I have had mild tinnitus for many years from being inconsistent with ear protection and exposure to loud noise, though this year it got worse after being careless about ear protection during several brief exposures to noise after the draconian government response to coronavirus began. I cared less about safety of any number of things, as government was threatening and doing violence to peaceful people across the country and I could be the next victim. Regardless, I survived and here I am.
Here I am, 9100 Hz or thereabouts 24/7 and more sensitive to loud noises. Experiencing what was mild tinnitus, often not noticeable, occasional spikes with unexpected noise but not overly loud and manageable with reasonable precautions turn into a debilitating constant noise has been traumatizing. Working in a quiet office most days, getting through some days has been a real struggle over the past six months. I yearn for the end of the day to go home and sit outside listening to crickets or soft music. All my hobbies involve noise. Fast cars, motorcycles, watersports, all things that involve noise when using or maintaining them. I had a wake up call and have taken measures to quiet the exhaust of my vehicles, challenging on motorcycles and it does nothing for the wind noise which is louder than exhaust at speed.
Into the realm of all sorts of ear plugs I went. Cheap foam disposable and reusable silicone 3m that I've used (somewhat) regularly for years, and into plugs with filters, musician ear plugs, etc. The cruel reality that the more effective the ear plug the worse my tinnitus is for a while after using it, but if I choose less effective than required my tinnitus can be permanently worse... It's quite the struggle.
Give me hope or a dose of reality. Can I still enjoy all the things I enjoy? If so, how do I do it? I've been trying, and wearing plugs through most of it, but I have bad days sometimes despite it. Is living an active lifestyle enjoying my hobbies just a matter of picking the right plugs and accepting there will be good and bad days? Or am I causing permanent damage I will regret and need to find new hobbies?
Here I am, 9100 Hz or thereabouts 24/7 and more sensitive to loud noises. Experiencing what was mild tinnitus, often not noticeable, occasional spikes with unexpected noise but not overly loud and manageable with reasonable precautions turn into a debilitating constant noise has been traumatizing. Working in a quiet office most days, getting through some days has been a real struggle over the past six months. I yearn for the end of the day to go home and sit outside listening to crickets or soft music. All my hobbies involve noise. Fast cars, motorcycles, watersports, all things that involve noise when using or maintaining them. I had a wake up call and have taken measures to quiet the exhaust of my vehicles, challenging on motorcycles and it does nothing for the wind noise which is louder than exhaust at speed.
Into the realm of all sorts of ear plugs I went. Cheap foam disposable and reusable silicone 3m that I've used (somewhat) regularly for years, and into plugs with filters, musician ear plugs, etc. The cruel reality that the more effective the ear plug the worse my tinnitus is for a while after using it, but if I choose less effective than required my tinnitus can be permanently worse... It's quite the struggle.
Give me hope or a dose of reality. Can I still enjoy all the things I enjoy? If so, how do I do it? I've been trying, and wearing plugs through most of it, but I have bad days sometimes despite it. Is living an active lifestyle enjoying my hobbies just a matter of picking the right plugs and accepting there will be good and bad days? Or am I causing permanent damage I will regret and need to find new hobbies?
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