Acoustic Shock/Trauma — Help!

[COYS]

Hi Everyone,

I really need some support, advice and help. I know I have tinnitus but I also now worry I have hyperacusis and TTTS.

I suffered and acoustic shock/trauma 2 months ago and its impacted my life significantly since and its really starting to get me down.

I'd like to summarize my experience and the symptoms I've had so apologies for the long post.

Timeline

9th Jan:
Situation: Two balloons were being inflated near me and then ruptured around 1m away from me. This was in a relatively small room and it was extremely loud it sounded like a gun shot!.
Symptoms: Brief ear pain for around 10-20 mins and then things returned to normal (No noticeable hearing loss or pain for a week after this)

16th Jan:
Symptoms started: I woke up with tinnitus that morning and didn't think much of it at first and thought it would go away. No noticeable pain etc that I can remember and ears didn't feel muffled in any way. This completely freaked me out and I really started to struggle with sleeping for around a month.

19th Jan: I went to a night out and I was okay in bars etc but then went to a night club for half hour and started to feel pain in my left ear so I left.

19th onwards:
Symptoms: I cant really remember when it started but since then I have developed a click/pop in my ear when hearing sounds when in quiet environments. Usually its things such as dishes and cutlery etc. However on occasion it can be my partner sneezing or coughing. My ears also tickle and then sometimes feel full and have a dull ache in them.

Certain noises seem very loud to me and also shock/startle me. If someone drops a spoon or fork on a table for example. Constant noises don't seem to affect me and I went on holiday to America last week and was walking round for a good 6-8 hours a day near traffic and only got the odd twinge of pain or discomfort.

My right ear also pops/crackles every-time i swallow unless there is a background noise (for example when im cycling I cant hear or feel it pop).

Has anyone else experienced these symptoms and can it get better? I haven't been plugging my ears to everyday noises as ive read this can make it worse.

• As im now two months into this will it improve or will it be permanent/get worse?
• I've read listening to pink noise can help so should I be doing this?
• I sleep without background noise now as ive got used to my tinnitus but is this a good idea or not?
• I have an ENT appointment on Saturday but I've read they rarely help/have expereince with this?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as its taking the shine off everything in my life currently.

Thanks,

COYS.

 

[Juan]

To me it doesnt sound a lot like hyperacusis, specially if you can go to a night club or travel, or be around traffic. There may be different patterns but the most typical is hyperacusis appearing inmediately after sound exposure, and the initial symptoms are very obvious and stay for a good week or more, they do not clear in 20 minutes like they did after the balloon explosion.

 

[COYS]

Hi Juan,

Thanks for the reply.

I have no idea what is going on but certain noises do seem louder to me but its more percussive sounds such as cutlery clanging or glassware being put down.

The loudness of the noise isn't my biggest concern really its the fact that my ears pop/twitch when they hear these noises. Then they start to tickle/burn/ache (its a hard sensation to describe).

My tinnitus was very intrusive at first but it seems to be quieter or maybe I'm just getting used to it?

I went to a noisy restaurant that had music (85db-90db when i recorded it on my phone) but I had to leave after an hour as my ear started to hurt.

Thanks,

COYS

 

[Daniel Lion]

COYS it's a no brainer, protect your ears.

If your ears hurt, and you said they do, give them rest, give them quiet.

Don't expose yourself to loud places, avoid them... the pain should go, that hurt feeling should dissipate for you as it did before.

If you ask for help, listen to the advice... protect yourself... don't push your luck... best of luck... hope you heal up asap

 

[OnceUponaTime]

have no idea what is going on but certain noises do seem louder to me but its more percussive sounds such as cutlery clanging or glassware being put down.

It sounds like hyperacusis. There's a lot of information on that topic on this forum. It can get better pretty quickly or it can last for a while.

The loudness of the noise isn't my biggest concern really its the fact that my ears pop/twitch when they hear these noises. Then they start to tickle/burn/ache (its a hard sensation to describe).

The popping/twitching hopefully will go away. I had that and it went away in about a month or so.

My ears also tickle and then sometimes feel full and have a dull ache in them.

Rest your ears. Stay away from the bars and clubs for a while. Do they get hot to the touch and burning feeling??

Feel better,
Once

 

[Juan]

I went to a noisy restaurant that had music (85db-90db when i recorded it on my phone) but I had to leave after an hour as my ear started to hurt.

