After the Initial Ear Protection: How Far Should I Go?

[Bill Bauer]

driving in the car should be fine imo

When one drives, one could get exposed to the sounds of trucks or motorcycles accelerating, or other unexpected noises.

 

[Rubenslash]

When one drives, one could get exposed to the sounds of trucks or motorcycles accelerating, or other unexpected noises.

Things that dont cause permanent spikes..

 

[MJv]

Things that dont cause permanent spikes..

I disagree, it can cause permament spikes, new tones. Be careful

 

[Rubenslash]

I disagree, it can cause permament spikes, new tones. Be careful

Only for people with very special ears then. If a passing truck would cause permanent spikes then everyone with tinnitus must have monster tinnitus after a couple of years due to constant exposure to similar sounds that according to you can cause permanent spikes.

And if you are right and it does cause these permanent spikes, it's only applicable for 0,05% of the tinnitus population. So likely not applicable for @JurgenG who has a rather mild and unreactive form of T.

 

[Ed209]

Only for people with very special ears then. If a passing truck would cause permanent spikes then everyone with tinnitus must have monster tinnitus after a couple of years due to constant exposure to similar sounds that according to you can cause permanent spikes.

And if you are right and it does cause these permanent spikes, it's only applicable for 0,05% of the tinnitus population. So likely not applicable for @JurgenG who has a rather mild and unreactive form of T.

Rubenslash, I totally agree with you and this just highlights the bias of forums. New people could come here and instantly be filled with dread, based on a statistical anomaly. I feel for average T sufferers who might read some of this stuff and become obsessed with sound in general. It's just a breeding ground for misophonia and phonophobia.

 

[MJv]

Only for people with very special ears then. If a passing truck would cause permanent spikes then everyone with tinnitus must have monster tinnitus after a couple of years due to constant exposure to similar sounds that according to you can cause permanent spikes.

And if you are right and it does cause these permanent spikes, it's only applicable for 0,05% of the tinnitus population. So likely not applicable for @JurgenG who has a rather mild and unreactive form of T.

I said it can. I have severe H as well, so I am extra carefull.
Luckily you don't have to face my reality

 

[Bill Bauer]

Only for people with very special ears then. If a passing truck would cause permanent spikes then everyone with tinnitus must have monster tinnitus after a couple of years due to constant exposure to similar sounds that according to you can cause permanent spikes.

And if you are right and it does cause these permanent spikes, it's only applicable for 0,05% of the tinnitus population. So likely not applicable for @JurgenG who has a rather mild and unreactive form of T.

One is probably more vulnerable in the early weeks and months following T onset. One will not know whether one has "special ears" until it is too late.

Also, have you considered the fact that we don't know whether going to extreme lengths to protect one's ears contributes to some people recovering or improving? There are some posts on this forum about people protecting their ears and then recovering. This doesn't prove anything but is consistent with my hypothesis. Someone who has had T for years who hasn't protected his or her ears might think that no damage has been done. If my hypothesis is true, they could have had a quieter T to deal with now, or they could have been T-free now, had they taken care to protect their ears.

 

[Bill Bauer]

New people could come here and instantly be filled with dread, based on a statistical anomaly.

I have had T for over 4 months. I realize that I am Relatively new, but I am not a "spring chicken" either.

I feel for average T sufferers who might read some of this stuff and become obsessed with sound in general

I believe that if the above were to happen, those new T sufferers would be more likely to recover. As always - I could be totally wrong. I didn't start believing these things out of the blue, for no reason. I came up with these beliefs based on my own experience, as well as a large number of threads I had a chance to read on this forum in the past three months.

 

[vermillion]

How long is considered the so called acute phase?

 

[Bill Bauer]

How long is considered the so called acute phase?

I think it is the first 3 to 6 months.

 

[vermillion]

So after that there isn't any chance of recovery?

 

[Bill Bauer]

So after that there isn't any chance of recovery?

There is always a chance of recovery. The chance of recovery seems to be the highest at around 2-6 months mark. As time goes on, it gets lower. After a year it is less likely than after 6 months. It gets to be very low after two years (there is at least one medical paper that states that t is considered permanent after 2 years, but I read about exceptions to that rule). One study in that Stats of Recovery thread in Success Stories mentions the fraction of seniors who had recovered during a 5-year period. They don't mention what fraction of these patients had recovered in years 3-5, but it is probably not zero (or they would have just used a 2-year period).

 

[light rain]

Rubenslash, I totally agree with you and this just highlights the bias of forums. New people could come here and instantly be filled with dread, based on a statistical anomaly. I feel for average T sufferers who might read some of this stuff and become obsessed with sound in general. It's just a breeding ground for misophonia and phonophobia.

Actually I think this thread proves that theory wrong as opposing viewpoints are being presented and arguments made. It is great to offer encouragement but an entire forum can't revolve around newbies or the bias swings in the other direction.

And if I might add people have T from unknown or reasons other than noise exposure so you can protect all you want but there's hearing impairment, virus, AN, extreme stress (possibly). That has to factor into a T forum and outcomes also. It can't be all earplugs and cheer leading.

 

[vermillion]

There is always a chance of recovery. The chance of recovery seems to be the highest at around 2-6 months mark. As time goes on, it gets lower. After a year it is less likely than after 6 months. It gets to be very low after two years. One study in that Stats of Recovery thread in Success Stories mentions the fraction of seniors who had recovered during a 5-year period. They don't mention what fraction of these patients had recovered in years 3-5, but it is probably not zero (or they would have just used a 2-year period).

