Acoustic Trauma Causing My Issues?

[TravisK]

Hello all,

I have had issues with tinnitus, ear fullness, sound sensitivity, and reduced hearing in my right ear since January 2017. Recently, I also started having bouts of dizziness. This all began right after I got the flu and I woke up one morning to the start of these issues. I have been to ENT and still have no obvious answers.

I am starting to wonder if all of this could have been caused by acoustic trauma. The morning I woke up with these issues, I had slept with a loud fan on in the bedroom and had a white noise maker on full blast next to my pillow for 8 hours (I work nights so do this to drown out noise). My first instinct was that this caused ear damage and all of these issues, but both ENT Dr's I've seen dismissed this idea immediately.

The reason I suspect this is because my T is constantly made worse by loud noise. I will start having some improvement, then get exposed to noise again and have another setback. I have also (probably stupidly) continued to sleep with noise on in the bedroom - although I use earplugs most days now. I'm wondering if this is preventing my inner ear from healing properly. Last June, I was really improving until I went to a wedding and the DJ absolutely blasted the music incredibly loud. I proceeded to have a setback for a solid month.

Yesterday, I resolved to eliminate all loud noise, including white noise for sleep, to see if there is improvement. I also bought some ear protection for mowing, leaf blower, etc. I can keep you posted if all that helps my situation.

Has anyone else had acoustic trauma and T that lingers due to constant re-exposure to noise, and was there an improvement after said noise was eliminated?

Travis

 

[BlackSwanNSW]

Sorry on one hand you say you got the flu and you woke up with T next morning and on the other hand you think it comes from the loud noise from the fan!?

Do you mean to say it (likely) started with acoustic trauma in Jan 17 and recently you got a setback/spike from the flu?

I am of the same opinion as the docs for the fan causing the T: it sounds incredible. If you think like this just because you have sensitivity to loud noise (hyperacusis), you are wrong.
You can develop T from many, many causes including a cold/flu as you can read so many stories about it in this forum. When getting T from a cold/flu, it can feel just like people who got it from acoustic trauma i.e. you can develop same symptoms including hyperacusis and even more rarely balance/vertigo issues. There is no general rule.
Some people tend to think it is easier to recover from T when it came from flu but in my opinion this is not true: it's just statistically the number of people who get T from acoustic trauma is much bigger.
Also this is because it comes as a shock when they discover you can get T from a "simple" cold/flu.
Good luck.

 

[Tinker Bell]

The flu is far more likely the cause of your tinnitus. I lost a portion of my hearing and acquired both tinnitus and hyperacusis from a virus. It seemed like a simple cold, but it was not.

 

[Samir]

It's not clear to me what came first and what came later.

1, tinnitus, ear fullness, sound sensitivity, reduced hearing in right ear.
2, flu.
3, bouts of dizziness.
4, acoustic trauma.

Is this the order of events?

If you have had acoustic trauma then that would have been the most likely trigger for your tinnitus. Playing a loud fan noise for long hours I believe could potentially damage your hearing. This I think may be made even worse during sleep and if you already have compromised hearing. But this is not what I would characterize as acoustic trauma.

Doctors don't know everything, and they know almost nothing when it comes to tinnitus.

Is your ear fullness unilateral? I believe asymmetrical hearing loss is the likely cause for your feeling of ear fullness, especially if it is unilateral. I have had ear fullness in my left ear which is my more damaged ear. It usually lasts for a few hours and then wears off, and it can return several months later.

What you describe is what some call reactive tinnitus. Even with healthy ears, don't get exposed to loud noises. If your hearing is already compromised you need to take even better care of your ears. But don't overprotect either. You need to use common sense here. If your sleep is not affected I would say stop using the noise machine, and stop the fan. This is all individual of course, and I have no idea what your tinnitus loudness or intrusiveness is like. Again, use common sense here.

Using ear plugs after your ears are damaged will not help them heal. But it can help prevent further damage. Healing in this context is about helping the brain regulate the sensitivity so that the gain is not set too high nor too low. That's why you don't want to overprotect. The brain needs stimulation. You don't want to overprotect by overusing ear plugs, and then when you pull them out you feel like all sounds are too loud. But you don't want to blast them either. It's a balance walk. When your ears are compromised the dynamic range is reduced.

