Hi
@New Guy. Your story & video was one of first ones I encountered when I found Tinnitus Talk this January. My noise trauma's circumstances were similar to yours.
Well, you don't really avoid loud noises. How much it pains me (I am a DIY mechanic & "builder") to think and say it... I have a huge collection of power tools. I don't think I will ever be using them again, regardless of the level of protection. But my case is pretty bad.
It looks like you did not have much loudness nor pain hyperacusis?
When I first got tinnitus, I avoided loud noises for sure. I hired someone to mow my lawn and didn't go near power equipment either.
It was a very dark time of my life, and I hope you are holding onto hope that things will improve even if they don't go away. I thought my life was over, but now tinnitus has become a part of my life.
I avoid using power equipment for more than 45 minutes to an hour. If I do use power equipment, I use both earplugs and earmuffs.
I can hear the tinnitus over the air conditioner, though when I visit Tinnitus Talk, I tend to focus on the tinnitus more. I never had pain with the hyperacusis, but my hearing was VERY sensitive for at least 2-3 months. My ears also had a full feeling for a month or two. I tried to keep up with progress reports in this thread if you are looking for a timeline. I almost don't want to go back because it was such a hard time.
It seems tinnitus affects everyone differently, and there is no one-size-fits-all course of action for it.
I know when everyone comes here, myself included, we are really anxious about what is going on and what we can do to stop the noise, hyperacusis, full ears. Those are the symptoms I had.
Please be patient and give it time. Hopefully things will start to get better for you, and if not, your body will start to get used to the background noise. I know that is not what you want to hear right now, and I completely understand.
I don't think the tinnitus I have is much quieter than it was when I got it, but what has changed is my mind has gotten used to it being there. I have also learned to always have background noise, just below the level of the tinnitus, so I can still hear the tinnitus but not focus on it.
Please hang in there and be patient. The people on Tinnitus Talk were instrumental in giving me someone to share my experiences with and search for answers.