Toddler Screamed Nearby → My Right Ear Feels Full & Slightly Distorted

[Jon R.]

Two days ago, I was standing in line at the pharmacy, and right behind me was a mother holding her toddler. The toddler screamed three times, and the high pitch of the screams was so intense that I had to put my fingers in my ears. Although the screams were short, only lasting a second each, I have had reactive tinnitus and hyperacusis for years, so such noises really affect me.

Since then, I have been feeling a slight sense of fullness or ache in my right ear (oddly, not the ear closest to the child), and certain noises through that ear seem slightly distorted, especially deep noises. I'm not sure if I'm just being paranoid, as they were a couple of feet away behind me in the line and not directly in my ear. I'm wondering if I might be causing this by stressing, perhaps tensing muscles in my ear?

Is it highly unlikely that this caused any damage? I'm sorry if I sound so stressed, but I'm really bothered by this. I was stuck in that position unless I wanted to leave the line (which was very long), but I couldn't because it was a bank holiday and I needed my diabetic medication.

 

[Benjaminbb]

Two days ago, I was standing in line at the pharmacy, and right behind me was a mother holding her toddler. The toddler screamed three times, and the high pitch of the screams was so intense that I had to put my fingers in my ears. Although the screams were short, only lasting a second each, I have had reactive tinnitus and hyperacusis for years, so such noises really affect me.

Since then, I have been feeling a slight sense of fullness or ache in my right ear (oddly, not the ear closest to the child), and certain noises through that ear seem slightly distorted, especially deep noises. I'm not sure if I'm just being paranoid, as they were a couple of feet away behind me in the line and not directly in my ear. I'm wondering if I might be causing this by stressing, perhaps tensing muscles in my ear?

Is it highly unlikely that this caused any damage? I'm sorry if I sound so stressed, but I'm really bothered by this. I was stuck in that position unless I wanted to leave the line (which was very long), but I couldn't because it was a bank holiday and I needed my diabetic medication.

Hey, I don't think you should worry here. This sounds like a minor setback. Don't focus on it.

99% of the time, a short event will not cause any permanent change. Understandably, we, people on the edge of worsening, would be very tense from every event. But you have to try to learn to let go as much as you can because a large portion of the suffering is the anxiety and focus around every change - which are most likely temporary.

I can set myself back sometimes, and pain may come and go for a week or two after. But ultimately, it always settles often for long periods.

If you're only experiencing slight symptoms, it's not a worry for now. You can deal with any further problems if they come, but for now, give it a few days, at worst weeks, and it'll unlikely still bother you.

 

[Jon R.]

Thanks for your post, I appreciate it. You have reduced some of my concerns. I often think my anxiety causes a lot of this.

After I wrote my original post, I panicked a bit more when I saw this about Acoustic Shock Disorder. The child's scream was unexpected and loud, so I am worried now that my middle ear muscles may be stuck in a tense state forever.

However, while searching Google for help, I also came across my own post from 2011 where I describe exactly the same symptoms as when a friend unexpectedly put headphones on me from behind with very loud music. I sadly didn't follow up on it, but thinking back now, the issue lasted two weeks and went away. So I am so hopeful this will also go, but I do worry, given how loud and shrill this noise was, that it may take longer. If I were expecting the noise I bet I wouldn't feel any problem other than discomfort at the time. It is interesting, though, that both this time and back in 2011, there were unexpected sudden noises, and both times, my right ear only.

 

[Jon R.]

I had a really terrible night last night because of ear pain. It's so annoying. I usually sleep on my left side, so I don't understand why my right ear, which is the one that hurts, would be affected. I did sleep in a different bed than the one I've been using for the past 4 days when the ear fullness started after hearing a scream, and I used fewer pillows. But since I was sleeping on the other ear, I didn't think the height of the pillows would make a difference. When I'm lying down, it feels like a gnawing pain from my ear to my jaw, so it's more than just fullness.

Now that I'm up, the pain is less, but I still feel the fullness sensation. It seems to go from mainly feeling full when I'm upright and awake to a gnawing, horrible ache/pain when I lie down. How can a baby's scream from 2 feet away cause this? It's driving me insane.

 

[SonOfUhtred]

I had a really terrible night last night because of ear pain. It's so annoying. I usually sleep on my left side, so I don't understand why my right ear, which is the one that hurts, would be affected. I did sleep in a different bed than the one I've been using for the past 4 days when the ear fullness started after hearing a scream, and I used fewer pillows. But since I was sleeping on the other ear, I didn't think the height of the pillows would make a difference. When I'm lying down, it feels like a gnawing pain from my ear to my jaw, so it's more than just fullness.

