Week 5 tomorrow since sudden noise exposure

[Laura878787]

So 5 long bloody stressful weeks since I was exposed to the 140 decibel alarm my own fault I guess for setting it off but the instructions said long term exposure to this noise would harm and do not put next to the ear. I mean this is the same advice as a baby toy as this can be harmful next to the ear. Anyway it was only for a few seconds but as it is dangerously loud I have since got ringing in the ears, mild pain, pressure sensations, I've had a bit of numbness and dizziness, felt sick in the first week but maybe due to worry.Balance is OK at the moment and hope it continues to be as one thing keeping me happy is that I can still exercise.

I can still work as I have a busy sales job I speak to customers all day in handfree but its making me work harder as I cannot let this affect my job as I am a sole earner and a mother of 2.

The worst thing and the thing that is creating the most anxiety in all this is my kids were in the room.

I just keep thinking

Have I ruined their future

Will they have to think about protecting their ears forever

I have read so many post on how these things have ruined people's lives and I have potentially done this to my kids at a young age. I can't believe this situation. Never have I ever put them in any danger and I do this stupid thing.

My daughter is very much 'I'm fine' however she did admit after day 3 she was suffering from mild earache

I bought her some hearing protection but she hasn't worn it so I guess it's a good sign she isn't in any pain but I'm so worried. She doesn't like dentist or doctor visits so I'm thinking is she not telling me due to not wanted to see the Dr or is she not trying to worry me due to her knowing I feel terrible after this incident.

My son said he has had some weird sounds here and there and could feel something in his ears he hasn't had pain but ringing is getting more frequent. I just hope it doesn't stay. He is a bit nervous about noise.

The Dr won't see kids under 16 without signs of hearing loss and their symptoms aren't too severe for them to want to go to the Dr

I have seen 2 Dr and an audiologist at specsavers and a hearing aid dispenser at hidden hearing

Today the Dr said the ent will write to me for an appointment but will take months.

I'm not really sure what the point really is now?

I did call 111 straight after the alarm went off but as I wasn't in severe pain or bleeding I was just told to call gp on Monday. But this sort of thing needs treatment right away or within the first 2 weeks apparently no Dr has told me this but people online who have experienced this.

Anyway I hope my kids will be OK

When can we stop worrying ?

It seems once the ears have been exposed to the very loud noise that's it. Gotta be careful all the bloody time? If it was just me obviously I wouldn't be over the moon, but I'd just think OK I've made a mistake move on. But my kids are healthy and young and I dont want to make their life hard!! Hard to just get over it.

Hopefully they will be OK

My son and daughter are off to college until September so gives us time to be relaxed and hopefully ears will be OK by then

Still dont understand why a personal alarm needs to be 140 decibels!!!

I have had a good day at work

I worked out

Now going to do some studying

However I usually go to karate on Thursday, haven't been able to since the alarm as there is a lot of shouting and my ears are still achy and sensitive to noise so I think I'll wait longer to go back if I get better. Luckily I can still practise at home.

When a load noise happen the ringing gets a bit louder and literally feel my ears vibrate I just hope this does settle down

[Laura878787]

Actually will be 5 weeks on Saturday

[Candleinthewind in reply to Laura878787]

Hello Laura x I have tinitus and hyperacusis, my experience has been 23 years. Wat concerns me, from wat you have posted, is how much you are beating yourself up, and how that leads to paranoia. Clearly, you have had a traumatic experience, and thinking yourself to blame must be exhausting! From my experience, we are the front runners of these "ear worm" diseases. Gp's have more than enough on their plates to deal with new stuff, and there are very few specialists in the field. (Though many expensive products available to try). Different things work for different people. Wen I backed my audiologist into a corner, she said it had more to do with psychosis, as its not the sound..but wat your brain does with the sound. Psychiatrists are just on the edge of realising how stress causes our senses to overload, and ptsd isn't just about the war! (..people dying violently in front of you = shock and loss, is parralel to the similie you are facing). The best help I got was joining a group which normalised my experience. Plus ear defenders wen I go out, which I've been told doesn't help bcos you have to de-sensitise to the noise by allowing it in. I honestly want to say fuck off to that...though it does make sense, however, all the time we are struggling with ptsd moving forward seems impossible.I would encourage you to stop worrying the children,..stop beating yourself up - if you had known you wouldn't have done it. Accept its done, forgive yourself for not taking the instructions seriously,..maybe write to the manufacturer to say wat might be helpful in order for it not to happen again..eg. explain measurements/normalises of decibels? And most of all, think of it as stress and treat yourself accordingly.

