What a disastrous week... :(

Hi everyone,

Need to have a vent and ask for some support following the events of the last week of my life....

Well my T has been pretty terrible lately anyway for whatever reason but then in the last week I lost my beloved Cat Ace - he got run over and killed outside my house and I saw it from the window. To say I am devastated is a massive understatement, I have no children and to me that cat was my baby...I know it will get better with time but the stress and shock levels I have suffered are extreme. My t spiked through the roof after the first few days of shock had worn off and I just wondered if anyone else has encountered extreme stress/shock and had their T change because of it?

Then....yesterday was super hot humid heatwave here in the UK, Thunderstorms started in the evening and I popped my plugs in as my ears were already so bad I didn't want to chance anything. I went to bed and it appeared the storm had passed. I usually sleep with my windows closed as I live on a busy road and there is just too much noise..(motorbikes, sirens etc etc) But last night it was SOOO hot and I felt ill and achy and headache etc and I just wanted to be "normal" and be able to sleep with my windows open and get some air as I felt so hot and ill. Laying there before drifting off I told myself I should put some plugs in as I was having the window open and and if the storm started up again while I was sleeping I would regret it...that's the last thing I remember thinking before falling to sleep..I did not put plugs in.

I then got woken up at 5am but the loudest overhead thunderclap I have ever heard...I read they can be 120db when overhead. I am fine with low rumbling in the distance thunder but those loud cracks when the lighting is right overhead are just too loud for me. I am a level headed person and although I do have noise phobia I know when things just sound loud to me because I am scared, and when things are indeed actually loud....unfortunately this thunderclap was the latter...it must of been 120db at least.

My left ear feels completely ruined (the right ear was on the pillow so wouldn't of got as much exposure)...my t is darting about and spiking out of all control and I have had fleeting tinnitus about 25 times already this morning.......in my past experience with noise exposures also the day or two following the event isn't too bad...the worse usually comes a few days after the exposure....

Can't believe I didn't put my plugs in...so so so angry with myself.

Vent over

 

for anyone that cares...me and my little mate RIP Ace x

 

So very sorry to learn about the loss of your beloved cat and the very difficult and sorrowful week that you've had!

 

thanks very much Jim x

Do you have any wise words of advice regarding the thunderclap I was exposed to last night?...I see you had tinnitus 30 years +...i'm guessing you may have heard some thunderclaps in that time ? x

 

Oh Dear Rhea - I totally understand how bad you feel after losing a pet - and Im sending you lots of hugs xx
My T spikes when stressed but then settles so Im sure once time helps heal your aching heart your T will settle again

Cher xx

 

Rhea, I'm very sorry to hear you lost your cat. I've had 2 cats, one which was run over when i was a kid that i had to bury myself and another that went blind and had to be put down about 7 years ago. On both occasions I was devastated. They really are amazing creatures and like little people when you get to know them well.

 

Yes, I have experienced such thunderclaps in the past. They can be brutal!! Perhaps there's a reason that you don't already have air conditioning in your bedroom. If you did, then you would be able keep your windows closed during hot humid nights and storms.

I live in the mountains and storms often pop up even when they are not in the weather forecast. So, trying to remember to put ear plugs in before falling asleep is not an effective strategy for me. If I were in your situation, I would install a window air conditioner during the Summer months. It would reduce the severity of the noise level from such thunderclaps to some degree. Also, much of the noise that comes from living on a busy street.

The picture of you with your cat really touches the heart considering how close the two of you were. Especially in light of what recently happened...;^(

 

Rhea, I am so sorry for you. I also watched as one of my cats was hit by a car. She followed me and my dog to the busy street. I used to think it was cute that they would walk with us, but I no longer allow that.

My T always spike when I am sttressed or have long exposure to a lot of noise. I've never had an experience with thunder like you did. The closest I can come is the military jets that fly over my house and I have to cover my ears it is so painful. The tinnitus doesn't seem to stay worse, but this past week with increasingly stressful things going on, it has been present and louder than usual.

All I can really say to you is give it time, both the grief you are going through and the increased T. Perhaps like others have said, if you beleive tthe T will get better, are optimistic about it and your strength to get through it, it will improve. I sincerely hope so.

((((((((((((0))))))))))))

 

Dear Rhea,

first of all, I am so sorry for the loss of your cat. YES they are like family...

I have also been exposed to a thunderstorm this week, with the window open. Besides that, I take public transport and a bus made a very loud sound with its tires this week, like the air came out violently of it. I was standing right next to it. I freaked out and my ears hurt for half a second...

Fortunately, it didn't last and my T didn't spike. I got scared but it's alright.

I have noticed that when I get anxious over my T, I can make it get louder...when I breathe in, breathe out slowly and try to calm down, I can actually FEEL my T go down... When stressed, my ear can get cloggued and feel full all of a sudden and it goes away when stress level goes down.

I do think you will be alright girl.

