Very New to This... Need Some Advice

[MMH]

Hi guys. I'm 22 years old, and I just started experiencing ringing in my ear two days ago, after I went to see a movie, listened to loud music in the car (something I'm guilty of a lot), and wore my headphones at work all day. That night when I was going to bed, I noticed a high pitched ringing in my ear, mostly my right. It's not noticeable unless my environment is quiet.

I have a few questions:

1. What are the chances that this is temporary?
2. When should I go to the doctor? (Ex: When it lasts a week? Longer?)
3. What are some things I should be taking notes on to tell a doctor? Is there anything I should be noticing to ensure that I get the correct diagnoses?
4. What can I do to stop this from getting worse?
5. Is there anything I should know going forward? This is all just starting for me, so I'm nervous and upset.

 

[GregCA]

What are the chances that this is temporary?

Pretty good.

When should I go to the doctor? (Ex: When it lasts a week? Longer?)

You could go now, but don't expect a magic pill out of him/her. Some doctors do prescribe prednisone after an acoustic trauma, so bring it up to his/her attention for consideration.

What are some things I should be taking notes on to tell a doctor? Is there anything I should be noticing to ensure that I get the correct diagnoses?

Just explain what happened and your history with sound/music.

What can I do to stop this from getting worse?

Give your ears a good rest (no loud sounds).

Is there anything I should know going forward? This is all just starting for me, so I'm nervous and upset.

You should know your reaction is normal, but given that your T is only noticeable in quiet places, you're in a reasonable shape for a good recovery. Take it easy on the ears and make sure you're well protected in the future.

 

[Mellow7]

A lot of people recover from noise induced T. Check out this thread: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-many-recover-3-studies.21441/

You seem to be pretty aware of the excessive noise exposure you have put yourself through in the past, so I'm not sure a doctor's visit will help. That is not to say there is nothing that can be done of course. Look into sound enrichment: it's important to always have some background sound running. Even at night. Especially if your T is mild, you can easily drown it out (but do not do this completely, set it slightly below the tinnitus). This will help you not focus so much on it. Try to accept it for what it is for now and do not listen for it. Try not to check if it has changed either. The less you think about it, the better this will turn out for you.

You can always have a go at a physician, to check for other possible underlying causes, such as ear wax build-up and ear infections. If these would be present, then treating them is generally enough to take away the T as well.

Some people also tend to advise going with a Prednisolone dose pack, but this should be administered by your GP. It only helps at an acute stage, immediately after noise exposure. Some people report positive effects.

The best thing you can do at this time, is give your ears as much rest as possible. I would for starters, put your radio at a reasonable volume and not use headphones again, not even at low volumes. Better to be safe than sorry.