Three and a 1/2 Months In — First Time Posting

[HiDezGuy74]

On September 3, 2018, I was using a grinder power tool to cut some corrugated metal. I'd never used the tool before and I was just trying it out. I had foam earplugs in, thinking that would be enough. I used the tool for no more than two minutes -- I just cut a few three-foot sheets.

Well, a few hours later, I noticed a hissing sound. And it hasn't gone away.

Like many stories I've read, the first week or two was complete panic. I couldn't sleep. I was an anxious wreck (and very angry at myself for such a stupid mistake). I met with an audiologist who did a hearing test. I should note I've been deaf in my right ear since birth (my tinnitus is in my left ear). She said I have hearing loss in the higher registers, but she didn't think it was caused by the grinder, but more by age, etc (I'm in my mid-40's).

In my youth, I wasn't always great about protecting my hearing (concerts, earphones, guitar), but over the last decade or so I became very careful to wear earplugs at concerts, set my ipod/iphone volume limit and all of that.

I've gotten better at coping with the sound. In fact, I usually have at least two days a week that are relatively quiet; so quiet that I have to really listen in order to hear it. I've had fullness in my ear and noise sensitivity here and there, but that seems to come and go. I've been very careful to wear earmuffs AND earplugs when I work outside. I've also stopped using earbuds. I use a white noise machine and a pillow speaker at night. These help a lot.

My spikes are very random and I've experimented with diet, alcohol, sleep, etc. There seems to be no pattern, no rhyme or reason why it's loud sometimes and quiet other times. In some ways, that's actually helped me cope, since I've just accepted that it's kind-of out of my control. I'm just being careful to protect my ears better now (which I can control). It's been an interesting lesson in emotional regulation.

Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself. This is a great forum.

 

[New Guy]

Welcome to the forum. Grinders seem to do a lot of us in. I used a die grinder for a lot longer than you and it caused my t, along with a lifetime of noise exposure. There are atleast two other members who got t from grinders as well.

It's wonderful news that you are having quieter days so soon. Hopefully the trend will continue for you.

It sounds like you're doing very well and keep it up. You don't want to re-injure your ears from loud noise. I had an incident around 3 months that set my recovery back significantly and I just had an incident around 9 months. Be vigilant avoiding noise.

I hope things continue to improve for you.

 

[JohnAdams]

On September 3, 2018, I was using a grinder power tool to cut some corrugated metal. I'd never used the tool before and I was just trying it out. I had foam earplugs in, thinking that would be enough. I used the tool for no more than two minutes -- I just cut a few three-foot sheets.

Well, a few hours later, I noticed a hissing sound. And it hasn't gone away.

Like many stories I've read, the first week or two was complete panic. I couldn't sleep. I was an anxious wreck (and very angry at myself for such a stupid mistake). I met with an audiologist who did a hearing test. I should note I've been deaf in my right ear since birth (my tinnitus is in my left ear). She said I have hearing loss in the higher registers, but she didn't think it was caused by the grinder, but more by age, etc (I'm in my mid-40's).

In my youth, I wasn't always great about protecting my hearing (concerts, earphones, guitar), but over the last decade or so I became very careful to wear earplugs at concerts, set my ipod/iphone volume limit and all of that.

I've gotten better at coping with the sound. In fact, I usually have at least two days a week that are relatively quiet; so quiet that I have to really listen in order to hear it. I've had fullness in my ear and noise sensitivity here and there, but that seems to come and go. I've been very careful to wear earmuffs AND earplugs when I work outside. I've also stopped using earbuds. I use a white noise machine and a pillow speaker at night. These help a lot.

My spikes are very random and I've experimented with diet, alcohol, sleep, etc. There seems to be no pattern, no rhyme or reason why it's loud sometimes and quiet other times. In some ways, that's actually helped me cope, since I've just accepted that it's kind-of out of my control. I'm just being careful to protect my ears better now (which I can control). It's been an interesting lesson in emotional regulation.

Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself. This is a great forum.

sounds to me like very high frequency hearing loss. my opinion is that we are experiencing phantom limb syndrome of the inner ear. there's like 4 or so technologies converging on this disease very quickly. sorry to hear your hard up. there's a good lot on this site.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I usually have at least two days a week that are relatively quiet; so quiet that I have to really listen in order to hear it.

Did you have that beginning in September, or is this something that you began having only lately?

I am glad that you wore earplugs. As a result, your T is a hiss as opposed to being a high pitch tone that is harder to ignore. Some people get to hear a hiss months after the onset (so it takes months of healing to get to your starting point). I think your outlook is good - it ought to fade (and might even disappear) over the next 6-24 months.

In case you haven't seen it, check out
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

 

[HiDezGuy74]

@Bill Bauer The T started within hours after I used the grinder. I appreciate the encouraging words. Your posts have been valuable to me.

Thanks to @JohnAdams and @New Guy too! It's a cliché, but I'm just trying to take it one day at a time.

 

[Bill Bauer]

@Bill Bauer The T started within hours after I used the grinder.

When did you begin getting those quiet periods?

 

[New Guy]

I'm just trying to take it one day at a time.

@HiDezGuy74 That's the only way to take it with t.

 

[HiDezGuy74]

@Bill Bauer I've had quiet periods since it happened. It's like 2-3 bad days, then one good day, then back to it being louder. This evening while writing this, I'm in a dead quiet room and it's pretty much silent.

I should add, I started taking melatonin and I'm sleeping much better. So I think getting better sleep is helping.

 

[Drone Draper]

Any updates?

 

[Contrast]

but she didn't think it was caused by the grinder, but more by age, etc (I'm in my mid-40's).

age related hearing loss is one bad meme, I'll go as far as saying the older you are the more prone you are to noise induced hearing loss but in some places like Easter Island (without traffic, concerts, headphones) people keep good hearing into their elderly years.
https://hearinghealthmatters.org/hearinginternational/2013/deafness-and-easter-island/

Noise pollution is real, and I haven't even started how hearing loss outside of the human voice range can still lead to tinnitus and pain hyperacusis and music sounding dull.

 

[HiDezGuy74]

@Drone Draper Thanks for checking in. I appreciate it.

It's been five months to the day with T. No improvement unfortunately, at least in terms of the volume and the intrusive affect on my daily life. It's a constant hissing sound that's at a pretty high pitch -- like the sound of air leaving a tire.

I might have one "quiet" day a week where I can still hear it in silent rooms, but it's significantly lower in volume. But those days are rare. I was tracking my diet/sleep/exercise, but quickly realized there's absolutely no pattern to predict good/bad days. The unpredictability of it is very frustrating.

On the plus side, I'm sleeping better by using a white noise machine and a pillow speaker (I use the ReSound app nightly). But soon I'm going to try and start sleeping without the pillow speaker, b/c I want to wean myself off of it and not rely on it. I want to see if I can use other techniques to fall asleep. I do take 1/4 of a 5mg of melatonin on weeknights.

It's been a difficult struggle, but I'm trying to use CBT and mindfulness. One mantra I've developed is to say to myself: "I'm not going to give T the emotional attention it wants". I'm really trying to detach my emotional reaction to the sound. But it's a daily struggle. I just hope that over the years, I'll habituate (or least cope better). Some days, I feel like I'm living in a fog.