My tinnitus is caused by hearing loss and an acoustic trauma. There have been loud noise events since, but I would not characterize those as acoustic trauma. To some degree I have been lucky that way, but I have also made sure I avoid places that can put me in a bad position like that.

I once stood close to a fire truck when it honked its horn. I was on my way home when I saw a school catching on fire. I stopped by to talk to a neighbor when the fire truck pulled in. I got an intrusive ringing in my head and didn't feel so good after that. I immediately started walking home. At home, my head was still ringing but it wore off after about two hours I would say.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I also bought some ear protection for mowing, leaf blower, etc.

Ear protection provides a false sense of security. You might want to stay away from lawn mowers, hair dryers, leaf blowers and even vacuum cleaners and food processors.

 

[TravisK]

Thanks for the replies. Sorry for any confusion, but the order this occurred was:

1. Flu
2. Went to bed with loud fan/white noise on in bedroom (white noise machine next to my pillow)
3. Woke up to ear fullness, very sensitive to sound, muffled hearing, etc.
4. Short bouts of dizziness that lasted 15 min. or less in the first 6 months
5. Gradual improvement, major setbacks with exposures to loud noise.
6. Dizziness is becoming more frequent in the last 2 months; now several times per week
7. I'm still using white noise to sleep but use ear plugs about 1/2 the time

Maybe I'm on a wild goose chase, but it seemed related to the original noise exposure. I realize there could be more to it, obviously. I'm trying an experiment over the next few weeks of no white noise during sleep and wearing ear protection for ANY foreseen loud noise, so we'll see how that goes. I'm also about tripling my water intake and cutting back on caffeine in case the dizziness is related to dehydration (I don't drink enough water).

 

[BlackSwanNSW]

Ok thanks for clarifying. IMHO, it is entirely due to flu as I can't see how fan noise alone could cause this.
Almost same happened to me and am just 3 months in. I had the dizziness as well but I realized it was mainly due to me panicking, always staying in bed, ruminating... once I got back to work, slowly I got better and after 2 weeks no more dizziness at all. I always thought it was due to extreme panic, I also lost 5kg in 1 month. Getting out and being busy helped me a lot.

 

[Samir]

Ear protection provides a false sense of security. You might want to stay away from lawn mowers, hair dryers, leaf blowers and even vacuum cleaners and food processors.

Luckily I don't need to use lawn mowers or leaf blowers. I haven't used a hair dryer in well over 10 years. I just let my hair dry naturally. I did use hair dryers a lot before, and knowing what I know now I would never have used them at all. Vacuuming is a must, but unlike before I now use a pair of Peltor ear muffs when vacuuming.

In short, we live in a very noisy world without even realizing it. But yes, protection is only secondary. You want to avoid the noise in the first place, when possible.

 

[Samir]

You know we sometimes talk about people being too scared of living when they develop this mentality, when they start to avoid places or other people in certain settings. But I like to think that we are the normals, it's how it should be. For me it's about self-respect. I don't let other people decide for me, I decide when and where I should go and what to do. If I have to go to some loud places or use noisy machines I make sure I do that on my terms.

 

[Samir]

@TravisK, did you have tinnitus prior to the flu? Did you have any hearing loss back then? What kind of time frame are we talking about? How much time passed between the flu and you sleeping with the fan noise on?

The flue could be the cause of your tinnitus. But I am more inclined to think that it is caused by noise. Even before my tinnitus, I listened to music on headphones a lot and about three times before the acoustic trauma I fell asleep with music blaring in my ears. Who knows how those few events affected my ears or my brain? There are basically no studies on how hearing is affected during sleep. Are we more prone to hearing loss when exposed to loud noise during sleep as opposed to during wake hours? It's an interesting question I think.

I did have a short episode of dizziness when all this started happening to me. But it was almost nothing and it only lasted for less than a few minutes. Based on what I have read about this it is indicative of hearing loss. Some people can experience episodes of dizziness as a result of hearing loss. That's all I can say about it. Your symptoms may be more severe if your hearing loss is more severe. Did you see a doctor about your dizziness?

