Can My Ears Be Too Damaged?

[Geo]

My Ear has been spiking constantly everyday and it just happened again today my aunt came to visit me And when she opened the door she talked a little too loud when coming in and set off my ears...guys i know this isnt normal ive had tinnitus for years now and this has never happned bit the last two minths been hell.. Can it be that some of my spikes from before were to damaging for my ears and made them how they are right now as in they set off for any little noise and i do also have really bad H...even when my shoulder pops it seems to affect my ear.. On certain spikes when i feel it coming i start sweating , nausea set in... And my spikes dont go down.. Im starting to think my form of T is not normal from what i see here...i suffer from hearing a louder noise everyday do i cant get used to it as it always spikes and now in developed a new tone a 2weeks ago.. This is just too much too take.. And how is my spike suppose to go down when. Its followed by another spike then another causing further damage Nd im just been in my house haven left anywhere.. Its just not fair..

 

[Geo]

I also have bad ear pressure my ears clog so many times during the day since the day i got T.. And crackling ear , poppy ears and have been doing the valsalva maneuver as it was the only way to unclog my ears at certain times.. But now im reading that it isnt so safe to do that? This t is ridicolous with everything it comes with its too much..

 

[Telis]

Yeah I've got the same. I've had spike after spike that doesnt go away. Although, I don't think I'm as careful as you. I try and watch TV, do some cooking (always loud bangs-plates etc), had a couple of people over the other night etc. I just can't sit in my room for my entire life but I always pay the price. When I go to bed after noise for a few hours straight my tinnitus is unbearable (hurts my head it's so loud). I usually pass out hard from the exhaustion tinnitus brings me every day so at least sleeping isn't a problem. I wake up with slightly lowered T from the night prior but always a bit worse permanantly from the noise. Things never come all the way down to baseline. Everytime I'm in the noise my T always creeps up slowly but surely and never comes down. I would assume that it will get so bad in the near future that I will just have to end it, but for now I can't sit in the dead quiet 24 7.

Anyway, yes I can totally relate, it's like every hit to the ear is compounding the issue.

 

[Geo]

Yes exactly im the same but i always wasnt like this its been happening the last two months.. My T is so much worse than it was before i developed it i. My right ear also and its increasing fast... I feel like i cant catch a break..i watch tv and on my laptop or my phone im around the house also talk to my fam or people visiting me.. But yeah man this is a new level man no one should suffer like this... And yeah me too when u spike it and wake up a but lower but not baseline it damaged a bit Nd as the day goes it gets louder again till a spike happens again..

 

[Mark Beehre]

Geo,

I have loads of sympathy for you. Can't say mine is as bad as that, but seriously you don't have it easy. You really need to give this time though. In most cases it does settle down. It could take 6 months or it could take a year, but one would expect improvement eventually.

My situation has changed a little in 4 months. I used to get spikes quite regularly lasting anywhere between an hour and a week. Now my spikes occur more out of duration of exposure rather than sudden exposure and reset with sleep. I am hopeful that the spikes will stop entirely.

I have ear pain. It was worse 4 months ago and I still get it now. Not nearly as often, not as sharp but enough to upset me and worry.

But, you don't know where this will be in a years time with your hearing.

I can't speak for Telis, his condition looks to be chronic and the man deserves a lot of respect if not a medal for putting up with it and still going. But you have to remember that in MOST cases it does get better. You just have to give it time!

If you are Christian then I can give you some other words of encouragement privately if you like.

Mark

EDIT: The past 4 months have been random. Some weeks have been better than others. Some weeks have felt worse than at the start. Just this week I have had 2 really bad days that made me remember December.

Tinnitus is very much like:
- 1 Step Forward
- 2 Steps Back
- 3 Steps Forward
- 1 Step Back
- 2 Steps Forward
- 2 Steps Back
- 2 Steps Forward
- 1 Step Back

Eventually you get there...but it does take a number of setbacks for some people. Don't lose hope!

 

[Geo]

@Mark Beehre before it would settle fast when i would get a spike when it was mild.. But now it doesnt it just spike after spike after spike..i can honestly say i have Had a spike everyday for the past two weeks...your head and mind can only take so much i feel exhausted like my brAin cant keep up with the constantly changes.. It just makes me think that its crazy of all the meds out there and they cant help us with this... I pray the day that we find a cure or a reliever of somesort.. But cant pray for too long can we..

