Hello, Feel a Need to Talk

[flobo]

Hello, i'm a 28 years french man old from Calais, France.

I just finally defended my thesis and got my Ph.D a few weeks ago and as i was going to move from the university to find a new job, some other students / collegue i have known for a decade wanted me to go out with them.

(I have never been in a concert in my life before, music is not something I ever had that much of an interest in).

So 5 days ago, on Saturday, as they were insisting, I went with them to a metal concert where some of my colleague/friend's boyfriend band was performing.

The noise was in my opinion too loud and not pleasing, and I left because I was feeling dizzy after 25-30 min.

Ever since, for the last 5 days, I've had tinnitus in my right ear non stop and I do not hear as well there as I do in my left.

Panicking, I went to 3 different doctors in as many days since Monday. The first gave me a cortisone treatment for 7 days (I'm at half right now) and the other two said nothing more could be done about the hear loss and tinnitus.

The tinnitus is driving me completely mad, I don't understand or know how to cope. And every online search I do (mostly in French) is worse, I keep eventually finding people that had them for year contemplating suicide or whose life is ruined. (Which is why I started to look for resources in English and found this place).

I have spent the last 4 days doing basically nothing, but despairing, and crying a lot. I feel like I ruined my life simply by politely answering an invitation and going to a place I didn't even really want to go in the first place.

I forgot to add I have a lot of trouble sleeping and eating as well (both due to tinnitus and of being more terrified than I have ever been before in my life). I do force myself to eat a bit, but with little success.

I lost over 4 kg already :/

 

[Michael Leigh]

Hi @flobo
Please click on the links below and read the articles on tinnitus that you might find helpful
All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

 

[Bill Bauer]

Congratulations on earning your Ph.D.

There is a good chance that your tinnitus will go away, or that it will get quieter.

Check out both pages of the thread below:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/conversations/tinnitus-recovery-stats.37335/

If people whose ear drums got damaged after an explosion could spontaneously recover, you have a high probability of getting better.

You are relatively young (under 30, like the soldiers in the study), and your ears are in a good shape (no history of abuse). This will hopefully play a role.

I have been reading this forum for several months now. Most people seem to eventually get better. Even if you are one of the unlucky people who end up having it for life, the pitch and the volume level you will end up with will likely be less annoying than what you have to deal with now (while your ears are still healing).

The above is the good news. The bad news is that ears take forever to recover. You can't notice any change on a day-to-day or even on a week-to-week basis. You can only notice it on a month-to-month basis. It will hopefully get better (to the point where you can hear it only when you are trying to fall asleep in a quiet room, and it is just annoying as opposed to debilitating) in 2-4 months. It may take 6-12 months for it to completely go away. Typically, you can start believing that it will never go away if you still have it after 24 months (although some people Had recovered, even after 24 months).

You can try taking amitriptyline (10 mg) to help you sleep. It is non-addictive, and a pill or .75 of a pill helped me sleep in the early days without making me drowsy. This helped me during the first month. After that I could sleep without it.

I was also weeping uncontrollably every day (despite never having cried as an adult before) during the first 2 months or so. It gets better...

Browse through the Success Stories forum on this site. After reading that forum, I started taking supplements such as Magnesium, Ginkgo Biloba (Tebonin is supposed to be more effective than other brands), NAC (N-acetylcysteine), and antioxidants (e.g., vitamins E and C, coenzyme q10).

Look into HBOT (hyperbaric oxygen treatment). This is what the soldiers in the study (most of whom had recovered) had. You can read about HBOT on this forum.

You may even get your doctors do intratympanic steroid injections. Read about those on this forum.

I see that you are already taking cortisone. This is great!!! You are one of the fortunate people who were able to get it early, when it was shown to be the most effective. Good for you.

 

[Bill Bauer]

p.s.
The most important supplements to take are Magnesium, Vitamin B, NAC, and Tebonin (Ginkgo Biloba).

You could also take large doses of Valerian root (1% starndardized extract) pills, to keep you calm. Taking 1 mg of melatonin will help you fall asleep. Melatonin is also supposed to be an antioxidant that is good for your ears.

You may want to protect your ears for the next year or two. Don't be in the same room where a vacuum cleaner, or a blender, or a food processor are running. Don't mow the lawn. Try to stay away from loud bars/pubs.

