Hyperacusis (with Pain) Worsened After Exposed to Elevator Alarm

[Scarecrow]

I had an acoustic trauma 2 months ago and developed moderate hyperacusis and tinnitus.

Earlier today, I was taking the elevator in a quiet mall and it got stuck. There was a shake and somewhat moderate boom noise. After being stuck for less than a minute, the elevator door opened and also gave out a loud continuous beep noise. I ran out as fast as I could but was exposed to it for around 5 seconds. I didn't have my hearing protection on and I didn't know where was the alarm located.

Afterwards I had a panic attack. I'm not sure whether it was the anxiety or the noise exposure that caused my tinnitus to rise. It's been like 12 hours since the incident. The tinnitus seems to have gone back to baseline but I realized my hyperacusis seems to have got way worse than before.

Has anyone experienced a similar short noise exposure that caused tinnitus and hyperacusis to get worse temporarily or permanently? I am still very worried about it and the fear is consuming me.

 

[Eleanor89]

Hello @Scarecrow, I was like you in the beginning, the fear of sounds seemed to feed my anxiety...

I believe that once the anxiety settles then our reaction to sounds etc gets easier.

@Michael Leigh and @MindOverMatter have written some great posts on hyperacusis.

Hope this helps.

X

 

[Freerunner]

I agree, anxiety plays a part. What you should do though is just protect your hearing for a while, do not expose yourself to loud noises that seem uncomfortable. Right now your ears are more vulnerable than usual and they need a rest. Hopefully this is just a setback that will subside with time. Good luck!

 

[Brian Newman]

I think you should be ok, if you didn't get any nerve pain, or popping sensations in your ears, or extreme fullness. My tinnitus spikes from a lot of things. If I'm anxious, it's definitely worse too. Be good to your ears for a while and things should calm down.

 

[Wrfortiscue]

I think you should be ok, if you didn't get any nerve pain, or popping sensations in your ears, or extreme fullness. My tinnitus spikes from a lot of things. If I'm anxious, it's definitely worse too. Be good to your ears for a while and things should calm down.

Hope you're doing better.

 

[Brian Newman]

Hope you're doing better.

Thx brother. I was doing ok for 6 weeks. I had pain free days. I was able to run at night and use my home gym. Couldn't really leave the house except for 3 am and quick runs to acupuncture. My bad ear freaked out again and got worse. Been 2 weeks since and it's not fun. How are you doing?

 

[Athens]

I think you should be ok, if you didn't get any nerve pain, or popping sensations in your ears, or extreme fullness. My tinnitus spikes from a lot of things. If I'm anxious, it's definitely worse too. Be good to your ears for a while and things should calm down.

What do "popping sensations" indicate?

I do not have nerve pain or extreme fullness but do frequently have a popping reaction/sensation just after hearing noises at a certain frequency (fork hitting a plate, dishes being stacked, removing the cap on a bottle of medicine and the sound of the pills moving around in the bottle, etc.). The decibel level does not have to be very loud. Ä It has to be a crisp type of sound.

 

[Wrfortiscue]

Thx brother. I was doing ok for 6 weeks. I had pain free days. I was able to run at night and use my home gym. Couldn't really leave the house except for 3 am and quick runs to acupuncture. My bad ear freaked out again and got worse. Been 2 weeks since and it's not fun. How are you doing?

Wow, what triggered you to get worse? That's great you had a good 6 week period, that means you may have it again.

I'm doing ok. I was doing really good, but got COVID-19 and it doubled the tinnitus and reactivity. It calmed some but still really reactive again. Surprisingly, sound therapy for small bits at a time was helping some. That and just keeping distracted.

It's like whenever I get good periods I get sucked back. I'm sure you understand.

 

[Brian Newman]

Wow, what triggered you to get worse? That's great you had a good 6 week period, that means you may have it again.

I'm doing ok. I was doing really good, but got COVID-19 and it doubled the tinnitus and reactivity. It calmed some but still really reactive again. Surprisingly, sound therapy for small bits at a time was helping some. That and just keeping distracted.