Hugs xx

 

Thanks to everyone for all your kind messages...I wrote a poem for Ace and have printed out loads of pictures and bought frames and put them all over the house...I never want to forget him for a single second. His ashes will be bought back to me on Wednesday so then I can feel like there is some closure and that I have him home in some way at least. Poor little sod...he only just recovered from a bad infection that saw him in the vets for a week.

I think it is also so hard as he has been here with my everyday since I become almost "housebound" due to my noise phobia and constant t increases. He bought happiness, light and purpose into my dark days...he was like my therapy I guess and we loved each other unconditionally. Damn t always makes everything in life so much harder...

Well ear is still completely fucked as a result of that thunderclap...god it was loud...like my worst nightmare being exposed to something that loud and intense...kind of thing I just thought I could/would never ever let happen but it has. Well I guess if the increase in t stays it's just tough shit to be honest...what can I do other than wait and see if it settles...I doubt it to be honest - it was like someone smashing to metal symbols right next to your ear as hard as it humanly possible.

Ear plugs will be going in tonight...even if it does make the t even more unbearable than it already is.......sigh

Just want someone to cut me a break....feel like I am fighting the world everyday

What a depressing post lol...sorry x

 

So sorry for your loss. My sincerest condolences. I am an animal lover and have had a dog and cat who suffered the same fate. Its so tragic but just know that eventually time will heal your pain and no one can take the beautiful times you had with Ace away from you. Kind thoughts and prayers to you.

 

Sorry for the loss. I had to put a dog to sleep not long ago. I know how hard it is to lose a pet. As for the thunder I had a fire work go off near me. My neighbors set it off. I was panicked for a week and could swear my t increased. when I forgot about the incident ii realized it was the stress and I was fine. Hopefully the same happens for you.

 

Oh god, I'm so sorry about your cat Ace Rhea, truly awful! Very sad for your loss, I couldn't imagine losing a pet, hang in there.

No wonder your T is spiking so much right now, sky high stress levels understandably would make your ears go crazy.

I also was woken from thunder around 3am, Friday morning, super loud bang! 120 decibels at least! I had the windows open because of the heat, almost jumped out of my skin, i was slightly concerned about my tinnitus but realised it was only one blast of noise, but I did close the windows just in case it happened again, which made my room boiling! But better than listening to lightening strikes!

I do think the extreme stress your under is why your ears are playing up right now.

Again sorry for your loss, heartbreaking!

 

Rhea... Well I'm totally a "cat person" so I think that covers that. So sorry. And everyone has said what I would have already so can just put me at: "viz...as above".

However, what 'disturbs' me somewhat here (and sorry to get a bit 'technical' on an emotional thread)...but SHIT! CAN YOU GET INCREASED T OR A SPIKE IF UNCONSCIOUS??????

I mean you were asleep right? Or was it that you woke up and then the thunder amped up and blasted you after you were awake too?

Geeeez, at least with thunder it is more "open" so to speak, but I sometimes wonder what would happen if I was in a car wreck and all 6, or 12, or however many airbags there are in my 97 Volvo go off!!!??? I would be awake for sure. (Unless I fell asleep at the wheel = never happened). Apparently they go off like gunshots....In that confined car space it would be.....

Anyway, Rhea...Bummer! Bummer! Bummer! I sincerely hope your T cools off and goes back to at least prior baseline.

Hugs, Zimichael

 

I was exposed to a clap right overhead during the storms about a month ago, T didn't spike at all - I mean this was really right overhead, the lightning flash was bright enough to completely blind me for half a sec. 120Db exposures are loud but momentary exposure is unlikely to do permanent damage.

 

So sorry about the loss of your furbaby i know that pain all too well. It does get easier with time. When my Angus went missing I did behave like that of a mother who losts her child ( and I have two children) I lost weight, couldn't sleep and could not stop looking for him. It was awful and lasted awhile until I came to terms with it. .I still feel someone stole him as he was a beloved cat in my neighbourhood, a gigantic maine coon and so friendly. ( and for months i would get calls of spottings in neighbourhood) I kept him on a leash but one night he ran outside to chase a dog and that was it...gone. Anyways I know to some this may sound nutty but he was my boy. To me my cats are like dogs, my companions and my babies...Anyways years later I ended up with cat siblings and they never go outside!!

As for your T, that sucks. Take some supplements and just wait awhile..try to relax as.often as you can but do allow yourself to grieve. .it will.come out anyways..

hang in there and feel better

 

@Zimichael

I was asleep but the second the thunderclap started I was startled awake.....I don't think it matters if you are asleep or awake during a noise exposure..surely it will effect your ears just the same....right?

Still cannot believe how loud it was......good thing it was only for a few seconds max. I am trying to tell myself maybe it sounded louder as I was asleep and it startled me so much but there is no denying really that it was just very very loud. Actually to my horror when I went on facebook earlier I noticed a lot of my contacts on there who live in the same town were all posting things like "OMG THAT WAS THE LOUDEST THUNDER EVER LAST NIGHT" and things to the effect...lol great :|

Well I guess a nightclub at about 120db for 4 hours gave me my t in the first place and that was only "baby t"...so maybe a few seconds isn't that bad? :S ....who am trying to fool..it was BAD....sigh

Thanks again to everyone for your supportive messages, really means a lot x

 

You weren't exposed to 120 decibels though.