The best you can do is being in a quiet environment for a few weeks, and see what happens. Try to give it time, maybe 2 or 3 months, and see how it goes. If I were you, I would avoid noise and places like restaurants, coffee bars, heavy traffic, and obviously clubs, cinemas etc

Hearing problems are hard to sort out and progress very slowly but getting worse may take just a few seconds. Because your symptoms are very recent you have a good chance of recovering.

 

[COYS]

Thanks for the replies

How much better can it get do you think? Will I be able to go back to more noisy environments or are my ears now likely damaged permanently? Should i try sound therapy or pink noise?

I'm seeing an ENT on Saturday but i get the impression they are pretty useless with this kind of stuff.

Once: Did your ears pop in response to certain sounds? My nears dont pop continuously only in response to sound.

Mine have been doing it for about 6 weeks now so im worried they will be like that permanently . I'm moving house soon and the house needs a lot of work and I'm now getting scared that doing DIY etc will just make my ears worse.

Thanks,

COYS

 

[COYS]

@Michael Leigh I've read your posts over the last few weeks. As you have a lot of experience with T and H what are my chances of it improving without sound therapy?

 

[Contrast]

I have an ENT appointment on Saturday but I've read they rarely help/have expereince with this?

yes correct, ENT's are useless and have very little experience, They don't even test for hearing loss outside of human speech range. or seperate pain hyperacusis from loudness hyperacusis.


The best thing an ENT can do is prescribe a predisone steroid, but a GP may also be able to do that. Maybe you should see an neuro-otologist and explain how ENT's aren't helpful if your trip doesn't go well.


Take magnesium it has some clinical evidence of helping acoustic shock
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8135325
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15330150

You can buy magnesium anywhere and it's cheap


Hope you recover to your best.

 

[Contrast]

@Michael Leigh I've read your posts over the last few weeks. As you have a lot of experience with T and H what are my chances of it improving without sound therapy?

First of all there is no such thing as just "hyperacusis" but rather 2-3 conditions inconveniently merged together.

ENT's and audiologist never researched hyperacusis, they just mindless advocate TRT.

Ear Pain from noise, loudness discomfort and maybe even trigeminal nerve irritability may possibly be separate issues all together. We don't know what is what exactly, but there is certainly subtypes of the same problem that needs to be treated differently.

TRT is problematic because it takes a once size fits all approach, I don't believe all 3 variations of hyperacusis can be solved using the same method.

You can try TRT if you are willing to pay for it, and hope for the best or you can take magnesium and let your ears rest and avoid loud venues, loud music, loud cars for the rest of your life.

 

[COYS]

So on that basis there is no chance of a significant recovery ? Loud cars , shops etc don't bother me that much it's more the sudden noises that do

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Michael Leigh I've read your posts over the last few weeks. As you have a lot of experience with T and H what are my chances of it improving without sound therapy?

HI @COYS
In many cases "noise induced tinnitus" will improve over time without any treatment. Each person is different so you just have to be patient. I advise that you don't sleep in a completely silent room, for the reasons I've mentioned in my posts. Read my post: New to tinnitus what to do, it is on my "started threads"

I advise that you don't use any type of headphones even at low volume.

All the best
Michael

 

[COYS]

Thanks Michael

Does the same go for Hyperacusis ? The tinnitus I can deal with but I feel the H is much less life restricting.

Would you suggest getting my LDLs tested?

Thanks

 

[Johan_L]

Thanks Michael

Would you suggest getting my LDLs tested?

Thanks

There is a risk you will get pain from this test (if you dont say "stop" early enough)

The value could be to measure improvement or if you are getting worse over time. However, I certainly don't need an LDL test to know if I have improved or gotten worse.

 

[COYS]

Thanks will definitely bare it in mind when I see the ENT.

Is there anything I can be doing to help me improve ? I've read that pink noise can help ?

Thanks

COYS

 

[MSF]

So on that basis there is no chance of a significant recovery ? Loud cars , shops etc don't bother me that much it's more the sudden noises that do

In the same boat here. I can deal with moderately loud traffic, conversation, typical background noise. But a knife dropped on a plate, glass clink, or a baby shriek = brutal!

One part this must be the suddenness of the sound itself--we know there will be traffic before we hear it so we are psychologically prepared for it. So even if we are more sensitive due to H, there is a slower threshold to cross before discomfort. Sudden clinks in a quite environment are also disproportionately louder than everything else (easily 110 dB at close range) and so they seem even louder than they really are relative to background levels.

