Hi,
I was really trying to avoid ever having to post here. When I first got T back in July of last year (SSHL caused it most likely), I came here and lurked out of anxiety and fear. After a while, and dozens of visits with doctors, I found a specialist, habituated to my T and kinda sorta moved on, keeping ear plugs on me when needed (movies too loud in theater, an outdoor concert here and there, etc.).
My T got to the point that even when in a quiet room it was there, but slightly faint and I being able to just deal with what I was hearing before I got back to a noise source of some sort, it would sound so quiet sometimes. I sleep with a small fan by my bed which tends to help me sleep or check my emails in some sort of peace without hearing ringing.
I had all sorts of tests done and have found that I have very mild hearing loss (use to be in a band, shot without hearing protection more than several times, been to loud concerts, etc.) the last time I checked with my specialist which is going on several months now and I'm due back soon for a new appt.
A week ago, I was at the gym and felt that my neck muscles had tightened up a bit too much due to strain or some such thing. Later that evening, while eating dinner, I noticed that my right ear (not as bad as my left ear usually) flared up with a momentary T spike (nothing new, happens time to time with both ears) although this time, it didn't stop - my T initially started like this with my first bout of SSHL (I had two, the second being the onset of the permanent T).
Over the last week, my T seemed to increase a bit in both ears. Kind of the same sound, just louder to the point where now, I tend to hear the T still with the volume on the TV turned up as well as being able to hear it over my small bedside fan as well.
I went fishing over this past weekend and wore my 25dB reducing musicians plugs while riding in the boat at a good speed, though felt the noise of the wind blowing past my ears still caused quite a bit of noise, so on the way back I figured the earplugs didn't matter so was lazy and didn't wear them heading back in to shore, a good 10 minute boat ride at high speed.
Two days later, I saw a comic book movie with lots of explosions, etc., but had seen the film before in theaters, so didn't wear earplugs in parts of the movie, comfortable with the volume and at the time, not very worried by my increased T.
My T seems even louder now, I'm sure due to the combination of two days of noise exposure or thinking about it much more often lately, though at the time I didn't feel worried about them increasing my T, as I've been to other events that were possibly a bit too loud for me personally, but didn't feel plugs were necessary and didn't suffer any adverse effects too much.
I feel though now, I'm paying for something. Whether that be me maybe straining my neck last week or the boat ride or the movie, I'm not sure, but my T even seems reactive, in that it quickly spikes then abates even to my voice or just me breathing out quickly.
When I wake in the morning it seems quieter again, but as I get moving, hearing different sounds it revs up again, something I believe I recall happening at it's initial onset, so I'm hopeful it will go back to it's normal BS. If I mask it with some TV or music for a while, it again seems to calm, but as the silence sets in, the volume again increases and becomes reactive again.
Is this good news that it will calm down with time given I'm noticing it quiet from time to time? I'm just not sure how long it might take. I plan to keep my earplugs handy for any potential loudness I could experience in any environment and keep my mind on other things, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit more worried now. I tend to even hear the high pitched ringing in my car while driving with the radio on a sensible level, something that wasn't an issue before. What do you folks think?
I was really trying to avoid ever having to post here. When I first got T back in July of last year (SSHL caused it most likely), I came here and lurked out of anxiety and fear. After a while, and dozens of visits with doctors, I found a specialist, habituated to my T and kinda sorta moved on, keeping ear plugs on me when needed (movies too loud in theater, an outdoor concert here and there, etc.).
My T got to the point that even when in a quiet room it was there, but slightly faint and I being able to just deal with what I was hearing before I got back to a noise source of some sort, it would sound so quiet sometimes. I sleep with a small fan by my bed which tends to help me sleep or check my emails in some sort of peace without hearing ringing.
I had all sorts of tests done and have found that I have very mild hearing loss (use to be in a band, shot without hearing protection more than several times, been to loud concerts, etc.) the last time I checked with my specialist which is going on several months now and I'm due back soon for a new appt.
A week ago, I was at the gym and felt that my neck muscles had tightened up a bit too much due to strain or some such thing. Later that evening, while eating dinner, I noticed that my right ear (not as bad as my left ear usually) flared up with a momentary T spike (nothing new, happens time to time with both ears) although this time, it didn't stop - my T initially started like this with my first bout of SSHL (I had two, the second being the onset of the permanent T).
Over the last week, my T seemed to increase a bit in both ears. Kind of the same sound, just louder to the point where now, I tend to hear the T still with the volume on the TV turned up as well as being able to hear it over my small bedside fan as well.
I went fishing over this past weekend and wore my 25dB reducing musicians plugs while riding in the boat at a good speed, though felt the noise of the wind blowing past my ears still caused quite a bit of noise, so on the way back I figured the earplugs didn't matter so was lazy and didn't wear them heading back in to shore, a good 10 minute boat ride at high speed.
Two days later, I saw a comic book movie with lots of explosions, etc., but had seen the film before in theaters, so didn't wear earplugs in parts of the movie, comfortable with the volume and at the time, not very worried by my increased T.
My T seems even louder now, I'm sure due to the combination of two days of noise exposure or thinking about it much more often lately, though at the time I didn't feel worried about them increasing my T, as I've been to other events that were possibly a bit too loud for me personally, but didn't feel plugs were necessary and didn't suffer any adverse effects too much.
I feel though now, I'm paying for something. Whether that be me maybe straining my neck last week or the boat ride or the movie, I'm not sure, but my T even seems reactive, in that it quickly spikes then abates even to my voice or just me breathing out quickly.
When I wake in the morning it seems quieter again, but as I get moving, hearing different sounds it revs up again, something I believe I recall happening at it's initial onset, so I'm hopeful it will go back to it's normal BS. If I mask it with some TV or music for a while, it again seems to calm, but as the silence sets in, the volume again increases and becomes reactive again.
Is this good news that it will calm down with time given I'm noticing it quiet from time to time? I'm just not sure how long it might take. I plan to keep my earplugs handy for any potential loudness I could experience in any environment and keep my mind on other things, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit more worried now. I tend to even hear the high pitched ringing in my car while driving with the radio on a sensible level, something that wasn't an issue before. What do you folks think?