Best wishes

Come again :-)x

[Laura878787 in reply to Candleinthewind]

Thanks you for the message Gosh 23 years must be difficult, yes I'm trying to accept and move on and what will be will be. And the damage is done now.

I will just have to adjust a lot for now and maybe forever who knows.

Going to get up and exercise and try and clean the house

Thank you I have looked for groups near me but there isn't any so I'm on here for now

Have a nice day 😊

[Candleinthewind]

Not fair is it, but my daughter helps me by reminding me not to put negative ideas into the universe, (cos of self fulfilling prophecys), but sometimes I have to say "fuck off" to that frustration aye!Good idea to focus on wat is important here, right here, right now

Have a good day,..maybe don't over do it :-)x

[Laura878787 in reply to Candleinthewind]

Thank you, yes kids can help you be more positive we'll mine do thankfully, I usually am positive and am trying to be. I've been through a lot of obstacles in life but this is just a really strange, unexpected preventable situation and it's just turned me into a bit of a wreck but gotta keep going! We just gotta take each day as it comes and be as happy as we can

Thanks for the message 🙂

[Happyrosie]

Laura, in your reply to a poster you said “preventable” and yes it was BUT it’s something that has happened, and this isn’t going to change.

What you’ve done is bring up two children and done it well; whilst there have no doubt been problems on the way, you’ve overcome them. Successfully. Maybe there have been ten other things, worse things, that could have happened but didn’t because you are a caring person.

Hold on to the positives

[Laura878787]

Thanks 😊 Rosie for taking the time to reply

It's funny because everyday random things happen

Today I moved my sons push up bars and he couldn't find them, I said I moved them out the way so you don't trip over them (as I have done in the past.)

Then later on he had left them on the floor again and said you were right as I just tripped on them lol

Luckily he not hurt but he said he should've listened lol

But yeah sometimes you have an accident and you get away with it, also what my workplace logs as a (near miss)

And sometimes you don't get away with it and get injured, i guess that's life

It's just in all the years never have I been responsible for any harm to them and took pride in not doing anything wrong, then I feel like I expose them to an extreme loud sound and it could have a really negative affect on their whole life, but again what's done is done

It is funny about the ear you never really, well not in my school anyway learn about harmful decibel levels and I studied about the ear in my degree and cannot remember decibels mentioned just learnt about the ear itself, how it works etc.

My grandad is 78 and he has been a a full time gardener 7 days a week from the age of 16 to 70 and never wore ear protection and is fine. Chainsaw use and lawnmowing daily. My nan said her and grandad never have had a hearing test and they are fine ( they are obviously a but deaf as they have their TV loud but it doesn't bother them at all!)

It's just since this incident I have seen warnings for concerts and construction workers but most of the time the effects of this are years later, there are some people affected but think how many people go to concerts and are OK for years, damage may be done but not a problem for them.

If I have to turn up corrie full volume when I'm 70 I couldn't care less

It's the extreme sound that's more harmful, it seems alarms, guns and firecrackers airhorns, explosions

Think how many people work in construction and go to concerts

Most people are OK there are a few that get tinitus or hearing issues after one concert or one screwdriving incident but this is probably quite rare. Sudden loud noise from headphones is dangerous to. Also I worked in a call centre for a few years, I never was warned about acoustic shock but many acoustic shock patients are call centre workers

When I told my nan about thus incident as she wondered why I kept asking her to turn the TV down. She mentioned my uncle has tinitus and hearing aids. He is about 56 and has worked in construction his whole life, not nice for him but he had worked in construction everyday since 16 years old so that's 40 years before noticeable damage that's effects him

I guess it's hard to warn people about sudden extreme situations as no one knows when it will happen! However dangerously loud items like alarms ans firecrackers shouldn't be aloud to be sold !

I read some guy was just walking through town and a burglar alarm went off right next to his ear and ruined his life

And when I saw the audiologist he said he saw a guy last week who's burger alarm wouldn't stop going off and he tried to turn it off but his ear went near it and went completely deaf

I hate alarms, the fire alarm at work use to go off at 10am every Friday, gave me a headache all day

Then I go an buy one!

Sorry I do go on a bit lol

[Laura878787]

Sorry I'm not used to posting online and the above is just an opinion, obviously it would be wise to wear protection to every concert, fireworks show, construction job but just saying I think the ears are great and strong until they've been damaged from an extreme sound or a lot over the years then they are more vulnerable