It's still early i know, it's just that i know people care here so i wanted to hear what they got to say about and hear some advice. I'll write a success story even if i don't get fully recovered, i'm an optimist. My life is back for the time being (Minus cinema and concerts).
Of course, avoid cinemas, at least for now. I was going to say avoid loud cinemas, but then... what cinemas are not loud in this time and age. Many movies are made that way so they have to play them loud. Concerts is something I would not even consider. Or at least not in the coming months. Give yourself time to heal. That's my thinking at least.
Yes, you are still early into this, and every case is different. But after reading all this, my impression is that you have a fairly good chance of making a full recovery. So be patient, be cautious about sound levels, and stay positive.
Danced near the speakers with my friends for maybe 2 hours.
So the sound level was likely very high, which is expected for a nightclub. But that exposure time is way too long. But I completely understand. You were celebrating your friend's birthday and all that. Hey, life is for living! Unfortunately though, we don't stay young and healthy forever. You will find as you grow older that you cannot do many of the things you used to be able to. That's also part of life. I don't want to tell you to not go to nightclubs anymore. But try to be mindful of things like this. Even taking short breaks will help you restore your senses. And refresh your legs!
I got the fullness right after leaving, and it stayed fully for 5 days, then it progressively got fainter.
Did you hear a static noise as well during this time, or after the fullness went away?
I noticed it when i couldn't stand my friends voices the week after the exposure. I coudn't even talk to my GF without my ears hurting.
Yes, what you describe is hyperacusis. But I would rather describe it as if the brain is hurting. Because when I get this I cannot localize it to the ears per se. So I cannot exactly tell where it hurts. However, the ears have pain receptors, called nociceptors. So just like you perceive pain when you put your hand on a hot kitchen stove, your brain can perceive sound levels as painful. Following text is taken from Wikipedia.
A nociceptor is a type of receptor at the end of a sensory neuron's axon that responds to damaging or potentially damaging stimuli by sending danger signals to the spinal cord and the brain. This process is called nociception.
Both ears as far as i can tell.
Yeah, hyperacusis is usually perceived in both of your ears. Well... it's not really like it's in the ears really... it's more centralized in the brain, as explained above. I think that's why you are a bit confused about it. I think you would know for sure if it was one ear or the other.
Well, what I meant to ask you here was if your tinnitus was in both ears or only one ear? I know... my original question was a bit clumsy. You can try answering now if you want.
I personally first started having fleeting tinnitus in one ear or the other, where it would just beep for approx. 5 seconds and then go away. This is the type of tinnitus I think many people in the world experience. That is, non-chronic tinnitus. About one to two years ago I had a few acoustic incidents and then I gradually started noticing like a static noise. It was mostly noticeable at night when I go to bed. Then it became tonal and that's when I realized I had developed tinnitus.
Well, he says that particullar range and with that "minor" gap should never be an issue and could never tell the difference.
Everything is relative of course, but I think your doctor may be underestimating the 10 dB gap. For normal hearing that is pretty significant I think. What makes it more difficult to asses the damage is that they can't tell how much of that is created by the ears and how much by the brain. I will give you an example below.
Well, he did not ordered any aditional test, only audiogram and it was taken 3 weeks after the exposure.
That's a fairly early assessment. I myself waited up to 10 months just to see an ENT doctor. But before that, I went to an audiologist. I think it was about 2 months after my latest acoustic incident (I have had a few before that). The diagram showed overall normal hearing, but there was a sharp 30 dB dip at 6 kHz, which was coincidentally the average frequency of the noise I was exposed to. When I saw the ENT several months later, he ordered a new audiogram and it showed a 15 dB dip this time.
So did my ears heal? I would hope so, but no one is able to tell me. My thinking is that this 15 dB boost is the result of my brain cranking up the volume. In an attempt to balance out the loss, because you see my mostly damaged ear is the left ear. So I recognize the sensation of the world being "unbalanced" as you describe it. My brain cranking up the volume is my explanation for why I experienced hyperacusis as well. Then my hyperacusis went down, and so did my tinnitus.
It is peculiar, but they just don't have a clue about this.
Exactly, they don't have a clue. Which is why we have to be our own doctors. I welcome the age in which we are able to monitor our health conditions ourselves and treat ourselves when possible, and with the right knowledge of course. That's my way of thinking. There is this diluted belief that doctors are miracle workers. Get this: doctors are not smart! They are just highly educated and have a good salary! I am of course talking about medical doctors, not "doctor" doctors - those would be the men and women who do real science.
It means that if you are talking to me from 5 feet away. I look at your mouth and the sound isn't coming from there, all sounds sources are sided more to the left, like if you tinkered with your TV audio balance (Left and right speakers). It's subtle but enough for me to notice it. This includes TV, cellphone, cars, you name it.
Yes, I have had that experience. This is when my static noise became more of a tonal noise. At first I thought it was coming from my computer, and then realized it was in my ear. I say "ear" because it felt like it was in one ear more than the other, then I started noticing it in the other ear as well, and then it kind of found its way up to the head. So now it feels mostly like it's in the middle of the head somewhere. Some days it's good, some days it's not so good. But I get along well anyway. The worst part is over for me, especially the hyperacusis. That was the worst part initially I think.
The reason i come here it's becouse he is the same guy that told me that Tinnitus is never over 8 KHZ.............. at least he is a nice guy.
Mr. Nice Guy with a high income job!
If you browse around on this site you will find people that have tinnitus at frequencies as high as 15 kHz. But the thing about tinnitus is that it doesn't really have a specific frequency. All these frequencies are self reported, because no one can really measure it. The best you can do is try to match it against an external sound source. Even people that have tonal tinnitus can experience shifts in frequency and amplitude. It can even change in character or pattern as you describe it.
Until we can properly detect and diagnose it, I'm afraid all our attempts at solving this will be shots fired in the dark.
I only had one "Major" incident actually where my hearing felt muffled on one side for two days like 9 years ago, it happned in the same venue.... for god's sake lol
Bad luck!
Well, that's one of those early warning signs we need to pay attention to if we want to stay healthy. I mean I have used and abused my ears for good two decades now. I have experienced those ringing sensations where it just comes and goes on its own. I used to make jokes about it with my friends and family. I never really understood that what I experienced was this thing called "tinnitus" or that it could become permanent. So there you go... I learned the hard way, just like many of us here. There is not enough awareness about this, and people who have it don't like to talk about it or share their story.
Been checking for that, pressure seems fine so no ETD as far as i can tell. Taking care of them.
Sounds good! Because believe it or not, some people get it from ETD, outer ear or middle ear obstructions. Then they recover by clearing this up. But you need to be careful about what you use when cleaning the ear canal, or what drugs you use for middle ear problems. These can do more harm than good sometimes. Always read the description for any medication you take. Some of them can cause hearing loss.
Yes, it's getting better! One less issue!
Yeah, like I said, hyperacusis is probably the worst part. That is my experience as well. As I said you are still early into this, there is a fair chance that you might recover from this completely. One way or another you will get through this. Stray strong! Stay positive!