Ultra Loud Security Alarm — Is This a Spike I'll Recover from or Did It Cause Permanent Damage?

[Martin G]

Not a good day yesterday.

I've had tinnitus & hyoeracusis for 4-5 months now . . . and have been really careful about protecting my ears. The hyperacusis in my left ear is so bad, I really have no choice about being protective anyway.

So far I'm managing to still work a full-time job. Yesterday 32,000 homes and businesses suddenly lost power, including ours. The Boss told me he thought the fire alarm usually went off once power came back on. So I put in ear plugs . . . and then noise-cancelling headphones on top of those, just to be prepared.

To make matters worse, it was a 37°C (99°F) day . . . so being without air-con wasn't the greatest.

Long story short . . . power was restored several hours later. As the fire alarm didn't end up going off . . . I removed all my protection. Unfortunately the Boss had remembered wrong. It wasn't the fire alarm that went off. It was the security alarm, which is WAY louder . . . and it would go off a few minutes after the power resumed.

By the time this actually happened . . . I was walking towards the printer to grab something, with no protection at all. It just about killed me. I put my fingers in my ears as quickly as I could and dived under my desk. It only went for about 5 seconds. My office isn't very big and has a low ceiling. The alarm is actually on the ceiling and I was almost directly below it. I was probably only exposed to the sound for 1-2 seconds before I managed to activate my fingers.

When it was over and I sat at my desk recovering . . . I thought that even though it was so unbelievably loud, surely a couple of seconds wouldn't have been long enough to do anything. However since then, my tinnitus has been worse. Louder and more aggressive . . . and my H is worse, in that I'm getting even greater distortion from close-by sounds.

When I got home, I tried to watch some tv . . . but couldn't concentrate on anything, even with subtitles on. Probably took about 4 times longer to get to sleep than usual . . . but fortunately I did . . . and slept right through.

My tinnitus has had moments of being up and down before, but until yesterday I hadn't experienced a spike caused by a specific incident. I was just wondering if anyone else has ever experienced a super loud noise, in close proximity . . . but only for a couple of seconds . . . and if so, what happened?

Obviously my main concern is whether this is a spike, which I'll recover from . . . or if it's actually caused some damage.

Thanks.

 

[PDodge]

It's hard to say, it could be your anxiety ramping it up. I had to leave during a fire drill, of course I wanted out of there ASAP. push to door and there's a door alarm-ear level blasted me good T was quiet the next day. I hope yours settles soon

 

[Michael B]

I worked in a government building and we had planned fire drills every few months. The alarms were really loud & piercing. Always did a number on my ears for days. Fortunately they were nice enough to let me know of the drills in advance giving me enough time to exit the building.

 

[Martin G]

Thanks @PDodge . . . sounds like you had a close call. Pleased you survived it ok.
I didn't actually have much anxiety about my experience . . . since I thought the exposure was so brief. But I couldn't deny the increase in the severity of my symptoms afterwards.
I'm back at work now . . . and at the moment it's agonizing.
My H is distorting way more that normal.
It's reacting badly to sounds which I can usually tolerate a lot better.
Obviously the alarm must have done something to me. I just hope it's something temporary, which I can recover from.

 

[Martin G]

Thanks @Michael B
Yeah . . . since I got T, my Boss has been very understanding too and advises about anything which might affect me.
The alarm thing yesterday was a bit of a misunderstanding, along with bad timing.
I've already been told this morning that they will disconnect the security alarm in my office . . . as it doesn't even really need to be there . . . because if someone tries to break in, the outside is alarmed anyway.

 

[Bill Bauer]

However since then, my tinnitus has been worse.

I am so sorry that this has happened to you.

There is still a chance that the spike is temporary. My longest temporary spike lasted for over three months. So you will need to wait for months before you will know the effect this has had on you.

Note, noise cancelling headphones (like Bose 25) won't protect against loud sudden noises. They work well with constant hum like what you might hear in an airplane or inside of a car on a highway. You will want to get ear muffs (e.g. Peltor X5A) for the loud noises. Wearing them with earplugs will increase the noise reduction by about 5 dB.

 

[RCP1]

Thanks @Michael B
Yeah . . . since I got T, my Boss has been very understanding too and advises about anything which might affect me.
The alarm thing yesterday was a bit of a misunderstanding, along with bad timing.
I've already been told this morning that they will disconnect the security alarm in my office . . . as it doesn't even really need to be there . . . because if someone tries to break in, the outside is alarmed anyway.

you should be ok - This happened to me about 3 years ago and it took about 5 weeks to subside. It was such a short burst that it will right itself in time. I sympathise - Its impossible to preempt and protect for every eventuality. I hope you recover as I did and can continue on normally. All the best.

