Bagpipes — Panic and Serious Problems

[Elfin]

Hi all,

I am in Scotland for a wedding. I'm sill struggling with tinnitus and hyperacusis, but though I'd try.

On the way to the church a gentleman began playing some bagpipes. I was 10m or so away. I had musician's ear plugs in. Immediately I began to walk in the opposite direction as it still felt noisy. My ears are spiking now and I'm in panic. Complete panic. Not sure if the plugs have worked (I have wax behind the ears which may have affected the seal).

Really panicking now and don't know what to do. Just want to die!

Any objective help is really needed right now and would be immensely appreciated!!

 

[JohnAdams]

3M earplugs?

Bagpipes are very loud but you would do yourself a huge favor to just do whatever you can to stay relaxed. It could just be a transient threshold shift. Stress can exacerbate the situation also.

Best of luck.

 

[Contrast]

How long have you had hyperacusis?

Is your hyperacusis pain from noise or noises sounding too loud, or both?

Let your ears rest, that's the only practical advice.

 

[OnceUponaTime]

Please try not to panic, anxiety makes everything worst. You were outside and wearing earplugs...hopefully the spike will subside as you calm down.

With tinnitus, it feels like we have to have 4 eyes! Always looking around to see where the next loud noise is coming from! Bummer!

Feel better soon.

 

[Bill Bauer]

My ears are spiking now and I'm in panic. Complete panic. Not sure if the plugs have worked

Most spikes are temporary. It is actually not easy to get a permanent spike. I am glad that you had your earplugs in.

In any case, whenever you have a spike, it makes sense to wait for at least a month before worrying about it being permanent. On your first day it is safe to assume that it will go away.

 

[Elfin]

Update: I also had the wedding dinner which was 2 hours in a restaurant with no music. Doors were open but the din was quite noisy. I tried to take breaks here and there and had earplugs in, but worried that as I was chewing the seals would break, also that the day was warm and wax kept kind of pushing the plugs forward in my ear canals.

Morning after now and anxiety is still through the roof, ears are spiking and I just want to die to escape!

Thanks all for your help and advice here. Praying this settles and I can find some semblance of inner peace and be able to function or relax at all. Would rather live a hermit's existence than these cycles of spikes and stress. The events themselves just aren't worth it. Go periodically as the wife enjoys them.

 

[Drone Draper]

I live in Scotland and in tourist hell. There's literally a bagpiper outside my window right now, I'd pick him off like a sniper if I had the chance. The good thing is he drowns out my T, the bad thing is... I have to hear bagpipes.

All joking aside, you were wearing hearing protection and walked in a different direction. I am hopeful that your spike is only temporary. Please try to relax and wait.

 

[Elfin]

3M earplugs

No - ER 25s.

Concerned on the seals though as waxy behind there.

All in all panicking and spiking.

 

[Elfin]

Is your hyperacusis pain from noise or noises sounding too loud, or both?

It's not sharp pain, but more a sense something is wrong. A sensitivity and discomfort, mental and physical, but not a sharp pain. Do you have this?

 

[Elfin]

@Drone Draper thanks man.

They are just so loud, aren't they. I don't understand how the guy playing them isn't deaf. I could still here it clearly about 200m away.

My wife went into the church where the piper continued to play (I didn't go in). He played a song and two babies started crying. He continued, whilst the mothers tried to plug the baby's ears with fingers. They were literally 2 metres from him.

He then lead the couple into the restaurant. Thankfully I saw him coming and had left until he finished

 

[Contrast]

How long have you had hyperacusis?

 

[Elfin]

@Contrast hmm always had a degree of it. Had it this bad for around a year

 

[Contrast]

@Contrast hmm always had a degree of it. Had it this bad for around a year

before your tinnitus started? Born with it?

 

[Mandalay]

Hi Elfin,

I'm not sure which earplugs you are talking about, for example I'm wearing these musician earplugs if it is getting loud around me.

If I can't plug them in because I don't have the time to do so, I just plug my ears with my fingers. I'm ok with that and don't mind if it looks funny or so. If you are unsure of what's going on, just put your hands on your ears also, I mean on top of the earplugs.

I have these musician earplugs, where one can change the filters, they go from 8 dB to 25 dB and they are really safe.
I'm always well protected with them. Mine are called "Elacin" and they are about 150 Euros I guess. They are specially made, and fit the ear canal.

If I'm feeling uncomfortable, I also run away from things. May look funny but hey

Children screaming is ok for me, wearing 8 dB filters, because these filters do their work well.

Maybe it's worth a try for you...?

Try to calm down, I can imagine how it feels like. I remember being hit by an ambulance siren under a bridge, passing by. I had no time to plug my ears because I did not see it coming, in the beginning. It scared the shit out of me, but nothing happened. I was with a friend at that time, and she has no tinnitus, and she found it loud!

Mandalay

 

[Egg]

Hi. I had pretty big spikes from unprotected exposure to fire alarms, ambulance sirens etc. but none of them gave me long lasting spikes. In fact my longest spikes are usually from anxiety

 

[Egg]

You'll be ok, just continue your life and soon enough it will go away