Car Trouble Stuck on Loud Road

[JLong]

So I ran into a huge hurdle today where my car got stuck on the side of a busy road and I was outside fixing it so I could make it home. There was a ton of noise and honking at me (I'm already having trouble as you can see thanks)

After about 15 minutes I was able to get back into my car and make it somewhere safely. The hiss in my ears is louder and my ears hurt after the ordeal.

Will this set me back considerably? Pretty scared.

 

[attheedgeofscience]

 

[JLong]

@attheedgeofscience I feel you and my fault and all that but not helpful after the fact.

 

[Davey126]

I had a similar issue a month ago when I got a flat tire on my way home from work. The highway was very loud and my ears felt full and my tinnitus was louder. Once I got home I relaxed with some calming music and was able to get some sleep. The next morning I was back to baseline. I think it was more my anxiety than actual harm being done to my ears. I now keep earplugs in my car just in case. I would try to remain calm and relaxed and not stress too much about it.

 

[JLong]

@Davey126 That's pretty comforting to hear. My anxiety is definitely ramped up so hopefully it's mostly that right now.

I'll see how it is in the morning. And yes... time to bring my earplugs in my car.

 

[attheedgeofscience]

And yes... time to bring my earplugs in my car.

I am going to let you in on a little secret here (at no extra cost to yourself): just like condoms, earplugs actually have to be worn to be effective. It's no use just "having them" in the car. You... have to actually use them. Treat earplugs like shoes: you insert them in the morning and you take them out when you come back home. Follow that line of thinking and you may see progress over time. Alternatively, with repeat noise exposure and no plugs, you could easily be left to roam Tinnitus Talk for an eternity (just like @Michael Leigh has).

 

[Ed209]

So I ran into a huge hurdle today where my car got stuck on the side of a busy road and I was outside fixing it so I could make it home. There was a ton of noise and honking at me (I'm already having trouble as you can see thanks)

After about 15 minutes I was able to get back into my car and make it somewhere safely. The hiss in my ears is louder and my ears hurt after the ordeal.

Will this set me back considerably? Pretty scared.

It's almost certainly your anxiety in my opinion. A common trait of this condition is that it's so easy to go into a hyper-stressed state when something bothers us. It's akin to mental torture; we ruminate over what's worrying us and this in turn can heighten our tinnitus perception quite significantly.

This also seems to be more of an issue with people who frequent internet forums. None of my real life tinnitus friends get overly anxious around sound. I believe this pattern of behaviour is learnt. Although - in the case of my real-life friends - they have the opposite problem in that they are dangerously laid back about it.

Take it easy, keep your stress levels down, and everything should return to normal.

 

[JLong]

I will say that about two days later it has quieted down to its normal hissing. I even took multiple flights between these two days (with ear plugs) and nothing changed.

I'm sure this was just some extreme anxiety situation but being only one month into this tinnitus thing every noise feels like it's ready to smack me down.

 

[daiso]

One thing we can't deny about wearing earplugs is the peace of mind that it brings. It calms me down in loud places. Whether it is truly necessary is another thing.

 

[kmohoruk]

I am going to let you in on a little secret here (at no extra cost to yourself): just like condoms, earplugs actually have to be worn to be effective. It's no use just "having them" in the car. You... have to actually use them. Treat earplugs like shoes: you insert them in the morning and you take them out when you come back home. Follow that line of thinking and you may see progress over time. Alternatively, with repeat noise exposure and no plugs, you could easily be left to roam Tinnitus Talk for an eternity (just like @Michael Leigh has).

I've seen in some of your posts like the one above that you are very insistent that people with tinnitus should be wearing earplugs a lot of the time they are out in the real world.

However, I have hyperacusis along with my tinnitus, and have noticed that when I over protect my ears, they do start to get more sensitive until I let more sound in. Like most people with tinnitus, I find the hardest part being the balance of allowing sound into my auditory system while not over protecting. I try and find a balance, for example, I use noise canceling headphones on transit to protect myself while still letting some sound into my auditory system.

Have you yourself had hyperacusis? Is it a good idea to wear ear plugs that much - even with hyperacusis?

I wanted to ask you, since you are one of the most well read people on the forum in relation to tinnitus and hyperacusis.

Cheers.

 

[coffee_girl]

I am going to let you in on a little secret here (at no extra cost to yourself): just like condoms, earplugs actually have to be worn to be effective. It's no use just "having them" in the car. You... have to actually use them. Treat earplugs like shoes: you insert them in the morning and you take them out when you come back home. Follow that line of thinking and you may see progress over time. Alternatively, with repeat noise exposure and no plugs, you could easily be left to roam Tinnitus Talk for an eternity (just like @Michael Leigh has).

Savage.

 

[Jack Straw]

I am going to let you in on a little secret here (at no extra cost to yourself): just like condoms, earplugs actually have to be worn to be effective. It's no use just "having them" in the car. You... have to actually use them. Treat earplugs like shoes: you insert them in the morning and you take them out when you come back home. Follow that line of thinking and you may see progress over time. Alternatively, with repeat noise exposure and no plugs, you could easily be left to roam Tinnitus Talk for an eternity (just like @Michael Leigh has).

My hyperacusis was worsening the more I used earplugs and has only gotten better once I stopped wearing ear plugs when I was out and about in moderate noise. Be careful how you present advice as fact...

 

[attheedgeofscience]

Be careful how you present advice as fact...

I am careful! And don't just take my word for it...

"Short-term improvement is deceptive," said Mr. Pollard of Hyperacusis Research, who seeks to educate audiologists and ear-nose-throat specialists about "the horrible facts of how a noise injury typically behaves and what a patient really experiences."

"Significant relapses occur with new noise exposure," he said. "We continue to hear from people who follow the bad advice they receive and who go right back out into the world, confused and hurting themselves further."

Article:

https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/01/when-everyday-noise-is-unbearable