Made My Tinnitus Worse by Wearing an Earphone While Riding Motorbike

[Chrisakky]

Hello fellow sufferers,

I have had tinnitus for 2 years and 5 months in both ears but mainly in my left, caused by...? It is constant and loud but does get masked by the shower for example, unless it is in a bad mood which means nothing can mask it.

The first few months were tough but I eventually learned to live with it and not let it change any part of my life. Every part but wearing hearing protection which I do for any loud event such as the cinema watching motor racing etc.

So this is the part were I tell you that i am an idiot. On Sunday I did my motorbike CBT. I wore hearing protection while on the bike for almost the whole day. The instructor handed me an earphone and stuffed a radio inside my pocket. The only way it would stay over my ear was to take my right earplugs out. We then got back on the bikes, started riding, he started talking and it was VERY loud in my ear. I should of stopped at this point and turned it down but I just put up with it for 10 minutes until stopping for fuel.

Since then my ear has been feeling sensitive until last night I got a new tone and reactive tinnitus in my right. What I mean by reactive is that any noise I hear is reflected in the volume of the tinnitus. So yeah I was an idiot and I think I've caused hearing damage. Got an appointment this morning with a GP and going to wear earplugs whenever out and about. Hopefully this will turn into a success story when it goes away in a few weeks and a warning to be very careful with your ears.

Cheers
Chris

 

[Christopher805]

I am sorry you are going through this. You are not an idiot. No one is perfect. Be kind to yourself and compassionate. There is only one perfect being and that Christ. So, go to your doctor's appt with confidence that you will get through this no matter what.

 

[Michael B]

As the previous poster suggested, hopefully it will subside for you in time. I ride myself and know the pitfalls firsthand. I wear earplugs but the excessive wind still finds a way to my ears. Your post is one of a cautionary tale. Best of luck my friend.

 

[Digital Doc]

Acoustic trauma to the ear from the earbud, and lack of hearing protection. Restart the clock, and will take many months to get better- but it should without further insult. Sorry to hear that this happened, and thanks for sharing the caution as to how easily this can occur to any of us.

 

[Chrisakky]

Thanks for the comments guys.

Saw the GP and got the usual, nothing we can do message. No trauma visable to the eardrum so at least that is a plus.

The reactive tinnitus has gotten better in the past couple of days so things are improving. The overall level is still very high so looks like I will be riding the storm for a while. Confident it is reversible with a lot of precautions and a lot of time.

Certainly a precautionary take. If there is an unexpected high volume situation, dont wait to right it, take action as soon as possible and get out of that situation. Take earplugs with you everywhere so that you can limit the issue.

Hope you are all doing ok

Thanks
Chris

 

[Chrisakky]

Hi all short update. It's been almost 2 months since the new T appeared and it has gone back to normal on that ear. It had a slow decline back to baseline and I especially noticed a change after the first month or so. It is still the most temperamental of the two as it gets a lot of temproarary T but I'm very happy it's back to normal. Hopefully that is some encouragement to people who are new to this or are experiencing a new tone.

Hope you are all well.
Chris