- Dec 3, 2017
- 33
- Tinnitus Since
- 11/2014 (increased 10/2017 and 12/2024)
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Mild hearing loss
Hello everyone,
Many years ago, in the fall of 2017, I suffered hearing damage from a hit to my left ear. This resulted in a muffled sensation and tinnitus. It took me about three to five months before I could function again, and after eleven months, I finally felt like life was worth living. I had habituated. Over the years, I continued to improve. I always carried earplugs and used them in normally loud environments. I was thriving.
However, on New Year's Eve this year, we were sitting inside having dinner. It was warm indoors, so we opened the windows a bit. Suddenly, fireworks went off right outside. I did not think much of it at the time, but on January 1, I woke up with louder tinnitus in my left ear. This has turned my life upside down. The past three months have been hell.
I have been overprotecting myself a lot, to the point where I wore earmuffs almost everywhere, except when sleeping or eating at home. I avoided many potentially risky situations. In the last two weeks, I started trying to return to normal life. I began walking around my apartment without protection, just to reintroduce sound slowly. Things were going okay.
Last night, I decided to move a clothes hanger on a metal pole (a standard IKEA one), and it made an extremely loud squeaking noise. It sounded almost like brakes screeching on a car or bike. I was not wearing earmuffs at the time. The sound gave me a lot of anxiety, so I decided to measure it.
Wearing earmuffs, I used my Apple Watch to check the noise levels and got readings of 67 dB, 66 dB, and a peak of 74 dB when I deliberately tried to make it loud. Then I used my decibel reader to take multiple measurements in both dBC and dBA. I got 69 dB, 67 dB, and 69 dB for dBC, and 66 dB, 68 dB, and 67 dB for dBA.
After this happened, my tinnitus became extremely loud in my left ear, not the right. I could not sleep until 5 a.m., and even then, I only managed four hours before waking up to the same high-pitched tinnitus.
What are your thoughts on this? Earlier in the evening, I felt good about how calm my tinnitus had been in recent weeks. Could this sound really have caused more hearing damage and worsened the tinnitus?
I would really appreciate your advice and hearing about your own experiences.
Many years ago, in the fall of 2017, I suffered hearing damage from a hit to my left ear. This resulted in a muffled sensation and tinnitus. It took me about three to five months before I could function again, and after eleven months, I finally felt like life was worth living. I had habituated. Over the years, I continued to improve. I always carried earplugs and used them in normally loud environments. I was thriving.
However, on New Year's Eve this year, we were sitting inside having dinner. It was warm indoors, so we opened the windows a bit. Suddenly, fireworks went off right outside. I did not think much of it at the time, but on January 1, I woke up with louder tinnitus in my left ear. This has turned my life upside down. The past three months have been hell.
I have been overprotecting myself a lot, to the point where I wore earmuffs almost everywhere, except when sleeping or eating at home. I avoided many potentially risky situations. In the last two weeks, I started trying to return to normal life. I began walking around my apartment without protection, just to reintroduce sound slowly. Things were going okay.
Last night, I decided to move a clothes hanger on a metal pole (a standard IKEA one), and it made an extremely loud squeaking noise. It sounded almost like brakes screeching on a car or bike. I was not wearing earmuffs at the time. The sound gave me a lot of anxiety, so I decided to measure it.
Wearing earmuffs, I used my Apple Watch to check the noise levels and got readings of 67 dB, 66 dB, and a peak of 74 dB when I deliberately tried to make it loud. Then I used my decibel reader to take multiple measurements in both dBC and dBA. I got 69 dB, 67 dB, and 69 dB for dBC, and 66 dB, 68 dB, and 67 dB for dBA.
After this happened, my tinnitus became extremely loud in my left ear, not the right. I could not sleep until 5 a.m., and even then, I only managed four hours before waking up to the same high-pitched tinnitus.
What are your thoughts on this? Earlier in the evening, I felt good about how calm my tinnitus had been in recent weeks. Could this sound really have caused more hearing damage and worsened the tinnitus?
I would really appreciate your advice and hearing about your own experiences.
