I spent most of Saturday morning in the garage working on a bookshelf for my daughter. I was using my old circular saw and a sander for a few hours. To be honest, I didn’t think twice about ear protection because I was just popping in and out of the shop.
Now, it is Sunday evening and my ears are still ringing like a tea kettle. Usually, if I’m around loud noise, the “buzz” fades after an hour or two, but this feels different. It’s a high-pitched whine that won’t quit, and my left ear feels slightly muffled, almost like there is cotton stuck in it.
My current situation:
- Ringing hasn’t stopped in 24 hours.
- Slight “fullness” in the left ear.
- Feeling a bit anxious about permanent damage.
I’m 62 and already have some mild loss, but this is new. Has anyone else had a spike last this long after power tool use? What would you do? Should I wait it out or call the audiologist tomorrow?
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Don’t panic just yet. I’ve had spikes last three or four days before they finally settled back down to my normal baseline.
I’m 68 and did the exact same thing with a leaf blower last fall. It took about 48 hours for that ‘clogged’ feeling to go away. Definitely keep those earmuffs right on the workbench from now on so you don’t forget them! I learned my lesson the hard way too.
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If that muffled feeling is still there by tomorrow morning, I would definitely give your doctor a call. Sudden hearing changes are always worth a professional look just to be safe. It might just be some impacted wax that got rattled loose, but you never know.
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Try playing some soft rain sounds or white noise tonight to help you sleep. It helps distract the brain from that high-pitched whine. Stressing about it usually makes the ringing sound louder for me.
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Any update, Wayne? Hope the ringing has calmed down a bit today.
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