Now that I'm up, the pain is less, but I still feel the fullness sensation. It seems to go from mainly feeling full when I'm upright and awake to a gnawing, horrible ache/pain when I lie down. How can a baby's scream from 2 feet away cause this? It's driving me insane.

It was a scream that finished me off and basically ruined my life over three years ago now with zero improvement. I'm not saying this will happen to you, but screams can be deafening. The best thing you can do is keep away from loud noises and protect your ears as much as possible. I hope it gets better for you.

 

[Rainer]

How can a baby's scream from 2 feet away cause this?

I'm not sure whether I'm answering a rhetorical question, but I'll try anyway: A baby's scream can be as loud as a jackhammer. While jackhammers apparently don't cause immediate problems in healthy users, they do instantly aggravate pre-existing damage. So it's really no surprise that a baby's wail did the same to you.

You might want to consider wearing hearing protection whenever you are in an uncontrollable environment. Electronic earmuffs would shield you from acoustic trauma without impeding your ability to understand other people speaking.

 

[Jon R.]

Thanks, everyone.

Unfortunately, things have gotten a lot worse, although the feeling of fullness has improved. I now can't sleep. As soon as I start to doze off, I am woken up by my jaw clenching and a headache. My jaw is sore around the right ear area, especially when I'm lying down. For the last three nights, I've only managed about one or two hours of sleep in total, as I am constantly woken up. I usually dream a lot, but I haven't noticed any dreams in the past three nights. When I recorded myself last night, I saw that I fall asleep but then instantly wake up. Each time, there is an audible click noise coming from my mouth when I suddenly wake. I am already using an auto-CPAP machine every night, so it's not sleep apnea.

My new, loud tinnitus is destroying me. It is a much higher pitch than my previous tinnitus, now sounding like multiple dentist drills with a more intense hissing noise. It's hard to describe, but it can't be masked and is louder than everything else.

I now have to wear earplugs whenever I am outdoors because everything is five times louder than my previous hyperacusis was. It's incredible how a loud scream has destroyed my life.

 

[Yu.3]

Thanks, everyone.

My new, loud tinnitus is destroying me. It is a much higher pitch than my previous tinnitus, now sounding like multiple dentist drills with a more intense hissing noise. It's hard to describe, but it can't be masked and is louder than everything else.

I now have to wear earplugs whenever I am outdoors because everything is five times louder than my previous hyperacusis was. It's incredible how a loud scream has destroyed my life.

My tinnitus is similar to yours. It's a different acoustic trauma but a very close situation, almost identical.

 

[dan]

Two days ago, I was standing in line at the pharmacy, and right behind me was a mother holding her toddler

I run away like the plague when I see a toddler. I must put maximum distance between myself and toddlers. It's really mind-boggling that such an innocent being can cause so much damage to an adult (even more or less healthy ears can suffer hidden damage). No animal in the world but a human toddler can cause this immediate hearing damage. Is this some f-ing joke?

 

[kingsfan]

I had to abort my grocery shopping the other day because a toddler was screaming all throughout the store. I tried to avoid the family and moved to the front of the store when another family with a loud toddler came in. It reminded me of this thread. It was frustrating, to say the least, especially because I live in the middle of nowhere, where it's a 20-minute drive to the store.

 

[Utdmad89]

Try living with one lol.

 

[RunningMan]

This isn't the first time this has come up on Tinnitus Talk:

→ Tinnitus from Baby Screaming in Ear, Possibly Made Worse by Dental Work and Stress

 

[kingsfan]

I was fortunate to get through that phase before my tinnitus became a problem.

My daughter and I always had a grocery-shopping ritual. The first thing we would do when we entered the store was grab an iced tea for myself and Pocky for her. It kept us both content and pacified while we shopped

With COVID-19 and the fact that I still religiously mask, I usually get myself an ice-blended coffee from Sheetz afterward, depending on which town I go shopping in—the quieter, chiller town has no Sheetz, while the packed and frantic town does.

 

[Joey72]

Add leaf blowers and air horns to the list of things I live in fear of.

 

[ECP]

@Jon R., I'm sorry to hear you're not doing well. Have you ever tried medications for pain, anxiety, depression, or insomnia? Is that a topic you want to broach with your doctor now?

I can relate because I am on Day 20 of a very bad tinnitus and noxacusis spike, and I am trying to initiate a conversation with my doctor about several of the medications I've heard about on this website. I loathe taking any of these medications due to fears of side effects and fears of worsening. Still, I am also loathe to continue living this way (unmedicated but physically and psychologically vulnerable to the effects of noise). I feel like a video game character that keeps getting killed every time I start to make progress.