 

[Red]

For anything louder than a fire alarm, I would get pred personally. When my fire alarm goes off, it's so loud that I can't think.

 

[Martin G]

I am so sorry that this has happened to you.

There is still a chance that the spike is temporary. My longest temporary spike lasted for over three months. So you will need to wait for months before you will know the effect this has had on you.

Note, noise cancelling headphones (like Bose 25) won't protect against loud sudden noises. They work well with constant hum like what you might hear in an airplane or inside of a car on a highway. You will want to get ear muffs (e.g. Peltor X5A) for the loud noises. Wearing them with earplugs will increase the noise reduction by about 5 dB.

Thanks for the sympathy . . . and the info.

I have Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II . . . and I've discovered just from using them that they work like magic for loud, general low-mid frequency. But the higher pitched something is . . . the less effective they become.

I work in an office, but unfortunately it's part of an loud manufacturing facility. I do have to go into the factory on occasion and fortunately the Bose seem to do the trick for the areas I go into. However, to my great regret . . . alarms inside the office were something I hadn't really planned on (and especially not without protection). My Boss warns me ahead of time about fire alarm drills. But I was caught out by an unexpected security alarm, which is only turned on at night. In fact I just found out that the reason it went of at all, following the power coming back on after an outage . . . was that someone entering a code to reset it, inadvertently put in the code which arms it. So then, as soon as somebody moved . . . it went off!

Pleased you mentioned the Peltor's. I must admit that when I've read people referring to 'ear-muffs' here . . . I haven't really known what they were talking about. I always thought 'ear-muff's' were fuzzy looking things for keeping your ears warm. Anyway, I looked at the Peltor's . . . and now I'm on the same page. They do sell them here . . . so I'll grab a pair to add to my arsenal. However I'm just wondering . . . when you're wearing them, can you still have a conversation with someone and hear what they're saying . . . or do they effectively block out everything?

Also, while I have you there . . . I'm not 100% sure what the definition of a 'spike' actually is. I assume it's usually the same symptoms/sounds as your baseline, only increased in volume and/or intensity? Either way . . . when you had your long spike . . . did things gradually improve over the course of the whole 3 months? Or was it more or less the same for most of that period and then eventually eased of just towards the end?

Sorry for all the questions. Just trying to get some idea of what I possibly might be dealing with here.

Thanks a lot.

 

[Martin G]

Thanks @RCP1 . . . I appreciate that.
Yes . . . I'm definitely hoping 'short burst=temporary spike'.

 

[Martin G]

Thanks @Red

Yes, I've seen Prednisone mentioned a bit on here.

Prior to T & H . . . I've never had any real health issues to speak off. Never taken any kind of medication. No drugs (medicinal or recreational).

So I'm reluctant to really look at anything like that . . . especially with the possibility of risks/side-effects.

Still . . . never say never, I guess. Any further spikes or problems down the line and who knows? I may end up pumping myself full of anything I can get my hands on.

 

[Vicki14]

Hi @Martin G

I totally understand your scare here! I work in an office too of a school which still has the old style bells. One was directly outside my door which had to be disconnected. I too have been caught directly under them on a few occasions and my tinnitus has spiked but thankfully settled.
It's a scary time whilst waiting for it to do so and damned frustrating that we always have to be on guard!!!! I hope your ears settle quickly!! Xx

 

[Martin G]

Hi @Vicki14

Thanks for the empathy.

At least we both still have jobs we're able to work at . . . despite hazards lurking around every corner.

Just went back and read your first post. As I see your 3 year 'anniversary' is coming up . . . just wondering how you're doing in general nowadays, compared to how things were at the start?

 

[Red]

Thanks @Red

Yes, I've seen Prednisone mentioned a bit on here.

Prior to T & H . . . I've never had any real health issues to speak off. Never taken any kind of medication. No drugs (medicinal or recreational).

So I'm reluctant to really look at anything like that . . . especially with the possibility of risks/side-effects.

Still . . . never say never, I guess. Any further spikes or problems down the line and who knows? I may end up pumping myself full of anything I can get my hands on.

I find prednisone scary too.
I can only view this from my perspective though. Fire alarms are the loudest thing I've ever heard. I can't imagine trying to recover from anything beyond that.

