Banged on Metal Garage Frame with a Mallet

[Emperor-Drax]

This is going to sound ridiculous, but my tinnitus has resulted from my own stupidity and irresponsibility.

On Sunday, 10th June, 2018, I was working on my garage, and noticed the garage door rail was out of alignment, so I decided to give it a good bang with a mallet. What a mistake that was! As soon as I gave it a hard whack, my right ear, which was closest to the hit, received a massive shock from the vibrating metal all around me. I kid thee not, this was loud. However I can't really translate that into decibels.

Since then all week, my whole right side of my head has been in varying degrees of pain, and my ear has been hypersensitive to normal sounds like doors closing, squeaky hinges, etc. This has been causing me a lot of anxiety and distress. And not to mention the faint but distinctly high pitch squeal in my right ear that rears itself when I go to bed (it doesn't seem to be there when I'm up, thankfully).

I've seen an audiologist located at my shopping centre. They did a hearing check on me and found my hearing is all within normal range. Yeah that gives me some reassurance, but it doesn't alleviate the problem I'm having.

As a bit of background, this is my first ever problem with persistent tinnitus of any kind. In fact over the course of my life (I'm 32), I've gone to great lengths to preserve the quality of my hearing, since I'm a hi-fi buff and I prefer accuracy in music over loudness. I've never been to a rock concert, I'd normally wear ear muffs whenever I knew I was about to partake in some labourous task that was sure to be loud, and any social circumstances where I found the venue was getting too loud, I'd run like hell.

But... is life finally catching up with me after all that running? Does tinnitus and hearing damage eventually get us all at some point no matter what?

How long can I expect to have to live with this? I mean come on, this was a one time lapse of judgement after a lifetime of being really careful. Hardly seems fair that this might be a permanent thing.

 

[dpdx]

Leave it alone it will get better, do not stress over it or read horror stories on this forum, if you do you will become one of them. Like i Said leave it alone for at least 8 months and see if the hyperacusis (sound sensitivity goes away) and if T reduces, most likely it will.

 

[Bill Bauer]

How long can I expect to have to live with this? I mean come on, this was a one time lapse of judgement after a lifetime of being really careful. Hardly seems fair that this might be a permanent thing.

My T is also the result of a shock that lasted a fraction of a second. It began in early February in 2017. Thus far it had lasted for close to 5000 hours. Having said this, there is a good chance that you will hear silence again, or that at least your T will fade. See the first point (stats about the fraction that recover) on
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

Given the experiences of those soldiers who got T as a result of a gunshot (described in that Stats thread), you might want to have HBOT treatments done.

 

[Bill Bauer]

read horror stories on this forum, if you do you will become one of them

If you read those stories, you will have a chance to not repeat those people's mistakes. If you repeat their mistakes, you will Then be likely to be one of them...

 

[Dylan Blake]

Welcome Emperor-Drax,
This new addition to Your life, temporary or not, is a for 50 million people fight everyday and that is no exaggeration. You will find a way like many to defeat it or put it in it's place, This is Your life, You live the way You choose, if You have difficulty remember Your not alone, reading the horror stories may scare You but remember there are those who have triumphed, one day You will post with them just be patient.

 

[Emperor-Drax]

So... I can expect a full recovery from this?

 

[Bill Bauer]

I can expect a full recovery from this?

The studies in that Stats thread indicate that over 25% recover. In that study of soldiers who got T as a result of a gunshot, 70% had recovered. Note that it is possible that this number is higher because all of those soldiers got HBOT treatment.

So I guess you can Expect for it to fade, and if you are lucky you might even completely recover. You will also want to make sure that you don't injure your ears a second time - don't go to any concerts, wear hearing protection when you fly, etc.

 

[Emperor-Drax]

You will also want to make sure that you don't injure your ears a second time.

That might be a challenge since now it seems everything that was once benign is now a potential shock or, "spike" as you guys call it? Cupboard doors, screen doors, traffic, public transport PA announcements, people dropping things... they all feel like a rod shoved into my head! To me, that's worse than the tinnitus, which isn't even audible without total silence.

 

[Bill Bauer]

To me, that's worse than the tinnitus, which isn't even audible without total silence.