@dan, I avoid toddlers, too, but what scares me the most is being near anyone who might, for whatever reason, start shouting.

Liza Minnelli developed tinnitus because her own father screamed too loudly while sitting next to her at the Academy Awards in 1973. And I developed tinnitus and noxacusis from too much time spent with an elderly lady who shouted at me while clutching my arm.

 

[dan]

I had to abort my grocery shopping the other day because a toddler was screaming all throughout the store. I tried to avoid the family and moved to the front of the store when another family with a loud toddler came in. It reminded me of this thread. It was frustrating, to say the least, especially because I live in the middle of nowhere, where it's a 20-minute drive to the store.

Going shopping for us is akin to a military operation: gear up, lock and load, recon, deploy, execute/abort the mission, bug out...

 

[Utdmad89]

I was fortunate to get through that phase before my tinnitus became a problem.

My daughter and I always had a grocery-shopping ritual. The first thing we would do when we entered the store was grab an iced tea for myself and Pocky for her. It kept us both content and pacified while we shopped

With COVID-19 and the fact that I still religiously mask, I usually get myself an ice-blended coffee from Sheetz afterward, depending on which town I go shopping in—the quieter, chiller town has no Sheetz, while the packed and frantic town does.

What angers/saddens me the most is not being able to be the dad I could be to my son, and the fact it's probably (unless things change soon) stopped me from making my son a brother.

 

[Yu.3]

When an individual already has tinnitus, and it becomes louder after a noise trauma (such as a toddler's scream), does this new condition have a specific name? I ask because I have noticed that people usually refer to it as a "spike." However, the term "spike" seems a bit generic, in my opinion.

 

[ECP]

When an individual already has tinnitus, and it becomes louder after a noise trauma (such as a toddler's scream), does this new condition have a specific name? I ask because I have noticed that people usually refer to it as a "spike." However, the term "spike" seems a bit generic, in my opinion.

I often use the terms "spike" or "setback," as do many others on Tinnitus Talk. However, outside our community, most people refer to these occurrences as "recurring injuries" or "flare-ups" when talking about any body part (not just ears) that repeatedly gets injured. For example, people with fibromyalgia might say they're having a "fibro flare" on a bad day, perhaps because the alliteration is catchy.

The term "relapse" also comes into play. According to Cambridge.org:

The implicit distinction between relapse and recurrence is that a relapse is thought to be a return of symptoms of an ongoing episode that was symptomatically suppressed, whereas a recurrence represents an entirely new episode.

Insuranceopedia.com adds another layer of distinction, specific to the insurance industry:

A recurrent disability is a disability that results from the same cause as a prior disability, or from a related cause. If an insured suffers a relapse within six months of returning to work, this second disability is considered a continuation of the initial disability for insurance purposes.

Despite these definitions, I still haven't figured out if our "spikes" are considered brand-new injuries or old injuries that have resurfaced. Has anyone had an audiologist or other medical professional clarify this distinction? Do they have a specific term for it?

 

[Jon R.]

Damn this, I now have a fluttering in my right ear, and nothing is improving. I have no idea if I am mentally giving myself Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome or if I actually have it. I didn't know that ear fluttering was a symptom of Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome until I read about it two weeks ago. Now, a week later, I have it. I don't know what is going on anymore. Oddly, it only happens in two rooms so far. I'm unsure if the nearby boiler in those rooms is causing it to react.

I also constantly feel like I have a marble in my right ear, 24/7, for six weeks now. It is driving me crazy. Shopping at supermarkets is still a chore with all the noise. I literally hear everything around me as though it is next to me. If someone two aisles down puts a jar back on the shelf, I hear it as though it were in the same aisle. People talking an aisle away sound like they are next to me. It is as though my ears can no longer determine what is near and what is far away. God help my ears if a staff member filling the shelves drops a plastic crate, which, for some crazy reason, they always do. They never bend down and carefully place them. There are more staff in the supermarkets I go to than customers sometimes. I keep my headphones around my neck but desperately try not to use them. However, a few days ago, I was in a queue at the checkout with an unhappy baby in front of me and up came a loud toddler in a parent's shopping trolley behind me. I was cornered, so to speak. Thank God I had my headphones with me. I sure panicked. I never used to worry about this crap.

When I swallow, besides the crackling/squishing sound, it occasionally feels like I am pulling/tugging something in my ear, especially when lying down. My clicky keyboard also makes my right ear feel stiffly bulged with each key press. This started weeks after the episode began with ear fullness, hyperacusis, louder tinnitus, and pain. How can it keep getting worse every few weeks? Surely, it should be getting better over time, not worse.

