Trauma induced hearing loss :(

[robbbby]

Has anybody had anything like this happen to them?  Right now I'm just at a complete loss and want to cry.

 

I had a freak accident happen while working on a bicycle recently, a tubeless tire popped off the bead while I was trying to seat it and it blew up right next to my face.  It was like a gunshot went off, my left ear was ringing for hours.  The next day hearing was still muffled so I just rested and kept earplugs in.  It's been a few days now and for the most part my hearing feels back to normal.  However, when I hear talking or higher pitched sounds, it sounds echoey/reverbish, like my bad ear is processing sounds slower than the ear that didn't receive trauma.

 

A quick  google search tells me I now have what is called diplacusis.

 

Quote

Diplacusis is a form of hearing loss that causes our ears to hear sounds so differently it creates a disturbing two-sound experience.

In more medical terms, diplacusis is the “perceptual anomaly whereby the same sound is perceived as having a different pitch depending on whether it is presented in the left or the right ear."

 

Apparently if this happens from a trauma it's pretty much irreversible.

 

I've tried everything in my power to get into an ENT doctor asap but so far the quickest appointment I can get is September 30th.

 

I've never experienced so much anxiety in my life and I never in my wildest dreams imagined I'd having a hearing problem at such a young age.

 

Today I turned on my stereo for the first time in a week just at a very low volume and almost broken down, it was the worst experience anybody who enjoys music could imagine.

 

I don't even know where to go from here.  I've spent this year building up my system to pretty much a dream system for me, all this gorgeous new equipment and toys that are completely useless now.

 

Have any of you music lovers ever experienced a hearing trauma? How did you take it? Where did you go from there?

 

I'm at the point where I'm so upset that I feel like the only action at this point is to sell everything.

 

Anyways, I just needed a place to vent my frustrations.  Take care of your ears, always wear protection even when doing things like cutting the grass, hearing loss is terrible and for people in this hobby/lifestyle it can be a very depressing and tragic thing 😟

[robbbby]

Thanks everyone. Definitely not trying to play doctor, doing everything in my power to visit an ent ASAP. But, free healthcare means you have to wait for things like this. They put me on the cancellation list so hopefully somebody cancels and I can get in sooner. 

[robbbby]

Thanks bluesman.

 

I called another ENT in town and pleaded my case.

They could not see me without the doctor referral but they said what I was describing was a very good reason to be put in as an emergency to the on call ENT in town.  They suggested going back to where I got the referral (walk in clinic), and getting them to contact the on call ENT.

I went back in to the clinic, it took a bit of convincing that this is quite serious and I should see somebody right away. He looked in my ear and said the ear drum looks fine so he didn't consider it "traumatic".  After a bit of pleading he went and made some calls and got me in with an EMT first thing tomorrow morning.

 

Thanks for those of you pressing me to try and see somebody right away, without that push I probably would not have been so agressive about trying to get in.

[robbbby]

Visited the ENT this morning. Typical in and out visit with very little done (The joys of free health care).

 

Looked in my ear and said I have a very healthy looking ear. 

Explained to me what happened using an illustration on the wall of the little hairs within the cochlea and said there is no treatment, best thing to do is rest the ear and let nature take its course to see if they "awaken".

He said if I was really concerned he would book me for a hearing test 🙄

I passed since that would probably be weeks away, there is an audiologist by my house that I can get into for a test within 1 or 2 days.

 

@bluesman maybe you can shed some more light.  I feel like I have had small improvements day to day.  Today being the most significant. When I talk to most men, my hearing feels like 95%.  The issue of the echo/delayed hearing happens mostly with women and higher pitched sounds.  Is that any sort of a sign that I'm not really noticing that echo sensation with lower pitch? Also today, even with the higher pitched voices/sounds I've noticed it isn't as bad or exaggerated as say 3 days ago. 

 

I'm feeling, or at least going to be optimistic.  The doctor today described what happened to me as "getting a cut on your hand", stating that it needs to to heal.  What a terrible analogy.

[robbbby]

As always, thank you so much for the great info bluesman.

 

Since this happened I have not experienced any dizziness, imbalance or pain.

 

I will call the audiologist up and schedule an appointment for next week.

I guess my next question would be, with regards to the results of the hearing test... would a capable audiologist be able to provide me with well educated feedback about the results of the test or would those results need to be taken back to a otolaryngologist to be deciphered?

 

And you also brought up a great point, one that I have been thinking to myself... is the hearing actually improving or am I slowly getting accustomed to the sound of the impairment.

As silly as it sounds, I have been using the iphone "ding" sound from text message notifications as a baseline or guide since it's a high frequency noise.  3-4 days ago the noise was very long and drawn out, very drone sounding. Today it is sounding almost the same as what i've been used to for years before, sharp and short.  Again, am I getting used to it? Is my brain tricking me? I don't know, but I'm staying positive.  And I'm going to schedule that hearing test right now!

[robbbby]

Few more days and much more improvement.  Happy to say i've started listening to some music just on my computer at low volume and it is a very, very different experience that what I had a week ago.  It can hear the separation between instruments and sound very well, there is just a few frequencies/pitch now that sort of drone/echo.  I'm getting happier by the day and not feeling so down and out anymore!

[robbbby]

On 1/29/2021 at 9:58 PM, asdf1000 said:

 

Hi @robbbby

 

How are you going now?

 

And what did the ENT say, if you don't mind sharing?

 

It was great to read you were improving each day and enjoying the music again.

 

Hope things continued to improve 

 

Things seem to be back to 100%, or at least what I believe is 100%.  If I have any sort of losses (which I very well may), I cannot discern any listening difference to before my trauma.

 

One thing is certain, I am now very mindful of what is going on around me and always wear hearing protection when necessary or outright leave places with uncomfortable loud noises.