Tinnitus from a Bike Tire Explosion

@Winter at my last visit to an ENT they were able to remove my earwax with a little tool called a curette, it’s generally considered the safest way to remove wax for people with tinnitus from what I’ve seen and experienced. My tinnitus started originally from an earwax block and was made worse by an improper irrigation, was very unpleasant but with the tool I didn’t feel anything and only heard a slight noise of the wax dislodging. You should look into this method.

 

Thanks but the wax looks very close to, if not on, the eardrum. I think this method is not used when it is on the eardrum. And I can’t see ENT until 28th of january. Don’t know what to do.

 

Yes, that's the safest way to remove wax, and it is simple.

 

Leave it till then, or try to get an earlier appointment with another ENT. Probably best not to self-irrigate.

By the way, I wouldn't let the ENT do microsuction or syringing. Manual removal isn't without risks, but it seems to be the safer option.

 

Yes I will wait till then instead and just keep on loosening the wax with olive drops in the meantime.

 

Just drove a 5 hour car ride, huge spike now. I hope it will go down...

 

Was the car loud? Could you hear your tinnitus over the car/road noise? My 2001 rates at 80 dB measured from my phone. Did you have ear plugs on you?

 

What’s wrong with an OTC product like this?

 

Normal car. 2012 Volvo so not an old loud car. About 75 decibel. I used Bose noise cancelling QC25 earphones for about 2,5 hours of the 5 hour drive. Last 35 minutes earplugs plus the bose earphones.

 

Nothing but I use this https://www.apotea.se/vaxol-oronspr...MIl_my9sDb5gIVEU0YCh3JqAF-EAQYASABEgIzSfD_BwE
and that is basically olive oil in an ear spray bottle. Worlds most expensive olive oil.

 

IMHO the car ride had little to do with your spike, and I’m sorry you are having it.

You did all the right things with protection. I can hear my tinnitus over my car at 80dB... sucks.

Could you have anxiety that is making your tinnitus worse?

 

Perhaps but I don’t think so. I get spikes easy it seems and when I do, they seem to be permanent. When I arrived I took 700 mg NAC, hope that helps reduse the awful spike.

 

Wait... so you have had tinnitus for maybe two months... and you have already gotten a few spikes that have continuously raised your tinnitus?

No offense... I think you would be better off not testing, talking, or thinking about your tinnitus.

It’s not easy... I have a masker on right now so I can forget about it.

 

A little more than 6 weeks, yes. Syringing right ear made it much worse and driving car yesterday for 5 hours have made it much worse in both ears. Not talking or testing the T but not thinking about it is impossibe since it is getting worse pretty much every week. Id chop my legs of just to get tinnitus back to the level it was when I created this thread to be honest.

 

So not thinking about, per se, a broken leg would help? I don’t think so to be honest.

Some of us need to talk about this to be able to cope.

 

Some people are not able to mask their tinnitus. And if you suffer from hyperacusis, then you also have another problem.

 

Oh I WISH tinnitus was a broken leg... that sh!t heals.

As @Mymlan previously said... give it time, tinnitus fluctuates.

I have hyperacusis, and my tinnitus does not mask most of the time, yet I wear a masker 24/7.
My tinnitus is heard over the shower, and as I said... it can go over 80 dB.

I really don’t see how “give it time” is any different than advice to not obsess over it.

You need to help yourself....ö maybe you have.
What did the doctor say?
Did you get your ear wax removed?

 

So not thinking about, per say, a broken leg would help?

Yepp, I wish that too. And you’re absolutely right on that point.

 

I was offering the same advice many others have offered. My perception of Mr. Winter is that he is obsessing over his tinnitus causing undue anxiety and stress.

 

So I just want to say hats off to Billie and Martin, I’ve been reading everyone’s responses to Winter and you guys are lifting my spirits. Had hearing loss 4 years ago which brought on my initial tinnitus and like I’ve been reading took me about a year to get use to it. Unfortunately had some more hearing loss recently with my highs this time and now it feels like I’m back to square one from 4 years ago. So even though I’ve had a relapse you guys are giving me hope. I just hope I adopt quicker this time.Thank you!

 

I don’t agree with you, on that he is obsessing. He is suffering.

Also, tinnitus itself cause anxiety and stress. It is not that the ”obsession” over tinnitus will cause anxiety and stress.

 

How long did i it take for you to habituate... get used to... etc etc etc the first time?

For my first mild tinnitus it took probably 2-3 years.

 

I am definitely obsessing over my tinnitus in some way, that is true. But not to is impossible. And just because I am ”obsessing” doesn’t mean it’s not getting worse instead of better. I am obsessing because the level is getting worse every week because of new loud sounds, stupidly removing wax with water syringe, drinking quinine amongst other things. I write here to get information how to cope and not make things worse, however it is a very hard condition to have for me. It has ruined my life. I try to stay positive for my wife and baby. I try to do the right things. But if it keeps on getting worse and worse in the same pace as it has in these 6 weeks, I can’t even imagine how I will be able to live till I’m 30. And that is 10 months away.

However I do appreciate all advice I get. I wouldn’t write here otherwise. I only hope some other people read all this and learn from all my mistakes.

 

I think this is spot on. The tinnitus is definitely causing my stress and anxiety. I am not an anxious person. It is not like I’m obsessing over my looks or something, I am obsessing over something that is real. It is not in my head, as for example a faulty body image can be.

 

Think about family, that is all any of us can do.

I really am sorry your tinnitus is getting worse, but it has only been 6 weeks... and you are young. I was 30 when I got my first tinnitus... it took 2-3 years to basically go away.

Have you tried to coverup or mask your tinnitus?
Is there anything you do where your tinnitus doesn’t bother you, even for a few minutes?

 

May I ask what caused your first bout of tinnitus, and did you eventually get to hear silence again?

 

After always wearing earplugs in rock bands, I didn’t once, for a 30 minute set.

At least two hard cymbal hits had me recoil in pain. Finished the gig with earplugs. The next morning I had tinnitus... which for anyone the first time around it seemed severe. After 2-3 years I never thought about it except to still use earplugs anywhere it would be loud. It was gone as far as I was concerned. Yes, I had silence.

20 years later, an MRI without a help button... extremely loud... only the cheap muffs, no earplugs (I didn’t know they were so loud). I called out for help... no response... I kick myself for not fighting my slipped disk, and risking full sound exposure to crawl out of the tube... instead I held the muffs against my head hard as I could and 20 minutes later my life was ruined thanks to an incompetent MRI technician.

Looking back, my tinnitus was mild... only heard in a quiet room... now it is 100x worse, I hear it over the car with full fans blowing, or the shower... I wear a masking mix 24/7 which I play loud to deal with it... sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn’t. My old car is 82 dB at 45 mph... and it doesn’t cover the tinnitus.

 

I’m happy to hear that your silence returned! But I’m really sorry that your tinnitus came back, and I can’t imagine what that must have felt like. The MRI scan was the last acoustic trauma you suffered?

 

The MRI happened late October. So I went 20 years with success guarding against every loud person/event out there until I was distracted by my back injury, not having metal for the MRI, having some time pressure for work... and I failed, failed not knowing how loud an MRI can be and not asking the technician... what if this thing catches fire, etc,

The technician didn’t do her job, at all... I was complacent since they advertised and were proud of their new MRI machine, and Siemens (the manufacturer) has an office building across the street.

If I had done this in the hospital versus their office, would things have been different?
Maybe the technician at a hospital would have done their job, who knows...

That’s the past I get angry over, but this is my future....

 

I’m very sorry this happened to you. It’s unfair. I didn’t cause my tinnitus either, so I know the anger.