I wear earplugs
https://www.amazon.com/3M-1100-Foam-Plugs-200-Pair/dp/B008MVYL7C/
whenever I am outside of my home. They protect me from loud noises like slamming doors or motorcycles accelerating.

I bought a pair of 3M X5A Peltor ear muffs
https://www.amazon.com/PELTOR-Ear-Muff-Headband-X5A/dp/B00BBCTQK6/
I carry them with me everywhere, in case I am present when a fire alarm goes off in a building. Some people got permanent spikes after being in a thunderstorm. They would have benefited from having those ear muffs.

Become a more careful driver - you don't want the 160 dB sound of a deploying air bag to give you a permanent spike.

Also start taking better care of your teeth. You want to spend as little time having dental procedures as possible, as people have ended up with permanent spikes after visiting a dentist...

 

[Bill Bauer]

p.p.s.
You may want to get a Sound Machine to distract you from your tinnitus when you are trying to sleep.

For example
https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Oasis-S-5000-Deluxe-Therapy/dp/B018KUVEOM/
or
https://www.amazon.com/Cherry-Koala-Concentration-Relaxation-Sufferers/dp/B01FRW2WBA

I find the crickets setting allows me to stop hearing high-pitch tinnitus.

Now that I think of it, many people who attend concerts are said to experience short-term tinnitus. I sincerely hope that your tinnitus will be gone in as little as 2-4 weeks.

 

[flobo]

Thanks for all the answers and support, Bill, i'll try to get what you suggested if i can get stuff equivalent off prescriction in france.

You can't believe the stuff i was told the last few days on french "pseudo-medical" forums.

Basically, they told me : "since i started taking cortisone only near 48 hours after the event on the second day, i'm fucked, it had to be first day or useless".

They then in a very scientific like way explained why part of my ear had surely already been destroyed and that i'd be like this forever with the pain/sound.

You can therefore imagine the state of mind they put me in, already being a easily anxious person by nature.

I feel much better reading you guys. (Though i won't lie, i still feel very scared).

Also, i'm feeling something very strange. It looks to me that when i'm lying down, my hearing is more "balanced". I'd say i hear 99% ok in the left, 85 in the right. I even thought the imbalance and tinnitus were gone fully when i woke up after a few short hours this afternoon (so tired i finally fell asleep for a bit on my sofa earlier).

But anyway, as soon as i get up, right ear seems to drop to 60-70% and feel fully under water.

That's very very weird and i keep thinking i must have imagined it but it keeps happening again.

I had a "slightly" better day today as i kept a tv on on a random 24 hours news channel on low sound. I managed to "forget" the tinnitus for a few seconds at a time, and once, as i was going to get something in the other room, i actually forgot it until i remembered. "is it gone ?" and i stupidly searched for it and got it back fully.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Have you had a hearing test? Did it show no hearing loss?

feel fully under water

It sounds like you are experiencing "ear fullness"/"aural fullness"/"full ear" sensation (these are the terms that you can use to search the internet and this forum). I had that for about 2 months. In fact, my first symptom was ear fullness, tinnitus began on day 11... Normally, ear fullness goes away after a couple of months. For some people on this forum it never went away, but they seem to be the exception to the rule.

i actually forgot it until i remembered.

How loud is it? Is it high pitched or is it more like a hiss? It will most likely be a lot easier to ignore it in a couple of months (both because of habituation, and because chances are that it will get quieter.

"since i started taking cortisone only near 48 hours after the event on the second day, i'm fucked, it had to be first day or useless".

Of course, the sooner you begin, the better. 48 hours is not excellent, but it seems to be pretty good. You can find links to scientific studies of this on this forum and on scholar.google.com. I don't remember the exact date ranges, but I think something like taking steroids after 2-6 weeks was found to not be helpful.

They then in a very scientific like way explained why part of my ear had surely already been destroyed and that i'd be like this forever with the pain/sound.

The studies listed in that "stats" thread seem to indicate that the body can still somehow recover and reduce or eliminate the noise.

I had a "slightly" better day today as i kept a tv on on a random 24 hours news channel on low sound.

Those sound machines play nature sounds, and those sounds are probably more relaxing than the news channel. I didn't know about the expensive machine, and so I bought the machine at the second link. It has a "crickets" setting. Those crickets sound exactly like the frogs at night on the East side of the Big Island in Hawaii. So it is not too depressing to have to listen to that.