Regarding recovery, you may have good days and bad days. Just like with T, I think a lot of things can affect it, like sleep, diet, etc., so keep that in mind.

 

[Contrast]

In the same boat here. I can deal with moderately loud traffic, conversation, typical background noise. But a knife dropped on a plate, glass clink, or a baby shriek = brutal!

One part this must be the suddenness of the sound itself--we know there will be traffic before we hear it so we are psychologically prepared for it. So even if we are more sensitive due to H, there is a slower threshold to cross before discomfort. Sudden clinks in a quite environment are also disproportionately louder than everything else (easily 110 dB at close range) and so they seem even louder than they really are relative to background levels.

Regarding recovery, you may have good days and bad days. Just like with T, I think a lot of things can affect it, like sleep, diet, etc., so keep that in mind.

Can you please help me with this survey on hyperacusis, i'm doing.

How long have you had hyperacusis?

Do you experience pain in just your ears or throughout your face and neck?

Does touching your ear, face or nose hurt?

Do you experience certain frequencies sounding abnormally loud?

 

[MSF]

Can you please help me with this server on hyperacusis, i'm doing.

How long have you had hyperacusis?

Do you experience pain in just your ears or throughout your face and neck?

Does touching your ear, face or nose hurt?

Do you experience certain frequencies sounding abnormally loud?

sure, would you prefer as a PM?

 

[Contrast]

sure, would you prefer as a PM?

yes pm

 

[GSC]

@Contrast Sneezes, coughs and laughter are what fucks me over and causes my whole body to jolt and ears to get hot. Just those sounds, nothing else.

 

[MSF]

sure, would you prefer as a PM?

hmm.. not sure where the PM option is?

 

[Bill Bauer]

Symptoms: I cant really remember when it started but since then I have developed a click/pop in my ear when hearing sounds when in quiet environments.

This is Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome (TTTS).

As im now two months into this will it improve or will it be permanent/get worse?

If you continue exposing yourself to noises, it might get worse.

T tends to fade for many people who don't get secondary acoustic traumas. Hopefully you will experience fading over the next 2-3 months. If that happens, there is no reason why it shouldn't continue to fade. The more it fades, the slower it fades. It could take a year or two to get to "can hear it only in quiet rooms" stage.

Many of us are convinced that once someone gets T, their ears have been compromised and what a healthy person won't even notice, can do serious harm. Your experience seems to support this hypothesis. Unfortunately there hasn't been any scientific studies about what kind of noises are and what noises aren't safe for T sufferers. If a doctor tells you that a nightclub is safe (if you wear hearing protection), they are basing it on what is safe for the healthy people.

• I've read listening to pink noise can help so should I be doing this?

• I sleep without background noise now as ive got used to my tinnitus but is this a good idea or not?

Try experimenting and see what works for you.

This reminds me of the following posts:

Relative newbies to tinnitus are likely to find all the information/opinions above quite confusing. So here are a few common-sense rules to follow:

1. The best protection of all is avoidance. Even the best earplugs can't guarantee complete hearing protection so those relatively new to tinnitus are best advised to avoid prolonged loud noise exposure - especially amplified sound at for example live concerts and sports events. This may involve lifestyle changes.

2. When in doubt, use hearing protection. In the many tasks we all do through the week, some will inevitably involve exposure to noise - which may be at higher levels than we at first realise - so using hearing protection for many of these is only sensible.

3. Build quiet into your day. It's not a good idea to be wearing hearing protection all the time - so you need to give your ears a break by ensuring that there will be quieter times during your day when hearing protection isn't necessary.This may involve changing your routine. Use soft masking noise and light music (not using headphones) to avoid "silence" where tinnitus is most noticeable.

4. Don't stress about stress. Tinnitus newbies are forever being told that the thing which makes tinnitus worse is stress. But while it's true that how you are feeling at a particular moment can make tinnitus temporarily louder, it won't have a lasting effect. But prolonged loud noise exposure can make tinnitus permanently louder. So don't stress about stress - but do be concerned about noise.

I didn't read all the above comments, but did peruse a fair amount of it, and ran across many good points on both sides of the argument. What strikes me is there seems to be an underlying assumption (of course I may be wrong on this) that all brains and neurological systems are created equal. The way I see it, that's simply not the case, so everybody's way of dealing with tinnitus and/or hyperacusis is going to have to be highly individualized.

