New to the board looking for help. Sorry for the length.
Background: I'm David, a 61-year-old male. Was a huge concert goer for decades and also was regularly exposed to loud noises of all sorts (motorboats, power tools, loud nightclubs, etc.) without any protection.
A few decades ago I noticed a slight humming in my ears when I was in a real quiet room.
A decade or so ago, this became a low ringing which I could pretty much ignore. About
5 years ago, as a result of an alarm at work, the ringing got worse, but still livable.
During COVID-19, despite barely going out, I started noticing occasional tinnitus spikes.
In June, a loud motorcycle went by me while I was biking, and that made my baseline worse (also caused pulsatile tinnitus for about a month, but that seems to be pretty much gone).
A few weeks ago, I went to the barber shop, and while waiting, the barber was using the electric clippers on a customer, which were piercing and caused a temporary spike. (I left the shop immediately.)
Now dealing with another spike, I think from biking in traffic/urban environment, which hopefully will dissipate (I currently have a cold, which is probably not helping).
In addition to the tinnitus, I've been highly sensitive to loud noises for decades (particularly anything high pitched – car horns have been a long-standing aggravation), but that has gotten much worse over the past couple of months.
I recently found out I have neck issues, which I'm now getting physical therapy for – wondering if that's part of the issue.
I try to do everything I can to protect my hearing, but I feel like I can barely go outside without dealing with leaf blowers, motorcycles, jack hammers, sirens, loud cars and trucks, etc.
I have made my peace about no longer going to concerts, live theatre, movies, sporting events, parades, riding in motorboats, etc., but would like any guidance on how to manage the tinnitus and hyperacusis and still live some type of normal day to day existence. Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated.
Background: I'm David, a 61-year-old male. Was a huge concert goer for decades and also was regularly exposed to loud noises of all sorts (motorboats, power tools, loud nightclubs, etc.) without any protection.
A few decades ago I noticed a slight humming in my ears when I was in a real quiet room.
A decade or so ago, this became a low ringing which I could pretty much ignore. About
5 years ago, as a result of an alarm at work, the ringing got worse, but still livable.
During COVID-19, despite barely going out, I started noticing occasional tinnitus spikes.
In June, a loud motorcycle went by me while I was biking, and that made my baseline worse (also caused pulsatile tinnitus for about a month, but that seems to be pretty much gone).
A few weeks ago, I went to the barber shop, and while waiting, the barber was using the electric clippers on a customer, which were piercing and caused a temporary spike. (I left the shop immediately.)
Now dealing with another spike, I think from biking in traffic/urban environment, which hopefully will dissipate (I currently have a cold, which is probably not helping).
In addition to the tinnitus, I've been highly sensitive to loud noises for decades (particularly anything high pitched – car horns have been a long-standing aggravation), but that has gotten much worse over the past couple of months.
I recently found out I have neck issues, which I'm now getting physical therapy for – wondering if that's part of the issue.
I try to do everything I can to protect my hearing, but I feel like I can barely go outside without dealing with leaf blowers, motorcycles, jack hammers, sirens, loud cars and trucks, etc.
I have made my peace about no longer going to concerts, live theatre, movies, sporting events, parades, riding in motorboats, etc., but would like any guidance on how to manage the tinnitus and hyperacusis and still live some type of normal day to day existence. Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated.
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