Newbie from Poland Fighting with Tinnitus

[Maciek]

Hi everyone. My name is Maciek. I am from Poland. I've always tried my best to protect my eyes and ears because you simply can't grow another eye or another ear.

And it happened... It was thursday 24th of November 2016 1230. I was at an open shooting range. My last hour of training before I could get allowed to attend a firearms license exam. I was standing about 1,5 meter from my instructor with the hearing protector on the right ear, trying to listen with the left ear what the instructor says. It was something like fast shooting. The instructor quckly took the gun out of the holster and I thought he's going just to point it on the target and then tell me what to do etc. but he didn't... He shot the gun.

From what I remember there was no pain but an instant let's call it "full ear" experience something like water in the ear and of course high pitched sound. I didn't show any signs that something is wrong and I've finished the training. Couple of hours later (thanks to what I've found in the internet) I went to hospital. Doctor said I should stay because of the acoustic trauma. I declined because I had to go to work at 22 that day. I was given dexaven intravenously and got info what medicines I should buy. She also said that if I stayed I wouldn't get anything else that day then this dexaven injection. I was supposed on the next day morning to come back to the hospital and get my hearing checked on an audiogram. The "full ear" dissappeared through the night. On the audiogram there was no loss in hearing, everything was fine so I was ordered just to take the medicines and that's all... but the sound in my ear was still there. OK I took the medicines for 2 days and on sunday evening I decided to go back to the hospital. Doctor said that I should come back on monday morning and take another audiogram check. Again it was fine no hearing loss. The doctor said that ok they'll hospitalize me because then I'll know I've done everything I could after the acoustic trauma. I was 5 days at the hospital. At the end andother audiogram and again fine... I was given dexaven, polfilin and nivalin. After the hospital stay I was orderd to take dexamthasone, polfilin and milgamma. I took it for about 3-4 weeks. To be honest... No difference in my T. There is I think absolutely no change in the sound from the time of the incident. Just the first dexaven injection helped my "full ear" and that's all. I've read that first hours, days are most important but please tell me what could I do more?

First days after the hospital (in the hospital there was a slight hope...) were tragic. I didn't know what to do. I've read all the internet about possible cures but when I've found out that there is no cure I got really depressed. The worst thing was that I knew I couldn't possibly fight this sound in my left ear. No cure no hope etc. I felt like living and dying the same moment. No more silence, oh God it was really tragic. Now it's been over a month and I don't know how but I am living with my T and it doesn't really bother me quite much. Human can bear everything I think. Wars, death camps, blindness etc.

My T is a high pitched sound 24/7 but when I am absorbed by work or anything the T is gone. I can sleep with it (first days tragic but it's rather because of my psychical state) I can work with it and in the last days I can even relax with this sh... ringing in my ear... still don't know if I've habituated to it within a month??? Probably there will be better days and again not the best ones but for now I have my T under control... I think...

Anyway anyone can tell me what should or could I do to take this sound out of my ear? Should I take other medicines like magnesium, vit b, ginkgo biloba etc.? Maybe some thearpies? Maybe anything else? Thanks for reading and hope finally there will be a 100% cure for our problem.

 

[billie48]

Welcome to the forum. It seems that your doctors didn't give you prednisone steroid among the stuffs they gave you. That is one item most members here recommend to get asap after the acoustic trauma. Don't know if it is too late for it but I have read that some people do get benefit even with a late treatment.

Regardless, you seem to habituate to your T quite fast by my standard. I took over a year to have some sense of normalcy with my T and had to take meds to survive the first year. So you are doing really well. Keep living and enjoying your life and distract T as much as you can. When your brain senses that T is no longer a threat, it will learn to fade it out from consciousness just like it fades out many unimportant environment sounds like your PC or refrigerator fan. Give it some time and you should do even better. Try masking if you have spikes so T doesn't become a threat to the brain. Try to accept this new normal as acceptance will reduce stress which is bad for T. Take care. God bless.

 

[MikeL1972]

Hi Maciek,

Welcome to the site!

Based on what you wrote, you seem like you are handling this in very good fashion. Hopefully, it will abate for you or even go away completely. In the meantime, focus on getting a good night's sleep, enjoy life, and protect your ears when in loud environments. Eventually, like Billie said, your brain will get sick of the ringing and sweep it under the rug - where it belongs! Good luck!

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Maciek
Welcome to the forum Maciek. I have written a post for people that are new to tinnitus and you might find it helpful. Please click on the link below.
All the best
Michael
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

 

[Bobby B]

Don't go shooting for a year - avoid loud sounds and it will get better

 

[Marcos Que]

I feel the same way as you do. The only time I give my T any thought is when I'm in a quite place. When my mind is occupied I completely forget I have T. I then ask myself where my T went and my mind goes in search of it, then finds it. Still learning to not do that lol

 

[Maciek]

About the shooting... not possible as it is a part of my job... Of course always with the hearing protectors and now also some ear plugs. I think the T got a bit quieter since the begining or maybe it's me getting it somewhere back in my brain not to hear it. The best thing would be to work 24/7 so I wouldn't hear or think about it. I am sitting about 4 hours in front of my laptop trying to get my thoughts away from the T and what I see is that if I am not focussing quite much the T is always there. I don't know if I am just tired or if this sound in my ear makes me tired. After those couple of hours of just sitting and reading stuff in the internet I am a little bit nervous and anxious becuase of the sound in my ear but nothing depressing or anything like that. Any suggestions what can I try to do to make this thing go out of my ear? Any drugs or therapies? Every suggestion is welcome
PS. prednisone is the same as dexaven (injections in the hospital) and dexamthasone that I "ate" after the hospital

 

[Bobby B]

Be very careful - in the acute stage any additional loud noise can make things significantly worse real fast. There are tons of posts here of people here including me who got a permanent worsening in very loud situations even with some ear protection

Avoiding loud sound would be the best therapy at this stage but also use some sound enrichment when it's totally quiet - avoid too much or too little sound

 

[Maciek]

To be honest I tried to avoid loud situations but it's not always possible BUT I didn't find that my T gets worse rather it gets let's say better but I don't know if it isn't me putting this sound somewhere back in my head. Right now T is not the first thing in my life. It is still there it makes me a little anxious but doesn't destroy my life. I am trying to fight with it every possible way... The best way for me is to... forget about it. When I focus on something even a little bit the T is gone but then I think where is this sound from hell and it comes back. Maybe I am just tired of thinking about how bad T is etc. and that's why I don't cry all day about it. It is in my ear and will probably stay for a while. I hope a short while...