Working as a Receptionist? The Right Move with Tinnitus and Hyperacusis?

I was recommended for a job at a very established hospital in my city as a receptionist. I am a recent graduate and with current events it has been harder than ever to find a job so I have followed through with the initial interview but don’t know if this is the right call. My concern is that I have recently had a tinnitus spike and am just starting to get better. I am unsure if taking the position would be the best course of action; the commute to work would consist of taking a train and a bus, for those of you who know what the NYC transit is like know that the sound of an incoming train can easily go above 80 dB. The job is also located in a very busy street near midtown Manhattan and the job requires interacting with patients (checking them in, dealing with insurance, etc.) and possibly speaking on the phone from time to time. During my first interview I was informed that the clinic sees anywhere between 15-98 patients a day and it would be a Mon-Fri (9am-5pm) position.

The job itself has many perks and this would potentially be my first salaried job with good health insurance. I feel terrible because if I had not had tinnitus this would be a job I would be excited about but I just feel worried and weighing the risk.

I really need advice or some insight on what I should do and if whether or not I should continue to pursue the job?

I could absolutely not risk my tinnitus or hyperacusis getting worse as my ears are currently healing and if I damaged any further it’ll drive me to having suicidal thoughts again. At the same time I really need a job but don’t know if I should just settle for now and look for something that is safer? Of course I would plan to wear hearing protection on my way to and from work but hearing damage as we all know is cumulative and constant ear protection I feel would eventually irritate my ear canals. I also doubt I’d be able to wear ear protection at work, unless they were high fidelity plugs?

Any insight is greatly appreciated and needed. I talk to family about this but I feel like it is best to hear from other tinnitus sufferers and how they would approach this. Thank you!

 

Why not give it a shot with ear plugs and see how it goes?

 

Dear starrynights,

By reading your post, I'm betting you're asking for an answer you already have inside of you

Make the choice you know is right. You already know which one it is.

No one else is inside your head, no one else knows your tinnitus. Only you are responsible for your life

There's no good or bad choice, just your choice!

 

I think you left out some of the most challenging issues (sound wise) of employment in a hospital: 1) ambulance sirens around the hospital and 2) the PA system in a hospital... those are really loud sounds...

 

I didn’t make this clear on my post but what I meant was that it is a clinic under an accredited hospital in my city but I won't be working in the hospital itself.

 

You think Killua would work as a receptionist? Go be an assassin.

 

You can always try working there, see how it goes. The worst sounds for the ear are impulse sounds or amplified sounds through bad quality speakers (typical PA systems, and stuff like sirens or power tools...)

 

I am currently still recovering from an acoustic trauma that occurred a month ago. My tinnitus is still very reactive and my ears have not fully recovered, my ear fullness has gone away but now I have just been focusing on getting my tinnitus back to baseline prior to my spike but I know this can take months of progress to get to. My current issue is that I was able to secure a job that I applied to prior to my spike and would require commuting to work. It's at a hospital clinic but I am worried that because my ears are so sensitive, it could lead me to having a permanent spike and never being able to fully recover my ears. The commute is about an hour long and I live in a very busy city where it's not uncommon to come across ambulances 2-3 times a day, incoming trains can also be very loud, and I find that my ears get irritated from having to constantly wear foam earplugs when I go out, and my tinnitus always seems to spike after an outing despite my efforts to protect my ears. (Could be due to anxiety, not entirely sure).

At the same time, I feel like staying at home with nothing to do would only lead me to become further depressed. I tend to be very active so it's been hard having to stay home so much and allow my ears time to heal.

I am really just so conflicted and have no idea what to do. I don’t want to take the job then have it be a fatal mistake and end up with worsening tinnitus & hyperacusis in the long run, but at the same time this could be a great opportunity for me and could get me out of this funk and may end up improving because my mind is off my tinnitus?

It’s a predicament but any advice or insight is helpful. I feel really lost.

 

It's not a predicament. You know that you want to take the job.

Go have custom moulded earplugs made. They cost $150-250. Wear them on a lanyard. Use them when things seem too loud.

Problem solved. Don't make it too hard on yourself. You could get hit by a bus tomorrow. Don't let worst case scenarios and fear dictate your life.

 

I am in a predicament because I want the job but I don’t want to make my tinnitus worse and end up having to quit because I can’t cope with it. And you’re right on that last point, I tend to be on the cautionary side because of my anxiety and would much rather be safe than sorry. I’ll definitely give it a try and see how it goes.

 

Try the job, and use musician ear plugs. Sounds like a good opportunity.

You may need foam ear plugs for the commute to work.

I work in a hospital, don't want earplugs, and had a noise induced tinnitus spike that took years to get better. Tinnitus is not going to prevent me from working.

 

Why not buy some noise rated ear muffs that look like headphones? Quicker to put on/take off than earplugs, won't irritate your ear canals and people will just assume they're NC headphones seeing as they're so prevalent these days (not that people really take notice of others in cities these days anyway).

 

I’m happy that you are able to continue to work despite your tinnitus increase. Alongside tinnitus, I also suffer from anxiety and OCD, and have a very difficult time coping during spikes so I would not be able to cope very well if it suddenly got worse. It also wont stop me from working but I want to allow my ears at least a few months before I can get back to applying. My tinnitus is also very reactive so it does not take much to set it off, even with ear protection on

 

I think you should give it a try. Sounds like a great opportunity, especially for someone looking for a relatively quiet environment.
Would commuting really be an issue? Since you can protect your ears at all times in transportation.

Maybe you should try custom-made silicon earplugs. Or noise cancelling headphones? (more expensive, but could be worth it)

 

Yes since my tinnitus tends to spike even with ear protection on. I also have hyperacusis which makes my tinnitus very reactive to sound. Just traffic from around my neighborhood is enough to cause my tinnitus to ring louder despite the protection It's happened many times before.

 

My T did get worse some days at work. However, it also had spikes when I was not at work. I take it as it comes, and do my best to take reasonable precautions. Thankfully, overall it has decreased.

I find that sleeping with my ear plugs, giving me some time of quiet rest, has really helped me and my ears a lot.