If you are noticing ANY improvement in these first few days, it is a very good sign. It took me 4-6 weeks before I noticed some improvement.

You can't believe the stuff i was told the last few days on french "pseudo-medical" forums.

I read somewhere that the worst thing someone experiencing tinnitus can do, is to google "tinnitus".

What I find to be bizarre is that the doctors don't say Anything about the prognosis. My doctor said that if I still have it after a year, I will probably have it forever. No information about probabilities, etc. This forced me to spend a lot of time looking for studies on Google Scholar. Eventually I found that obscure dissertation from Finland, and other studies that seem to confirm that many people end up eventually recovering.

 

[orbiter12]

Congratulations on earning your Ph.D.

There is a good chance that your tinnitus will go away, or that it will get quieter.

Check out both pages of the thread below:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/conversations/tinnitus-recovery-stats.37335/

If people whose ear drums got damaged after an explosion could spontaneously recover, you have a high probability of getting better.

You are relatively young (under 30, like the soldiers in the study), and your ears are in a good shape (no history of abuse). This will hopefully play a role.

I have been reading this forum for several months now. Most people seem to eventually get better. Even if you are one of the unlucky people who end up having it for life, the pitch and the volume level you will end up with will likely be less annoying than what you have to deal with now (while your ears are still healing).

The above is the good news. The bad news is that ears take forever to recover. You can't notice any change on a day-to-day or even on a week-to-week basis. You can only notice it on a month-to-month basis. It will hopefully get better (to the point where you can hear it only when you are trying to fall asleep in a quiet room, and it is just annoying as opposed to debilitating) in 2-4 months. It may take 6-12 months for it to completely go away. Typically, you can start believing that it will never go away if you still have it after 24 months (although some people Had recovered, even after 24 months).

You can try taking amitriptyline (10 mg) to help you sleep. It is non-addictive, and a pill or .75 of a pill helped me sleep in the early days without making me drowsy. This helped me during the first month. After that I could sleep without it.

I was also weeping uncontrollably every day (despite never having cried as an adult before) during the first 2 months or so. It gets better...

Browse through the Success Stories forum on this site. After reading that forum, I started taking supplements such as Magnesium, Ginkgo Biloba (Tebonin is supposed to be more effective than other brands), NAC (N-acetylcysteine), and antioxidants (e.g., vitamins E and C, coenzyme q10).

Look into HBOT (hyperbaric oxygen treatment). This is what the soldiers in the study (most of whom had recovered) had. You can read about HBOT on this forum.

You may even get your doctors do intratympanic steroid injections. Read about those on this forum.

I see that you are already taking cortisone. This is great!!! You are one of the fortunate people who were able to get it early, when it was shown to be the most effective. Good for you.

@Bill Bauer have you tried hbot? did it work at all?

 

[Bill Bauer]

@Bill Bauer have you tried hbot? did it work at all?

I had five sessions. It was done in an individual tank. During the fifth session, the technician figured out that reducing the flow rate of oxygen reduced the noise inside of the tank. Unfortunately, my T was reactive T at the time. I wasn't allowed to wear earplugs inside of the HBOT chamber, and so my T reacted to the noise and got louder. At the time, I didn't know that I had reactive T. I was shocked that my T became louder, so I discontinued the treatment. I didn't experience any improvement during or right after my HBOT treatment. However, eventually my T got quieter and turned into a hiss (a lot of this progress was undone at the end of month 4, when I pressed a phone set to max volume to my bad ear and got a second acoustic trauma). It is possible that this progress would not have taken place without those 5 1.5 hour sessions. It is also possible that had I had the full 10 or 15 sessions, I would experience even more progress. I feel bad about discontinuing my HBOT treatment...

 

[orbiter12]

I had five sessions. It was done in an individual tank. During the fifth session, the technician figured out that reducing the flow rate of oxygen reduced the noise inside of the tank. Unfortunately, my T was reactive T at the time. I wasn't allowed to wear earplugs inside of the HBOT chamber, and so my T reacted to the noise and got louder. At the time, I didn't know that I had reactive T. I was shocked that my T became louder, so I discontinued the treatment. I didn't experience any improvement during or right after my HBOT treatment. However, eventually my T got quieter and turned into a hiss (a lot of this progress was undone at the end of month 4, when I pressed a phone set to max volume to my bad ear and got a second acoustic trauma). It is possible that this progress would not have taken place without those 5 1.5 hour sessions. It is also possible that had I had the full 10 or 15 sessions, I would experience even more progress. I feel bad about discontinuing my HBOT treatment...

does it have to be done within a certain time period like pred

 

[Bill Bauer]

does it have to be done within a certain time period like pred

The sooner, the better. If I remember correctly, it is most effective during the first 2 months.

