My Tinnitus Started to Flare Up This Past February from Slamming an Old Mailbox — Need Hope

[NiftyNick]

Hey All,

This is my first time posting after lurking for quite some time. I'm having a very hard time dealing with tinnitus, and I need some positivity. Please only comment something positive because I just can't deal with any more negativity.

Tinnitus has always been a fear ever of mine since I was 18. In 2012, I watched an interview that William Shatner did about his tinnitus, and I remember thinking how miserable and terrifying of condition tinnitus could be. After watching that interview, I changed a lot of my bad habits. I limited the time and volume of headphone usage, and always wore ear plugs at concerts.

One night, I went out with some friends to go dancing. I stayed later than I wanted, and developed slight tinnitus from the music. This was very manageable, I only heard it very quiet rooms or right before bed. I doubled down on taking care of my ears, wearing ear plugs at bars, movies, etc.

I was able to accept my tinnitus and was confident that if I stayed the course I would be fine, but was I wrong.

My tinnitus started to flare up this past February, not because of a concert or gunshot, but a mailbox, yeah that's right a mailbox. My GF has and old mailbox that's heavy and very dense, and in rushing to grab the mail one night I slammed it in an archway. My ears screamed and my tinnitus got worse. It wasn't super loud but I was able to hear it over everything now. After seeing and ENT (who removed wax) and going to therapy for a month I was able to cope. The volume and tone became quieter, and I was feeling confident that I was going to live a fulfilling life, until last week.

Last Wednesday, I dropped a porcelain bowl on dish that was close to my ear and my tinnitus spiked, and 5 days later the volume is louder and the tone is worse.

I don't know what to do anymore. I've always been so careful and I hate how a bowl and a mailbox have flipped my life upside down.

I hope the volume goes down, but that's not a guaranteed. The only thing I can do is habituate, but I don't know if I want to habituate to this.

 

[whatdidyousay]

I never realized how loud mailboxes can be. Ours is, I believe, cast aluminum and was quite expensive because of the strict HOA board rules. I accidentally slammed the door for the first time, and it created a loud echo throughout the neighborhood.

I tend to get curious about these things and would love to confirm the decibel level for peace of mind. But repeating the slam "for science" while holding an SPL meter and wearing earmuffs would probably just draw unwanted attention.

Has anyone else ever had a spike from something like this? It sounded like 120+ dB, but I have no idea. Obviously, it was a short duration, but still, it was startling how loud it seemed.

 

[Jupiterman]

Please only comment something positive because I just can't deal with any more negativity.

If you can't handle the answer then I would encourage you to consider if you should be asking the question.

You've had a tinnitus worsening. It's the worst thing that can happen to a tinnitus sufferer. That is the bitter truth.

It wasn't super loud but I was able to hear it over everything now.

This is a commonly used phrase that can have one of two meanings:

1) I can hear my tinnitus at the same time as external noises.
2) My tinnitus blocks out external noises.

Which one is it?

I hope the volume goes down, but that's not a guaranteed.

Everyone hopes that for you as well but no one can realistically give you false positivity or hope. Only time will answer that question.

It would be useful for everyone if you could post in a few weeks or months your progress in terms of this mishap.

I wish you luck.

 

[Brd888]

Frankly, it seems like the tiny hairs inside your inner ear are reacting badly to any extreme noise exposure. I assume your tinnitus slowly improved after several days.

Once you've had tinnitus, you tend to focus on it, and that focus can create anxiety, which starts a loop through the central nervous system. Our fight-or-flight response also increases sensitivity, almost as if it's trying to listen for danger.

 

[Bill_]

I've had tinnitus for almost 30 years now. The first onset was in 1998 after a very loud concert. I habituated, and life went on. Then, in 2016, I went to a loud club and sat too close to the speakers. My tinnitus became much worse and reactive, but I habituated again.

Today, I accidentally slammed a metal swing door against a tiled wall in a public restroom, right next to my ear. It was the loudest sound I've heard in 20 years, and my right ear started screaming immediately. I have no idea how this will turn out, but it feels really bad.

 

[Jupiterman]

My tinnitus became much worse and reactive, but I habituated again.