 

[Mark Beehre]

If I look back over the last 4 months my quality of life has been poor. I have not been happy at all. I do not go out unless I have no choice, like to work. Every trip to work I almost always get a spike. I've had many nights where I cannot sleep, or nights where I have had little. But I also get nights where I sleep really well. Give it time mate!

EDIT: Just so you know, I would get spikes that would also settle quickly. Now I don't get those. The spikes I do get last until sleep resets. I also had a hissing sound in December which subsided but is back as of last week. It is the nature of the beast. It is unpredictable and changes. However, in most cases given enough time it does settle down and get better.

 

[Geo]

@Markbeehre I had to give up my work after many permanent spikes from it since it was a district job and workd outside (dogsbarking,slammedgates,loudcars,lawnmorrers, airplane exposure..etc) enough was enough but when i did leave i was pretty exposed and left with bad H and the t was bad ...that was last july ... Got better in two months felt too confident in myself as it stopped spiking for a while .. The ringing wasnt as bothersome i would day it was a a bit over mild ..and the h wore off after 2 months started working out little by little in the backyard then i started going out the house again felt better started going to the gym a bit noisy but never spiked but after 4 months it eventually did again and that was early dec.. Now im here and its been going downhill ever since

 

[Telis]

@Geo does your situation get worse with weight lifting?i was a huge lifter in the past before T and I try to get back to it almost weekly. I swear this makes my T and H worse. I don't know if it's just becasue after the workout im tired, or maybe it's just my imagination. Or, if it is actually doing me more harm than good. Thought I would ask as you said you were out at the gym etc before things got really bad.

 

[Geo]

@Telis no never i kept working out ever since i got it and never once did it spike after a workout for me it was the opposite i felt relaxed actually the only times it spikd in the gym was because when they turned up the volume even higher while i was in there..i actually havent lifted in weeks..but no with me its only been with noise ..i feel as in i am very unfortunate and was always around loud things some my fault and some not..i feel as i exposed myself too much to the point it just sets off with everything i guess..but theres people on here that do the same and theres never spikes but i guess were all different..

 

[Nick the Swede]

I have tried lifting again during the past week and even with light weights i tense my neck and Jaw, and that is not very good for my T. Feels a bit sad i must admit, i have noticed it with hard cardio as well

 

[Vincent R]

Yeah I've got the same. I've had spike after spike that doesnt go away. Although, I don't think I'm as careful as you. I try and watch TV, do some cooking (always loud bangs-plates etc), had a couple of people over the other night etc. I just can't sit in my room for my entire life but I always pay the price. When I go to bed after noise for a few hours straight my tinnitus is unbearable (hurts my head it's so loud). I usually pass out hard from the exhaustion tinnitus brings me every day so at least sleeping isn't a problem. I wake up with slightly lowered T from the night prior but always a bit worse permanantly from the noise. Things never come all the way down to baseline. Everytime I'm in the noise my T always creeps up slowly but surely and never comes down. I would assume that it will get so bad in the near future that I will just have to end it, but for now I can't sit in the dead quiet 24 7.

Anyway, yes I can totally relate, it's like every hit to the ear is compounding the issue.

If T were stable it really wouldn't be that hard to live with. I got used to my initial level fairly quickly. The problem is that it gets worse due to stuff you do on a daily basis. Then you have to chose between beeing as protective as you can and have a life without content, or to do things knowing damn well that it will make the T go worse.

It's unsolveable.

To be completly frank about it, I think my best option would be to live an active life for a few years, allowing myself the freedom to put an end to my misery when it gets too much. But then there is things like family and friends, and you don't really wanna transmitt your suffering to them, so forget about going out with a bang and get used to the idea of decades of slow death Longtime planning is a bitch when you have vulnurable T, because your best option will always be to play it safe. At least I don't have kids of my own, and for that I'm thankful from the bottom of my heart.

 

[Paul201]

@Geo That's shocking the way your ears are causing so many problems, we all think our own t is bad but some are definitely worse than others. Yeah its bad enough to have an infernal noise in your head that may or may not get better with time but on top of that the noise has to change, develop new life etc, which makes getting used to it so much harder. I feel for you, my t reacts too noise but not to that level. What would I do in this situation? hhhmmm, if I was getting spikes from any little thing I would be majorly pi**ed but I would run through what the general advice is. Usually, and I mean usually, sounds below a certain level, ie, most everyday sounds wont cause damage, just maybe irritation/spike, like u hopefully are getting. So, to reduce anxiety which may be a factor here too, don't bother even trying to avoid these sounds, like people talking loudly, kitchens etc and just worry about the real loud ones and places. Hang tough and with a bit of luck things will settle down as other posters have advised.