But maybe my fire alarms that I've been exposed to are louder than yours.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I've discovered just from using them that they work like magic for loud, general low-mid frequency

In your experience, do they work even for sudden sounds that are loud and are of short duration?

I looked at the Peltor's . . . and now I'm on the same page. They do sell them here . . . so I'll grab a pair to add to my arsenal.

X5A are cheap and effective. Their weakness is that they are bulky (X4A are not as bulky, but provide a little less noise reduction) and might be uncomforable to wear for long periods of time. They are certainly less comfortable than my Bose noise cancelling headphones. But it is good to have an arsenal.

when you're wearing them, can you still have a conversation with someone and hear what they're saying . . . or do they effectively block out everything?

The noise reduction that I get from X5A is similar to what I get when I wear Bose 25 headphones. So the answer to your question is that I can still hear people.

I'm not 100% sure what the definition of a 'spike' actually is.

A "T spike" happens when one's T becomes louder or changes pitch in such a way that it becomes harder to ignore. Some spikes are temporary (then can still last for over three months), but sadly other spikes appear to be permanent.

Either way . . . when you had your long spike . . . did things gradually improve over the course of the whole 3 months? Or was it more or less the same for most of that period and then eventually eased of just towards the end?

It was a gradual improvement (with short periods of sliding back). In other words, if we look at a "volume vs time" plot, it would look like a stock price chart that exhibits a downward long-run trend (with some upward retracements here and there). It wasn't a smooth improvement. The improvement was slow during the first month or so and then it became a little faster but eventually it began changing at a quieter rate.

Check out the post below, perhaps you will find some information that might be of use to you
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

 

[Martin G]

I find prednisone scary too.
I can only view this from my perspective though. Fire alarms are the loudest thing I've ever heard. I can't imagine trying to recover from anything beyond that.

But maybe my fire alarms that I've been exposed to are louder than yours.

So did you mention Prednisone just because it's commonly recommended . . . or because you've taken it yourself? Like when you said you 'find it scary' . . . did you mean the thought of taking it would be scary . . . or you have actually taken it and it was scary?

As far as alarms go . . . Google says 'In the United States, a typical fire alarm sounds off between the 65 decibel and 120 decibel range'.

I'm not sure about the fire alarm at my work . . . but I do know that the 'security' alarm that 'got me' was 115db. It was only for a matter of seconds, but my head was really close to it at the time. Two days later my ears are still screaming.

The security alarm here is louder and more threatening than the fire alarm. Apparently they're more concerned about scaring burglars away than they are about the staff burning up.

 

[Red]

So did you mention Prednisone just because it's commonly recommended . . . or because you've taken it yourself? Like when you said you 'find it scary' . . . did you mean the thought of taking it would be scary . . . or you have actually taken it and it was scary?

As far as alarms go . . . Google says 'In the United States, a typical fire alarm sounds off between the 65 decibel and 120 decibel range'.

I'm not sure about the fire alarm at my work . . . but I do know that the 'security' alarm that 'got me' was 115db. It was only for a matter of seconds, but my head was really close to it at the time. Two days later my ears are still screaming.

The security alarm here is louder and more threatening than the fire alarm. Apparently they're more concerned about scaring burglars away than they are about the staff burning up.

The possible side effects sound scary. A lot of people around here use it though. It's been tossed around as a recommendation for a lot less. (Not that I agree with some of those recommendations)
65db fire alarm? Where can I get one, haha. I'd never fear them again.

 

[Vicki14]

just wondering how you're doing in general nowadays, compared to how things were at the start?

Hey @Martin G

Tbh... I'm getting on with it best I can. If I'm honest, I do despise this senseless condition and all the unwanted emotions it brings. Mine was worsened by a Microsuction procedure by an Audiologist who caused me a lot of distress. I have days where my ears drive me nuts and others where it's not as intrusive. I just get frustrated how we can't relax in life now and are always on our guard. Hey ho! C'est la vie!

Like you said, at least we have jobs we can still do, albeit some wee risks... but we can't live in a soundproof booth forever!!!

Hope your ears settle quickly! xx

 

[Martin G]

Hey, thanks for taking the time to help out with this. It's appreciated.

In your experience, do they work even for sudden sounds that are loud and are of short duration?

To be honest, that's not something I've particularly taken notice of. But so far I don't recall ever being distressed by one specific short, sharp, loud sound. However I'll make an effort to consciously monitor that from now on.

