Tinnitus Spike After MRI

I know I should have checked here first, but I had an MRI a couple of days ago. I wore ear plugs and gun muffs over them, and then had the tech put rubber pads over the gun muffs and pillows. I figured that I had plenty of protection. It was still loud but after being in there for about 30 minutes with them doing six 4 minute scans and having them pause 3 minutes between each scan. I got home that night and got a bad spike and it's still here now. I Just had an MRI about a month ago in the same machine with the same protection and same amount of time and I was fine. I just don't understand why I got a spike ? Now I'm sorry that I did the second MRI. My spikes always go down back to my baseline in the past after a few days. I'm hoping that will be the case here.

Has anyone here had any experience with getting MRI's ? Did you get a spike and did your spike go away after a few days ?

Please let me know


Louie
Quietatnight

 

MRI muffs and pads block 49db. Your hearing protection was also within 45-47db. MRI maximum db is 120db.

 

Samir

The test was on Friday afternoon, I was ok friday night it wasn't until this morning when the spike really started to get loud. Maybe it's just my time for a bad couple of days. It's just so frustrating all I had to do was cancel the test and I could have avoided this entire mess. It's just so hard to accept that one mistake can cause such a horrible outcome, it was so avoidable.

cspc

Yeah I agree with your numbers I had the same numbers that you did, I really figured I has plenty of protection. I'm having so much regret I just can't deal with it. I let my other MRI last month effect my thinking, I had no problem with that test and I felt safe.


It's just not fair, I just can't deal with this it's so unfortunate, I knew better this was totally unavoidable and I know it.



Louie
Quietatnight

 

This looks very promising if they can make it available soon

http://newsok.com/article/5592955/o...hair-cells-critical-to-reversing-hearing-loss


I guess all we can do is hope


Louie
Quietatnight

 

I don't think it's the mri. Have courage my friend . Have you changed meds? some might be ototoxic without you knowing http://www.tinnitusandhearingclinic.com/Tinnitus-Causing-Drugs.html

Yes.

 

What gun muffs did you use ?

 

The highest possible decibel reduction one could achieve with double protection would be 36 decibels. You'd need perfectly inserted 33npr plugs and peltor x5as with a good seal (short hair) to achieve that, 25-30 npr is more likely. Factor in the vibrations of the machine which will penetrate through bone conduction and it's probably closer to 15-20 decibels of reduction. I doubt the pads and pillows did much, 120db in an enclosed space that's vibrating through your spine and skull is gonna be loud regardless.

 

I am talking about ear muffs that they give you there. With other earmuffs db reduction is lower. Bone Conduction is an issue but its not constantly 100-120db vibration also makes tinnitus worse. If you can avoid MRIs as much as possible (fo r the vibration thing, otherwise I think they are within NIOSH guidelines. ). I suggest to use Z weighting especially when measuring machines. You can use B weighting, C weighting or Z weighting for measuring db in general. NIOSH guidelines however cover only 250 days per year. I would suggest to use something between EPA and NIOSH hearing protection guidelines. More: https://midimagic.sgc-hosting.com/spldose.htm

 

Exactly my point... X5a's are the best muffs on the market, the muffs they provide absolutely will not match or best that model. Factor in all the decibels that are circumventing the protection and being conducted by your bones as a result of all the vibrations and you're not getting much protection. The best thing you can do is to find the closet hospital that uses Toshiba Vantage units (quietest on the market) and have your MRI done there.

 

You can't really blame yourself. If you did that you would have probably regretted not taking the MRI. Hopefully this spike will only last a few days.

 

@quietatnight
next time go there
still need plugs but the noise is well within acceptable range

https://www.ibji.com/illinois-bone-...at-significantly-improves-patient-experience/

 

I have already did the MRI, Yes I know it was a big mistake and I'm probably going to have to suffer the rest of my life with this new loudness level. I would never do another MRI again. I'm in serious trouble right now, my tinnitus is through the roof, screaming like never before. I'm starting to develop ear pain in my right ear this morning. I only see one way our of this and I'm seriously considering it. I just can't go on like this anymore, it's just way too much for me to take. I have not had any sleep in 3 days. I just can't do it anymore I have to put an end to this and I know it.

Sorry for the dark letter it is what it is.

My quality of life is now NOTHING


Very sad that I have to end my life, over 30 minutes in an MRI,,, I have always been so careful with my ears. But that's all that it took.

Very unfortunate, Very unfortunate

 

I should have come here before the MRI and asked I'm sure someone here would have advise me not to do it, and I would have canceled it, and be fine right now, this was so easily unavoidable.

DAMN IT ,,, DAMN IT WHAT WAS I THINKING ?

 

I'm sorry for my ranting but I just don't have any other thing to do now. I feel like the stupidest person in the world right now. I knew that I was on thin ice with my tinnitus, I knew better to protect my ears at any cost. What I did was just inexcusable. I'm just so lost and full of regret and hate, I'm sick of this damn disease it's been affecting mt life do 30 years and taken everything that I love away from me not it's taking ways my mind and my life.

I'm enraged with anger

 

Before you do anything drastic, give it some time. It can take months to heal, there's no reason why it can't quiet down again. Protect yourself as much as possible in the meantime. Are you taking any supplements?

 

bur547

I appreciate your kindness, I know that spikes can take time to heal, I have been through a lot of them. But for me spikes usually show some sign of going back down in a couple of days after I get a good night sleep. This spike is just not acting like a normal spike. That's why I have so much concern. If anything it seems to be getting worse not better. I am just loosing faith that I will pull out of this everything that I normally do has becomes almost impossible. Even using the phone and watching TY. I have never had these kinds of problems over the years with my tinnitus. This entire thing is making me sick. both physically and worse mentally I never saw it coming.

