Tinnitus Worsening After House Warming Party with Calmer Noise Filters

Hello tinnitus tribe,

I'm new to Tinnitus Talk, but not to tinnitus unfortunately. I've had it since 2018 due to loud noise exposure both at work and then at a nightclub later that weekend when I hadn't inserted earplugs correctly and walked by a speaker adjacent to a walkway (terrible club layout, not that any clubs are really that safe of an environment). I noticed a little pain and left the area immediately but didn't think much of it until I climbed into bed that night and in the silence heard a high-pitched EEEEEEEEE as I was trying to sleep. The rest is history.

Just under two months ago, I went to a housewarming party with Calmer noise filters in my ears. They're an open earplug supposed to help with noise sensitivity issues and I thought to try them out (big mistake). I will stick to my foam earplugs or musicians earplugs in future to avoid this mistake happening again.

I have since had a new tinnitus tone in both my left and right ears, left ear fullness, slightly diminished hearing (although this isn't showing on an 8 kHz audiogram), and headaches and pressure in my head.

I am considering Prednisolone treatment although I have had this in the past and it made me feel awful and I feel it may have contributed to negatively affecting the mental stability I had at the time. Taking it right now scares the shit out of me because I'm about to start a new job, although the new tinnitus also scares the shit out of me.

I was wondering if anyone else on Tinnitus Talk has had lasting success this far (7 weeks) into a spike with Prednisolone?

I'm a Mechanical Fitter by trade and some of my hobbies are weight lifting and listening to and creating music. This current setback is really getting to me. I'm a pretty sensitive person and every time I have a setback it really affects me to the point of being unable to feel any positive emotion. Any pointers or advice would be appreciated.

Cheers.

 

7 weeks is way too late for Prednisone. Pointers are don't go to loud events anymore, ever. You reap what you sow. Protect your ears, and wait for Susan Shore's device.

 

It was an honest mistake, poor judgement and a lack of planning. I've learned my lesson.

Has anyone had any luck with LLLT?

 

I think @SaraK18 had some success using that.

 

I suspect the increase in your tinnitus has very little to do with your earplugs not being inserted properly and has more to do with exposure to loud noise. You have noise-induced tinnitus and therefore, need to take care when exposed to overly loud sounds even when wearing earplugs. The reason being, if external sounds are loud enough, they will pass through your head and transfer to your inner ear, by bone conduction, and could spike the tinnitus. If a person is fortunate, the spike will usually calm down within a short period of time. This could be over a few hours or up to a week or more.

However, there is also a risk the spike will increase the tinnitus to a new level that could last for much longer and possibly stay at this new level. The more someone with noise-induced tinnitus subjects themselves to overly loud sounds or listens to audio through any type of headphones, including earbuds, AirPods, noise-cancelling or bone conduction headphones, the more they risk making their tinnitus worse. Spikes, caused by loud sounds and headphones use, are a warning, to stop what you are going. If you don't heed this warning, then you risk your tinnitus becoming permanently worse.

Some people that have noise-induced tinnitus are under the false belief that by wearing earplugs or high-end custom moulded earplugs, they are completely safe from external sounds and noise. They think going to clubs, concerts and listening to loud music will cause no harm but nothing more could be further from the truth, as I have explained above.

Please go to my started threads and read: Will My Tinnitus Get Worse? Can I Habituate to Variable Tinnitus? The Habituation Process, How to Habituate to Tinnitus.

My advice is to take more care of your hearing and read my posts.

I wish you well,
Michael

 

First of all, I appreciate all of your posts here helping others over the years. Based off what I know about your story, I do not think that you are not an audiologist (nor am I). This particular quote above while obviously true to an extent, I think raises the fear level above what is necessary for some people.

Sometimes I have to be places that are loud and I don't like to be there and I will wear custom earplugs. I'll even give myself a break with the custom earplugs in a quiet environment for the very reason that you stated, but if bone conduction was as strong as you say, I think you'd be able to hear much louder as if you weren't plugged up. We already know that bone conduction headphones work similarly. I mean just think of the vibrations we experience in a car or bus or train, etc. as well. And to your point, you may just be calling out people who think they are "risk-free" with earplugs and go to loud concerts, clubs, etc. where it's hard to doubt that extended periods even plugged up could be completely safe. And I wouldn't recommend anyone with noise-induced tinnitus going to those places frequently.

