Loud Noises Setting Off Tinnitus

[rhull]

Guess this would be the appropriate forum.

My T spiked at the beginning of the year, had a hearing test, hearing is cactussed 2khz and above, which is where T kicks in at.

Done some weeping, few sleepless nights, a few nights of ambien (which I'll never take again), and then found a thread on here which has totally changed my outlook. It was this one for anyone's interest:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...w-i-recovered-from-tinnitus-hyperacusis.3148/

I don't care about my T anymore, and in general, the past week things have improved. I'm getting hearing aids next week, so hope has really helped with my change in outlook.

However, my T has spiked today. It's loud and irritating, but I'm still getting on with life. The reason for the spike is that I went to my son's basketball game last night, and the ref was totally anal. Blowing his stupid whistle for every tiny infringement. The score keeper was no better with his timer that would send out a high pitched sound at the end of each quarter. So I think this has contributed to my spike today.

Would you think this is normal? I guess it will calm down over the next few days (I hope). Is it like injuring a wound, and you have to wait for it to heal again?

 

[billie48]

Welcome to the forum @rhull. Thanks for mentioning my success story. I am glad that it has helped you in some way to improve on your condition. I hope you will continue to improve. It is important to let time work its magic wand of healing while you are on the right strategy now. Continue to keep calm and positive as much as you can. What you are experiencing, the spikes, are setbacks which are quite common on the road to habituation. The body and the ears are still a bit iffy and it needs time to get more stabilized, some say 6 months a good time to see how the new spiked up level of T will settle down. It is important to not cave in to these setbacks and get scared or emotional again. Anxiety and stress are bad for T. So keep on doing the right thing you have been doing. Consider these setbacks as little bumps on the road towards final habituation. So don't pay too much emotional price for them. Take good care & God bless.

 

[rhull]

Thanks @billie48

It's quietened down today, which I am pleased about. Very loud yesterday, but I remained calm and positive, even got to sleep easily. Frame of mind is so important and even though yesterday was a bad day, I kept ignoring its effects and just got on with things. It's not going to kill me, so why worry.

My boss even gave me a quarter of a Xanax to use in emergency lol I have that in my bedside cabinet for a night I am struggling.

When I go to more basketball games, I will be sure to take ear plugs with me to block out that annoying whistle blowing ref though!

On another note, my cans (hearing aids) are in, get to try them on on Tuesday. 2 week free trial. Very curious to see what sounds I have been missing.

 

[NineNails]

Very curious to see what sounds I have been missing.

Hearing aids can't repair damaged frequencies but only amplify sound. Worse, they can even further deteriorate your hearing in the long run. But they're definitely big money business for audiologists. Be aware!

 

[quietatnight]

Hi everyone I think I'm in the right thread to post this


I have been having a really bad time the last two days, my tinnitus went way up after a garbage truck backed up near the street in front of my house on the corner on Monday, it made an awful beep beep beep sound. Even though I was INSIDE my house with all of my ( double pane ) windows closed and the blinds shut I guess the 3 beeps were too much for my ears, and now I'm suffering. I don't know if this is permanent, or just another one of my spikes, but it's driving me nuts. I'm so sick of it. I had a heck of a time trying to get to sleep last night. Today is the third day. I don't know what I'm going to do if this doesn't go back to my baseline. I was very surprised that it happened at all, I mean heck If I'm not safe INSIDE my own home with all of my windows closed, then were am I safe at ? I have been living here for 4 years and that truck comes by every week and I never had a problem with this before ? Plus the truck is about 80 to 100 feet from my home. I would have thought that would be far enough away for any sound to not be a threat.

Sorry I'm just venting, I was doing so good for a long time, now I feel like jumping off of a bridge.

It's impossible to think of every possible sound that could be a threat to my ears outside let alone in my own home.

Well that was my rant, here is my question's ?


Why does it always take a day or two for a spike to show up after an acoustic trauma ? I mean why the time delay ? I have always wondered about that, maybe one of the old timers can answer that question.

And how in the world can a sound from outside my home be loud enough to even be a threat let alone cause a spike ? seems Impossible to me ?


Any input would be appreciated


Thank You


Louie
Quietatnight

 

[quietatnight]

Rhull

I just have a quick question, if you were born with tinnitus and never experienced silence, then how can you miss something that you have never had ?


I have always wondered about that ?


Thank You


Louie
Quietatnight

 

[rhull]

Rhull

I just have a quick question, if you were born with tinnitus and never experienced silence, then how can you miss something that you have never had ?


I have always wondered about that ?


Thank You


Louie
Quietatnight

Hi Louie

My tinnitus up until this year has only been noticeable when quiet and really only when I thought about it.

Since the beginning of this year it has got louder and with me all the time.

Am having a spike right now after a few days of relative peace

 

[quietatnight]

Rhull

I'm sorry to hear that your having a spike, do you know what set it off ? For me it's my TV and or cell phone. I have to watch TV with CC on most of the time, and or with the volume just loud enough hear it, and only on old movies that I know where the louder parts are at so I can lower or mute it out for those parts. As for me cell phone, I have to hold it at an angle away from my ear, and keep my calls under 5 minutes. If I don't do these things, I will end up with a spike. Life for me now is starting to become impossible to live. I was doing good until about 3 months ago, then things just got crazy. I even worry about driving my car the 5 miles into town these days, I have to wear ear plugs and gun muffs over them to make a safe trip to the food store. It's just insane. I never saw this coming so soon in my life, but I always knew it was going to happen one day. And I guess that day is finally here.


I hope we both have better days ahead


Louie
Quietatnight

 

[NineNails]

keep my calls under 5 minutes.

I have to wear ear plugs and gun muffs over them to make a safe trip to the food store

While I definitely understand your precautions avoiding loud noise for fear of further deterioration of your hearing I think you may overdo it a little. Protection is a necessity against loud noise but overprotection against everyday ambient sounds may cause hyperacusis, which worsen reactive T.

Have you ever tried desensitization?

 

[Marie79]

^^ when he or she said. My Drs say overprotection is bad and leads to hypercausis

 

[quietatnight]

NineNails

Thank You for your input, Yes I know that over protection is not a good idea, I have had H for years, but it never has gotten worse so I don't know if my over protecting my problem. I have been trying to do that less. And Yes I have tried different ways to desensitize myself over the years. I just think my ears have been getting worse over time and just aging. I think that these two factors are changing the amount of sound that it takes to cause spikesfor me. And that amount is getting less and less every day. I don't know what else that I can do at this point, though I keep trying different things.


Thank You

Louie
Quietatnight

 

[Keegan]

@rhull how you feeling buddy?

 

[rhull]

Hi @Keegan and everyone else.

Overall, I am doing better. Have bad days (like today), seeing a cognitive therapist that's helping a bit. It no longer freaks me out as it once did. I'm not on any medication or sound therapy, and I'd say 50% of the time it's not bothering me as much.

I have been journaling it, but am only doing this for a month or so. I want to see if there's a pattern.

When I do have trouble sleeping, I take a benadryl or two. Mostly I sleep through ok.

I am keeping busy, overall being positive, and not caring as much which I think it a big part of things.

I don't expect the sounds to ever go away, but I am coming to peace with it. Sometimes I even wake up and don't hear it at all for half a minute or so, and that's really weird. But it comes back soon enough.

Overall, I am getting on with life again.

Hope everyone else is doing well.