 

Hey Rhea... Don't want to divert this thread, but Shitsky Kaplitzky, if one can get T when asleep/unconscious I think that turns a number of: "The Brain is the Deal" T theories on their heads. Also, a helluva question for the opposite school (the: "Damage/Trashed nerves or hair cells, etc. causes T"), which would posit that damage could occur "physically" while unconscious?! Sort of like if someone cut you with a knife while you were asleep you would wake up with the cut there...in reality.

This is getting out of pay grade...I'm going to have to mull it more when I get time to re-review those great/intriguing research papers of a few weeks back that kept me up late!

In any event, you sure got zapped and unless it was the 'post-awake' part that did you in, it causes me some 'epistemological angst' = in plain English..."WTF is going on????" Of course, this is not an uncommon consideration when it comes to trying to understand T!

By the way, in Zimbabwe (where I grew up and lived for 25 years)...we had massive lightning and thunder-storms when the ITCZ (Inter-Tropical-Convergence-Zone) happened to be particularly fast moving. There were numerous/multiple "claps" of thunder on what seemed like one strike. The first second indeed was not necessarily the loudest either. The initial "Crack!" was hard and fast and a few microseconds later the "BOOM!" would be totally big arse loud, and the second roll of that sequence could be even louder. Way cool as kids!

Maybe it was the 'strike' that woke you, then the 'clap' got you...?

Well I should shut up, as this is way more than you need to ponder. Too much coffee in my veins. The relevant part is you got whacked - period. Result = Shit!!!

Again hugs and all... Zimichael

 

Sounds like your T spike could be caused by stress thinking/reacting to these noises?

I leave my window open and am exposed to thunder, motorcycles etc. I don't know, maybe I'm not being careful enough.

I keep being told by doctors and audiologists to NOT to over protect. They say don't even where ear protection to a pub unless I'm there for hours on end.

 

Doesnt sleeping with earplugs in make your tinnitus twice as loud?

 

Hi Rhea, sorry about your cat, I think everyone who loves cats can understand the pain your going through and I think your emotions are probably making your T play up more than if you only had the sound of thunder to contend with.
I think the best you can do is wait till the mourning process is over and try not to worry about the thunder, I know that will be difficult to do and you probably feel like telling me and everyone who says this to fuck off, you don't know what I'm going through at the moment, but we have a fare idea and unfortunately it comes down to you being strong and willing yourself through this.
I think that the thunder may have given your eardrums a bit of a shock but really don't think it should have caused any damage, even though that must have been a horrible experience for you.

Regards Rich

 

So sorry about Ace, @Rhea. I always have had cats, they indeed become your family. I was holding my sweet Dolan when he had an embolism and passed over the rainbow bridge, he was very old. Still miss him.

My guess is being startled awake by the thunder made it seem worse. Plus you are understandably stressed out and emotional because of Ace. You probably did not sustain any damage and your tinnitus should return to normal.

 

@Rhea Loosing your best friend like that--how terrible! I feel for you. Animals have always occupied a special place in my life too. And every time I've lost one, it was painful for quite a while. After you've mourned for a reasonable time, however, you must get a new cat. Not to replace Ace. No animal is ever replaced. Each is unique and special. But after you've healed, you'll need a new cat to shower your love upon.

About the thunderclap, I'm pretty sure you've not done permanent damage. For damage, you need dB plus duration. Thunderclaps are very brief. Probably too brief to do permanent damage.

If you're concerned, take NAC for a few days. It's really good for getting rid of the free radicals induced by noise overexposure.

 

Of course it does for the duration of having the plugs in but then it will go back to normal when you take them out. I'd rather endure louder t for a few minutes while nodding off to sleep rather than be exposed to that loud thunder again and risk possible permanent increase! Also I sleep in silence anyway..so really putting plugs in at bed time doesn't ramp up the t much louder than it would already sound in the near silence.

Rhea x

 

@Zimichael

Interesting to read your reply, thanks x

I believe the fact of the matter is that t is caused, by and large, by damage to cochlear cells and/or auditory nerve - whether it be through noise or ototoxic meds. Whether you are conscious or not when those meds/noise exposure damage your ear is irrelevant. Yes the brain obviously plays a part after the damage is done by either making/receiving/amplifying the t signal or, for some lucky buggers, blocking it/never allowing it to be registered etc.

That's my take on things anyhow. The only good thing that would have occurred if I had NOT been woken by the thunder noise is that I wouldn't be worrying about the exposure...i'd just be thinking arghhh another loud t day. lol

Rhea x

 

Just want to take the time to say thank you to all who have responded...you truly are a caring, genuine bunch and it means a lot to me to have all of your support.

Thanks you

Made a little Shrine for Ace, I attached a photo x

 

I don't even think I could handle sleeping with ear plugs in! I can barely take the screeching T now in a fairly quiet room at night, never mind at least doubling it!! Most people use masking, never mind amplifying it!! Wow