I don't take supplements, I'm too busy taking medications to try and help me stay alive. I'm going through an impossible time all I can here is the tinnitus. Plus I'm pretty sure I have also increased my hyperacusis also, making matters worse. I'm just walking around like a lost zombie. I just in a very bad position with no way out. I don't know of many people on here that their tinnitus has improved after a week or 10 days. But I guess it can happen. My main concern at the moment is getting any sleep. And I taking enough medication to put a small elephant to sleep for the night.

Did you really get tinnitus from using "ketoconazole' ? I never heard of that, it's interesting.


Thank You
Quietatnight

 

Louie:
Please hang in there.
I know ... it is very tough !
I will pray for you.
May Lord give you strength.

Robert

 

Try to not panic or worry so much, it will just be a spike it probably will die down again over the next months. Iv just hit the 6 month mark and my tinnitus is still fading very slowly. Either its a spike or an onset of tinnitus but either way in 6 months its got so much better.

 

Don’t let yourself get too wound up Louie. The stress is a killer so you have to try and relax. This is an absolute must. I know it’s incredibly difficult, but you have to distract yourself and get your thoughts out of that MRI machine. You will be fine Louie

 

Ed

Thank You for getting back to me, yes I understand what you mean, I have OCD that makes everything seem worse then it is. I just had an MRI at the same place on the same machine 3 weeks before with no problem at all, I would say that should be encouraging it was even for the same amount of time. I know I need to relax, it's only been a couple of days.


Thank You again for your time

Louie
Quietatnight

 

Same reply applies here as what I pm’ed you. Try and put the worry of this behind you now. I know how hard it is, but you will come through this.

 

Don't blame yourself. None of this is your fault.

I have OCD too, so I understand the feelings of anger, regret, and hate. I understand the thought that you should have known better. OCD and anxiety are bullies that kick you when you're down.

I am hoping your spike goes away.

 

SugarMagnolia

Yes I'm hoping the spike will go back down also, right now I'm really suffering, I have to find away to get some sleep, that's the first thing. I have not had any in 2 nights. I appreciate the support.


Thank you

Louie
Quietatnight

 

@quietatnight sometimes the first step towards recovery is letting go of the regret. It holds you back and makes the situation much worse. I understand how these symptoms have affected your well-being especially the lack of sleep.

Have you spoken to the place where you had the last MRI and report your symptoms to them? It may be important if you had the same machine prior. Maybe something was/is wrong and they should know.

Why did you need the second MRI?

Do you take an anxiety medication?

 

@Starthrower

Yes I called and told the imaging director what happened to me and asked if they had any work done to the machine since I was there last month. They only have 1 machine so yes it was the same machine for both of my MRI's. They said nothing as done to the machine since I was their last month. I have to say I'm having a very hard time with trying to listen to any sounds. My TV, my cell phone I can't even stand my own voice, this is just good. If I try and use my ears to listen to anything my tinnitus shoots up like a rocket, and just keeps getting louder and louder until I stop to deal silence. Even trying to do dishes the running water causes a problem. Am I loosing my mind ? or what. The minute I get the sound level down to off, my tinnitus lowers back down, not all the way back down to my baseline but at least low enough to tolerate it. This is crazy I juts don't understand. I have tried to mask the tinnitus with no luck. It's at if my ears are at the point were they can not process any sounds at all. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. It's as if the last MRI broke my ears. I had the second MRI for the lower spine, I had the entire pelvis last month. I was having all kinds of random pains all over the place. The ironic thing is the last MRI I have stopped having the pains go figure after 4 years of random pains.

I'm on all kinds of anxiety medication's, that's all I do all day is take medications. But nothing is able to get me a good night asleep, that's worst part no sleep.

Anyway, I'm still hoping that things will settle back down soon. I can't stand not being able to watch TV, can't hear it over the tinnitus. If I turn up the sound it increases the tinnitus. It ends up being a vicious cycle.


I hope that answers your questions.


Louie
Quietatnight

 

@quietatnight

If it's any consolation, I'm at day 9 of a spike, it's been getting less but I didn't really notice any improvement until after day 5. It's such a huge relief when the noise goes down, but at the same time I'm still only about 1/2 way through my potential lifespan and I fear this condition will get worse over the years.

If you haven't tried it yet, B-complex, magnesium, curcumin, potassium, vitamin D3, calcium, Thiamine Pyrophosphate (TPP), Biotin, melatonin... These are a few of the things other people have claimed have helped them. There seems to be a lot of different causes of tinnitus, and some things help some people but not others. I am trying the spaghetti solution, throw a bunch of things at the wall and see what sticks.

As far as Ketoconazole goes, it was my initial hunch that it was helping cause my condition. It's listed as a "potential ototoxic" drug for non-human animals, and it is of the same class of drugs that are known ototoxics. I know I have another problem going on inside my ear(s), but I think for people with whatever problems they have, this drug cannot be helping them. The noise exposure I had which led to my tinnitus was relatively brief and isolated, yet I had been gaining hyperacusis for years leading up to the event... same basic time frame I had been using Ketoconazole. I guess the research isn't in, but if I had to say I would advise anyone with hearing problems to avoid it.

 

you are not alone! same thing happened to me in 2017 even though I used double hearing protection.

The threshold to make tinnitus worse is very small indeed which is why it is so devastating.

 

Louie:
How do you feel today? Any improvement?