 

[orbiter12]

The sooner, the better. If I remember correctly, it is most effective during the first 2 months.

hmm im 3 months in a having a really had spike, new tone higher pitch and reactive.

 

[Michael Leigh]

hmm im 3 months in a having a really had spike, new tone higher pitch and reactive.

@orbiter12 I know that you are going through a difficult time at the moment. One of the worst things you can do is to start messing around trying to treat your ears or even contemplating such a thing as the result will usually not work or make your symptoms a lot worse. The best treatment for tinnitus in the early stages, meaning in the first 6 months, is to leave it and the ears alone. Talk to your doctor as I've previoulsy advised about the stress you are under. Please leave talk of treatment alone, it is not right for you at this time. When it is, if that becomes necessary, seek help from the NHS.
Michael

 

[Bill Bauer]

Keep in mind that temporary spikes often last over a week.

 

[orbiter12]

@orbiter12 I know that you are going through a difficult time at the moment. One of the worst things you can do is to start messing around trying to treat your ears or even contemplating such a thing as the result will usually not work or make your symptoms a lot worse. The best treatment for tinnitus in the early stages, meaning in the first 6 months, is to leave it and the ears alone. Talk to your doctor as I've previoulsy advised about the stress you are under. Please leave talk of treatment alone, it is not right for you at this time. When it is, if that becomes necessary, seek help from the NHS.
Michael

My first appointment is at on the 3rd of july through the nhs after 3 month's waiting. I was seen by an junior ent last week who wanted to microsuction my left ear there and then which I refused

 

[Michael Leigh]

My first appointment is at on the 3rd of july through the nhs after 3 month's waiting. I was seen by an junior ent last week who wanted to microsuction my left ear there and then which I refused

@orbiter12 As I have written in my article Tinnitus, A Personal View. And many people that are seasoned to tinnitus will tell you: as long as there are no underlying medical problems such as: deafness, dizziness, balance problems or prolonged pain in the ears. For straight forward tinnitus, it is best to be seen at ENT at around 6 months. The reason is this: the ear is a very delicate organ and most ENT doctors like to leave them alone because starting treatment to early can make matters worse. They will give you a hearing tests and MRI scan. Hopefully the tests will show no abnormalites. They will probably suggest to leave things alone for a while, which is the right thing to do. If you are still stressed and have anxiety, they may refer you to Audiology to see a Hearing Therapist for counselling. Please do not think 3 months is a long time I assure you that is isn't for the ears. If it were my choice, 4 or preferably seen at 6 months is better. Alot of people habituate in this time.
Michael

 

[Michael Leigh]

@orbiter12 If you ever get your ears microsuctioned or irrigated at the GP surgery. Use olive oil eardrops 3 times a day for 7 to 10 days before the procedure.
Michael

 

[Bill Bauer]

olive oil eardrops

Just to clarify, would this involve using olive oil from the grocery store, or are there some special olive oil eardrops that one can get at the pharmacy?

 

[Michael Leigh]

Just to clarify, would this involve using olive oil from the grocery store, or are there some special olive oil eardrops that one can get at the pharmacy?

Just go to the chemist and buy a bottle of eardrops which contains olive oil come supplied with a pippet/dropper Armond oil can also be used. It is necessary to administer the drops 3 times a day for up to 10 days to thoroughly soften the wax. The reason people have problems with microsuction or ear irrigation is when the earwax isn't softened enough.
Michael

 

[Bill Bauer]

Just go to the chemist and buy a bottle of eardrops which contains olive oil come supplied with a pippet/dropper Armond oil can also be used. It is necessary to administer the drops 3 times a day for up to 10 days to thoroughly soften the wax. The reason people have problems with microsuction or ear irrigation is when the earwax isn't softened enough.
Michael

I am glad I asked for a clarification.

I know that both my mom and my aunt had complained about it hurting when their doctor removed the wax from their ears. They were lucky, and didn't end up with T.

 

[Michael Leigh]

I am glad I asked for a clarification.

I know that both my mom and my aunt had complained about it hurting when their doctor removed the wax from their ears. They were lucky, and didn't end up with T.

