Tinnitus from Unnecessary Noise Exposure at Work

[JaneTC]

Sorry this has happened.

The exposure, whether 98db or higher, was enough to harm. I hope the T and assorted complications clear up for you quickly.

Thank you. Me too. All the best to you.

 

[Digital Doc]

Thanks for the background. I've been taking general multivitamins. Gosh, I LOVE a cuppa. Giving up my regular cups of tea would be dreadful. I stopped drinking alcohol months and months ago, and have been feeling so super healthy and positive. This incident has knocked me down quite a bit.

Feel better soon, and keep up the protection regimen in the meantime. This whole situation bothers me as an employer endangered your hearing without any protection whatsoever.

 

[JaneTC]

Feel better soon, and keep up the protection regimen in the meantime. This whole situation bothers me as an employer endangered your hearing without any protection whatsoever.

I've been reading about "constructive interference" this morning, off the back of something a friend and I were talking about last night. Sorry if I'm teaching you to suck eggs but, basically, when two sound waves of the same amplitude combine and their sums added together (or subtracted depending on the wave). I need to do more reading, but I can't help but think this would have been a likely phenomenon to occur in a small space with flat walls and windows. The sound was definitely modulating. So basically, it doesn't matter what the db level was at any one moment, it's what was happening over the full course of a minute, at any given spot in the room. So I think I need to insist on some sound level tests to investigate that.

No change in ear ringing. I've now also got weird pressure popping and occasional sleighbell-esque noises, particularly in time with my steps when I'm walking. I'm going to think of this as a stage of healing rather than a bad thing... *crosses fingers*

 

[JaneTC]

I've been reading about "constructive interference" this morning, off the back of something a friend and I were talking about last night. Sorry if I'm teaching you to suck eggs but, basically, when two sound waves of the same amplitude combine and their sums added together (or subtracted depending on the wave). I need to do more reading, but I can't help but think this would have been a likely phenomenon to occur in a small space with flat walls and windows. The sound was definitely modulating. So basically, it doesn't matter what the db level was at any one moment, it's what was happening over the full course of a minute, at any given spot in the room. So I think I need to insist on some sound level tests to investigate that.

No change in ear ringing. I've now also got weird pressure popping and occasional sleighbell-esque noises, particularly in time with my steps when I'm walking. I'm going to think of this as a stage of healing rather than a bad thing... *crosses fingers*

ps - when the waves SUBTRACT, it's called destructive interference. Science FTW!

 

[Digital Doc]

The phenomenon is reverberation, as the sound waves keep bouncing around in a small space, rather than dissipate outside.

 

[JaneTC]

I just posted this on another thread, but thought I would update here:

I've managed to find ways to tune out my tinnitus already (though I do recognise mine is quite low level). I get really anxious about it, but breathing deep and intentionally refocussing has helped (I have to do a weird eye-roll thing to help redirect my brain - lol). I've also been listening to brown noise (not on headphones, just playing ambiently) which I've found really helpful. White and pink noise were too harsh for me.

When I first put on the brown noise I have to have it quite loud to obscure the tinnitus (not dangerously loud, but just a couple of + ups on my iPhone volume button), but after about a minute I can lower it so it really is just purring in the background and still obscures the tinnitus because my brain still focuses on the brown noise INSTEAD of the tinnitus.

What I CAN'T tune out of is how frikkin' angry I am at the person responsible for this. SO MUCH CROSSNESS. Which probably doesn't help my tinnitus anyway, so I guess I need to find a way to get over it.

Anyway, thanks to everyone for the helpful and friendly support and advice. It really has been just what I've needed!

 

[Bill Bauer]

I've had tinnitus since (13 days now).

There is a good chance that your tinnitus will eventually fade. It might take 3-24 months for that to happen, though.

Just make sure to avoid getting another acoustic trauma.

Check out
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

I didn't read all the above comments, but did peruse a fair amount of it, and ran across many good points on both sides of the argument. What strikes me is there seems to be an underlying assumption (of course I may be wrong on this) that all brains and neurological systems are created equal. The way I see it, that's simply not the case, so everybody's way of dealing with tinnitus and/or hyperacusis is going to have to be highly individualized.

I read a book many years ago called "Adrenal Syndrome". A lot of the book touched on the residual resiliency of people's adrenal glands as they respond to life's stresses. Very low resiliency often resulted in months/years of chronic debilitating exhaustion following a stressful event(s) in their lives. Very high resiliency indicated essentially the opposite. The author broke this down into some rough numbers:

25% of people have low resiliency, meaning normal life stressors will often send them into some degree of a tailspin.
25% of people have high resiliency, meaning that no matter how severe a stressor comes into their lives, they will be able to cope without becoming debilitated to any degree.
50% of people fall somewhere inbetween.

I believe there are some kind of corresponding numbers for a person's brain and neurological resiliency as well, which can greatly affect the ability to cope with tinnitus. (I believe adrenal resiliency also plays a major role in our ability to cope). -- Based on these assumptions, it's pretty easy for me to conclude that what may be overprotection for one person will be underprotection for another, and vice versa.