What i am interested in is to know if it worth to subside somewhere very quite out of Athens for months. Countryside, don't know... to be away from sounds and give a chance to myself to recover. I think i made a mistake keep working after the onset of T during the past six months. Athens is loud (especially motorcycles) and dancing lessons that i teach means exposure to music.

 

[Bill Bauer]

What i am interested in is to know if it worth to subside somewhere very quite out of Athens for months. Countryside, don't know... to be away from sounds and give a chance to myself to recover. I think i made a mistake keep working after the onset of T during the past six months. Athens is loud (especially motorcycles) and dancing lessons that i teach means exposure to music.

I was able to protect my ears for the past 3 months, and I saw some improvement. A one-time exposure to noise had erased some of that improvement, but that is irrelevant to the point I am trying to make. I am telling you about my experience because I noticed that it takes at least a month (or longer) to notice any improvement.

You could try this for a 4-6-8 weeks, and see whether you notice any improvement. If you do, then it would make sense to give it even more time. Nobody knows how likely this is to help you. But it seems to me that if you keep doing what you have been doing, you are likely to see the same result as you have been experiencing...

 

[light rain]

What i am interested in is to know if it worth to subside somewhere very quite out of Athens for months. Countryside, don't know... to be away from sounds and give a chance to myself to recover. I think i made a mistake keep working after the onset of T during the past six months. Athens is loud (especially motorcycles) and dancing lessons that i teach means exposure to music.

Not to be a raincloud but my Dad had major issues with being bothered by noise. He grew up in a very rural area and eventually moved back because he hated the city so much. After a while he was bothered by noise in the distance (dirtbikes/interstate).

But for noise induced it could be great just to take a break. Could you vacation somewhere to give it a try. I know I much prefer living in a rural area now but as I said you adapt. What was fantastic traffic is now becoming slightly annoying if there is any delay at all. Where I lived before at certain times it could take a half hour to go a few miles. Like I said not to discourage you at all because even if it does nothing for your T it could be much better for stress esp if you like the country.

 

[vermillion]

Not to be a raincloud but my Dad had major issues with being bothered by noise. He grew up in a very rural area and eventually moved back because he hated the city so much. After a while he was bothered by noise in the distance (dirtbikes/interstate).

But for noise induced it could be great just to take a break. Could you vacation somewhere to give it a try. I know I much prefer living in a rural area now but as I said you adapt. What was fantastic traffic is now becoming slightly annoying if there is any delay at all. Where I lived before at certain times it could take a half hour to go a few miles. Like I said not to discourage you at all because even if it does nothing for your T it could be much better for stress esp if you like the country.

I already decided to go on vacation for the next month. I'll see if it works. I probably have done further damage since my tinnitus gradually and slowly became worse. Maybe when it manifested I should have stopped everything. Hard to tell.

 

[MJv]

@JurgenG
Nobody can tell you what you should do, this is your decision. We can only give advice due to our personal T and H.
Do you have H?
Goodluck and hopefully you will find whats good for you ears

 

[Sam Bridge]

Just thought i would mention that I recently found out that my uncle has tinnitus and he still and attends concerts. I did ask him about plugs but he says he never bothers, guessing his is mild then. He said hes had it around 20 years.

 

[JurgenG]

Just thought i would mention that I recently found out that my uncle has tinnitus and he still and attends concerts. I did ask him about plugs but he says he never bothers, guessing his is mild then. He said hes had it around 20 years.

I have the same with my family members, my granddad and my dad both got it. But they couldn't care less or so it appears.

 

[Sam Bridge]

I have the same with my family members, my granddad and my dad both got it. But they couldn't care less or so it appears.

I wonder if we are just more naturally anxious?

 

[Ed209]

I have the same with my family members, my granddad and my dad both got it. But they couldn't care less or so it appears.

My dad has it, so does my cousin and countless friends and acquaintances. My dads' sounds pretty bad from his description of it, yet I only found out when I told him about mine. He never mentioned it prior, and it doesn't bother him at all.

 

[TuneOut]

I also protect for anything sustained over 70/75db, but there are very few things in my daily life which meet that bar so I don't think about it very much...

Yes, duration is an important factor.

 

[TuneOut]

Each case is individual and if someone wants to live like a hermit, why not? Just a remark: T is unpredictable and it can worsen without any specific reason.

I think there must be a reason; we just can't always find it.

 

[TuneOut]

@Ed209

One might argue that you seem a little too nonchalant about noise and ear protection. Not everyone can handle it the way you can, both psychologically and physically speaking.

 

[TuneOut]

Things that dont cause permanent spikes..

For you, perhaps. Or, at least, not yet.

 

[TuneOut]

And if you are right and it does cause these permanent spikes, it's only applicable for 0,05% of the tinnitus population. So likely not applicable for @JurgenG who has a rather mild and unreactive form of T.

Mild, unreactive T could progress to something more if one is not careful. Mine did.

 

[Tom Cnyc]

I protect at 90 sustained.

Pubs. 15db reduction.

Car rides hit 85. If it's a 90 min plus ride ill wear one plug

 

[Bill Bauer]

Car rides hit 85

I had no idea!

 

[Tinker Bell]

I had no idea!

That might depend on the type of driving and speed. 25 mph on city street versus 60 mph on highway.

I'm not sure though, I should check next time.