 

[TravisK]

No, I did not have T before the flu or any ear issues whatsoever. My hearing was perfect. As for the timeframe, the noise exposure came right on the tail end of the flu, or maybe the next day. I have used similar devices before for white noise without issue, which is the only cause for doubt that this could be the root cause. However, I am left to wonder if the flu left me more susceptible to inner ear damage? I have not done any research to know if this is plausible.

As an update, I have gone about 48 hours of being very careful with my right ear and eliminating white noise while sleeping. I've also quadrupled my water intake. This afternoon, I woke up (night shift) and my hearing and T was noticeably better and I have only had some minor dizziness for a couple of minutes. I'm not getting too excited because historically my symptoms ebb and flow. We'll see how the next 1-2 weeks go. If it was inner ear damage from acoustic trauma, it can take weeks for the inner ear to calm down.

I have noticed more of a "click" in my right ear when I swallow the last couple days. Not sure what that's about, as I associate that with a possible Eustachian tube connection, but I could be wrong.

 

[Samir]

No, I did not have T before the flu or any ear issues whatsoever. My hearing was perfect.

You say this because you had your hearing tested or you just felt like your hearing was OK? I ask this because we often tend to think that our hearing is good, and it's only when we do a test that we realize that we don't hear so well. With older folks it's also about the stigma of wearing hearing aids that they never go to have their hearing checked. Just saying... I obviously have no idea how old you are, and there is no need to spell it out either.

I have used similar devices before for white noise without issue, which is the only cause for doubt that this could be the root cause.

What about music? Movies? Concerts? Had any head trauma or anything like that? Work in a noisy environment?

However, I am left to wonder if the flu left me more susceptible to inner ear damage? I have not done any research to know if this is plausible.

It could be, your guess is as good as mine on this one. There are kind of two camps on this one. One with people who think that if we have acquired hearing loss we are more fragile and susceptible to further damage and we should therefore protect ourselves better, and another group who seem to think that this is more or less nonsense, and that we should go on living our lives like normal. I am kind of in the middle, but leaning more toward the first group.

Speaking of hearing during sleep, it just so happens that I stumbled upon an article yesterday that briefly mentions one of the companies that makes one of those devices for sound based therapy. They mention that our brain is more plastic (susceptible to neural change) during sleep hours than during wake hours. I should say I have not done any digging on research papers to see if science backs this idea, I just think it's worth a thought.

 

[Samir]

As an update, I have gone about 48 hours of being very careful with my right ear and eliminating white noise while sleeping. I've also quadrupled my water intake. This afternoon, I woke up (night shift) and my hearing and T was noticeably better and I have only had some minor dizziness for a couple of minutes.

How was your sleep? Sleep and stress, these I think are the main two factors that affect tinnitus. You want to have a good balance here. That is, lack of stress and abundance of quality sleep. I'm glad you are feeling better though. Sounds like you are doing good. Hope you will continue to improve.

If it was inner ear damage from acoustic trauma, it can take weeks for the inner ear to calm down.

Tinnitus most commonly originates in the ear, but it is the brain that sustains the ringing sensation. Once damaged, the inner ear hair cells don't bounce back up and recover spontaneously. That's the whole problem with us humans, because unlike birds for example we cannot restore these lost cells. If you had acoustic trauma and the inner ear got damaged, there would be a number of biological processes taking place.

One of these processes is where your body takes care of the dead cells, it buries its fallen soldiers so to speak and cleans up the place, a process called apoptosis.

But also the brain responds in certain ways and it is believed that these changes at the brain level is what causes sustained tinnitus perception, which is what we need to understand better to be able to reverse it or alleviate it somehow. So in the end, the ear is calm but the brain is not. The responsible areas of the brain become hyperactive and give us tinnitus. The ear could still be contributing to this, but if it is, we certainly don't fully understand how. More research needs to be done.

I have noticed more of a "click" in my right ear when I swallow the last couple days. Not sure what that's about, as I associate that with a possible Eustachian tube connection, but I could be wrong.

The click could be coming from your Eustachian tubes. Especially if you have had an infection and the middle ear is not fully cleared up yet. You should see a doctor about this. But I am more inclined to think that it is your middle ear bones clicking, caused by contractions of two small muscles in your middle ear.

