Advice Please — Very New to Tinnitus — A Couple of Questions

[Dee Dee]

Hello y'all
I am very new to tinnitus. Was exposed about 5 weekz ago in a club and since my life has changed drastically. I hope that y'all can give me some advice and tips

Ques 1: I'll be getting my ear wax cleaned out soon (advised by my audiologist) because I'm going to have some custom ear plugs made for me. What is truly the safest way for my ENT to do this?

Ques 2: My son's play football and are in orchestra and I really don't want to miss any of their activities. Are ear muffs safe enough to wear to these events? I don't want to put anything in my earz until my ear wax has been cleaned out professionally.

Last but not least ques 3: Are car washes, vacuum cleaners, lawn mowerz, etc...and such, dangerous to use or be around without using ear protection?
Any advice or experience would be greatly appreciated, TY! ❤

 

[Michael Leigh]

Ques 1: I'll be getting my ear wax cleaned out soon (advised by my audiologist) because I'm going to have some custom ear plugs made for me. What is truly the safest way for my ENT to do this?

It is very important that you apply olive oil ear drops 3 times a day to each ear for 7 to 10 days before you get the earwax removed. Please do not allow anyone to do microsuction, ear-irrigation or manual removal of the earwax before using the olive oil for 7 to 10 days, as your tinnitus could become worse.

You can use "noise reducing earplugs" that have filters in there's no need for earmuffs in my opinion. Please click on the links below and read my articles on tinnitus.
Best of luck

Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

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

 

[Dee Dee]

My audiologist specialist doc suggested I use mineral oil or baby oil...
Are those ok/safe?
And thank you so much for sharing your links, I will mos def read them!

 

[Michael Leigh]

My audiologist specialist doc suggested I use mineral oil or baby oil...
Are those ok/safe?
And thank you so much for sharing your links, I will mos def read them!

I cannot advise on this although I have used Almond oil also recommend to me by my doctor. If your Audiologist suggest mineral oil or baby oil I suppose it must be okay. If I were you I'd ask a pharmacist first. Whatever you use make sure you apply the oil 3 to 4 drops in each ear 3 x a day for 7 to 10 days to soften the wax completely before having it removed.

I also advise you to read my articles in full and don't skim through them. Also, don't use headphones even at low volume.
All the best
Michael

 

[Dee Dee]

I will definitely ask my local pharm person about the oils, Ty!
Knowledge is power, I've alwayz believed. The more knowledge I have/know in living and dealing with this..the better, I hope/pray. This is all so new for me and hearing my ENT say, "You'll have to live with this forever" put me in a horrible tailspin. Meanwhile, my earz at that moment were blaring like a siren. Why don't doctors say it can and may get better or it'll calm down or you may hit a baseline that is different from what I was experiencing intially? Why don't they suggest that anxiety, panic attacks or sleepless nights/insomnia will make it feel worse. I wish they were more proactive in helping with tinnitus. I am trying and staying active with my loved ones during this huge transition and constant noise in my head/earz.
Thank you, again. Much appreciated for any words of wisdom and advice that you give with this symptom/condition

 

[jjflyman]

Hello y'all
I am very new to tinnitus. Was exposed about 5 weekz ago in a club and since my life has changed drastically. I hope that y'all can give me some advice and tips

Ques 1: I'll be getting my ear wax cleaned out soon (advised by my audiologist) because I'm going to have some custom ear plugs made for me. What is truly the safest way for my ENT to do this?

Ques 2: My son's play football and are in orchestra and I really don't want to miss any of their activities. Are ear muffs safe enough to wear to these events? I don't want to put anything in my earz until my ear wax has been cleaned out professionally.