I definitely agree people with noise-induced tinnitus should avoid loud environments as much as practicable, but I also don't know that they need to be overly fearful if they are plugged up for short bits of time, a wedding, etc.

And again that may not have been your intention, but I wanted to share that for others.

Again, thanks for all of the work you do here!

 

Thank you for your kind comments. I want to make a few things clear so there is no misunderstanding. You have said that you've read some of my posts. Then you will know that I have said on many occasions that my advice is advice and not absolute.

The way I see it, @FredNerk is regularly going to environments where the sound levels are very loud and putting trust in earplugs. I believe this is the wrong thing to do. Please read my post: Hyperacusis, As I See It. I mentioned I went into an arcade here in Brighton, England a few years back. The sound levels in there reached 100 dB on my decibel meter. I stayed there for 30 minutes and my tinnitus wasn't affected in the slightest and I wore no earplugs! This was a test.

Being medically qualified or being an audiologist does not necessarily make one a tinnitus and hyperacusis therapist. When I was recently fitted with two new Oticon white noise generators, I was seen by 2 audiologists. One was born with tinnitus and works with tinnitus patients. She does counselling, CBT and TRT. The other told me she knows very little about tinnitus and doesn't have it. She takes hearing tests and fits hearing aids and white noise generators to tinnitus patients.

Tinnitus cannot be learnt from a book or at medical school to any great depth. Therefore, to understand this condition and to counsel people affected by it, one has to live with tinnitus. This way the person will be able to empathise with people that are in distress with it. I believe a person has to have lived with tinnitus for at least 3, preferably 5 years and to have experience of it being mild, moderate, and severe. In addition to this, they should have counselled people that have been affected by tinnitus. This way the person will not only have their knowledge of tinnitus to draw on but other people's too.

I have acquired this knowledge over many years living with tinnitus and corresponding with and counselling people that have noise-induced tinnitus. There are people in this forum that I regard equally knowledgeable as me about noise-induced tinnitus and hyperacusis, and those that I think know more than me. It is impossible to know everything about tinnitus; that's why I am always willing to learn more.

Thank you for your comments and I wish you well,
Michael

 

It does surprise me when people on here say that you are not an audiologist, you are not an ENT expert.

LOL - since when were audiologists or ENT experts of much use to tinnitus sufferers - beyond prescribing the same drugs time and time again. And how many clinicians are on this board? There was one clinician - who was berated by a board member for talking nonsense.

There are no tinnitus consultants available to 99% of us so we naturally come to forums and find advice and weigh up whether or not it is good.

My other ailment is dry eyes, and I believe after 6 years of trying different things - failing with eye drops prescribed by opticians - I have useful advice for sufferers which is not offered by professionals, and I have no medical training.

 

Roger that. All that I wanted to achieve was to share my opinion that I don't think people need to be overly fearful if they go some place in the 80s decibel range or even low 90s for brief periods of time if they have earplugs on. My opinion is the risk is minimal, not zero. 90s and above for extended periods even with earplugs are in my "no-no" range. My customs attenuate at most frequencies either 15 dB or 25 dB depending on the filters being used and my impression absent evidence to the contrary is that the environmental risk of bone conduction isn't super high or else we'd hear sounds much clearer like with bone conduction earplugs (again not an audiologist). We are in agreement that once the tinnitus expresses itself, the days of headphones, nightclubs, loud concerts, etc. are probably in best interest to be over.

All the best!

 

I realized the point that you were making but, with respect, say to you, by quoting a section of my post (taking it out of context) and your subsequent comments, conveyed to me that I was telling people to be fearful of sound, which is not the case. That was the reason I mentioned, going into an arcade on Brighton Palace Pier, where the sound levels reached 100 dB and I used no hearing protection!

Please go to my started threads and read my posts. I think you will see that I try to promote positivity, not fear. At the same time, I advise people that have noise-induced tinnitus, to be prudent and to exercise good judgement. To be careful of being exposed to overly loud sounds on a regular basis and not put total trust in hearing protection. I also advise, and this is advice to people that have noise-induced tinnitus, not to listen to audio through any type of headphones, even at low volume. Type headphones in the search box at the top of this page and read the posts.

