Tinnitus After Moderate/Severe Acoustic Trauma: Will It Go Away Along with Symptoms of Hyperacusis?

Hi all! I am new to Tinnitus Talk. I just wanted to share my situation and get some feedback.

A few weeks ago, I was at a friend's house about 40 yards from where they were shooting fireworks. One of the big mortars fell over and shot directly at me. I started running, but it exploded about eight feet away. The explosion was near my left ear, so my right ear wasn't exposed much. My left ear felt like a gunshot went off right next to it. I lost hearing for about 5 to 10 seconds, and then a very loud ringing started. There was some pain initially, but it subsided after about 30 minutes. After that, I had extreme ear fullness and tinnitus.

I saw an ENT the next day, and my hearing had dropped by about 40%. I returned a day and a half later, and my hearing had returned, which was great! The first week and a half were pretty bad, but it has slowly improved. The tinnitus is consistent, but I can only hear it in a quiet room or if I plug my ears or wear earplugs, and it's quite faint. I still have some sound sensitivity, and I feel like I have ETD because my left ear pops often and relieves pressure but then closes back up if I yawn or lay on it a certain way.

My question is, with my current symptoms—no hearing loss, tinnitus only noticeable in very quiet rooms, and significant sound sensitivity—is there still hope that this could go away since today marks the three-week point? Or should I start preparing myself for the possibility that this could be long-term?

 

You're still early in, and it sounds like it's pretty mild. There's a chance you can improve, or it can go away. Protect your hearing in the meantime.

 

Thanks for the reply—I really appreciate it! How have your tinnitus and hyperacusis been since the onset of yours? I read your thread and noticed yours happened many months ago.

 

I'm not really sure I had hyperacusis, but I did have very reactive tinnitus. The reactivity is now pretty low most days. Every once in a while, I get some stretches of extremely mild tinnitus. It's way milder on average than it used to be, but it's a toss-up on what kind of day I will have. Some days, I don't hear it above regular noise, while others, I can hear it in a crowded room with many people talking. I'm hoping with time, it goes away fully, but it's pretty tolerable a lot of days.

 

I'm glad to hear that you’ve adopted the sound and whatnot pretty well. That’s what I hear from most stories. It sounds like many people habituate it instead of it going away completely.

I have had mild tinnitus often on for many years, but it would only last a day or two and wasn’t loud.

Fortunately, I only hear mine in relatively quiet areas. I don't hear it if I’m sitting in the living room with the TV on, just volume 10, and not loud. When I put my earplugs in to protect my ears, or if I am in a completely quiet room, it is very loud.

I’m hopeful it will go away, but with having a severe/moderate acoustic trauma event like I did, I have a feeling it’s going to be permanent.

 

Yes, it seems your tinnitus is mild.

Hyperacusis caused by acoustic trauma usually fades away in time. I had hyperacusis twice, and both times, it faded away within a year. So, don't worry about hyperacusis or sound sensitivity. You still need to be prudent and protect yourself from loud venues.

As far as tinnitus, it may fade away for some, and for others, they will habituate to it to the point you don't become aware of it most of the time. Try to be positive to reduce anxiety and stress, which can aggravate tinnitus. You don't want to trigger the limbic nerves, resulting in a fight-or-flight reaction mode. Try to live as normally as you can so your brain will slowly accept tinnitus even if it stays. This enables the brain to fade out tinnitus from consciousness. Trying a new hobby and engaging in relaxing exercises or going more outdoors will usually help.

Give it time. Be patient. Take care. God bless your recovery.

 

Thanks for the reply! I am very grateful that it seems mild, and I don't hear it constantly. The sensitivity has been decently bad and a bit stressful, but I'm glad it has cleared up for you and gives me some hope.

It's just been a bit stressful because it has uprooted my life and most of the things I do. We own a lake house and go to these small concerts they have 1 to 2 times a month. We go out with friends almost weekly and sometimes sing karaoke with them all. I even play Xbox often with friends from high school, but from what others are saying, you can't wear headsets, so I can't do that anymore. I've quit drinking caffeine because I have been scared it would increase my tinnitus as well.

So it's just been a lot of change that has been a bit stressful, and I'm just hoping that I'll be able to get back to doing all those things I love...

 

You can try caffeine and see if it affects your tinnitus at all. I personally haven't noticed a difference when I do or don't drink caffeine.

If you give it time and heal, you may be able to do those things again. I would give it at least a few months, though. If you do use headphones, be very mindful of the volume.