Will My Hearing Get Worse?

[serendipity1996]

Hi there,

I am 20 years old and have been extremely distressed lately because of a spike in my tinnitus...for the past 5 years I could pretend it doesn't exist and still enjoy near total silence but recently it has been like a chorus of crickets.

Added to this my hearing has become dulled and I feel like I have a cold.

I don't know if it's just my paranoia but I also feel like I am struggling to hear a lot with lots of background noise or even following fast conversations. I had an audiogram done which showed that my hearing was pretty perfect but I honestly think it's so damaged.

The main thing that worries me is the future....I can deal with it as it is now because it's not really an impairment. I am going to avoid loud environments - no clubs, concerts, sporting venues from now on and most of all no headphones but I am worried that more damage from the past few years will creep up regardless.

And what about the hearing damage that comes with ageing? I'm terrified that I will need a hearing aid at 40 or even 30 even if I take measures from now on to protect my hearing because of the natural ageing process.

I hate myself so much for causing so much damage to my ears as a stupid teenager. Is this likely???

 

[Michael Leigh]

going to avoid loud environments - no clubs, concerts, sporting venues from now on and most of all no headphones

If you have been attending clubs, concerts without using ear protection? Listening to music through headphones. Especially listening to music through headphones...Something I strongly advise anyone with tinnitus not to do even at love volumes. Then this is the likely cause of the increase in your tinnitus. When your tinnitus calms down and you go to clubs etc wear noise reducing earplugs. I advise you not to listen to music through headphones even at low volume. Consider using a sound machine by your bedside at night for sound enrichment. This will help you not to focus on the tinnitus. Keep the volume of the sound machine slightly below your tinnitus, try not to mask your tinnitus so that it can't be heard.
Michael

 

[alegria09]

you have to protect yourself from loud noise if you dont want to eventually get worse

 

[Kazue]

If your hearing is almost perfect like mine, that means you have hidden hearing damage. Not to fear, it means the ends of the neurons that send the messages are damaged. That causes a miss fire, sending a false signal to your brain. I would start taking your B12 and magnesium to help prevent further damage. Of course, wear ear protection when you go to loud social places. I'm only 15 with hearing damage. I'm probably going to be deaf at 40 years old. That doesn't effect me though. We should have a cure soon. Or else, I'll find one myself.

 

[DefNFlaky]

By the time you reach 30, they may reverse hearing damage even for me who wore HA all my life. Just take it easy with the loud noises and try not to let T run your life.