I think the main point to understand for someone new to tinnitus is that their path forward is going to be a lot of "testing the waters". Generally, IMHO, it's going to take a few weeks or months to get important insights that will help us achieve a healthy balance. In all likelihood, most people are going to learn from experience when their over-protecting or under-protecting.

I've come to believe however, that in those early months, if one is going to err in either direction, it should be toward overprotection. It just seems to me the consequences of underprotection (which could result in permanent injury) in those early times are much more dire than the consequences of overprotection--which as I understand, generally results in temporary setbacks.

Doing a number of things to better support the brain and neurological system and the body's stress response (adrenal glands) is quite high on my list of recommendations I would make to anybody with tinnitus. Doing so might even prevent phonophobia or OCD, etc., as we go through our learning curves -- Just my 2 cents worth.

Relative newbies to tinnitus are likely to find all the information/opinions above quite confusing. So here are a few common-sense rules to follow:

1. The best protection of all is avoidance. Even the best earplugs can't guarantee complete hearing protection so those relatively new to tinnitus are best advised to avoid prolonged loud noise exposure - especially amplified sound at for example live concerts and sports events. This may involve lifestyle changes.

2. When in doubt, use hearing protection. In the many tasks we all do through the week, some will inevitably involve exposure to noise - which may be at higher levels than we at first realise - so using hearing protection for many of these is only sensible.

3. Build quiet into your day. It's not a good idea to be wearing hearing protection all the time - so you need to give your ears a break by ensuring that there will be quieter times during your day when hearing protection isn't necessary.This may involve changing your routine. Use soft masking noise and light music (not using headphones) to avoid "silence" where tinnitus is most noticeable.

4. Don't stress about stress. Tinnitus newbies are forever being told that the thing which makes tinnitus worse is stress. But while it's true that how you are feeling at a particular moment can make tinnitus temporarily louder, it won't have a lasting effect. But prolonged loud noise exposure can make tinnitus permanently louder. So don't stress about stress - but do be concerned about noise.

 

[Kells]

Hi all,

New to this forum and new to tinnitus. Sorry for the long post, not least because I feel I'm maybe jumping on here too quickly, given how long many others have been living with their tinnitus, but I guess I'm just seeking reassurance and maybe there is some early days advice that might actually help.

I'm UK based, and my tinnitus has resulted from a "training incident" that took place at my newish work on 13th May. I was being shown a lock up/unlock procedure by a senior member of staff which went thusly...

When demonstrating how to set the intruder alarm in a particular space the manager instructed that we needed to enter the alarm code into the panel and then stand completely still (so as not to trigger any of the room sensors) whilst waiting for the alarm to arm, which she said would take a few seconds. After entering the code, the alarm horn began to sound, and I stood still as per the instructions, not wanting to interfere with the setting process. I was positioned immediately in front of the alarm horn, and the sound was very uncomfortable, but I took the manager at her word that this was a quick and necessary part of setting the alarm (albeit very strange). I didn't want to even move my hands to cover my ears lest I prevent the alarm setting by activating a sensor. The horn continued to sound and the alarm did not set. I carried on standing there stock still like an idiot feeling a bit panicked but not wanting to mess up the process when being shown it for the first time.

After what I think was about 45 - 60 seconds of the alarm horn sounding the manager ushered us out the area by the panel and shut the door to the space, at which point the arming process completed. She then took me back into the space to show me the process of disarming the alarm once it's been set, which was a quick and straightforward process.

With hindsight, I now realize that this person was trying to save time (albeit literally seconds) in demonstrating the arm and disarm process, and she thought we could just remain by the panel and carry out both actions in one go without having to walk out the door 1 metre away. However it seems obvious now that the alarm sensors detected we hadn't moved, which caused the horn to sound continuously and prevented the arming process from completing.

Since the incident I have been left with a high-pitched ringing in my left ear, which is still persisting now. It hasn't changed in pitch, tone, or volume as far as I can tell. In fact it feels like it's gotten worse, and my head feels a bit thick, but that may just be because I'm obsessing about it and repeatedly swallowing/yawning to try and make the sound disappear. I'm upset and furious with myself (a fully fledged 40 year old adult) for allowing this to happen to me, and equally furious with the manager.

I have reported it to the head of the organisation and written it up in the official accident book. The organisation has been quick to be supportive and encouraged me to get rest and visit the doctors etc. I have done so, and according to the nurse (no doc appointment available) my ear doesn't show any visible signs of damage. I also visited an audiologist who says I am not showing any evidence of hearing damage.