I am not above reproach and realize anything I post in this forum is open to scrutiny and comments. Providing a person is respectful towards me, then in most instances I will respond. I will not engage with anyone that is disrespectful or uses any form of bad language towards me. It looks especially bad in writing. I was not brought up this way. My parents have passed on for some time now. When they were here, I never once used bad language in front of them, nor to people I talk with in person or during correspondence online - I am not going to start now at 63 years of age.

I wish you well,
Michael

 

Sorry this happened to you. I have chronic tinnitus and hyperacusis which was once so bad I couldn't tolerate the sound of my own voice or a running tap. The only places I would rely on open earplugs like Calmers would be if I was listening to music at moderate levels in a controlled environment, or going to a lengthy meeting or conference call. Also at the dentist where they give some protection against the sound of the machinery around you without creating an occlusion effect during drilling.

The majority of the time when I use earplugs it would be the silicon musician's earplugs, but I also keep foam earplugs handy if I'm going somewhere that could be very noisy. I don't wear them all the time. I'm lucky enough to work from home so I'm able to ensure my ears get plenty of rest and I've limited my social life.

It takes trial and error to work out the best ways to protect our hearing after they become compromised. Unfortunately we can suffer setbacks in the process, but recovery is still possible given time.

 

Audiologists and ENT doctors are healthcare professionals, who mostly treat underlying medical problems that cause tinnitus, but they don't treat tinnitus, which is a completely different kettle of fish.

I have a lot of respect for my ENT consultant and have known her for quite a few years. She once told me, "Michael, you know much more about tinnitus than me, for the simple reason I have never experienced it". She went on to explain that ENTs treat underlying medical problems that cause tinnitus but don't treat tinnitus. This is the reason ENT doctors refer tinnitus patients to Audiology, when no underlying medical problem is found to be causing the tinnitus in the auditory system.

Some audiologists (not all) that specialise in tinnitus and hyperacusis management, were either born with tinnitus or acquired it at some time in their life. My audiologist was born with tinnitus.

Michael

 

I find that slightly an odd comment. Does that mean oncologists who have not had cancer know less about cancer than cancer patients?

 

I wish someone had encouraged me to be more fearful when I first started posting here.

I would have been more careful with exposure and likely been in a better position now.

Fear is an automated self-protection mechanism all our brains are equipped with. What's wrong with using that to help people from getting worse tinnitus?

 

Agree with you completely. Because once you reach a catastrophic level of tinnitus, you can be stuck for life.

 

Cancer has signs and can be objectively measured, assessed, treated and even cured. A doctor would be able to examine a dead body and determine if they had cancer or not.

As tinnitus is purely subjective and impossible to diagnose objectively, it makes the condition difficult to assess and treat.

Tinnitus sufferers can be VERY motivated to understand their condition because there is so 'little' help available and no two audiological healthcare workers offering the same treatment (e.g., give Prednisone or do not give Prednisone; use WNG or rest ears, etc.)

Doctors, ENTs and audiologists tend to not like dealing with tinnitus/hyperacusis as there is no "standard" treatment and simply because there is no cure. Falling onto the "it's a mental health issue" is a narrative that can suit their inability to fix the "real" problem.

The best "non-risk" treatment is protecting ears, time and PATIENCE. I only know this because I am a tinnitus sufferer and from reading posts here, not because I am professionally qualified to "treat" sufferers or any "help" I have got from health care professionals.

We are all suffering a truly unique and awful medical condition.

Let us continue to help one another.

 

Without meaning to sound condescending @Stuart-T, once you understand tinnitus, then you will realize my ENT consultant's comments were correct, although I was a little taken aback when she told me this in 2010. I was also told by an ENT Registrar, that doctors don't treat tinnitus.