I know what you mean @Bill Bauer I get quite annoyed when I see high-street clinics advertising on the Internet, they can do microsuction without the need to use eardrops to soften the wax. What they don't tell you, if there is a problem afterwards- a person developing tinnitus. They don't want to know! People have contacted me that use these clinics, end-up with tinnitus, go back to complain. They are told no-one else has had a problem and they are shown the door!

 

[DARREN R]

Hi Flobo, I'm sorry for what happened to you. I thought new regulations in Europe were supposed to limit the volume at concerts for a number of years now. It's obviously not working well enough. Did it get so loud at any point that you felt pain in your ears? That would be a sure sign of serious permanent damage. I hope things improve for you. It's early days yet and you have time on your side.

 

[Bill Bauer]

That would be a sure sign of serious permanent damage.

It is not necessarily the case that permanent damage will manifest as permanent tinnitus.

 

[Nike]

Combination of extreme mental stress and noise seem to induce tinnitus. Got tinnitus few days to my final exam after being on Tylenol, a bit of red wine and trying to read with noise from my roommate's laptop. You can definitely get better. Stay away from anything that causes it to spike by paying attention to how your body reacts. Good diet and natural supplements are essential. I almost ended up in psych but feeling much better now and I believe I will be healed. Chamomile tea, raw garlic, onions and pineapple gave me tremendous relief . I reduced salt to very minimal amount and avoided food additives. I also stayed away from all medications since I have no life threatening disease. Above all, I pray and ask for God's mercy.

What I've come to know about tinnitus is that it can be reversed for most people if you act fast. Pay attention to your body and load yourself up with natural fruit, vegetables and anti anti inflammatory foods. Avoid MSG and other food additives. Drink a lot of water and avoid caffeinated drinks.

 

[DARREN R]

It is not necessarily the case that permanent damage will manifest as permanent tinnitus.

I was actually enquiring if the music got so loud it caused pain at any point as this is a sign damage is being done. From my own experience with an acoustic trauma I would have expected a loud painful noise to result in the loss described by Flobo. I'm very disappointed this could still happen to a person when recent EU laws and regulations are meant to have limited the DB levels at music venues to prevent stuff like this happening to people.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I was actually enquiring if the music got so loud it caused pain at any point as this is a sign damage is being done. From my own experience with an acoustic trauma I would have expected a loud painful noise to result in the loss described by Flobo. I'm very disappointed this could still happen to a person when recent EU laws and regulations are meant to have limited the DB levels at music venues to prevent stuff like this happening to people.

Neither of my two acoustic traumas hurt. Both resulted in a "full ear" sensation...

 

[flobo]

I was actually enquiring if the music got so loud it caused pain at any point as this is a sign damage is being done. From my own experience with an acoustic trauma I would have expected a loud painful noise to result in the loss described by Flobo. I'm very disappointed this could still happen to a person when recent EU laws and regulations are meant to have limited the DB levels at music venues to prevent stuff like this happening to people.

Sadly, yes, it did a few time, which is what made me dizzy and left.
And trying to think positively, at least i did that. The damage could/would probably have been much worst if i had forced myself to stay the whole 3 hours.

I just woke up after a 6 hours sleep (best so far). I can't fully be sure yet because i feel perception changes a lot depending on your state on mind but i feel like it may be getting quieter.
My laptop fan seems like enough to almost mask it.

But to be honest with you people, something else happened. I don't know how to say it so i'll say it straight. I woke up because i was peeing my bed.
I NEVER since being a small child had any issue like this. Could my fear and anxiaty (i still feel quite terrified) lead me to this ??


To be honest, at this point, i feel like i could live with and adapt to a slight hearing loss in one hear compared to the permanent tinnitus.
It's amazing how an experience like this makes you realise how stuff you were worried about beforehand is actually meaningless in importance.

About EU law, there WAS actually a bag with earplugs at the entrance but noone told me and i didn't see them until i was on my way out feeling bad.
To someone like me who never went to a concert, the idea was foreign and still makes no sense today. What's the point of playing so loud you need earplugs ?

It sounds like you are experiencing "ear fullness"/"aural fullness"/"full ear" sensation (these are the terms that you can use to search the internet and this forum). I had that for about 2 months. In fact, my first symptom was ear fullness, tinnitus began on day 11... Normally, ear fullness goes away after a couple of months. For some people on this forum it never went away, but they seem to be the exception to the rule.

