Worst Nightmare for Tinnitus Sufferer

Hi all,

So I was at work today and exposed to deafening construction noise without any warning.

I was sat in a meeting and exposed to 3 15 second blasts of loud drilling or something coming from directly above the meeting room.

I popped my earplugs in after the first blast, but was subjected to two more before being able to get out of the vicinity. I returned to capture the noise to give you an indication. Please see video:

Work exposure

My ears are now spiking. I am nearly sick with panic and worry. I am worried this has done untold damage to my hearing and that I will have to live with this new baseline spike.

What on earth do I do? Do I go to hospital and try and get pred?

My phone sound metre had the sound at 96db, but it seemed much louder.

I am literally in a state of panicked misery right now!

All help and community and empathy and advice needed.

This is literally the worst nightmare

 

I think try to remain calm and relax and play relaxing music and basic pain relief if get ear pressure .
It should settle down so don't let anxiety take hold.
If you find tomorrow your no better then see your doctor.
Love glynis x

 

thanks @glynis

I was in that room where the video shows it getting really loud. I was in there for several of those deafening blasts.

Literally feel sick to my stomach that this could happen to me in an environment I was supposed to be safe.

So many steps back now because of this. Ears are singing away. Just want to cry.

 

@Elfin, your anxiety is out of control and you need to try and calm down. You put your earplugs in, so you’re going to be fine. The noise you heard is not going to be as loud as you think; your real problem is phonophobia. I know that you over-protect and this is part of the problem. You are a leading example of what it does to ones mental health. You are also using an app that gives high readings, and I wouldn’t rely on a phone for measurements like that anyway. A dedicated decibel meter would be more accurate.

For now, calm down, and stop ruminating. I know you’re sitting there running this over and over it in your mind, and this needs to stop. You have to move past it. The noise will not have caused you physical damage.

 

@Elfin, I know you’re really working yourself up over this, but please understand that this is the mental battle with tinnitus and the anxiety it creates. The noise you heard hasn’t harmed you.

Your over-protecting may have sensitised your hearing somewhat, so I believe most things will seem a lot louder from your perspective. You are also driven by your fear to most sounds. I really want to see you do better, so try and relax about it.

 

It's unfortunate that this happened. Try to relax bro and just take it easy. I know how you feel and I hope your spike settles down. I'm always here for you, if ya need support....

The anxiety that noise brings can be horrible and I hope your stress/anxiety settles down as well....

 

Thanks @Ed209 , I really hope you are right. I know my anxiety and stress is high right now, but objectively others were also saying it was loud. They don’t have tinnitus issues and one guy complained that the noise was ‘unbelievable’.

In the past, my spikes and worries have seemingly been more anxiety based, but this one was a genuinely loud noise, as the video shows. It ticked the boxes - couldn’t hear someone speak within 3 feet etc.

Would people be so kind as to give me examples of where they have been caught like this and been ok?

Seems so unfair.

 

I understand elfin, but you have consider duration of time spent under such noise. It’s much more of a danger when it’s occupational and you’re repeatedly exposed to such noises. You put your earplugs in and you wasn’t exposed for long, and you’re not continually exposed to high doses of noise either.

Also, there’s loud and then there’s loud. People usually say stuff like that cos it’s a nuisance and shouldn’t be there. Was anyone holding their ears in pain? The only way I can see it being a real issue is if the noise was way way above 100db which it wouldn’t have been.

 

"My phone sound metre had the sound at 96db, but it seemed much louder."
It always seems louder when you don't expect sound, and when you are in quiet enviroment.
Your reaction is normal if you suffer from H and overprotecting, I have the same problem.

 

@JurgenG how do you deal with it and find relief?

 

No one was holding their ears in pain and I was one of the few ducking and diving and trying to get lower and get out of the room.

Others did stay in and carry on working at their desks, much to my surprise.

Thanks Ed and bless you for your kinds words and encouragement.

 

I am going to follow therapy for it, might even get TRT just for hyperaccusis, and I try to think rationaly but I know the challenge in that.

 

Will be back to baseline in couple of days. Things like this happen and luckily usually dont lead to permanent spikes. If it would, everyone with tinnitus would have it as loud as a rock concert after some years.

 

That's what I would do.

 

I learned that every time I freaked out about loud noises it wasn't that loud and as I was freaking out I was probably paying more attention to my Tinnitus.

Of course, if you're in a place you know is loud, protection is a good idea. 96 Db for a few moments isn't that loud.

 

It's Wednesday now. Is your tinnitus back to its baseline? How do you feel anxiety wise? We're both in the same both when it comes to phonophobia and overprotection so I can imagine how much distress this event has caused you.

What I would do and what I actually did a couple of times, if you are still in the panic state about it then seek an ENT and explain to them what happened. Hearing from a medical professional that you will be ok does help heaps.

Call them even, and say to the nurse that it is urgent and ask if your ENT is around so you can discuss this from the comfort of your home. He/she'll know what to do better than any of us here. If it's bad they will help.

For the mental support, we've got your back.