X5A are cheap and effective. Their weakness is that they are bulky (X4A are not as bulky, but provide a little less noise reduction) and might be uncomforable to wear for long periods of time. They are certainly less comfortable than my Bose noise cancelling headphones. But it is good to have an arsenal.

I guess bulkiness wouldn't really bother me. I wouldn't be wearing them that much. I'm in the office most of the time. I'm probably only out in the factory half a dozen times a day . . . for no more than 5-10 minutes at a time.

The noise reduction that I get from X5A is similar to what I get when I wear Bose 25 headphones. So the answer to your question is that I can still hear people.

Ok, that's cool . . . 'cos I do have to have conversations when I'm on the factory floor. Just out of curiosity, as a fellow Bose wearer . . . have you had the experience of talking to someone while wearing them in a loud environment and they have to ask you to speak up . . . because they can't hear you over all the noise, which you can't hear? That happened to me the first couple of times I wore them. It doesn't happen now though. I just make sure I'm 'yelling' all the time. That way I'm covered.

Anyway, thanks again for the response . . . including the info on 'spikes'. Haven't looked at the thread you recommended yet . . . but I will.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I'm probably only out in the factory half a dozen times a day

They would not look out of place out in the factory. I had worn them on a noisy street, and that felt awkward.

as a fellow Bose wearer . . . have you had the experience of talking to someone while wearing them in a loud environment and they have to ask you to speak up . . . because they can't hear you over all the noise, which you can't hear?

Normally I wear Bose headphones only when I drive on a highway, or when I am in an airplane. I haven't experienced what you described above.

Sometimes I wear earplugs when I have to shop at crowded stores. Several times I was there with family members, and they informed me that I speak too loudly. I guess the earplugs make normal volume sound too quiet and one tends to talk louder.

 

[Striveon]

They would not look out of place out in the factory. I had worn them on a noisy street, and that felt awkward.

Normally I wear Bose headphones only when I drive on a highway, or when I am in an airplane. I haven't experienced what you described above.

Sometimes I wear earplugs when I have to shop at crowded stores. Several times I was there with family members, and they informed me that I speak too loudly. I guess the earplugs make normal volume sound too quiet and one tends to talk louder.

Are the Bose noise canceling earplugs or earmuffs? I'm looking for good ones, any suggestions?

 

[Bill Bauer]

Are the Bose noise canceling earplugs or earmuffs?

They are headphones
https://www.amazon.com/Bose-QuietComfort-Wireless-Headphones-Cancelling/dp/B0756CYWWD

 

[Bill Bauer]

p.s. If you search this site, you will see that some people say that noise cancelling headphones had Caused their T. I don't know what to make of those posts. I also don't like taking any risks. I have been wearing earplugs under my Bose 25 headphones, and it had worked well for me.

 

[Striveon]

p.s. If you search this site, you will see that some people say that noise cancelling headphones had Caused their T. I don't know what to make of those posts. I also don't like taking any risks. I have been wearing earplugs under my Bose 25 headphones, and it had worked well for me.

Wait what? How is it possible that noise canceling headphones cause tinnitus...? Doesn't make sense... so should I not order the Bose headphones..??

 

[Martin G]

Tbh... I'm getting on with it best I can. If I'm honest, I do despise this senseless condition and all the unwanted emotions it brings. Mine was worsened by a Microsuction procedure by an Audiologist who caused me a lot of distress. I have days where my ears drive me nuts and others where it's not as intrusive. I just get frustrated how we can't relax in life now and are always on our guard. Hey ho! C'est la vie!

Like you said, at least we have jobs we can still do, albeit some wee risks... but we can't live in a soundproof booth forever!!!

Hope your ears settle quickly! xx

Thanks.

I've only been experiencing this for a fraction of the time you have . . . but I can already relate to those feelings and emotions you mentioned.

I can't help thinking though, how fortunate we are to at least be living in this day and age. Can you imagine how much worse things would have been for people at earlier times throughout history, having to deal with these kinds of symptoms?

Not that the medical profession necessarily has things figured out even now . . . but back in olden times, 'T & H people' must have been so much more confused, afraid and alone than we are.

I definitely don't take for granted that we have access to various types of scanning technologies and medications. Or that we can simply Google any kind of information we want. Or that things like hearing-aids, noise-cancelling headphones and ear-muffs exist. Or simply having things like nice, soft, Silicone earplugs.

Or being able to download/stream masking sounds. Or connect with fellow sufferers from all over the world, with a few clicks of a keyboard.