The above means that you are at a place that many take 6-12 months to get to. It probably means that your original injury hasn't been very serious. If you don't get a second acoustic trauma, your T ought to eventually be gone.

You are describing H = hyperacusis. For most people, H goes away within 6-9 months. If you can, try to protect your ears from the sounds that you find to be unpleasant. You might want to wear foam earplugs where there is a chance that you will be exposed to those noises. Is the place where you work relatively quiet?

Things like screen doors and cupboard doors are probably not going to cause any serious damage. But you will definitely want to stay away from the loud noises like the noise of a lawn mower. Ask other people to do your vacuuming.

Do what you can easily do in order to avoid and minimize exposure to noise. When you happen to be exposed, don't panic. It is usually not easy to get a permanent spike (but if you ignore what your body is telling you, it could be done).

 

[Emperor-Drax]

I'll give it a go. I've always been pretty neurotic about my hearing. Just didn't expect to have to face my worst fear like this for real.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Just didn't expect to have to face my worst fear like this for real.

The only thing better than never getting T, is getting it and then healing and hearing silence again.

Note that you don't want to be in complete silence 24/7 either. One way to get hyperacusis is to not be exposed to any noises. You want a daily source of noise that is as loud as it can get without feeling unpleasant/too loud to you. I watched TV every day for a couple of hours (while doing my best to protect my ears), and I was able to get over H. For a TV/computer you will want to play with its settings to ensure that you limit the loudest noise it can make. You don't want to get an acoustic trauma if one of the actors fires a gun.

Check out
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...d-of-quiet-voices-loud-everything-else.22427/

 

[Bill Bauer]

I've always been pretty neurotic about my hearing.

Same here. Who knows, it is possible that this made us more vulnerable.

 

[Emperor-Drax]

Oh you're referring to dynamic range, which I'm actually a huge fan of.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I watched TV every day for a couple of hours (while doing my best to protect my ears)

Just to clarify, I wasn't protecting my ears when I watched TV. I was protecting them in places where I knew there might be unreasonable noises.

 

[Emperor-Drax]

I forgot to mention this comes just after six months of lower back pain from an injury finally resolved.

When I injure myself, I seem to do a complete job of it.

 

[Dylan Blake]

So... I can expect a full recovery from this?

Yes, and even if You don't, You'll adapt to the point of forgetting You had it, in the mean time give Your ears a chance to top it on their own.

 

[Dylan Blake]

When I injure myself, I seem to do a complete job of it.

Lucky You, all I seem to get any more is hangnails and headaches, I watched Bucket list yesterday and remember Jack Nicholson's character say "Somewhere some lucky bastard is having a heart attack." I couldn't help feeling the same during this last headache.

 

[Emperor-Drax]

Yes, and even if You don't, You'll adapt to the point of forgetting You had it, in the mean time give Your ears a chance to top it on their own.

As long as the inner ear pain goes away soon. Plus there's often burning pain/sensation in the ear canal and the outside. What's causing that to persist I have no idea.

The T isn't really that bad. Not nightmarishly loud like some people here seem to suffer from. But if the pain goes away soon, I'd be really grateful.

 

[Emperor-Drax]

It seems the T is barely present at all when I'm upright, but it intensifies when lying down. Great.

 

[PortalNaut]

Sympathies, my friend.

Your ears will likely stay sensitive for a bit, ie weeks, so please keep them away from loud or harsh noises.

And also I hope the pain subsides.

Note, the body is a wonderful "device" and there is a good chance, as with other things you experienced, that your body can restore itself to better healthier functioning.

 

[Emperor-Drax]

Thanks, I hope so.

It's just the threat of spooky words like "chronic" and "permanent" that freak me out. The phrase "reality check" can be stunningly grim.

If I'd spent years abusing my ears at concerts and with loud stereos, a part of myself would probably say "Heh Drax, you had it coming". But I never did any of that. However after a single fraction-of-a-second event (really my own momentary lack of judgement), the threat of permanent dysfunction still looms, as tinnitus seems to carry with it, you could imagine my apprehension.