Tinnitus is mostly mental, and to an extent hyperacusis is too. I have explained this in many of my posts and threads. Both are an integral part of a person's mental and emotional wellbeing. This is the reason tinnitus cannot be learnt from a book in any great depth. The treatment for tinnitus is mostly medication, sound therapy and counselling. The counselling is best administered by a therapist that also lives with tinnitus and ideally, has experience of it being mild, moderate and severe. A good tinnitus therapist will understand how tinnitus can affect a person's mental and emotional wellbeing and can help to remove and demystify the negative thinking that often affects a person with tinnitus.

Treatment for medical conditions such as cancer, although they will have an effect on a person's mental health, is quite different.

Michael

 

I accept your points. Though having suffered an undetectable ailment does alone not necessarily mean you will know more than a consultant about that illness. But I understand the spirit of the original comment.

 

Beautifully put @Jupiterman, exactly my point.

 

Hi @Michael Leigh, you mention the arcades in Brighton reaching 100 dB, which I can well imagine, having been there myself.

Have you since managed long car journeys or a flight with constant 70 dB - 80 dB ambience and 'vibrations' without earplugs? Particularly when having hyperacusis?

 

Michael, respectfully, I think this is starting to get a little on the defensive side, I am assuming due to the nature of social media type discourse. Unfortunately, neither you nor I can control how other people react and respond to things that they read and that was the point of me posting... to ensure that that they didn't take you out of context. I took nothing out of context and if you read my first and second posts, I say it raises fear levels beyond what is necessary for some people and in the second post use the word "overly" before fearful of sound as we both know loud noises and extended exposure are not healthy for those with tinnitus.

You made the claim that bone conduction with earplugs is potentially dangerous and I want people to know that, in my opinion, absent any concrete evidence to the contrary, I don't think they should be overly fearful if they are plugged up in a moderately noisy environment for reasonable periods of time. Like it or not, others will read that sliver that you wrote and be fearful of that. That has absolutely nothing to do with anything else you've ever written, nor does it discredit previous posts on sound positivity and in fact, I think enhances your post, not discredits it. The experience of tinnitus can paralyze people into irrationality. This is why free speech and the free exchange of thoughts and ideas is so important. To provide different angles and nuance. I am not certain what the need is for the thesis on civil discourse in the last paragraph as it had been quite civil to date and I am sorry for the loss of your parents.

 

Well then I suppose the same points can be made for many of the conditions that psychiatrists deal with - which cannot be detected by any physical test and are virtually untreatable and mostly mental.

 

I agree with you @Watasha that this is getting rather tedious. I may be mistaken, but I don't recall saying bone conduction with earplugs is dangerous. I may have worded the exact sentence differently and therefore, I would appreciate if you could refer me to the post in question.

Many thanks,
Michael

 

Having tinnitus and suffering from a psychiatric illness are two different things. Both can be severely debilitating just like any medical condition that reaches acute levels.

Since this is a tinnitus forum I try and stick to that.

All the best,
Michael

 

↓

 

Thank you @Watasha. Much appreciated. I stand by everything that I have said in my quote. This isn't scaremongering but facts. Anyone that has noise-induced tinnitus, risks making their tinnitus worse if they subject themselves to overly loud sounds, even when wearing earplugs. It is a judgment call that the individual has to make. The risk is real and therefore one needs to be careful.

Thank you once again,
Michael

 

You raise an interesting point @Jupiterman and there is some truth in what you say. However, I try to advise people to be prudent and use their own judgment when around loud sounds. When necessary, to use earplugs, but I advise people not to become fearful of sounds, otherwise other problems can occur that I have mentioned in my thread: The Complexities of Tinnitus and Hyperacusis.

All the best,
Michael

 

And I stand by everything in my quotes. Yours and mine are not mutually exclusive, but complementary. It is most certainly a judgement call that the individual will have to make and my opinion is that bone conduction noise when plugged up in moderately noisy environments should not be considered a significant risk for reasonable periods of time for some people. No one is accusing of scaremongering.

Have a blessed day,
Watasha

 

The Bionics Institute is working on that. I just wish it wasn't such a long and drawn out process.

 

I haven't taken a flight in over 40 years @DeanD, long before I got tinnitus and have no plans to in the future. The longest car journey I take is when driving to London, and thankfully have never used earplugs even when the tinnitus is intrusive.

My hyperacusis was completely cured over 20 years ago, wearing white noise generators as part of TRT.

Michael