- Oct 4, 2021
- 12
- Tinnitus Since
- 03/2021
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Acoustic Trauma (Headphone)
Hey everybody,
I used to frequent Tinnitus Talk back when I had my injury in late March of this year. This forum and all of the stories I read helped give me strength to get through this really dark period in my life. I promised myself that I would share my story when I felt like I was in a better place. My only hope is that I can help reach other people who are suffering and going through the same things I went through.
How it happened: I had an incident at work on March 31st, 2021. I was performing audio testing on a product with studio monitoring headphones on my left ear when there was a malfunction with the signal generator. I ended up getting blasted with a max output tone (around 1 kHz) for around 1 second before I threw the headphones across the room. It was the loudest thing I have ever heard in my life.
Immediately following the incident I was shocked at what happened. I remember having extreme ear fullness and tension the very next day. I think those were the only symptoms at the time. I couldn't get in to see my PCP quick enough due to COVID-19 backlog, so it took weeks before I could see a doctor. I figured that the fullness would resolve within days, or at most a couple weeks. I was wrong.
My PCP examined my ear and found no damage. I was hoping it was a perforated ear drum, at least then I would have had an explanation for all the symptoms I was experiencing. I was referred to see an ENT but the appointment was a couple months out (again, thanks COVID-19). I wasn't offered steroids like some of the users here, though I wish I could have tried them at the time. Though it may have been too late to have any meaningful effect.
I'm waiting for my ENT appointment and I'm panicking. I feel like no one can help me and give me answers. Everyday it feels like my condition is getting worse. I ended up having a brutal panic attack one night (~6 weeks after the injury) when I started to hear ringing in my left ear. I tried everything to calm myself down: hot bath, holding ice cubes, playing video games... Hell, I even went for a drive! But the ringing followed me everywhere, and it didn't stop. This lasted for hours until I eventually collapsed on my couch. I remember thinking that my life, as I knew it, was over. How could I be so stupid? All it took was 1 second to ruin everything.
The next day was hard. I didn't sleep at all. The ringing was so loud that I could hear it over everything except the shower. Anyone familiar with tinnitus knows how difficult the first few days are. Oddly enough, I made it through that day and awoke to silence in the early morning. I didn't hear a thing that whole day. But the victory was short lived as it returned with a vengeance the next day.
From this point on the ringing never stopped. It took several weeks for the volume to diminish to the point where I could sleep with the assistance of white noise. There are several high pitched "tinnitus cure" videos on YouTube that I used religiously at night to help make the T disappear, at least enough so I could relax and get some sleep.
I also battled with TTTS/hyperacusis after the panic attack. Doing dishes would physically hurt my ears, cooking was too loud. If I was exposed to semi loud sounds for any duration my ears would get that fullness again. Like most users, I had a few setbacks over the ~6 months since my injury. I developed this burning pain and muscle tension on the left side of my face from that travelled down the left side of my neck. It would trigger whenever my left ear would get fatigued from noise. Recovery felt like 3 steps forward and 2 steps back.
What worked for me: obviously resting the ear as much as possible. I stopped using earbuds and headphones following the injury. I picked up some silicone ear plugs that I wore almost all the time at first. I would wear it when I drove, at the gym, noisy places at work. It really helped, though I became too reliant on it. Eventually as my ear healed I stopped using the ear plugs and now I carry them with me everywhere I go, just in case. As far as supplementation, I take Magnesium glycinate regularly. I'm not sure if it has an impact on tinnitus or the ear recovery, but it helps me relax a bit at night and it was worth trying anything to help with the recovery process. I also took Melatonin for a couple weeks after the onset of tinnitus to help with sleep.
I always sleep with white noise, even before the injury. I sleep with either rain sounds or this summer night noise (crickets chirping). I try to set the volume as low as possible to help with the habituation process. Consistent sleep schedule is key. Ears are super slow to show changes and you need as much rest as possible to heal.
But you know what really helped the most? Time. It just takes time.
BTW, my visit to the ENT was useless. My audiogram results came back normal for both ears. The tympanometry revealed no issues. The ENT's advice was to stop using ear plugs, which in my opinion was not terrible advice. Maybe just misguided. I think I gradually needed to ween myself off of hearing protection as my ear healed, so it could accept more sound and my TTTS/hyperacusis symptoms would not trigger as easily. I remember the doctor saying that I dodged a bullet... I couldn't agree more; it could have been a lot worse.
Where I'm at now: I'm just over 6 months from the date of my injury. My TTTS/hyperacusis is gone. The only symptom left is the tinnitus, which has gotten a lot quieter over the months. I wake up most mornings and can't even hear it. As I'm typing this it's still there, but it has actually gotten quieter. I don't believe it's just habituation. I hope it continues to fade.
I'm living a mostly normal life right now. I'm not ruminating on the tinnitus as much anymore. It might bother me just a few times a day instead of every waking second. I went on a date the other day. If you told me that I'd be going on dates now 3 months ago I wouldn't believe you. It was at a brewery and we were seated next to some moderately loud music. No ear plugs needed. It didn't illicit the same kind of stress response that it used to. Concerts and other very loud venues, however, are out of discussion for the time being.
Overall, I feel like I'm in a much better place now. I still have a long road ahead of me for a full recovery and I'm taking it day by day. I hope that my story helps someone else, like it did for me in my time of need. I know how dark and terrifying this is. Remember to be extra kind to yourself during this time. Try not to get too caught up reading all of the really bad cases you might see here. Many people see improvements, and you likely will, too.