Since the incident the organisation has had an engineer in and they say he recorded the db level of the alarm at 98 (I've asked for copies of the report). They got him to reduce the level, but they keep saying things like "perfectly within safe levels" and "only exposed for a minute" "up to 15 minutes exposure is acceptable" etc which makes me feel like they're trying to push the idea that they have no responsibility if my tinnitus carries on. And maybe I just have to accept that they wouldn't be deemed responsible and I was just an idiot to follow the instructions. But the idea that someone could safely listen to that hideous shrill alarm for up to 15 minutes with no ill effects expected seem ludicrous to me.

Apart from the anxiety that's it's never going to stop, it's not really preventing me sleeping. The anxiety means I'm taking longer to drop off, but the sound itself isn't really having much impact as far as I know. Each morning since it happened I wake up and hear it and I feel sick that this might be forever because I foolishly followed stupid directions from someone. And every night I go to sleep praying it will be gone in the morning.

The issue is compounded for me by the fact I'm a singer and musician (music is actually something I make money from), and the idea that I might have permanently compromised my left ear/shouldn't do music/go to gigs anymore or risk worsening my case sends me into palpitations. As a musician, I know how hearing damage can be an occupational hazard, and how easily it can occur. I've always been so careful not to expose myself to unnecessary loud noise.

I just feel a bit sad right now.

I'm so sorry this has happened to you. I am also a newbie and I too am in the praying mode when I go to sleep at night that it will be gone in the morning. But it's also the first thing I notice when I wake up and I want to cry. I still have hope that silence happens for all of us. HUGS

 

[attheedgeofscience]

I have reported it to the head of the organisation and written it up in the official accident book. The organisation has been quick to be supportive and encouraged me to get rest and visit the doctors etc. I have done so, and according to the nurse (no doc appointment available) my ear doesn't show any visible signs of damage. I also visited an audiologist who says I am not showing any evidence of hearing damage.

See a lawyer as early on as possible while the incident is still fresh and witnesses can be asked to make a statement. The "organization" is not your friend in this matter (however supportive and friendly they may appear to be...). The moment an employee cannot work or becomes a financial burden, they are just a liability to an enterprise. They won't hesitate to get rid of you like a used doormat...

See also this: Musician wins landmark ruling over ruined hearing

 

[Starthrower]

Excellent advice @attheedgeofscience. Also, keep all documentation and a notebook with days and the hour and what happened. It is easy to forget important facts.

 

[Starthrower]

Since the incident the organisation has had an engineer in and they say he recorded the db level of the alarm at 98 (I've asked for copies of the report). They got him to reduce the level, but they keep saying things like "perfectly within safe levels" and "only exposed for a minute" "up to 15 minutes exposure is acceptable" etc which makes me feel like they're trying to push the idea that they have no responsibility if my tinnitus carries on. And maybe I just have to accept that they wouldn't be deemed responsible and I was just an idiot to follow the instructions. But the idea that someone could safely listen to that hideous shrill alarm for up to 15 minutes with no ill effects expected seem ludicrous to me.

I see. The organization is already taking the steps - documentation - as a precaution. This is good, but still keep your own documentation of your struggles daily because of the incident.

Good you are able to sleep.

 

[Digital Doc]

Sleep is so important with getting the T better. I like when I go to bed after a bad T day, putting in my earplugs, tuning out the T, and waking up with the T at a much lower volume. Some days, I dont want to get out of bed as my T is the best at that time, and then it builds again during the day.

 

[PortalNaut]

You know, I now remember something about an alarm going off as a tes. The 'horn" was" 4-5 feet above us in the flase ciling, and above the keypad.

See a lawyer as early on as possible while the incident is still fresh and witnesses can be asked to make a statement. The "organization" is not your friend in this matter (however supportive and friendly they may appear to be...). The moment an employee cannot work or becomes a financial burden, they are just a liability to an enterprise. They won't hesitate to get rid of you like a used doormat...

See also this: Musician wins landmark ruling over ruined hearing

Interesting UK case. The article doesn't mention what he won, but other articles say: 750k pounds.

 

[JaneTC]

Sleep is so important with getting the T better. I like when I go to bed after a bad T day, putting in my earplugs, tuning out the T, and waking up with the T at a much lower volume. Some days, I dont want to get out of bed as my T is the best at that time, and then it builds again during the day.

I couldn't wear earplugs the first couple of weeks because it made me too anxious, but that had a knock-on effect on my sleep quality. We sleep with the window cracked open, and we're by the seaside, so there's seagull noise aplenty all through the night. So I was having poor sleep and feeling knackered which made me feel worse. So I forced myself to go back to earplugs, and I've already gotten good at focusing and tuning out the T in bed. But that freaks me out in a whole different way in some ways. I feel like I'm switching off parts of my ears and losing part of my hearing, and my whole head feels muffled instead. It's like I've buried my head under some towels, but at least it's peaceful!

 

[Digital Doc]

Yes, I agree sleeping with earplugs is quite peaceful. I thought it was a little weird at first, and simply too quiet, but I quickly adjusted to it, and like that the outside traffic noise gets turned out.

 

[Yuri_ol]

How do you feel now? Any changes?