Last but not least ques 3: Are car washes, vacuum cleaners, lawn mowerz, etc...and such, dangerous to use or be around without using ear protection?
Any advice or experience would be greatly appreciated, TY! ❤

I can't answer question 1 &2, but other members will be much more knowledgeable about that stuff
(like @Michael Leigh).
I can give some optimism. Aprox 1 year ago I went to a concert and by the next day my ears were screaming, fullness,pain, sensitive to noise, ect. Now 11-12 months later they are about 80% better and continue to improve, but it's a long process. I still notice my T in quiet areas, but most of the time I don't hear it. I'm hoping they continue to improve to where I never notice any ring
So there is a good chance you will see significant improvement in the next year.

 

[Bill Bauer]

3: Are car washes, vacuum cleaners, lawn mowerz, etc...and such, dangerous to use or be around without using ear protection?

They are risky to use even With ear protection. For the next 2 years (or longer), I plan to ask other people to do these things. Once I started to protect my ears from moderate noises like that (NOT exposing my ears to the sound of vacuum cleaner with ear plugs and muffs), I began to experience improvement.

Ques 2: My son's play football and are in orchestra and I really don't want to miss any of their activities. Are ear muffs safe enough to wear to these events?

It is a risk. You might not see any detrimental effects. Or you might regret it for the rest of your life. Consider having other people describe those events to you for the next year or two.

Hopefully your tinnitus will begin to fade soon. Check out
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-over-70-recover-3-studies.21441/

 

[Dee Dee]

jjflyman that is such AWESOME news to hear about your tinnitus improving!! Gives me so much HOPE. I pray for the same. Have you kept yourself away from regular daily noise for the year? Plz share if possible, how you've been able to maintain and are healing...

 

[Dee Dee]

Thank you for your advice and taking the time to comment Bill Bauer
My son has his 1st football game tomorrow morning..he's so excited! It's not highschool football with marching band and all but, I purchased some ear muffs today with a 27NRR rating and plan (if I go) to stay far away from the crowd and all the noise with muffs on. I don't wanna use plugs yet, as I mentioned earlier that my earz have wax and need to be cleaned out (suggested by my audiologist) and I'm afraid of pushing wax further in with plugs. Do you think it would be safe with 27NRR muffs as projection? I am anxious about it

 

[Bill Bauer]

I purchased some ear muffs today with a 27NRR rating and plan (if I go) to stay far away from the crowd and all the noise with muffs on.

I believe you can buy muffs that have higher NRR: Peltor 5XA.

If you wear earplugs under your muffs, it will add 5 dB.

Are you sure your son won't be traumatized if his friends see his mom wearing goofy muffs?

If the sounds feel loud at any time, that is your signal to move away from the source of the sounds.

You could try it for 15 minutes, then step away into a hopefully silent car and see whether your tinnitus had gotten louder.

 

[Tinker Bell]

Hi @Dee Dee, my son plays an outdoor sport, too, and attending the games has been a great distraction for me. My advice is to sit away from the crowd and try to relax and enjoy it. I was so nervous at the first few games, but by the fourth game I was cheering along with everyone else. Good luck!

 

[Dee Dee]

Haha! @Bill Bauer, I sure hope he won't be embarrased of me! You know these millennials often wear those biggo beats headphones to jam to their music. If anyone ask, I'll make sure to briefly share my story and warning/caution about tinnitus. Up until 5 wks ago I had never even heard of it. I know and have alwayz believed there a true reason for everything. Perhaps this really unfortunate condition I now have is to teach all my loved one's to protect their earz. I've never used headphone's to listen to music. Yes, in my younger years I went to many concerts, shows, plays..you name it! I never protected my earz..sad to admit this. The club night when I got tinnitus was a night of my bestfriendz and I celebrating my 40th bday. Happy Bday to me! It had been a loooooong time since I had been clubbing. Still trying to wrap my brain around this odd and awful condition, but I'm taking it day by day and truly living in every moment. Doing lotza praying and taking care of myself. I'll mos def use your 15 min rule tomorrow! Ty!

