Acoustic Trauma (Flipped the Toilet Seat Down to Flush): Advice & Next Steps?

Hi all,

I’m not sure how to present this, so perhaps a little background first (apologies if it's long). My hearing journey began when I was around 15 (I’m 58 now). A family friend who was an audiologist tested my hearing and noticed a dip in my low-end bilaterally. This was very concerning, as my plans at that time were to become a professional musician. This discovery set off a series of appointments with ENTs in NYC. After a few years of seeing different specialists at various hospitals, the consensus was that it might be Meniere’s disease, but they couldn’t be sure. Alternatively, they admitted, “We’re just not sure.” I never experienced any vertiginous episodes and was actually quite good at activities that required good balance, like skiing and skateboarding. So, at the time, I continued pursuing my music career and became much more diligent about using earplugs. I earned my music degree and embarked on a playing career. Although I had some tinnitus, it didn’t seem to worsen, and it didn’t bother me much. My hearing tests remained stable.

Around 1992, I was with a family friend when a young child came up behind me with a sheet of bubble wrap (the large kind, with bubbles about the size of a silver dollar) and thought it would be funny to scare me by popping it right next to my left ear. It wasn’t so funny. That incident caused acoustic trauma, beginning my journey with hyperacusis. I was in tears that day. I kept quiet for a few weeks, and it got better, but after that episode, I became sensitive to noise and had to start wearing earplugs even while driving. Soon after, I went back on the road with a Big Band I was playing with. Although I thought I was okay with earplugs, I soon found that I couldn’t practice without them (I played the trombone). I continued playing for a few more years but eventually decided to go back to school for something else, just in case music didn’t work out. Long story short, I ended up going into IT after earning a Master’s in Business.

Over the years, I’ve still played some music, but eventually, the horn became too much, and I mostly stick to playing piano these days, usually at very low volumes. My tinnitus comes and goes but is mostly tolerable, and my hyperacusis fluctuates between being okay and moderately aggravating. Of course, age and life have taken their toll, and “earglasses” are now part of my life too.

Fast forward to last week: I was on holiday with my wife, visiting a cathedral, when I needed to use the restroom. I went in, did my business, and instinctively flipped the toilet seat down to flush, as we have soft-close seats everywhere in our house. Big mistake. BAM!!! Immediately, my left ear went into shutdown. I experienced distortion, increased tinnitus, wooziness, and my brain went into overdrive, wondering if I had just completely destroyed my hearing. My right ear seemed mostly unaffected, but when I spoke to my wife, her voice sounded distorted, like a broken speaker, through my left ear. If I plugged that ear, she sounded normal. I was really panicking at this point, but my wife tried to calm me down, which was nearly impossible.

The first two things I did were go to a pharmacy to get copious amounts of antioxidants and call my audiologist. I had read a few years ago that high doses of Magnesium, Vitamin A, C, and E (MACE) could be instrumental in preventing permanent damage. When I heard back from my audiologist, he said that, counterintuitively, the best thing I could do was to allow normal everyday sounds to occur without plugging the affected ear. He said that my body would start to heal faster this way, and for the most part, that advice has been tolerable.

Before returning home, I bought some shooter’s earplugs and went back to that toilet with my dB meter on my phone. It registered 112 dB! I still cannot believe that kind of volume. I imagine this is not an unusual occurrence, and those lucky enough to have healthy ears likely wouldn’t give it a thought. I’m only grateful that I wasn’t wearing my hearing aids at the time.

When I got home, I stocked up on more antioxidants, as well as Turmeric and Ginkgo. I plan to take all of these for the next month, hoping to stave off any damage. Today, the tinnitus is pretty much where it’s always been, and the fullness in my left ear is nearly gone. The distortion is better but not completely gone.

This leads me to my question: Should I be running to the ENT for a steroid shot, or am I already past the point where it would do any good? It would be difficult for me to get an appointment, even if I had started the process the day the incident happened, before the end of this week.

Any thoughts or comments would be much appreciated.

 

My understanding is that the window for steroids is one month if they are to make any difference, but the sooner, the better.

It sounds like you are making good progress, though.

NAC is also helpful.

I don't have any experience in using steroids after acoustic trauma, as it's not standard practice in the UK.

 

Thanks for your reply, @Tweaker. I am also in the UK. My audiologist didn't mention seeking it, but I thought I'd put it out there. I'm not as freaked out as I was, but am still quite worried. I do feel I'm taking good steps to mitigate any damage that may have occurred.

Thanks for the NAC suggestion. I will look into that.

 

Hi everyone,

I managed to see my audiologist yesterday and had my hearing tested. Thankfully, it's virtually unchanged, which is a relief. However, I'm still dealing with increased tinnitus and some distortion. I really hope those subside because it's making listening to music, even at soft levels, pretty unpleasant.

Has anyone else experienced distortion? Is there anything that can be done about it?