- Mar 15, 2018
- 287
- Tinnitus Since
- 02/2018
- Cause of Tinnitus
- home theatre system + high pressure washer
Hi everyone,
Got my T 3 weeks ago and it's been an emotional rollercoaster. I still have questions...
That dreadful day I watched Mad Max Fury Road at home. I noticed that the volume on my home theatre was louder than usual, but I wanted to let off some steam after a few very stressful months and I was tired... and maybe a bit careless, for once. I had been to concerts that were louder, with no permanent damage and I never had issues with movies in the past.
After the action packed movie finished I was shocked to see that the volume was quite a bit louder than usual.
I did hear a slight ringing and buzzing... and I immediately started panicking because of my two dogs, who are not in any danger according to the vet as long as the sound is not too loud for us. I could see that even though they did not move or acted uncomfortable during the movie... they looked a bit uncomfortable after.
My ringing stayed... I measured my hearing with those youtube videos and it was like that of a 40 year old, I'm 37. The day after it was like someone from 31 again. Hearing tests with the doctor also confirmed that my hearing loss was temporary... although I do get the impression that hearing people in busy places had become even more difficult than before. But in terms of range, it's better than average again. To my relief.
I measured the movie afterwards... half of it was 55-75 db, half of it 75-85. There was the occasional spike to 88 or 90. The movie was not very long: 2 hours. I did not take any breaks, sadly enough.
When I take a look at charts, hearing loss at these levels would only occur after several hours!
So was I more vulnerable because of stress, was this hearing loss accumulated during the years, was it because of the type of noise: explosions and a constant wall of sound in a livingroom-sized space, was it because I freaked out about the dogs and started paying too much attention, or simply because I was tired?
I don't know... I've been to concerts that were worse. And even a busy restaurant goes up to 100db!
Anyway... I got cortisone, which made my ears less sensitive and reduced the initial T... and spent a week in the oxygen chamber. Which seemed to help at times and could still give results to up to six weeks after the last session.
In the meantime, I try not to panic... but it's very hard not to feel terribly guilty and stupid. Especially regarding the dogs... Even though they still play and have fun... I will never know if they experience the same as me.
It's very hard to forgive myself for that... even though the vet says they're probably fine... I'm giving myself a very hard time and often start crying. Not sure if it's because of me or them... Sometimes I think I see them going through the same. My wife - who was not home at the time - says I'm projecting my own feelings and she does not see any different behavior except that one of them tends to sleep more.
In the meantime everyone has been really supportive... even at work. But I still blame myself. Trying to get my head around it, still hoping that it's mainly caused by stress / panic... and still hoping it will diminish / go away.
It's only chronic after three months right?
To take my mind off it, I'm considering TRT or cognitive behavior therapy.
Fun fact: I'm the kind of guy who used to be able to tell the difference between an MP3 and a CD quality song. I would spend hours to get rid of a hissing sound in my sound setup or headphones... now it's in my head.
Not easy... turning back time would be helpful, right?
Got my T 3 weeks ago and it's been an emotional rollercoaster. I still have questions...
That dreadful day I watched Mad Max Fury Road at home. I noticed that the volume on my home theatre was louder than usual, but I wanted to let off some steam after a few very stressful months and I was tired... and maybe a bit careless, for once. I had been to concerts that were louder, with no permanent damage and I never had issues with movies in the past.
After the action packed movie finished I was shocked to see that the volume was quite a bit louder than usual.
I did hear a slight ringing and buzzing... and I immediately started panicking because of my two dogs, who are not in any danger according to the vet as long as the sound is not too loud for us. I could see that even though they did not move or acted uncomfortable during the movie... they looked a bit uncomfortable after.
My ringing stayed... I measured my hearing with those youtube videos and it was like that of a 40 year old, I'm 37. The day after it was like someone from 31 again. Hearing tests with the doctor also confirmed that my hearing loss was temporary... although I do get the impression that hearing people in busy places had become even more difficult than before. But in terms of range, it's better than average again. To my relief.
I measured the movie afterwards... half of it was 55-75 db, half of it 75-85. There was the occasional spike to 88 or 90. The movie was not very long: 2 hours. I did not take any breaks, sadly enough.
When I take a look at charts, hearing loss at these levels would only occur after several hours!
So was I more vulnerable because of stress, was this hearing loss accumulated during the years, was it because of the type of noise: explosions and a constant wall of sound in a livingroom-sized space, was it because I freaked out about the dogs and started paying too much attention, or simply because I was tired?
I don't know... I've been to concerts that were worse. And even a busy restaurant goes up to 100db!
Anyway... I got cortisone, which made my ears less sensitive and reduced the initial T... and spent a week in the oxygen chamber. Which seemed to help at times and could still give results to up to six weeks after the last session.
In the meantime, I try not to panic... but it's very hard not to feel terribly guilty and stupid. Especially regarding the dogs... Even though they still play and have fun... I will never know if they experience the same as me.
It's very hard to forgive myself for that... even though the vet says they're probably fine... I'm giving myself a very hard time and often start crying. Not sure if it's because of me or them... Sometimes I think I see them going through the same. My wife - who was not home at the time - says I'm projecting my own feelings and she does not see any different behavior except that one of them tends to sleep more.
In the meantime everyone has been really supportive... even at work. But I still blame myself. Trying to get my head around it, still hoping that it's mainly caused by stress / panic... and still hoping it will diminish / go away.
It's only chronic after three months right?
To take my mind off it, I'm considering TRT or cognitive behavior therapy.
Fun fact: I'm the kind of guy who used to be able to tell the difference between an MP3 and a CD quality song. I would spend hours to get rid of a hissing sound in my sound setup or headphones... now it's in my head.
Not easy... turning back time would be helpful, right?
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