-Sev
I used to frequent Tinnitus Talk back when I had my injury in late March of this year. This forum and all of the stories I read helped give me strength to get through this really dark period in my life. I promised myself that I would share my story when I felt like I was in a better place. My only hope is that I can help reach other people who are suffering and going through the same things I went through.
How it happened: I had an incident at work on March 31st, 2021. I was performing audio testing on a product with studio monitoring headphones on my left ear when there was a malfunction with the signal generator. I ended up getting blasted with a max output tone (around 1 kHz) for around 1 second before I threw the headphones across the room. It was the loudest thing I have ever heard in my life.
Immediately following the incident I was shocked at what happened. I remember having extreme ear fullness and tension the very next day. I think those were the only symptoms at the time. I couldn't get in to see my PCP quick enough due to COVID-19 backlog, so it took weeks before I could see a doctor. I figured that the fullness would resolve within days, or at most a couple weeks. I was wrong.
My PCP examined my ear and found no damage. I was hoping it was a perforated ear drum, at least then I would have had an explanation for all the symptoms I was experiencing. I was referred to see an ENT but the appointment was a couple months out (again, thanks COVID-19). I wasn't offered steroids like some of the users here, though I wish I could have tried them at the time. Though it may have been too late to have any meaningful effect.
I'm waiting for my ENT appointment and I'm panicking. I feel like no one can help me and give me answers. Everyday it feels like my condition is getting worse. I ended up having a brutal panic attack one night (~6 weeks after the injury) when I started to hear ringing in my left ear. I tried everything to calm myself down: hot bath, holding ice cubes, playing video games... Hell, I even went for a drive! But the ringing followed me everywhere, and it didn't stop. This lasted for hours until I eventually collapsed on my couch. I remember thinking that my life, as I knew it, was over. How could I be so stupid? All it took was 1 second to ruin everything.
The next day was hard. I didn't sleep at all. The ringing was so loud that I could hear it over everything except the shower. Anyone familiar with tinnitus knows how difficult the first few days are. Oddly enough, I made it through that day and awoke to silence in the early morning. I didn't hear a thing that whole day. But the victory was short lived as it returned with a vengeance the next day.
From this point on the ringing never stopped. It took several weeks for the volume to diminish to the point where I could sleep with the assistance of white noise. There are several high pitched "tinnitus cure" videos on YouTube that I used religiously at night to help make the T disappear, at least enough so I could relax and get some sleep.
I also battled with TTTS/hyperacusis after the panic attack. Doing dishes would physically hurt my ears, cooking was too loud. If I was exposed to semi loud sounds for any duration my ears would get that fullness again. Like most users, I had a few setbacks over the ~6 months since my injury. I developed this burning pain and muscle tension on the left side of my face from that travelled down the left side of my neck. It would trigger whenever my left ear would get fatigued from noise. Recovery felt like 3 steps forward and 2 steps back.
What worked for me: obviously resting the ear as much as possible. I stopped using earbuds and headphones following the injury. I picked up some silicone ear plugs that I wore almost all the time at first. I would wear it when I drove, at the gym, noisy places at work. It really helped, though I became too reliant on it. Eventually as my ear healed I stopped using the ear plugs and now I carry them with me everywhere I go, just in case. As far as supplementation, I take Magnesium glycinate regularly. I'm not sure if it has an impact on tinnitus or the ear recovery, but it helps me relax a bit at night and it was worth trying anything to help with the recovery process. I also took Melatonin for a couple weeks after the onset of tinnitus to help with sleep.
I always sleep with white noise, even before the injury. I sleep with either rain sounds or this summer night noise (crickets chirping). I try to set the volume as low as possible to help with the habituation process. Consistent sleep schedule is key. Ears are super slow to show changes and you need as much rest as possible to heal.
But you know what really helped the most? Time. It just takes time.
BTW, my visit to the ENT was useless. My audiogram results came back normal for both ears. The tympanometry revealed no issues. The ENT's advice was to stop using ear plugs, which in my opinion was not terrible advice. Maybe just misguided. I think I gradually needed to ween myself off of hearing protection as my ear healed, so it could accept more sound and my TTTS/hyperacusis symptoms would not trigger as easily. I remember the doctor saying that I dodged a bullet... I couldn't agree more; it could have been a lot worse.
Where I'm at now: I'm just over 6 months from the date of my injury. My TTTS/hyperacusis is gone. The only symptom left is the tinnitus, which has gotten a lot quieter over the months. I wake up most mornings and can't even hear it. As I'm typing this it's still there, but it has actually gotten quieter. I don't believe it's just habituation. I hope it continues to fade.
I'm living a mostly normal life right now. I'm not ruminating on the tinnitus as much anymore. It might bother me just a few times a day instead of every waking second. I went on a date the other day. If you told me that I'd be going on dates now 3 months ago I wouldn't believe you. It was at a brewery and we were seated next to some moderately loud music. No ear plugs needed. It didn't illicit the same kind of stress response that it used to. Concerts and other very loud venues, however, are out of discussion for the time being.
Overall, I feel like I'm in a much better place now. I still have a long road ahead of me for a full recovery and I'm taking it day by day. I hope that my story helps someone else, like it did for me in my time of need. I know how dark and terrifying this is. Remember to be extra kind to yourself during this time. Try not to get too caught up reading all of the really bad cases you might see here. Many people see improvements, and you likely will, too.
-Sev
