Noise Exposure In Younger Years, Tinnitus When Older?

[Joel777]

Hello fellow T sufferers. I am a little confused about a few things.

Firstly, I have had the general T (never noticed it unless in quiet place, night time camping etc) when younger. I thought it was normal and everyone had it. Maybe this is the case, but some don't hear it, some do... I don't know. For one thing, when I mentioned it to my wife, she realised she also had it for ages but never took notice of it too much until I mentioned that I was having trouble, then she started freaking out a little about her own. I made her aware of it. I mentioned it also to my mother who had no idea what I was talking about. A woman that has partied her entire life and been around loud music forever, yet never experienced T. I was shocked. Anyway, to get to the point;

How can one experience a sudden worsening of T in later life, then it be blamed on noise exposure in the younger years? Wouldn't the T just effect you directly after the noise exposure, then be continuously that loud from that moment on? I mean, that's when the damage is supposedly done right? I went to the big day out 1999, stood next to the right speaker. Then further down the track (still in teens) a slipknot concert which I remember being insanely loud and walking out half deaf. Yeah, obviously my friends and I damaged our ears at that time along with anyone in the audience who were not wearing ear plugs.

So although I only started getting irritated this year (I am now 34).. 18 years or so down the track, can this be blamed on noise exposure 18 years ago? Or would you start pursuing other various avenues for a cause?

I have my thoughts on why I actually have it. Possibly from being at a PC for more or less 14 hrs per day for the past 9 years doing web design etc and hardly any sleep. My neck and back are in constant pain and parts of my body are very inflamed.

But that's me. OFF-TOPIC: All doctors I have been seeing in the past few months have been absolutely useless. They see me for a 3-5 minute appointment, check my ears and say "I can't see anything". Umm... OK. Dude, I never asked you to look for a freaking cockroach in my ear, I was explaining that I have a sudden high pitched noise in my ears that is getting the better of me, along with pressure and pain. But oh, you can't see anything. Better leave it at that ey. See ya l8er hope you spend the $80 on a nice bottle of wine.

Sorry for ranting. But thought it was an interesting question, so hopefully someone has some insight. This is not a support post, but I am unsure where else to post it.

 

[Michael Leigh]

But that's me. OFF-TOPIC: All doctors I have been seeing in the past few months have been absolutely useless. They see me for a 3-5 minute appointment, check my ears and say "I can't see anything". Umm... OK. Dude, I never asked you to look for a freaking cockroach in my ear, I was explaining that I have a sudden high pitched noise in my ears that is getting the better of me, along with pressure and pain. But oh, you can't see anything. Better leave it at that ey. See ya l8er hope you spend the $80 on a nice bottle of wine.

Hi @Joel777

Thanks for writing an interesting and humorous post that had the desired affect of making me smile once or twice. With respect to the ENT doctors that you saw, I believe they mean well even though you might not think it. ENT doctors are physicians and not tinnitus experts. They know all about the anatomy of ear and can treat it medically or surgically, if there is an underlying medical problem causing the tinnitus. It is for this reason tests are usually carried out to determine what is causing the noise. If the tests show no abnormalities a patient should really be referred to a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist for treatment and management of the tinnitus.

Tinnitus usually gets worse for a reason. In your case the original cause I believe was "exposure to loud noise"? If so, do you listen to music through headphones or attend places where loud music is played: clubs, concerts etc. Some people are affected by "near field" computer use. Whether it is the EMF they emit or the noise of the internal hard drive and fan, I'm not sure. I cannot use a laptop or have my computer base unit in close proximity to me because my tinnitus will increase quite severely. Therefore, the base unit is placed in another room. I use an external monitor, wireless keyboard and mouse.

Please click on the links below and read my articles on tinnitus that you might find helpful. Try to read them in full and not skim through them.

All the best
Michael
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

 

[Joel777]

@Michael Leigh, Thanks, I'm glad it made you smile Humor, I have found to help a lot! I should point out, I have never been referred to an ENT nor had any tests bar a hearing test which came back fairly normal for my age. The worst part about it was sitting in a soundproof room and hearing this screaming noise in my head over the little beeps that I have to respond to. I am talking about general practitioners in my post. I figured that if they thought that there was any concern, then a referral would be made. It seems this is not the case. Maybe I should push on for a referral to an ENT.

I never use headphones, listen to loud music or attend clubs bars etc. But yep, I certainly did as a lad. EMF you mention? I just looked it up. I live directly next door to a power station. I wonder if that would worsen it in the short or long term or if they have boundaries in place? Interesting thought. I sit in front of my all in one, and it seems quite loud and bright. I wish I never bought it to be honest. I have never heard such a loud piece of HP garbage in my life. A waste of $600. What you have said about using the unit in another room is quite interesting. My T actually only became quite loud since I bought this. I never thought about it until now. I will check out your articles Michael, and I genuinely appreciate the effort and time. After I wrote this post, I asked my wife again if she still hears anything (Haven't asked her in a while because I didn't want her to focus on it). Her reply was "yes, it is very loud and high pitched but it doesn't worry me because I only hear it at night, and during the day other sounds block it out". She has never been to a concert or anything like that. Maybe her cause was from loud music in the younger years. I don't know, but I am unfortunately jealous that other people seem to block it out so easy (bless her though, she is amazingly supportive in the worst of it all. Totally fantastic woman).

Thank you,
Joel.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Hi @Joel777

In 2010 my tinnitus had increased to quite severe levels and noticed it got worse whenever using a computer. I wrote to a tinnitus magazine that had a members letter pages and asked if anyone noticed their tinnitus got worse when using a computer. Two electronic engineers responded advising me that "near field" computer use can make tinnitus worse for some people with the condition. They advised me to place the base unit in another room and use an external monitor, wireless mouse and keyboard. My tinnitus reduced in severity and I have continued to use my PC in this way since. I have quite severe tinnitus that varies in intensity. Silent, mild, moderate and severe. I have mentioned computers and tinnitus in my article and hope you find it helpful.

All the best
Michael

 

[linearb]

Noise damage is cumulative and insidious; people who overdo it with loud noise in their teens and 20s may do damage which doesn't really show up until the 30s and beyond.

 

[Tweaker]

linearb is right, noise damage is cumulative. I had mild T as a child; the kind you only hear at night in the quiet. I never thought it would change. Over the years of noisy jobs, the cumulative effects of noise damage affected me when I was 39 years old. You have to remember, that the ageing process and general wear and tear over the years all contribute to hearing loss and tinnitus. We are all exposed to noise in this modern world.

 

[Contrast]

if this is the case i am 100% screwed to develop severe T