Was there any particular event that caused this current problem? Im thinking about myself here too, as ive been minding my ears since I got it, avoiding loud places but eventually I will get caught out and I fear my t will spike badly too (but not as bad as yours hopefully)

 

[Telis]

If T were stable it really wouldn't be that hard to live with. I got used to my initial level fairly quickly. The problem is that it gets worse due to stuff you do on a daily basis. Then you have to chose between beeing as protective as you can and have a life without content, or to do things knowing damn well that it will make the T go worse.

It's unsolveable.

To be completly frank about it, I think my best option would be to live an active life for a few years, allowing myself the freedom to put an end to my misery when it gets too much. But then there is things like family and friends, and you don't really wanna transmitt your suffering to them, so forget about going out with a bang and get used to the idea of decades of slow death Longtime planning is a bitch when you have vulnurable T, because your best option will always be to play it safe. At least I don't have kids of my own, and for that I'm thankful from the bottom of my heart.

Yeah, unsolvable. Good way to put it. I don't freak out at all around noise. I protect but I get hits all the time. Even if my dog barks or whatever, can't avoid it, so I don't worry. It upsets me at the time slightly but then I just move on. I don't worry becasue things are so bad that I don't feel they can get worse. That's the thing about rock bottom I guess. Nothing much can get worse so there is zero stress when it comes to that. My T gets 5-10 percent worse-so what, I'm already totally debilitated by it and feel I have no future. I don't know. I guess its just give up and take it and try to not worry about tomorrow. That's the only way I can get through the day right now.

 

[Paul201]

Just as i say that i had to use for the first time since my t a hoover, since this room had to have a hoover and yes its not a quiet one, i had my ear defenders on but can notice my t is louder now watching tv, its not my imagination, its definite, huh, how did it spike with 35 db noise reduction on them? Crazy, ive had plenty of spikes but never with ear protection on. I've always wondered about spikes and what longterm affect, if any they have, but they seem to be unavoidable for most people, unless you live like a hermit. T is bad enough and but im "hopeful" even i could get used to a constant sound eventually, but this constantly changing s*it, im not sure at all

 

[Geo]

@Paul201 its not anxiety anymore as i know its only getting worse so i dont get scared only sad...i dont have mild nor moderate t anymore those were the good days.. But i was working my first 2 years with t and my work caused many spikes but i still couldnt quit and had no idea it could end up like this ..my major permanent spikes have been a slammed metal gate in my face actually a couple, movie theater in the beggining of t, and the most loudest thing i have ever heard was a descending airplane as i was working nearby an airport that really hurt alot but after a couple of days it got better, ibuprofen for elbow pain got me, a chopper went past me messed me up as i was on the sidewalk and got me good i had to stop working after that and developed H...got in my car and my sister left the volume really high and as i turned the car on boom got me... After that i really only stayed home and eventually got better and my h went away after two months... Was ok for 3 months and then again it started happening i think it was at the gym there turned up the music after i told them to lower it earlier... Car alarm, slammed door.. After a week in december i was feeling better but still with my high T but no h ... So my cuz convinced me to go hiking as it was quiet my luck that someone broke their ankle, while we were in halfways in the hike and i hear a helicopter coming i panicked bad stuffed one earplug and just covered my hands quick to my ears as the chopper was hoovering above us trying to get down for a good couple of minutes eventually it got down and my earplug got stuck in my ear.. Got home removed it with tongs and that shit hurt bad like someone stuck a pencil in my ear then i felt my t spiked bad from the chopper and developed h from that.. And fast forward weeks till now it just keeps on spiking...and most of them were things out of my control..

 

[Paul201]

@Geo Yeah that doesn't sound like anxiety then, you are a t vet by this stage. All you can do is protect your ears as best you can and hope for the best I guess, like a lot of us, we have to live in some type of hope. Its clear that t goes down for quite a lot of people but for some bizarre reason it doesn't completely go, lets say the whole nine yards, and go fully away for a lot of people, which is a bit baffling and annoying and im still waiting for a good explanation for it. Quite a lot of people report loud t eventually ending up as mild t, if it can do that why the hell cant it just finish the job by itself and get lost.

 

[Geo]

@Paul201 yeah man but mine keeps spiking as it did today again i hear the change in tune as i can hear it over everything at this point im not exagerating either there is now going down only up the way im going..

 

[Geo]

i know a couple of ppl that have mild t and it doesnt really spike on them both of them go shooting and hunting with no protection dont stress about go on with there lives as if they dont have it..and it doesnt spike...