Acute Acoustic Trauma — Tinnitus, Hyperacusis, etc

[Kyle Gellhaus]

So after the fourth of July I was framing my basement and my eye and ear protection were upstairs, I wanted to finish a run of 2x4's and figured I could protect my eyes by turning my head. A few shots from the nail gun later I realized I had hurt my left ear.

I called the ENT and couldn't get an appt until 5 days later, which was two days ago.

I had terrible dizziness and disorientation for the first 2-3 days before it started to slow down, but still here. I am still suffering from terrible hyperacusis in the left ear that leads to a migraine if I don't wear an earplug. Tinnitus is constant though after starting Prednisone (20mg/day for 14 days) it seems to change frequencies or sounds, but hasn't stopped.

My audiogram shows about a 25 dB loss in the left ear and near perfect hearing in my right. I've come to terms with the fact that I'll likely lose the hearing, but the ENT said there is a good chance it's temporary, which contradicts a lot of what I've heard since once the inner ear hair cells die, they're gone for good. I haven't noticed much of an improvement in hearing since the night it happened, but I'll continue to update here. From what I've read it's much more effective to get treatment right away (typically Prednisone), so if you're reading this, it may be worth it to head right to the ER if you think you've suffered Acute Acoustic Trauma (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18463885) rather than waiting for an ENT appt.

Basically the Dr. said he we can try to "heal" for 14 days and see where we're at after that. His suggestion for healing is to keep the ear quiet via EarPlug/Earmuffs, so we'll see what happens, but my main concern is the Hyperacusis and disorientation as those will impact everyday life.

I'll continue to update this for anyone who might be interested as I've been spending a lot of time on this forum and it seems to help to hear other's stories.

 

[billie48]

Basically the Dr. said he we can try to "heal" for 14 days and see where we're at after that

Acoustic trauma may take longer to heal than 14 days but in general it may settle down to more tolerable level over time. It is important to not get too anxious and stressed out by this as these can prolong the healing process. Your tinnitus is very new so it is prudent to wait it out while getting the necessary treatment such as prednisone. Good luck. God bless.

 

[Kyle Gellhaus]

It's been 6 days since my ENT visit, the dizziness has somewhat calmed down, but I still feel slightly off balance and foggy in any noisy environments. Close to where I think I could drive with an earplug in, But haven't tried.

My hearing doesn't seem to really be noticeably improving, but the hyperacusis seems to have calmed down a little as well, but still there when noise levels start to rise above a soft conversation. The Tinnitus hasn't stopped since the incident.

I'm back to functioning (less driving) during the day so long as the affected ear is ear plugged so that noise doesn't cause migraines or dizziness.

Just thought I'd update since I read tons of threads to get an idea of what to expect but many didn't update.

 

[Rb86]

I too got tinnitus started from a nail gun without protection.

I'm just over 6 weeks in. It has improved but very very slowly. The most important thing I have found is sleep, and staying hydrated. If you continue to get poor sleep, ask doc for something. The longer I sleep the quieter my day starts. That's the only real info I can offer. I've done supplements and Prednisone, which the Prednisone raised my pitch up and up every few days until it parked at 15000 Hz and has been there since (among 2 other lower sounds).

Best of luck and keep in touch as our onset sounds very similar.

 

[Relatz]

I got shot in the left ear with an airhorn 16 days ago. I devolped hyperacusis from this. I have seen little improvement with loud noises. But it seems like progress. My main problem is the fullness in my ear. I saw a doctor as well said it should go away over the coming months... i was not prescribed this medicine tho. I have no tinnitus though.We will get better!

 

[billie48]

It's been 6 days since my ENT visit, the dizziness has somewhat calmed down, but I still feel slightly off balance and foggy in any noisy environments. Close to where I think I could drive with an earplug in, But haven't tried.

My hearing doesn't seem to really be noticeably improving, but the hyperacusis seems to have calmed down a little as well, but still there when noise levels start to rise above a soft conversation. The Tinnitus hasn't stopped since the incident.

I'm back to functioning (less driving) during the day so long as the affected ear is ear plugged so that noise doesn't cause migraines or dizziness.

Just thought I'd update since I read tons of threads to get an idea of what to expect but many didn't update.

Do you know if your dizziness (vertigo) is from Meniere's or from BPPV (or other causes)?