I know I am preaching to the choir as we all have issues with our ears, but I can't cope with this—all because some kid screamed next to me in a pharmacy queue six weeks ago. Life destroyed.

Does anyone know whether an operation for Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome eliminates the odd sensation/clogged feeling in the ear? How can we differentiate between Middle Ear Myoclonus and Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome?

 

[Jon R.]

Just an early August update. I am getting so frustrated as my hearing is becoming more and more distorted. Today, I had a few family members around, and I couldn't cope. Their voices were distorted, and my own voice was distorted too. It's like a harshness to the voices that is very uncomfortable, especially when they are slightly raised. It feels a bit like listening to a poor-quality or broken speaker. My sister is quite loud when she talks, and that especially caused me discomfort when she was next to me.

I know I could wear earplugs, but I don't want this condition to beat me. Additionally, wearing earplugs would make my extra loud tinnitus even louder, which is itself very annoying. I also have a soreness in my right ear and jaw that comes and goes, and sometimes it feels like cold water is briefly poured in there. Again, this comes and goes. This has been going on for over two months now. It's like a horrible rollercoaster journey.

I want to be able to talk to people without this distortion and harshness. I don't enjoy conversations anymore. I don't understand what has happened to me and why a high-pitched scream from 2 feet away has done this to me. Sorry, I am just venting right now. We are all going through our own struggles, I know.

What I would like to ask is if anyone who has had distorted hearing has managed to get rid of it? If so, how long did it take? I am so depressed and fed up right now.

Thanks, all.

 

[Elmer B Fuddled]

The Mrs. and I went to visit some friends one evening. They have a daughter who was five years old at the time.

While sitting on the sofa, the child got up and, right next to my left ear, let out a scream that sounded as if a cougar from the mountains was screaming. That incident triggered a spike in my stress levels that lasted for over two weeks.

When we left to go home and were in the car, I said, "Never again ask me to go visit those people who cannot control their child."

Have you thought of hearing aids with a tinnitus masking app?

 

[Benjaminbb]

Just an early August update. I am getting so frustrated as my hearing is becoming more and more distorted. Today, I had a few family members around, and I couldn't cope. Their voices were distorted, and my own voice was distorted too. It's like a harshness to the voices that is very uncomfortable, especially when they are slightly raised. It feels a bit like listening to a poor-quality or broken speaker. My sister is quite loud when she talks, and that especially caused me discomfort when she was next to me.

I know I could wear earplugs, but I don't want this condition to beat me. Additionally, wearing earplugs would make my extra loud tinnitus even louder, which is itself very annoying. I also have a soreness in my right ear and jaw that comes and goes, and sometimes it feels like cold water is briefly poured in there. Again, this comes and goes. This has been going on for over two months now. It's like a horrible rollercoaster journey.

I want to be able to talk to people without this distortion and harshness. I don't enjoy conversations anymore. I don't understand what has happened to me and why a high-pitched scream from 2 feet away has done this to me. Sorry, I am just venting right now. We are all going through our own struggles, I know.

What I would like to ask is if anyone who has had distorted hearing has managed to get rid of it? If so, how long did it take? I am so depressed and fed up right now.

Thanks, all.

I'm sorry to hear that this has become a problem for you.

I've experienced distortion from other voices for a long time. I first noticed it around age 22. After the first year, I stopped paying attention to it, but I believe it continued for about 15 years.

Only when my pain hyperacusis returned did I start focusing on it again. Otherwise, I always perceived it as sounds being too "loud," but it was actually the distortion you're referring to. Since I didn't fear it or think about it much, it felt almost nonexistent.

I always wore earplugs in environments above 80 dB, which helped prevent the distortion. This practice probably contributed to me forgetting about it, and I would suggest the same for you. I wore earplugs in all noisy environments for 15 years, and it became normal for me. It's hard to know exactly what you're experiencing, but the fact that your voice distorts suggests a lower threshold for you.

I know it sounds difficult right now, but once you stop focusing on it due to other symptoms and manage it with earplugs, you can start to hear past it. Ultimately, it depends on how much attention you give it.

EDIT:

Sorry, I wrote the above in a rush. To summarize:

Earplugs do help with the shock of the sound and stop the distortion at loud gatherings. To make it much calmer to be around and not let it 'beat you,' I usually wear a mid-filter Earaser earplug in deep so that my voice isn't too loud.

All symptoms may fall to the back of your mind, and you might not notice the distorted sounds as anything odd after a while. That's if it doesn't disappear with more time.