Thanks for the correct english term. If the problem persist, i had already thought about maybe seeing a tinnitus specialist in London (i'm in france but London is by far the closest capital to me, 50 min by train).

About that, i often take the eurostar train to London in the channel tunnel ? Could that be an issue ?
It's like a plane in reverse, i guess. Are planes a problem as well now ?

Have you had a hearing test? Did it show no
How loud is it? Is it high pitched or is it more like a hiss? It will most likely be a lot easier to ignore it in a couple of months (both because of habituation, and because chances are that it will get quieter.

I'm seeing an hear specialist this afternoon, so i guess he'll do test on me.
It's hard to describe, feel high pitched at times, but sometime it also feels like the sound an old analog tv made in my childhood when the antenna/channel was connected to nothing (static, i think it is in english ? ).

The studies listed in that "stats" thread seem to indicate that the body can still somehow recover and reduce or eliminate the noise.

The studies link seems broken to me.

Those sound machines play nature sounds, and those sounds are probably more relaxing than the news channel. I didn't know about the expensive machine, and so I bought the machine at the second link. It has a "crickets" setting. Those crickets sound exactly like the frogs at night on the East side of the Big Island in Hawaii. So it is not too depressing to have to listen to that.

Thanks, those do not send outside the US, but i'll look if the issue persist on our european stores.

If you are noticing ANY improvement in these first few days, it is a very good sign. It took me 4-6 weeks before I noticed some improvement.

Despite the weird bed wetting issue, i do feel better today by the fact that it feel quiter.

Thanks again for the mental help, people, i'm very glad i found you.

Edition :
Someone sent me a nice private message of support in french, i want to answer him but i can't find any answer button in the private conversation tab. Maybe i'm still asleep and missing the obvious here.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I NEVER since being a small child had any issue like this. Could my fear and anxiaty (i still feel quite terrified) lead me to this ??

Sounds like you are under even more stress than I was during my first month (when I would be literary screaming in terror the whole night long). You may want to get your doctor to prescribe something to help with the terrible stress you are under.

About that, i often take the eurostar train to London in the channel tunnel ? Could that be an issue ?
It's like a plane in reverse, i guess. Are planes a problem as well now ?

Many people on this site are concerned about flying. I didn't go on a dream trip to Alaska that I booked before I got T. You can search this site for more information. Many use "earplanes earplugs" designed for flying.
https://www.amazon.com/EarPlanes-Value-Pack-3-pairs/dp/B001HTWL8C/
Others wear Peltor earmuffs into the plane (and earplane earplugs).
In any case, most people report being ok after flying, but most people make sure to protect their ears while flying.

It's hard to describe, feel high pitched at times, but sometime it also feels like the sound an old analog tv made in my childhood when the antenna/channel was connected to nothing (static, i think it is in english ? ).

White noise is easier to ignore than high-pitch tone. Hopefully you will get to hear white noise more more often, until eventually you will stop hearing high-pitch tone. If that happens, I would consider it to be a sign that your ears are healing.


Sorry about posting the wrong link. Try
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-over-70-recover-3-studies.21441/

 

[flobo]

Thanks again for everything.
How about driving my car ? Is the sound of the motor bad ?

I have an half hour drive to the ear specialist this afternoon (only one who would take me during the week).

 

[Bill Bauer]

Thanks again for everything.
How about driving my car ? Is the sound of the motor bad ?

I have an half hour drive to the ear specialist this afternoon (only one who would take me during the week).

During the first month, it had never occurred to me to protect my ears from the sounds that a normal person would not care about. Then I began protecting my ears and eventually I experienced an improvement. There is not much we can do for our ears at this point, and to me protecting my ears seems like something I can do to promote healing. I wear Peltor muffs in the car (and Bose noise-cancelling headphones on a highway). I also wear earplugs when I am outside of my home. The biggest problem with this approach is that I get to hear my tinnitus more clearly, instead of being distracted by the sounds outside. I plan to protect my ears for two years following my my acoustic trauma. Many on this site disagree with this approach.

If you experience a temporary spike after not protecting your ears in the car, then I would recommend that you listen to what your body is telling you and begin protecting your ears. I think if you drive one time without protecting your ears the damage (if any!) will be minor. The damage might start to accumulate if you keep doing it on a regular basis.