Tinnitus Caused by an Unexpected Explosion at Close Range

[Beachpony]

Hi everyone, brand new here.

Ten days ago I went to an event that showcased all the horses that were going in the Rose Parade on New Years Day. One of the groups was an Army Calvary Group. It was in an indoor arena. Part of their performance was to shoot off a cannon. We couldn't see the cannon from where they were, and had no idea when it would go off. We were only about 40 feet away as it turns out. It was so loud that it felt like every cell in my body exploded. One of my ears started burning immediately (now it's switched to the other one) and have had constant ringing in both ever since. Sometimes it's louder than other times.

What I was wondering was, is there a difference between sudden onset Tinnitus and the other causes? I've been reading non-stop about this since the event and just found about that there is something called "Sudden Acoustic Trauma". I'm assuming that is what I have. I would love to hear more information about this!

Thank you!

 

[glynis]

@Beachpony ,
Sometimes taking prednisalone can help in early onset of aucustic shock.
I think your past the time but might be worth trying.
Maybe with time away from loud noise it could settle down and with some luck go away.
Love glynis

 

[Michael Leigh]

Hi @Beachpony

Please click on the link below and read my article: Tinnitus, A Personal View, that you might find helpful. Try to read it in full and not skim through it.
All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

 

[Beachpony]

Thank you Glynis and Michael!

 

[Alue]

Sounds like acoustic blast trauma or acoustic 'explosive' ear trauma. There may be some subtle differences, but for all practical purposes there isn't much difference from any other noise induced tinnitus.

Did you have hearing loss right after the event, and if so has the hearing come back? Do loud noises sound louder to you?

 

[Beachpony]

Hi Alue,

Thank you for writing to me and for the information.

There was no hearing loss nor has there been it's been 10 days. Also I don't believe sounds sound any louder now. Just the ringing and it times my ears burn. One of them started to burn immediately after the blast. Now the other one bothers me more. The volume of the tinnitus is sometimes louder and twice almost gone. I don't understand that at all.

Has anything helped you in particular with your Tinnitus?

Thanks

 

[Bill Bauer]

Go to the ER as soon as you can and try to get them to prescribe prednisone to you. This is urgent.

In the thread below I summarize everything (24 tips spread over three posts) I learned about managing tinnitus after reading the posts on this forum for the past 11 months
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...itus-recently-this-info-will-be-useful.25741/

 

[jjflyman]

The volume of the tinnitus is sometimes louder and twice almost gone

I know how scary T is, especially at first. The posters here are speaking from their personal experience and what they have learned about T. The fact that your T is fluctuating would seem like a good sign. Here is my advice:
IMO, you have suffered a traumatic injury to your ears. That does NOT mean it is permanent, in fact, for most people who suffer from an acoustic trauma Tinnitus , the Tinnitus sorts itself out and fades away over time, usually many months, but can be up to 2 years. I had SEVERE Tinnitus 12 years ago from acoustic trauma, and it faded to zero in about 2 years. It will take time, but the odds are very good your T will fade away. Try not to read the horror stories you see.

 

[Beachpony]

Thank you Bill Bauer and jjflyman for your input!

I had my ears examined this morning and my hearing is excellent, no hearing loss at all! Yay! It is Acoustic Trauma Tinnitus which will go away in a matter of weeks. Actually after it sounding like a screaming tea kettle (around an '8') ALL DAY AND NIGHT yesterday, today it has quieted down to pretty much "0"! The doctor described it like a bruised cochlea. Kind of like my ears getting "punched" by sound. This is all new to me. I think I'll carry ear plugs with me wherever I go after this incident!

After the ear doctor I went to my regular M.D. also does acupuncture and holistic medicine. Did some acupuncture on me and suggested the following supplements that may help some of you. Told me to take niacinamide as that helps blood flow to the ears. Also echinacea and goldenseal. I believe that's good for healing in general.

Thanks again to EVERYONE that took the time to write! It really did help! Really REALLY appreciated!

Wishing you all the best!

 

[Bill Bauer]

It is Acoustic Trauma Tinnitus which will go away in a matter of weeks. Actually after it sounding like a screaming tea kettle (around an '8') ALL DAY AND NIGHT yesterday, today it has quieted down to pretty much "0"!

I was skeptical about it going away within weeks, but if it is already getting quieter, this might in fact happen in your case.

Your ears have been compromised, and now it will be easier to get T compared to how it was before. Make sure to protect your ears from noise.

 

[jjflyman]

Thank you Bill Bauer and jjflyman for your input!

I had my ears examined this morning and my hearing is excellent, no hearing loss at all! Yay! It is Acoustic Trauma Tinnitus which will go away in a matter of weeks. Actually after it sounding like a screaming tea kettle (around an '8') ALL DAY AND NIGHT yesterday, today it has quieted down to pretty much "0"! The doctor described it like a bruised cochlea. Kind of like my ears getting "punched" by sound. This is all new to me. I think I'll carry ear plugs with me wherever I go after this incident!

After the ear doctor I went to my regular M.D. also does acupuncture and holistic medicine. Did some acupuncture on me and suggested the following supplements that may help some of you. Told me to take niacinamide as that helps blood flow to the ears. Also echinacea and goldenseal. I believe that's good for healing in general.

Thanks again to EVERYONE that took the time to write! It really did help! Really REALLY appreciated!

Wishing you all the best!

Yeah!!. I'm so happy for you. Things will work out fine. Everyone should protect their ears from loud sounds, Tinnitus is far worse than hearing loss!!!

 

[attheedgeofscience]

One of my ears started burning immediately (now it's switched to the other one) and have had constant ringing in both ever since. Sometimes it's louder than other times.

I would like to approach this from an angle that others have not. Since your injury was caused by someone else's fault, I would definitely consider collecting any "evidence" there is while it is still fresh and pursuing any legal options available (as early as possible). As an example, I suggested the following member the same a while back...

www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hello-tinnitus-since-november-2015.13411/#post-163472

...and apparently she deemed it unimportant to consider my suggestions. Interestingly, later on, the OP of that thread was seen posting her huge disappointment on other tinnitus boards (on Facebook) when her tinnitus didn't ease up as she had hoped for (and as other members had alluded to would happen). A lesson to be heeded...

Should your tinnitus go away, then that would just be an extra bonus.

 

[Red]

I'm not saying you HAVE to take legal action, but I suggest at least considering it. With the goal to raise awareness that doing such a thing in enclosed space is not safe for the ears.

 

[Beachpony]

atheedgeofscience and Red:

I totally agree with you about collecting evidence and possibly taking legal action. Right away we made phone calls and sent emails and I've already called my attorney. All the names of the people that we need are in the program as this was a large event. Also one of the local LA television stations was videoing it, standing right behind us. We know that they have a decibel meter on their cameras, so there will be concrete proof of how ridiculously loud it was! There were 3500 people there. I am sure I'm not the only one suffering right now.

At the very least I'm going to contact everyone involved who thought it was a "smart idea" to blow off a freaking cannon in a covered arena with a metal roof no less! I don't want this to happen to anyone else! Stupid, stupid, STUPID!

Thank you again for taking the time to share your advice.