Causes of Instant Hearing Loss from only Moderately Loud Noise?
I am a progressive hearing loss sufferer, and still no diagnosis. I get sudden small losses a few times a week or up to every two weeks. There are many triggers, including anxiety attacks and exertion, but most often it is a sudden loud-ish noise (>=90-105 db or so, clearly not loud enough to do instant damage).
Embarrassing, but I went to the toilet. I bent down to grab something at the base of the toilet, when it automatically flushed; no time to plug my ears! The high frequencies in the rushing water caused a bit of muffling in my right ear, and it hurt a little. When morning came I realized that some of my hearing went (can't hear whispers now for sure out of that ear), any I had a very faint tinnitus that comes and goes. I also had some vertigo.
For all I know this may be related to an earlier noise insult to that ear a few days earlier. Had an earplug in it that I accidentally brushed against, and it made a loud grating sound similar to a gunshot noise (but likely not that loud??!). That definitely caused some damage but I seemed to recover within a couple days.
Why all of this??! What would cause my ears to be so susceptible to such common environmental noises (of lower decibel level), especially given their duration is only a couple of seconds long? I never had this problem with any loud noises until last August, so all I know is that it is likely not a genetic problem rearing its ugly head. I also doubt anxiety as I had extreme anxiety in the past with no ear problems.
I have been out researching for months with regard to this and still no answers. Hence, I am losing my mind. Any shared ideas would help me cope better with the psychological turmoil!
Last edited by doggydruel; 03-15-2016 at 06:30 PM.
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