 

[Dee Dee]

@Tinker Bell thank you for your response! ❤ It was music to my earz to know that you have been able to enjoy your son's game! I hope/pray all goes as well for me tomorrow!
One ques, do you use any ear protection when attending your son's games?

 

[jjflyman]

jjflyman that is such AWESOME news to hear about your tinnitus improving!! Gives me so much HOPE. I pray for the same. Have you kept yourself away from regular daily noise for the year? Plz share if possible, how you've been able to maintain and are healing...

I avoided any loud noise, I even used ear plugs when going to store or restaurant. (you can buy "High Fidelity"ear plugs that are clear and almost unnoticeable for under $20 Amazon)
I did not take any supplements, and used a couple fountains in my house and an old iphone running a rain app to mask the noise and sleep. (I found the sound of water or rain was the best masker for me)

BTW, this is my second time with T. 12 years ago I had even worse T from a very loud power equipment. That T SLOWLY faded, and after around 18-24 months, it fade to zero. not habituation, totally gone.

 

[Freeatlast]

Try to mask the tinnitus with crickets sound (white noise) You will find these on youtube. Carefull what you use to mask the disorder..

 

[Tinker Bell]

@Tinker Bell thank you for your response! ❤ It was music to my earz to know that you have been able to enjoy your son's game! I hope/pray all goes as well for me tomorrow!
One ques, do you use any ear protection when attending your son's games?

I used earplugs for the first couple games but eventually stopped when I realized it really was not that loud, especially when I sat away from everyone. Lots of crickets and cicadas near the field, it is like having a sound machine along! Sometimes after the games I even feel like my tinnitus is quieter.

But I think it really depends on the field set up, if there is a sound system, the size of the crowd, and where everyone is sitting. For a high school football game, I would likely wear earplugs (or earmuffs in your case since you can't yet use plugs) but gauge how I felt, how loud it was, etc.

Oh and be careful of occlusion effect -- if you cheer or shout with ear protection, your voice will be louder to you. I figured that out pretty quickly cheering for my son!

 

[jjflyman]

Carefull what you use to mask the disorder..

Just wondering why the masking sound matters? Do you mean the volume or the actual sounds?
I found the sound of rain the most calming

 

[Freeatlast]

Just wondering why the masking sound matters? Do you mean the volume or the actual sounds?
I found the sound of rain the most calming

What i've learned is that the volume has to match your tinnitus or lower, and yes the actual sound, i don't really know why but maybe listening to crickets which is different then water fall or rain, challenged my tinnitus when it felt high pitched, and somehow calmed it down after 10-20 min of listening..

 

[Dee Dee]

@Bill Bauer will my ears feel clogged when using the oil to soften wax?
I'm paranoid about putting anything in my ears right now..cuz of tinnitus.

 

[Bill Bauer]

@Bill Bauer will my ears feel clogged when using the oil to soften wax?
I'm paranoid about putting anything in my ears right now..cuz of tinnitus.

After I got my acoustic trauma, I immediately felt that "full ear sensation." It took 10 days before I heard T for the first time. I had another acoustic trauma three months after my first acoustic trauma. Again, the first symptom was ear fullness.

Ear fullness is a symptom of your ears being hurt. The oil shouldn't hurt the ear. If the oil physically clogs your ear and the ear feels clogged, that shouldn't be a problem, as your ENT will clean everything out in a couple of days. So I believe that while it might not feel pleasant, it shouldn't hurt your ear and cause the "bad" full ear sensation.

Note, that I never had to have wax cleared out of my ear. However, once I learned that many people's T got aggravated by this procedure, I read many posts on this site about it. I can remember only one post where an ENT used oil for two weeks to soften the wax, and then used a hand tool (the quietest way) to clean the wax, and T still got worse afterwards:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-on-here-though-tinnitus-for-2-years.23933
My guess is that that person's T would have gotten worse anyway, and the procedure is not to blame.

Having said this, taking the post above into account, you may consider postponing your procedure by a couple of months...