Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

Depends on how bad your t is and the risks you're willing to take.

In the very beginning I've gone to see a couple of bands but always with earplugs and over-ear protection. It was okay as far as my tinnitus has been concerned, but the ear protection changed the quality of the music to a point I didn't enjoy it at all, and that was it. Now, with the addition of hyperacusis, listening to live music is absolutely impossible for me

I made a compromise and I liste to music all day on a low volume. Live music is something else....that stuff is yanked up to 11, creating new tinnitus victims every time. Knowing the stuff I know now, I don't even think it's that enjoyable anymore. I just dont understand why it has to be so damn loud.

I would start small. Maybe enjoy a busker from afar and see how that goes.

Primarily something without drums I suppose.
PS - your winkey photo does it for me. Very foxy lol.

@kingsfan smart idea. It's crazy I even wrote that seeing as I'm one of the more anxious folks on here. I may go to a local farmers market and they usually have small local live music maybe that's a good test lol even though I'll likely try to avoid it!

@Shelbylynn as long as it's not in an enclosed area where you can start at a far distance away.

Do you play an instrument? That should give you an idea of what you can handle. I, for instance, spike from my acoustic guitar and get fatigued from my unplugged electric, so I know I probably can't handle anything live.

@kingsfan Yeah I play a classical guitar acoustically and i strum and I don't notice any ill effect from it. My t is more stable than I think I feared from the start. I just get weary cause i got t from a concert but we're talking tool in a enclosed space. This is like some small local band playing in an open beer garden outside. I'll see if I can just avoid the beer garden anyways.

@kingsfan Technically i just wanna go because a friend invited me. It's like an open outdoor farmers market on some small part of our downtown area where it's an open street of vendors food trucks etc. I just want food anyways LOL. I'll wear plugs too and I always carry peltors in case. It's like I miss music but I'm also phobic of it now

@Shelbylynn If you wait until after the band starts. You can gauge how you feel as you are walking towards the beer garden.

@Shelbylynn Ugh, I don't want to give you the impression that I'm encouraging you to go into a super loud environment. I'm just trying to help you stay safe as possible while you navigate your limits/boundaries. I would stay far far back and using a sound meter, stay below 75-70dba. Even that volume messes up some of us, but I don't know your situation.

@kingsfan oh no I completely understand! It's a lot safer than like an actual music event. It's just around. My tinnitus has been fairly stable and been through really loud accidental crap so 70s doesn't bother me especially if I'm wearing plugs. For some reason my tinnitus isn't as sensitive as others? But I also don't wanna risk it ya know

Well I went it was about 71 on my db reader maybe a little louder says it was my phone. I wore my lighter plugs. Haven't noticed a spike so I would say it's a success! I stayed farther from music though. So up close music was prob 80-90 or more who knows