I read a book many years ago called "Adrenal Syndrome". A lot of the book touched on the residual resiliency of people's adrenal glands as they respond to life's stresses. Very low resiliency often resulted in months/years of chronic debilitating exhaustion following a stressful event(s) in their lives. Very high resiliency indicated essentially the opposite. The author broke this down into some rough numbers:

25% of people have low resiliency, meaning normal life stressors will often send them into some degree of a tailspin.
25% of people have high resiliency, meaning that no matter how severe a stressor comes into their lives, they will be able to cope without becoming debilitated to any degree.
50% of people fall somewhere inbetween.

I believe there are some kind of corresponding numbers for a person's brain and neurological resiliency as well, which can greatly affect the ability to cope with tinnitus. (I believe adrenal resiliency also plays a major role in our ability to cope). -- Based on these assumptions, it's pretty easy for me to conclude that what may be overprotection for one person will be underprotection for another, and vice versa.

I think the main point to understand for someone new to tinnitus is that their path forward is going to be a lot of "testing the waters". Generally, IMHO, it's going to take a few weeks or months to get important insights that will help us achieve a healthy balance. In all likelihood, most people are going to learn from experience when their over-protecting or under-protecting.

I've come to believe however, that in those early months, if one is going to err in either direction, it should be toward overprotection. It just seems to me the consequences of underprotection (which could result in permanent injury) in those early times are much more dire than the consequences of overprotection--which as I understand, generally results in temporary setbacks.

Doing a number of things to better support the brain and neurological system and the body's stress response (adrenal glands) is quite high on my list of recommendations I would make to anybody with tinnitus. Doing so might even prevent phonophobia or OCD, etc., as we go through our learning curves -- Just my 2 cents worth.

Also, I believe that you will find many of the tips in the post below to be useful to you
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

 

[COYS]

Thanks all for your replies.

To what extent can I continue to live a normal life? I'm quite an active and social person and feel like I've lost a big chunk of my life and future. I've read that most people can recover from this so I hope I'm in that majority. I'm just so gutted that one sound can have caused this when I'm usually careful with my hearing because I have vision problems.


@GSC & @MSF How long have you had H and has it improved from when it was at its worst?

@Bill Bauer Is the TTTS likely to go away? This is the symptom that's affecting me the best at the moment as its a constant reminder that I have this issue. Even if I don't perceive the sound to be loud I sometimes get a random pop. My T seems to have settled and when I wake up in the morning its a low hiss instead of the ring I go to bed with.

I feel like such a let down to my partner because its stopping me doing things that she enjoys.

Thanks,

COYS

 

[Bill Bauer]

@Bill Bauer Is the TTTS likely to go away?

Yes! Many people (including me) report it slowly fading and then going away. After a year, mine was mostly gone. For me, it stopped being a major problem after about 3-4 months. In any case, for people for whom both fade, TTTS fades faster than T, but of course ears take forever to heal, so it still takes many months.

 

[Bill Bauer]

hen I wake up in the morning its a low hiss instead of the ring I go to bed with.

This is a very encouraging sign. Eventually it will likely become a hiss all of the time, and hopefully then the hiss will keep fading.

 

[Bill Bauer]

To what extent can I continue to live a normal life?

Some people on this forum will tell you that you ought to live your life and try to not think about T. This might work fine for many people (the majority?), but it carries a risk of T becoming permanently louder (and the probability of this happening is non negligible). As @Lane pointed out in a post that I quoted above, you will want to do a lot of experimentation to determine what is safe for you. You might also consider playing it safe for the first year or two.

Check out the posts that I quoted in the post below
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/learn-from-others-mistakes.29437/

 

[OnceUponaTime]

Once: Did your ears pop in response to certain sounds? My nears dont pop continuously only in response to sound.

They don't pop continuously. And yes, in response to sound. At the beginning it was much more frequent, now I still get it every now and then.
Sometimes if I raise my voice it happens too.

Glad the hiss is low today!
Enjoy your day.

Once

 

[COYS]

Thanks all for your replies.

Hopefully the H will gradually go away and I can get back to my normal life.

COYS

 

[Michael Leigh]

Thanks Michael

Does the same go for Hyperacusis ? The tinnitus I can deal with but I feel the H is much less life restricting.

Would you suggest getting my LDLs tested?

Thanks

@COYS

Read my post in the link below: Hyperacusis, As I see It, for information in treating your Hyperacusis.

Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

 

[COYS]

Thanks for the below. I think I have ttts mainly in my right ear and it's that ear that aches, tingles and burns a lot more often. I also think that is the ear with the tinnitus but it's quite hard to tell.