This intrigues me; you habituated to reactive tinnitus? That is tinnitus that continually changes in response to sound.

Today, I accidentally slammed a metal swing door against a tiled wall in a public restroom, right next to my ear. It was the loudest sound I've heard in 20 years, and my right ear started screaming immediately. I have no idea how this will turn out, but it feels really bad.

Sorry to hear this.

Do you wear any hearing protection outside?

 

[boneman]

I've had tinnitus for almost 30 years now. The first onset was in 1998 after a very loud concert. I habituated, and life went on. Then, in 2016, I went to a loud club and sat too close to the speakers. My tinnitus became much worse and reactive, but I habituated again.

Today, I accidentally slammed a metal swing door against a tiled wall in a public restroom, right next to my ear. It was the loudest sound I've heard in 20 years, and my right ear started screaming immediately. I have no idea how this will turn out, but it feels really bad.

I feel your pain, man. I posted about this in another thread, but mine was caused by a slamming toilet seat. I was used to soft-close ones, didn't think, and flipped it down. My left ear went mental. That was in August.

At the time, it caused a threshold shift and severe distortion in that ear. I measured it with earmuffs and a dB meter the next day—112 dB. My ear still hasn't fully recovered. There's still some distortion at certain pitches. I hold out hope that it will return to where it was, but who knows.

Everyday sounds that most people don't even think about can be devastating for us, but unless we live in padded rooms, they're going to happen. Hoping for the best for you and the OP of this thread.

 

[Bill_]

This intrigues me; you habituated to reactive tinnitus? That is tinnitus that continually changes in response to sound.

Sorry to hear this.

Do you wear any hearing protection outside?

I always have earplugs with me, but I do not wear them constantly. It is a tradeoff—I take precautions, but I also want to live a somewhat normal life. I have young kids who need a dad who is present.

Even if I wore earplugs all the time, I could never be completely safe from sudden noises.

It is what it is.

I feel your pain, man. I posted about this in another thread, but mine was caused by a slamming toilet seat. I was used to soft-close ones, didn't think, and flipped it down. My left ear went mental. That was in August.

At the time, it caused a threshold shift and severe distortion in that ear. I measured it with earmuffs and a dB meter the next day—112 dB. My ear still hasn't fully recovered. There's still some distortion at certain pitches. I hold out hope that it will return to where it was, but who knows.

Everyday sounds that most people don't even think about can be devastating for us, but unless we live in padded rooms, they're going to happen. Hoping for the best for you and the OP of this thread.

Sorry to hear that, man!

I have had my fair share of unexpected noises from even more unexpected sources—toilet seats, doors, falling objects, ambulances, tympanometry at the ENT, and now a metal swing door hitting a tile wall. The tympanometry sent me into a three-month hell where I was actually close to suicide. But I habituated again.

Life happens. We can't dig a hole and live in it—at least not if we have family, especially kids.

One thing I can say for sure is that it never stays as bad as it initially seems. Yes, it can get worse, and yes, that sucks. It can take months or even years to find a way to manage the situation. But after numerous permanent and temporary exacerbations, I think I have something that actually makes it a fair bit easier: experience.

I'm lying in bed now, a good 12 hours after the incident with the swing door. My right ear still feels a bit "nervous," and my tinnitus is somewhat sharper, but it's not as bad as I feared it would be.

It's going to work out one way or another. I'll treat myself with some sleep, prayer, and positive thoughts.

 

[boneman]

Thanks! I got hit by an ambulance not long ago and had a thought. Wouldn't it be great if sirens started at a lower, less dangerous volume and gradually ramped up, so by the tenth repetition, they reached full volume? That would give anyone nearby a chance to react.

There aren't many noises worse than when they turn a corner and blast it full volume just ten feet from your ear!

 

[Shantel]

@NiftyNick, there are some positive posters here. Some people have sound, helpful suggestions for self-treatment.

It is good that yours weakens or improves. Mine does that too. Cold weather makes it worse. A wise old lady once told me that plugging my ear helps. I tried this with paper towels, and it actually helped.

There are a few doctors of osteopathic medicine on YouTube who share tips that have provided me with some relief!