It's like whenever I get good periods I get sucked back. I'm sure you understand.

I know, that's how it always is with this ear stuff. Yeah strangely low level sound calms my tinnitus down a bit too. Don't know why. The days I can handle my fridge I sit in my living room and by the end of the day my tinnitus is not raging. My tinnitus changes a lot and can get really loud. COVID-19 yeah, that's brutal, I'm still a complete hermit so I don't see people much anymore so I don't have to worry about getting sick. My mom brought me groceries last week and had a stuffy nose, I was like nope, I'm getting away.

 

[Brian Newman]

What do "popping sensations" indicate?

I do not have nerve pain or extreme fullness but do frequently have a popping reaction/sensation just after hearing noises at a certain frequency (fork hitting a plate, dishes being stacked, removing the cap on a bottle of medicine and the sound of the pills moving around in the bottle, etc.). The decibel level does not have to be very loud. Ä It has to be a crisp type of sound.

Well it depends on what gets damaged. If you're getting popping from low level noise, or deep wiggling, fluttering, stuff like that, that's definitely middle ear. When the nerves in my left ear got damaged I felt a little snap. I know it was cochlear because of the pain and the way it felt. People with broken ears who get it all the time it's usually not a sign of significant damage if they keep getting it. It seems if somebody's ears never did it before, but then get a popping or snapping, then that's a signal something got damaged. I feel deep painful wiggles from low level noise. I'm pretty sure it's the stapes.

I also get pain from my tensor tympani from talking.

When I yawn it gets stuck being contracted and I have to tense it to get it to release. I didn't know what it was called but found out the movement I can induce in my ears and have been able to my whole life is voluntarily contracting the tensor tympani. I damaged mine months after getting noxacusis from yelling and I felt it painfully contract and flutter. Next day I woke up and that's when it hurt to talk and my left ear was much worse.

 

[Scarecrow]

Thanks everyone, I was actually feeling slightly better after a few days rest.

But guess what, I got exposed to loud noises without protection again. I was walking in an alley and this food delivery driver was riding his bicycle, blasting his portable speaker and decided to stop beside me. I got away as fast as I could and was exposed to it for a few seconds.

My left ear is feeling pain and tinnitus seems to rise again. My family thought I am over-reacting and said it's my anxiety causing it. I don't know why these unlucky incidents kept happening to me. Feeling frustrated and depressed.

 

[Nobody19]

Thanks everyone, I was actually feeling slightly better after a few days rest.

But guess what, I got exposed to loud noises without protection again. I was walking in an alley and this food delivery driver was riding his bicycle, blasting his portable speaker and decided to stop beside me. I got away as fast as I could and was exposed to it for a few seconds.

My left ear is feeling pain and tinnitus seems to rise again. My family thought I am over-reacting and said it's my anxiety causing it. I don't know why these unlucky incidents kept happening to me. Feeling frustrated and depressed.

I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you'll get better soon.

Many here will disagree, but you might want to consider wearing earplugs or earmuffs when you go out to avoid these kinds of surprise noises.

As for your family members' reaction, we can all relate. Our pain is invisible. I advise you to show them the Hyperacusis Central videos to show that you're not alone and not exaggerating:

 

[dan]

I was able to run at night and use my home gym.

Isn't a home gym loud when weights are smacking each other? Or did you put some cloth between the plates or something...?

 

[Brian Newman]

Isn't a home gym loud when weights are smacking each other? Or did you put some cloth between the plates or something...?

I have catastrophic noxacusis. I set everything up so it's dead quiet. Rubber plates, silent squat rack, rubber coated dumbbells, rubber floor, high quality expensive equipment from Rogue Fitness. I've been working out half of my life, I know how to do everything as quietly as possible.

 

[Cory_]

I know, that's how it always is with this ear stuff. Yeah strangely low level sound calms my tinnitus down a bit too. Don't know why.

Sound enrichment.