Tinnitus Sounds Off After Trip to City — And I Was Wearing Double Protection

[PeteJ]

I'd guess those forklift backup beeps are 100+ db, and once they start, can persist for quite a long time. Two of the events in the CO-OP were probably close to 100 db as well. One was from a lid that was lifted on a fairly large bulk container, and it slipped from the person's hand and crashed (very close to me). The second one was when the intercom right above my head did a very loud thing.

I am extremely sensitive to sound, and have been for many years prior to getting tinnitus about a year ago. I went through a period about 15 years ago where some of the softest, most beautiful music would feel so grating, I could no longer listen to it. During this time however, it was rare that I ever wore earplugs except for major things like mowing the lawn or using power tools, etc.

These days, I only wear earplugs when I'm driving or am in a store. Other than that, I rarely feel a need for them, but do wear earmuffs for household things like using the blender, vacuum cleaner, etc. When my tinnitus first started a year ago, both it and my hyperacusis went off the charts. But even then I didn't wear earplugs any more than I had before. In fact--almost bizarrely--I found when I walked on a pathway close to the freeway, that the traffic sounds felt almost soothing to my ears, which were so overwhelmed by the tinnitus.

While I seemed to be able to listen to freeway traffic, I realized that even a short vehicle trip on the freeway of less than five miles would set the tinnitus off for several hours. That was when I realized I had to do something to protect my ears better. Reading some of the cautionary posts on this forum reinforced that realization. I noticed right away that foam earplugs weren't working very well for me, and I finally got some better quality Earpeace ones.

I immediately liked the feeling of my ears being able to "breathe" better with the Earpeace, and could actually have a conversation quite a bit better with them than with the foam earplugs. I would certainly prefer not to wear them at all. Even though they're quite inconsqicuous and don't really bother me much while I'm wearing them, I always "breathe" a sigh of relief when I get back home and take them out. I probably average wearing them less than an hour per week.

This tinnitus/hyperacusis/reactive tinnitus can all be so peculiar and unpredicable. I've now entered a phase where even though running water and peeing are fairly uncomfortable (to painful) for me, I've noticed using the hair dryer doesn't. So why does a hair dryer that's much louder than running water feel almost soothing to me, but running water is just the opposite? That's why I often advocate for people to tune into their own unique situations, and try to determine the best they can what they can and cannot tolerate, and then adjust accordingly as the saga plays out.

What kind of Earpeace ones do you have? Are they difficult to insert in your ear and how do you know your size?
I am not a big fan of the foam ones. That's all I have but I also have muffs. I wasn't using them in the car all the time but maybe I should? I would use them outside after a spike but most of the time, I didn't. I started getting over protective after spikes and if I heard screeching sounds or high pitched sounds. Sometimes, those sounds would start a spike, imho.

I would avoid sounds like hair dryers and vacuums but high pitched sounds are the worst, imho. My theory is that it's about the frequency and how your brain reacts to it - at least for T that might have been triggered by acoustic trauma. I am wondering if the reason that the devices in the study 'works' because they are able to 're-wire the brain' in some way. Regardless, I hope they ultimately work. But, I am definitely over sensitive to high pitched sounds and loud sounds in general, probably, but the high pitched/'screeching sounds' is what I think risk causing a spike for me.

I'm okay with running water and avoid hair dryers and loud sounds like that but I use ear muffs when washing the dishes. I think the dish clanging (potential) might be too high pitched for my ear, especially at such a close distance away. I haven't had an issue so far.

 

[Lane]

What kind of Earpeace ones do you have? Are they difficult to insert in your ear and how do you know your size?

Here's a LINK to the Earpeace (brandname) plugs I bought. I find them quite easy to insert, but a little more difficult to remove (sometimes). They are quite unobtrusive, and I can carry on a conversation with them in. They come in a carrying tube you can attach to your key chain. There's also three different filters to adjust the amount of sound you want blocked.

The website has two different sizes; standard and petite. These are the only non-foam ones I've tried, so there may be others that are comparable or even better quality. But I'm quite happy with these as they give me just about the right amount of protection I feel I need. WAY better than foam plugs, or wearing obtrusive ear muffs.