My wife's brother came down with pretty severe tinnitus about a year after me. The one thing that we have in common is that we both had concussions as children. In my case I fell off a
(parked) truck while playing tag when I was about 8 years old. (growing up in the city....we made our own entertainment). I fell about 8 or 10 feet landing on my head and spent nearly a week in hospital. I've wondered if there is any correlation (damage done which showed up years later)?
The night my tinnitus went 'thru the roof' I had done some maintenance on my car earlier in the day and I was listening intently (to the engine) as I drove. Afterwards I wondered if something (a fiber, cilia etc...) snapped? Obviously, if this is the case. it would have happened sooner or later anyway. I'll never know exactly what caused the sudden intensity change but I do agree that it's more 'torture' than 'annoying'.
PS: My tinnitus does vary in intensity depending on the day. Occasionally I have a day where I hardly think about it but more often I have days that it's constantly on my mind....those are the 'torturous' days. Sadly, I can have 2 weeks in a row of those type days....that's when it becomes depressing.
pbm, sorry to hear about your plight. I've suffered two severe concussions in my lifetime, the most recent being in 1998 from a bad bicycle crash that put me in the hospital with a severe concussion and multiple broken bones. I have been told by every doctor I've seen since my tinnitus onset that concussions that go back years are not a factor or cause.
Were you talking any prescription drugs at the time? Given that you already have tinnitus I URGE you to be careful with any drug you are prescribed. Ask you doctor whether or not it will make tinnitus worse. Check online for the drug's side effects before taking. Certain antibiotics are known to cause temporary tinnitus. But with you already having tinnitus I'd avoid any antibiotic that has even a slight tinnitus risk. And ED drugs? Don't even think about taking those!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Find my years ago thread about this. Feel free to PM me if you have questions.
And how loud was that engine? I was at the shooting range two years ago and was slow to get my ear muffs on. The guy a few stations away from me shot his absolutely deafening long rifle, shooting it just once before I got my muffs on. My already bad tinnitus got noticeably and instantly worse - and stayed that way for over SIX MONTHS before returning to "normal" (which was bad)! Protect your hearing! Especially now with you having tinnitus!
See my previous post about using "benzos". They can help on bad days, but be careful, very careful. I'd either eliminate or at least limit alcohol and caffeine. Both are known to agitate existing tinnitus.
Also too, and this is perhaps my best advice I can give to tinnitus sufferers, eat a healthy diet, exercise, lose weight, etc. Do whatever you can to make yourself feel as healthy as possible. Tinnitus feels much worse when you're not taking care of yourself. When you have good mental and physical vitality, I think tinnitus has more of an uphill battle in its attempt to wreck your life.
Scott