Damage and Spike from Scream in Ear

[pinklights98]

Yesterday, as I was exiting the elevator in my hotel a woman outside the elevator screamed directly into my ear as I placed my first step out. I didn't have earplugs in, as I figured I was safe inside the hotel as it is never noisy and the elevator is very quiet.

Immediately, my tinnitus spiked in my left ear and I got severe aural fullness. I quickly covered my ears and ran away from the woman. I later found out that the woman had been arrested for being drunk and disorderly, and people could hear her screams from five floors down.

Worst thing of all, I actually had an audiogram scheduled for today, which showed 10 dbs in damage at 8000 Hz---damage I did not have on my previous audiogram. Thankfully, I was able to get a five day, 50 mg dose of prednisone (is this enough? it is all the doctor would prescribe).

This condition is so hard. Sadly, both this spike and the onset of my most recent bout tinnitus were caused by other people. It feels like I am walking on eggshells. I haven't done anything since my tinnitus came back in June. I spent my 21st birthday crying and have not gone out or done anything which has made me feel extremely isolated.

I keep hoping that by using earplugs consistently I'll improve but I always seem to get random noise exposures that seem to set me back. Just two weeks ago, my roommate dropped a milk carton behind me and it made such a loud noise that everyone in our kitchen freaked out. I experienced facial numbness after this event(scared me so much!) and I went to the ER and requested prednisone from both my ER doctor and my primary care doctor and neither gave it to me (they both didn't feel comfortable giving it to me and thought I was overreacting).

It seems that noise is inevitable, no matter how protective you are and the fact that there isn't a cure or even a legitimate treatment for this debilitating condition is disgusting.

 

[arctic loon]

Hey, I totally know how you feel. No matter how hard you try to protect yourself, something always happens. I'm 21 too and my ear issues totally ruined my life. But you just have to adapt and make your life quieter. Which is hard, because the world is so noisy. I had no other choice than completely stop participating in the outside world, its really the the only way for me to manage tinnitus and hyperacusis from reaching catastrophic levels.

How bad is your tinnitus? Since you got it this year, you have good chances of it still fading away. Additional acoustic trauma sucks and it's frustrating how difficult it is to prevent it. Someone screaming in your ear, ugh! Horrible It might take you a couple years to habituate to tinnitus but it definitely can happen! Progress isn't linear.

Aural fullness and facial numbness are signs of acoustic trauma, but if they persist you might be developing hyperacusis. Do you experience pain and discomfort from sounds? Your milk carton accident sounds a lot like hyperacusis setback. I've experienced facial numbness after moderate/low sound exposure, though my main symptom is burning pain in ear and low loudness discomfort levels.

These symptoms you are experiencing currently will fade with time, if you can prevent further trauma. Which is lot easier said than done. But you're very early on. Don't beat yourself up for these accidents, try to be patient and calm if possible. These setbacks are also learning experiences, if something hurts, stop doing it. And since you've had such unfortunate accidents, maybe its best to put on earplugs before leaving your home.

I'm sure things will get easier for you! Just try to rest your ears and be kind to yourself. I hope the med will help with the spike

Edit//sorry seems you've had tinnitus for longer. Nevertheless I truly believe with time and patience things will get better for you.