Tinnitus Went from Mild to Moderate in a Day and I'm Freaking Out

So a couple of things happened today that may have caused this change in volume but also a lot of change in the pitch:

I'm sick. Some sort of throat infection but I guess a lot of fluid build up everywhere. Maybe my Eustachian tubes? My hearing is definitely muffled.

I have been taking Mucinex D for my sickness.

An airhorn was blown by a student about 6-9 meters (20-30 feet) away from me (inside). I guess somebody was playing a prank or something in a otherwise usually quiet area. She just blew the horn and ran off and I was so shocked that I just ended up bursting into tears.

And then I came home and when I was in a quiet room realized that the pitch of my tinnitus (usually a high pitched relatively low in volume ringing that I perceive as white noise when there is a little background noise) had gotten lower in pitch but high in volume. Also I feel like it's a sensation. Like I can feel it tingling my ears even. Movement definitely makes it worse.

What's happening?

So I know it may be the sickness, but the first 4 days of my sickness it was just a little bit louder and the same pitch and now I'm actually getting better. So I'm reluctant to say it's just cause I'm sick?

Was it the airhorn? I tried to cover my ears but was definitely exposed to a good 2-3 seconds of it.

What should I do? I don't know if I can live with this?!

 

I know how you feel. I was at a moderate level and then some loud speakers and a leaf blower gave me a bad spike. It sorta subsided and sometimes my brain seems to almost totally quiet it. I was having painful hyperacusis but that seems to have faded.

There is a potential cure for us in human trials right now. It is aiming to regenerate our ear damage.

We just have to wait for the FDA process to play out unless we want to get involved as a community and request early access to this.

 

I'm really trying to habituate but I don't know if I can to this new level. I had habituated pretty well to my old tinnitus.

 

Yeah. In hindsight, my tinnitus before that acoustic trauma was much easier. What's weird is I woke up like 3 days ago and it was almost gone, now it's right back, a little lower than it was after my last spike, but not nearly like it was before.

 

You might consider taking Prednisone. If you decide to take it, it is better to take it within 48 hours of the noise incident.

You can also take NAC.

The thing to remember is that temporary spikes can last for over three months.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/poll-how-long-do-your-tinnitus-spikes-usually-last.23110/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/poll-how-long-was-your-longest-spike.22099/
There is a high chance that what you are experiencing now is temporary. Wait for at least a month. If it doesn't begin fading after a month, Then there might be a reason to panic. Until that time, it doesn't make sense to be upset. Try to ride it out.

In case you haven't seen it before, check out
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

 

I mean I'm not sure it's acoustic trauma. Do you think that a 2 second airhorn from that far would be enough for acoustic trauma.

 

My T is a result of me being exposed to a noise for a Fraction of a second.

Once someone develops T, their ears are often compromised. Noises that the others won't even notice can have serious consequences for people like us.

I have had a spike that lasted for over three months that was a result of a loud phone (I moved my hand away after a fraction of a second). Given my personal experiences, as well as the experiences I read about on this forum, air horn for two seconds doesn't seem to be harmless.

 

What about indoor fire alarms

 

I had to disable the fire alarm at my home. Whenever I am outside of my home, I carry a bag with Peltor X5A muffs...

 

So I’m assuming also potentially harmful in short term exposure. I just don’t know what to be scared of and not

 

On this forum there are many posts about people being exposed to fire alarms. Some get temporary spikes, others get permanent spikes. I don't remember anyone writing that they wore earmuffs and still ended up with a permanent spike.

 

I was exposed to 2 seconds of air horn this year. Spikes can seem permanent, but most are not. Some days are better than others. You get used to it and it will fade and get less edgey with time.

That said, all persons that blow air horns should be tarred and feathered!