How Do You Experience Delayed Ear Pain?

[GoatSheep]

What is the average timeframe of the delay when you experience delayed ear pain?

What is the longest time frame of delay you have experienced from delayed ear pain?

Usually my ear pain starts within about 30 minutes.

Today in silence at my house I really needed a break from hearing protection because my new tinnitus tone is driving me crazy. So I set a stop watch and I actually made it an hour with no ear pain. Then had to go get my kids. I then tried to hang out upstairs in my room and within 30 minutes I got a lot of ear pain.

Not sure if this is from the total accumulation of exposure or because my house is much less quiet with my children here. Would love to hear others experiences though.

 

[Orions Pain]

Sometimes my pain is almost instant within seconds where it feels like cooling sunburn pain is trickling into my ears like water. The worst of the pain tends to appear the next day. I've had flare ups that appear 3-4 days later and those are the worst because sometimes I feel like I'm in the clear following overexposure and it sneaks up.

 

[GoatSheep]

Sometimes my pain is almost instant within seconds where it feels like cooling sunburn pain is trickling into my ears like water. The worst of the pain tends to appear the next day. I've had flare ups that appear 3-4 days later and those are the worst because sometimes I feel like I'm in the clear following overexposure and it sneaks up.

What types of pain do you experience with the next day pain and the extended delay flare ups?

 

[Chris Nesselroad]

So I hadn't been out in probably two months. I went out for St. Patty's Day to a place where a bunch of friends meet up. It's a tradition! I made sure to drink very heavily and wore earplugs. That was last Saturday. I can usually get through functions like that but only if I drink a lot to numb the pain. Felt pretty nauseous but survived.

It's Tuesday now and everything gets bad. I have a feeling it's going to get worse. Next week is a 40th birthday party. They are going bowling. I feel bad but I really don't think I can survive through three weekends in a row.

So to answer your question, yes to delayed.

Question for you guys, how do you get out of functions that you know will only cause you pain? How do you deal with the guilt of having to say no to people you love?

 

[Athens]

So I hadn't been out in probably two months. I went out for St. Patty's Day to a place where a bunch of friends meet up. It's a tradition! I made sure to drink very heavily and wore earplugs. That was last Saturday. I can usually get through functions like that but only if I drink a lot to numb the pain. Felt pretty nauseous but survived.

It's Tuesday now and everything gets bad. I have a feeling it's going to get worse. Next week is a 40th birthday party. They are going bowling. I feel bad but I really don't think I can survive through three weekends in a row.

So to answer your question, yes to delayed.

Question for you guys, how do you get out of functions that you know will only cause you pain? How do you deal with the guilt of having to say no to people you love?

My situation is different. I am not able to tolerate normal levels of sound and my own voice is becoming more problematic. I do not experience pain. It is just uncomfortably loud and normal levels of sound and my own voice create a popping reflex/sensation in my ears. The tinnitus also seems to worsen (which is mostly in my left ear).

The way I handle it is to turn down various invitations to go out of town, meet for lunch, etc. and just explain that I am trying to get better and improve my sound tolerance.

It is amazing to me that these issues only started at 55 instead of much younger because I did not protect my hearing for decades and you would think that it would have manifested itself much earlier given the fact that I played so much loud live music. This is why I wonder if there is a psychological component to it (anxiety, depression causing brain chemicals to be altered). I started having panic attacks that would wake me up several years ago. They have generally stopped and I only had them every three to four weeks for a few minutes. I wonder if the anxiety is now causing these auditory issues instead of panic attacks.

By the way, I read where Brian Setzer had to cancel a tour and did not play live music for a year due to severe tinnitus. He is in his early 60s and apparently improved enough to go back out on the road. Given how he played incredibly loud music without protection for years, it is kind of amazing to me that his tinnitus could improve enough to go back out there. It would seem like it would result in a chronic case.

 

[Juan]

What is the average timeframe of the delay when you experience delayed ear pain?

For me if pain starts the day after, that means what triggered it was really really bad... there is a dull headache first coupled with recruitment (in this case a temporarily enhanced perception of sound), on day one, and the day after it is truly painful.

This happens to people for instance after a dentist visit. First day, dull headache, second day... full blast pain.

 

[Taw]

Question for you guys, how do you get out of functions that you know will only cause you pain? How do you deal with the guilt of having to say no to people you love?

You asked the million dollar question here, it's hard. It's very hard. When the loved one wants to go to a restaurant, or on a holiday, or to a cinema, or in a mall. Or just drink a coffee in a park, with other people

I found a nice site with some advice on this topic, maybe it helps:

The Daily Struggle With Chronic Illness and 'Chronic' Guilt

9 Common Types of Guilt People With Chronic Illness Experience

 

[StoneInFocus]

So I hadn't been out in probably two months. I went out for St. Patty's Day to a place where a bunch of friends meet up. It's a tradition! I made sure to drink very heavily and wore earplugs. That was last Saturday. I can usually get through functions like that but only if I drink a lot to numb the pain. Felt pretty nauseous but survived.

It's Tuesday now and everything gets bad. I have a feeling it's going to get worse. Next week is a 40th birthday party. They are going bowling. I feel bad but I really don't think I can survive through three weekends in a row.

So to answer your question, yes to delayed.

Question for you guys, how do you get out of functions that you know will only cause you pain? How do you deal with the guilt of having to say no to people you love?

I used to use alcohol to numb the hyperacusis pain too. As you have already noticed it still aggravated your hearing. I get that it sucks to be unable to do certain things anymore, but if your friends and family truly love you, they'll want to spend time with you regardless of whether you are drinking or not, right? I potentially ruined my life by attempting to ignore the pain and trying to fit in with my peers. When I stopped drinking and doing drugs, nobody gave a shit about me anymore. Don't waste your life on people who don't deserve you.