Tinnitus Questions — Paranoid Making It Worse

I have several questions about tinntius - being new to it I'm very paranoid about making it worse.

I regularly go to football matches, will this likely make my tinnitus worse? Or aren't they TOO loud?

Dogs barking, could that make it worse?

I love concerts, however I realise these are now out of bounds.

I think I may just be over paranoid, but even things like drying my hair (85DB) and my alarm clock 90 + DB, surely this will cause more permanent damage?

OR is this over-reacting? I just really don't understand it. Will loud noises just create spikes which go down in a day or so, or will they cause permanently bad tinnitus until I can no longer cope?

FOOD & DRINK

Is it really a case of no junk food or chocolate at all etc, as this will create spikes? Or do these only last a couple of hours?

THEME PARKS

For example, disney world, would I need to avoid this as there are loud noises around constantly? And will rollercoasters have any affect on it?

LONG TERM SLEEP

I have sleeping tablets for the short term, but is there anything long term which can help?

I'm only in my early twenties and it already seems like my life is being taken away from me. I just feel that this will just get worse over time as the ears will be exposed to many sounds which are unexpected, is this the case?

Thank you for any help you can provide.

 

Welcome, friend.
does 5/12/2014 mean last May or 2 weeks ago?

anyway: your life is just about to start. it is definitely not taken away from you.

 

Thank you!

2 weeks ago.

I just feel as if every loud sound will cumulatively make it worse, or is this not the case?

Is it more a case of constant exposure - say a nightclub for example which will make it worse?

 

Any idea what might have caused your T?

Since it´s a two week old issue for you there´s a great chance it will go away. Frankly some might say it aint Tinnitus yet. It is just some sound you have been hearing over the last two weeks. So dont make it a too big of a problem for yourself at this point.

Now: visit a doctor, stress levels down, no over-reacting, no panicking, eat/sleep/exercise good and try not to think about it too much. Dont spend your days reading about T or ear problems.

in generally it´s good to avoid loud noises no matter if you got T or you dont. but a hairdryer... no, if you ask me.
Dont think with your T. Think normally. If some sounds feel too loud they are too loud for you.

Dogs barking? If you could only see me driving my car and my dog barking in the back seat 20cm from my sick ear.... ha ha. There´s life with T. Never doubt that and dont ever give up.

In this forum you will get lots of support and many good advices (mine excluded....)
Great people here, absolutely. You have to the right place.

 

Noise induced from a very loud gig I went to unfortunately.

It has got quieter over the last few days since i've been off anti biotics and have been taking steroids. But just now for example and at night time it gets bad. I have a feeling this is just temporary and it will get worse soon, however I am rather negative. I'd rather try and get through it as soon as possible really!

I've seen a specialist who basically said I'm over reacting (I went a bit suicidal, no hope for the first few days) and said there's nothing he can do, I just have to live with it and get counselling.

Thanks for the advice!

So Hairdryer, dogs barking etc, I don't need to worry about? Just long, loud exposure pretty much?

 

the specialist was being honest with you. I am not a doctor but there might be some tricks to do with the acoustic trauma if reacted soon enough. With T in generally there´s very little the docs can do. Some might disagree. Some take pills, go to trial treatmens... what you need to do is give it some time.

Everyone can understand you are feeling scared and worried, that is the very human being in you. You are facing a new not-so-nice thing in your life. I have felt the same many times. My first T experience came with shotgun firing without hearing protection. i think i was 13 y.o. at the time. I was panicking for two days after that. Then some rock gigs and concerts....night clubs... ears ringing like hell many times but it always went away. Then one day it didnt. Got louder at some point...

if some sound feels irritating for you avoid it. But dont become too obsessed with decibels, that´s what i mean.
You have a feeling it´s temporary? That´s probably what it is.
An old cliche is to say "think positive". I honestly think that it suits your situation perfectly.

 

So Hairdryer, dogs barking etc, I don't need to worry about? Just long, loud exposure pretty much?[/QUOTE]

Don't worry about hair dryer and things like that. They wont cause worse tinnitus. Go to your football matches, but if they are very loud, invest in some good musician ear plugs. And keep them clean. Use the earplugs when going to loud theme parks, cinema etc.
Any spike from caffeine or food will only be temporary.
Live life normally. But if going somewhere louder than you feel comfortable with, wear earplugs. But perhaps leave loud night clubs out completely. Night clubs can be very loud, you drink, stay in there for hours, get drunk, and forget earplugs.
A very loud dog bark directly in the ear could be a problem. A dog barking three foot away from your ear will be fine.
As for sleep, try using nothing. You'll get tired and get used to falling asleep with tinnitus. Perhaps use a pillow speaker instead.
Your life hasn't ended. Far from it. It's just changed a bit. Someone with both legs amputated has changed a lot.
Remember, these are only my opinions, not facts.

 

Yes that's true, thanks! He said that positivity is key, so far I'd agree.

What's the longest you had temporary tinntius for? Thanks for the support, much appreciated.

I mean as in the quiet T over the past few days being temporary, as before that it was unbearable, I couldn't cope.

 

Don't worry about hair dryer and things like that. They wont cause worse tinnitus. Go to your football matches, but if they are very loud, invest in some good musician ear plugs. And keep them clean. Use the earplugs when going to loud theme parks, cinema etc.
Any spike from caffeine or food will only be temporary.
Live life normally. But if going somewhere louder than you feel comfortable with, wear earplugs. But perhaps leave loud night clubs out completely. Night clubs can be very loud, you drink, stay in there for hours, get drunk, and forget earplugs.
A very loud dog bark directly in the ear could be a problem. A dog barking three foot away from your ear will be fine.
As for sleep, try using nothing. You'll get tired and get used to falling asleep with tinnitus. Perhaps use a pillow speaker instead.
Your life hasn't ended. Far from it. It's just changed a bit. Someone with both legs amputated has changed a lot.
Remember, these are only my opinions, not facts.[/QUOTE]

Phew, being on this forum has already made me more positive! Thank you for the advice!

 

Stay out of noise for 6 months, try and try stay away from ototoxic meds. This is key time for you to heal. After 6 months you may be stuck with what you have.

My opinion, I'm sure some would disagree.

 

Try not to stress and think too much about your T as that will only make it worse.(easier said than done, I know)

There is a good chance it may still go away after 2 weeks, but protect your ears from any prolonged noise from now on.

 

Hmmm so you got tinnitus 2 weeks ago from loud noise exposure.

Well I personally think that because your tinnitus, like mine, came from loud noise that you should try to avoid all other loud noises and environments.

It's only been 2 weeks so who knows maybe yours could go away if your careful and stay away from loud stuff.

Places like a football game I wouldnt go. Or if you must wear earplugs.
The hair dryer? Well they are kinda loud and you would have it for the few minutes its on right next to your ear while drying your hair so with your already damaged ears I wouldnt do it. Or again wear earplugs.