always wondering like I do now "Did that cause damage to my ears, what about that other noise? Was that truck perhaps to loud".

I do wear ear plugs when I leave the house at all times now. But will I ever be able to just go to the lake again and enjoy the sounds of birds singing, people laughing running shouting, you know just having a good time without ear plugs again? Everyday is a grind to make it to the next day hoping things will get better...

From my understanding, the ear can heal (extremely slow) but is extremely fragile after you first incident like mine. That's assuming my ear heals at all at this point. My test results up to 8 kHz are good (probably worse beyond that I haven't tested, my tinnitus I rate 2/10 which has never spike good news I hope).

But I guess I need to get to the point of this thread. I really want to know if people can heal to a point where they don't need to worry about always protecting their hearing from everyday noises?

I understand concerts and the likes are probably not worth risking, but what about a walk to the park, where people are and children are laughing and shouting. Can I ever use headphones (don't use right now) even at low volume?

Anyways I feel like my life is over. I will never get to just enjoy life again. If I'm struggling this much now, how will I cope with this another 40 - 50 years more. I need someone to point me to the light at the end of the tunnel, because right now I don't see it.

This is the last problem I would have ever wanted in my life, but I will keep on pressing on.

If you have any words of encouragement or news about treatments on the near horizon, let me hear it, because I could use them right about now.


EDIT: Are steroids pointless to try now? What should I be doing? Let time do its thing hopefully?