I mean, before all of this was around . . . I can imagine people wrapping up their heads or sticking all kinds of things in their ears. Maybe their version of masking was sleeping outside in a field of crickets or next to a waterfall or something.

Sorry . . . rambling.

It's Saturday morning here. Have only been up a short while and this is just where my head's at. Think I need some breakfast.

Anyway, take care of yourself. You said that you have days which are less intrusive. I think that's something positive to really hold on to. Even during my 4-5 months, because my symptoms can vary in intensity as well . . . I've learned that when things are bad, to always remind myself that at least I know it's definitely not going to remain at that level . . . and I find that at the time, that one thought really seems to help.

By the way . . . loved the fact that you said 'wee risks'. I grew up in New Zealand and they say 'wee' instead of 'small' or 'little' all the time. But the term isn't used here in Australia . . . so if I ever say it . . . I just get laughed at.

 

[Bill Bauer]

How is it possible that noise canceling headphones cause tinnitus...?

The way those headphones are supposed to work is by generating sound waves that cancel out the sound waves from the outside. Perhaps some of those waves (generated by the headphones close to the ear) don't get cancelled out. But if that were the case, you would actually Hear something, and the reality is that you don't hear anything. (Although people had described "air cabin pressure feeling" when using those headphones,
http://www.hifihelper.com/bose-qc35-ii-review/ )

In any case, like I said, I wear earplugs under those phones. My hope is that whatever it is that the headphones do that can cause T, won't get through the earplugs. Over the past year, I spent hundreds of hours wearing those headphones... I wear earplugs, so I never experienced that "air cabin pressure."

Also, many people here use noise cancelling headphones without earplugs and don't have any problems. Use the search function of this site to find the posts of the people who regret using noise cancelling headphones.

 

[Martin G]

Normally I wear Bose headphones only when I drive on a highway, or when I am in an airplane.

The main reason I actually bought my Bose was in anticipation of flying to visit my family at Xmas. It's a 3 hour flight and I booked the ticket before my T & H.

However, both symptoms have worsened since then to the extent that I'm unfortunately going to have to cancel the trip. The problem is that although the Bose are great at what they do . . . and I imagine ideal for plane travel . . . I can only really wear them (or earplugs) for short periods at a time. After a while, the T gets sort of 'trapped' in there with me and makes a kind of muffled scream. Obviously, if I'm on a plane when that happens . . . I'm simply not in a position to be able to take them off.

So unless I somehow make significant improvement over the coming years . . . it unfortunately looks as though I'll have to add flying to the list of things I can't do anymore.

 

[Bill Bauer]

After a while, the T gets sort of 'trapped' in there with me and makes a kind of muffled scream.

Are you saying that within an hour of wearing hearing protection, your T gets louder?

 

[Martin G]

Are you saying that within an hour of wearing hearing protection, your T gets louder?

No . . . I don't think so. It's probably hard to explain. It's not really that my T gets louder. It's kind of a different sound/sensation that I suddenly start to experience after headphones or plugs have been on/in for while. Best way I can kind of describe it is like a 'muffled scream'. It's nothing to do with loudness or volume. It's more like a feeling of claustrophobia . . . or suddenly being conscious of the fact that whatever is going on is 'trapped' inside your head with you . . . due to the 'phones/plugs.

Perhaps it's a sound that's already there . . . but it becomes more noticeable after you've been isolated from external sounds for a period of time . . . who knows?

Sorry . . . maybe forget about this one.

It seems too hard to actually describe.

I just read back what I wrote . . . and even I couldn't understand what I was trying to say.

That having been said . . . if anyone else thinks they may have felt something similar . . . I'd be interested to hear.

 

[Bill Bauer]

It's kind of a different sound/sensation that I suddenly start to experience after headphones or plugs have been on/in for while. Best way I can kind of describe it is like a 'muffled scream'. It's nothing to do with loudness or volume. It's more like a feeling of claustrophobia . . . or suddenly being conscious of the fact that whatever is going on is 'trapped' inside your head with you . . .

If I were you, I would wait for a year. Then, if that sensation is still a problem, to give myself an opportunity to travel by air, I would consider training myself to wear hearing protection for hours. Start by wearing hearing protection until you begin experiencing those symptoms, and then getting yourself to calm down and "take it" for another 5 minutes. Repeat the next day, and try to increase your time by another 1-5 minutes. Do this until you can handle that unpleasant sensation all day long (16 hours). Of course the above might not work, as the sensation might be unbearable. But it just Might work...