ahhhh the sounds of summer....

[Mommaof2]

I have had T for 15 years and never had an issue with it. 9 months ago my T started going crazy. I was pregnant at that time and my ENT said that it was most likely due to hormones and should go back down after that baby is born. She was born 5 months ago and it settled down about 3 months after she was born. Now it is acting crazy again- don't know if my hormone levels are still crazy....but my question is now that the summer is coming what does everyone do when they start hearing the industrial lawn mowers, the leaf blowers, the edge cutters and the motorcycles. I leave the windows open in the house and hear them, if a neighbor mows their lawn I get all nervous. If I go to a store and they landscapers are there mowing I put ear plugs in.
Am I just over thinking everything- what does everyone do to stay clam? I just do not want it to get worse. I know that I can not avoid all noise all together but there have to be a way for me to cope.

 

[lapidus]

I have had T for 15 years and never had an issue with it. 9 months ago my T started going crazy. I was pregnant at that time and my ENT said that it was most likely due to hormones and should go back down after that baby is born. She was born 5 months ago and it settled down about 3 months after she was born. Now it is acting crazy again- don't know if my hormone levels are still crazy....but my question is now that the summer is coming what does everyone do when they start hearing the industrial lawn mowers, the leaf blowers, the edge cutters and the motorcycles. I leave the windows open in the house and hear them, if a neighbor mows their lawn I get all nervous. If I go to a store and they landscapers are there mowing I put ear plugs in.
Am I just over thinking everything- what does everyone do to stay clam? I just do not want it to get worse. I know that I can not avoid all noise all together but there have to be a way for me to cope.

It sounds more like you're describing sound sensetivity issues than tinnitus to me.

 

[T Bone]

I think that you are definetly over thinking it, just like lapidus seid previously if you have sensitivity, where talking about a whole nother thing, but those sounds that you described would have zero effect on further damage. Btw remember not to over use ear plugs, especially on everyday sounds like streets ect. Even walking past lawnmowers in your case, ear plugs are definetly not needed, because over use of plugs can cause hyperacusis.

 

[LadyDi]

I agree with the above two posters. And as @TBone says: Be careful about over-using ear plugs, or you will make your sound sensitivity worse. If you walk past, say, a leaf blower, just put your fingers in your ears for a minute. Or buy cheap foam ear plugs and put them in briefly when you encounter these noises, which it sounds like you already are doing. You also are not getting prolonged exposure, which is how damage usually happens. It's one thing to be a landscaper running a leaf blower all day with no ear protection, another to be walking past a leaf blower being used.

The larger issue may be your anxiousness vs. the sound? Perhaps you can explore natural ways to reduce anxiety when you hear loud noise, like self statements (comes from different therapies) where you redirect your negative thinking and remind yourself it's ok, that nothing is going to hurt you.

 

[here2help]

@Mommaof2, you may be describing Phonophobia, a condition that sometimes accompanies tinnitus and that can be thought of as anxiety about, or fear of, sound. It isn't uncommon for someone with tinnitus to be concerned that exposure to some sounds may worsen the tinnitus. It is understandable that you would feel this concern about sound during periods when your tinnitus is louder than normal.

It might help reassure you to learn that exposure to loud sounds made by motorcycles, leaf blowers, and lawn mowers for short periods will not affect your hearing or worsen your tinnitus. Short-term, temporary use of hearing protection around normal sounds encountered during the summer won't cause hyperacusis, but it will likely make you more anxious and concerned around sound by keeping these feelings front-and-center. For that reason, I wouldn't try to solve the challenge you are having by using hearing protection at those times. It isn't a very effective long-term strategy and evidently hasn't helped you to feel calm around sound, as you explained in your post.

There are some very effective ways to nip anxiety about sound in the bud. Cognitive therapy can help people to learn how to discriminate between realistic and less-than-realistic thinking. (One of the key insights of this therapy is that it isn't necessary to avoid negative thinking or to somehow try to talk ourselves into thinking positively.) An equally effective approach is to work with sound in a graduated, purposeful way to prove to yourself, over time, that exposure to normal sound won't hurt you or exacerbate your tinnitus.

here2help

 

[Mommaof2]

Thank you for all your nice replies. I am happy to know that the quick sounds will not bother my T. I think I do have a sensitivity to sound. It seems I think sounds are louder than they really are. I have been better this past weekend with the sounds. I was still nervous but for the short time I was exposed so far today I am good. Thank you all again!!