Can Hidden Hearing Loss Symptoms Improve Over Time?

[Cloudious]

Hi everyone!

Just to give a brief rundown of my situation, I started experiencing hearing challenges after attending my first rock concert in November without earplugs. Since then, I have had difficulty hearing quieter sounds like footsteps, occasional ear pain, trouble understanding voices when there is background noise from fans or refrigerators, and an inability to process similar sounds at the same time. For example, the sound of rubbing my hands is masked by running water. Consonants like f, p, and v have become harder to distinguish, and music lyrics sound muted and garbled.

In late December, I took a comprehensive hearing test, including pure tone audiometry, tympanometry, speech recognition, QuickSIN, OAE tested up to 12 kHz, acoustic reflex, and UCL. Everything came back normal. My introductory thread goes into more detail about my situation.

Now, nearly three months later, these issues persist, which is really worrying. Since my test results were normal, I suspect I have hidden hearing loss. From what I have researched, there does not seem to be any proven treatment for this aside from possibly auditory therapy, which is not even widely accepted as effective. I have also read about ongoing trials with Cilcare and Rinri, but it is unclear if they will lead to a successful treatment. I am considering getting ABR and ECOG tests to assess my auditory nerves and gain more insight into what is going on.

I cannot believe that one mistake out of pure ignorance might have permanently damaged my ability to enjoy and understand music, as well as have conversations when there is background noise. If only I had known then what I know now.

That being said, is there anything that might at least help ease these issues? If there is no cure, I would still like to find ways to make hearing and appreciating music and speech less of a struggle. Maybe it is just a matter of giving my auditory system time to recover and my brain time to adjust. If that is the case, I am willing to be patient. But if I am missing something, please let me know.

 

[DamagedJoe]

I cannot believe that one mistake out of pure ignorance might have permanently damaged my ability to enjoy and understand music, as well as have conversations when there is background noise. If only I had known then what I know now.

This one, sir! I feel you.

 

[momus]

You should probably avoid loud environments, antibiotics, and anything that increases stress. Keeping a log can help—note whether the problem is worse when you wake up, stays the same, or worsens throughout the day. Later in the day, track any changes. Avoid hard drugs, and while weed isn't classified as a hard drug, it has been associated with increased tinnitus.

Stress reduction might involve certain medications, but everyone has to figure out what works best for them. These forums can be helpful in that process. My advice is to ignore whatever your primary care doctor says about tinnitus and instead see a specialist who has experience with tinnitus patients. This can help rule out possible causes like an infection or dislodged earwax. General practitioners simply don't have the expertise to deal with tinnitus properly.

 

[Cloudious]

You should probably avoid loud environments, antibiotics, and anything that increases stress. Keeping a log can help—note whether the problem is worse when you wake up, stays the same, or worsens throughout the day. Later in the day, track any changes. Avoid hard drugs, and while weed isn't classified as a hard drug, it has been associated with increased tinnitus.

Stress reduction might involve certain medications, but everyone has to figure out what works best for them. These forums can be helpful in that process. My advice is to ignore whatever your primary care doctor says about tinnitus and instead see a specialist who has experience with tinnitus patients. This can help rule out possible causes like an infection or dislodged earwax. General practitioners simply don't have the expertise to deal with tinnitus properly.

Thanks for the reply!

Regarding tinnitus, I haven't had an episode in nearly a week. The initial trauma triggered ringing for a day, but then it stopped, only reappearing for a few seconds every few days. As I'm typing this, the main issue that remains is the distorted hearing.

I suppose stress relief would help with everything I'm experiencing right now. I've been taking Hydroxyzine for the past few weeks, and it has helped me get better sleep each night.