And don't get me wrong, I know as we age, there's a natural wear and tear to our body's elements. But I'd been taking a lot of care in my teens, 20s and early 30s to prolong that and to be as healthy as possible.

Of course, things happen.

 

[PortalNaut]

@Emperor-Drax Yup...just one moment, and everything changes.

It is no little comfort, but it does show that what we thought we knew about life and the future was very off. And so consider, even now, in our gloom, perhaps we are wrong too.

 

[Emperor-Drax]

I just want to offer everyone else a quick update.

I saw my GP yesterday, he tried to check inside my ears, but couldn't get a good view because they were blocked up with balls of wax. I couldn't help laughing that might have mitigated the damage to an extent. But anyhoo, he's referred me to an ENT.

As for my present state, almost two weeks after the event; the omnipresent pain in my right ear is 95% gone. I occassionally get the odd pain wave from unknown, non-sound related triggers. It'll probably go away.

The H isn't as severe. I can finally turn the TV up to almost pre-accident levels and not look like I'm having a seizure.

The T is a bit more worrying though. It's pretty much unnoticeable throughout the day and evening, and at first glance, you'd think it was fading. However it intensifies when I lie down for bed and when I wake up in the morning. Almost like a tuning fork inside my head. Oddly white noise like a fan seems to aggravate it, so I just persevere in silence.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Hopefully things will change for the better after they clear the wax from your ears.

Many get T after doctors remove wax from their ears using microsuction or syringing. There is no reason to take that risk. Ask the doctor to remove the wax from your ears using manual tools. I think the name of one of the tools is curette. Another tool looks like a wire loop. Make sure to use special ear drops for two weeks prior to your appointment to soften the wax. Also make sure that the person cleaning your ears is a doctor who has a lot of experience (and not a nurse with little experience).

 

[Emperor-Drax]

I've never really had an issue with wax before, so no discomfort from it whatsoever. It's probably best to just leave it alone.

Actually I remember making an elaborate multi-mirror and flashlight set-up in 2013 just so I could see inside myself. It was pretty stuffed up in there even back then, but I satisfied that curiosity.

 

[Bill Bauer]

It's probably best to just leave it alone.

Many people get told by their doctors that the wax is contributing to/causing their T. But now that I think of it, in your case we know the cause. So you are probably right about leaving the wax alone.

 

[PortalNaut]

I saw my GP yesterday, he tried to check inside my ears, but couldn't get a good view because they were blocked up with balls of wax. I couldn't help laughing that might have mitigated the damage to an extent. But anyhoo, he's referred me to an ENT.

If you elect to remove the wax, READ UP ON IT. There are ways to soften the wax, and then it is suggested wax be removed by mechanical means, not irrigation etc.

 

[Emperor-Drax]

Okay, quick update.

Random pain seems to come and go, but when it does, it isn't as severe as before.

T seems to have morphed from high pitch tuning fork into that sound of millions of crickets chirping on a humid summer night. Not very loud, more of a presence than loudness, noticeable mostly when I go to bed and wake up in the morning. Not sure if this is a sign of improvement.

H remains a concern. Certain sounds seem to irritate it. But I've read that the ear needs to be exposed to regular everyday sounds to assist in recovery, so I'm trying not to freak out too much about that.

Been super duper careful despite having few cats that routinely like to randomly smash things.

On another note, being a big Star Trek fan, I've only now just learned that William Shatner has had tinnitus since the 60s when he was working on an episode of the show. It's likely he's habituated by now but I wonder how bad his tinnitus was?

 

[Rowan Duncan]

Drax trust me your tinnitus is mild, relatively, and you will be fine. Even if none of your current symptoms subside in the slightest for the rest of your life you will have learnt to manage it.

My T is severe and the only symptom that's subsided is the H. The first few months I couldn't wash up because of even the quietest ding with cutelry, now it's only bad when I hear cars braking, or sorry, hit something with a hammer. Sounds to me that your H will definately go, because mine is at 25% of what it was 18 months ago.

 

[Emperor-Drax]

The worst I copped yesterday was a pedestrian crossing alert. I never appreciated city street noise until now.

Ta, it is actually calming down a lot. Just need to be careful. And I sympathise about the dishes - that's one area where I have to plug up.