I have the clicks. This is the result of the acoustic insult to my ears. I had ear-piercingly loud sound go off through my headphones. It was easily 120 dB, if not 140 db, like a gunshot going off at ear level. It was very short, pulse like, but loud enough to cause permanent damage.

More importantly my clicks are also triggered by swallowing when I lay down on my back at night to get some sleep. But I can get a click or two during daytime as well, but then it is completely spontaneous, or so it seems to me at least. While at night, I can almost predict when it's going to click. It takes about 5 seconds +/- 1 after I swallow. It goes in periods, sometimes it's better (less frequent), sometimes it's worse. Unlike some people who get this constant clicking, I only get single clicks like this.

I had an ENT doctor tell me it's my Eustachian tubes. But I know different...

I am not alone in having the clicks. If you do a search you will find a number of people describing the same thing. There is obviously a pattern to this all, I can see it in people on this forum who report about their symptoms. There is a certain progression of symptoms. I for example got the tinnitus first, and the clicks followed thereafter. There is more, but I don't want to be a bore by telling you everything. The bottom line is that clicks often play a part of it, and if you have developed tinnitus there is a good chance that you will also start having the clicks and they are rarely caused by your Eustachian tubes.

You will encounter articles, even scientific ones, describing clicks as one type of sound that tinnitus can present itself as. Even though tinnitus is often subjective, while the clicks are objectively measurable. I sometimes say that if what you hear is objectively measurable then what you have is not tinnitus. I am pretty much alone in thinking this way.

I may sound philosophical here, but what it comes down to is reference point. Tinnitus is said to be presence of sound without external input. External in reference to what? To the middle ear or to the brain? If I hear a bird singing in a tree, that's external input, in reference to my body. If I hear a clicking sound and I can objectively deduce it to the ear bones in my middle ear, then that's also external input, in reference to my brain. If I take the singing bird from the tree and I put it up against your ear, does the bird cease to exist?...

It is usually brushed off as nonsense when I bring this up, because "objective tinnitus" has been established in the scientific community as tinnitus subtype. Because that's actually something they can measure. Yet they cannot find a way to treat any of it, not the objective nor the subjective tinnitus. That's all the more reason to question their way of thinking and their vague definitions. We can take this a step further and look at subjective tinnitus itself, what I would normally consider to be true tinnitus. This might as well be only a matter of reference point and our lack of objective measurements. It's so obvious that we need better instruments to be able to dive deeper and non-invasively observe what is actually going on inside the ears and the brain of a person with tinnitus. Until that becomes a reality, we will have to rely on animal models in lab settings and patient history in clinical settings.

 

[TravisK]

Thanks for your insight and thoughts. I agree with much of what you said. I felt like the Doctor I saw had tons of knowledge, but failed to ask me in detail what I was experiencing and listen. We know our bodies best and what seems to make the T better or worse, what we were doing when it started, etc. which can give clues as to how to fix it. He was too busy throwing out the hundreds of things that could be causing my issues, and we really got nowhere. The relief I'm currently experiencing is 100% from stuff I'm trying on my own.

As to your question, my sleep is pretty good considering I work 3rd shift. However, that was the reason I used so much loud white noise - for sleeping during the day so I would not hear our 6-year-old.

 

[Samir]

I empathize with you. I had the same treatment here. Which is why I have pretty much lost all respect for doctors. My doctors' visits have been replaced by Dr. Google. I may not have the deep medical knowledge like the real doctors do. But what use is it to have knowledge when you don't have the interest/desire to find out what's wrong with the patient in front of you and put in some kind of action plan accordingly. Just listing/rambling the number of things that could possibly be wrong doesn't help me one bit, and it's not too different from what I can find on the web for free and in much less time.

Not that we should stop going to doctors altogether, but... we can seek out better doctors and demand better treatments, but we have to remember that doctors are no magic workers. We too have a responsibility to look after ourselves, and take good care of our bodies.

I sincerely hope that you will continue to improve.

 

[dpdx]

I think the flu and possibly ear infection gave you these problems. Cheers bro!