Tinnitus Got Worse After Exposed to Friend Grinding a Piece of Metal

Hello everyone,

I have had tinnitus for around 4 years now. Mine was the result of being young and dumb being around loud noises. I had a rough 1st year and then it didn't bother me. I feel it was low in volume.

Fast forward to almost 2 weeks ago, a buddy and I were working on a car together which we love. All of a sudden he picks up a grinder and starts grinding a piece of metal. I immediately plug my ears and scream. He immediately stops. The grinding lasted for around 30 seconds.

I now have a tinnitus spike in my ears again and have been praying it's only temporary. I admit I have even broke down and cried for a couple of days because I feel I ruined my ears even more. I still have some hope it's just temporary.

I need some encouragement and prayers. Is it possible for it to go back to baseline like before or did I permanently make it louder and have to start all over again? It has caused a lot of stress and restless nights.

 

I'm praying for you for a reduction man. My noticeable ringing/static-y tinnitus was a result of one bonehead decision I regret every hour of the last three months, crying and anxiety attacks at 3am at night.

 

Hi @Brandon1994.

There is a good chance that the spike is only temporary and may take a while for it to return to baseline, especially if this is the first time you have experienced an increase in the tinnitus since you habituated. You haven't mentioned how long you have been habituated? If the tinnitus has remained at a stable level for more than a year, meaning you haven't had any spikes or experienced any oversensitivity to sound or hyperacusis, just be patient and it will settle down.

I feel you need to be aware of a few things. Noise induced tinnitus, which is what you have, never completely goes away even after a person successfully habituates to it and they no longer experience any hyperacusis or oversensitivity to sound. Some people with this type of tinnitus believe once habituation has been achieved, they can return to their old way of life. This may be listening to music through headphones, going to places where loud music is played or playing a instrument in a band such as a guitar or drums, thinking the wearing of noise reducing earplugs will keep them safe, but this is not necessarily true. If one chooses to go down this route, they risk making the tinnitus worse.

Please click on the link below and read my post: Can I Habituate to Variable Tinnitus? Please go to my started threads and read: The Habituation Process, How to Habituate to Tinnitus, Will My Tinnitus Get Worse? Tinnitus and the Negative Mindset, Acquiring a Positive Mindset. Hyperacusis, As I See It, New to Tinnitus, What to Do?

I advise you not to listen to audio through any type of headphones even at low volume. This includes earbuds, headsets, noise cancelling and bone conduction headphones, as there's a risk of making the tinnitus worse.

All the best,
Michael

Can I Habituate to Variable Tinnitus? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

 

NAC?

Prednisone?

 

Do you know how loud the grinder was? Was it comparable to a sander or chain saw?

There are some noise exposure time tables which indicate how long it will take before a noise can cause hearing damage.

Like: 101 dB for 3.5 minutes. 104 dB for 1.5 minutes. But the time tables can vary, not all sources provide the same table.

Anyhow, you are stuck with a spike. Panic and stress can maintain a spike and even make it worse. It's important to stay positive, take good rest, exercise - even if you take something like Prednisone. Spikes normally go down back to baseline when you stop worrying.

It can take weeks to a few months to go down.

 

99% of spikes go down eventually. It's partly a mind game. Monitor it constantly and it is likelier to stick in the brain. Keep some background sounds in your house and under no circumstances plug your ears to listen to it for any changes.