How Likely Is It That My Ears Will Recover?

[Rymann]

Hi so it has been 6 days since I went to a concert with no protection too close to the speakers.

There was a smoke machine that caused pain in my right ear when it went off.

Since then I have ringing and noise sensitivity in my right ear and online tests are showing me a 30 decibel loss at 4 kHz and a 65 decibel loss at 6 kHz.

Before this event I already had a bit of loss at 8k which has not changed.

It's been 6 days and I feel like I haven't really improved at all. I'm really worried this is going to be permanent for me.

Has anyone else recovered over a week after a threshold shift this drastic?

 

[dpdx]

Dude don't go to concerts or clubs ever again. You need to wait two-three-four weeks. You are still to early in.

 

[Manny]

@Rymann You should go to your doctor and ask them to prescribe steroids (e.g. oral Prednisone for two weeks with a taper). You might also look into HBOT (Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy). Act quickly, as the longer you wait the less chance of any treatment being efficacious.

 

[Rymann]

Dude don't go to concerts or clubs ever again. You need to wait two-three-four weeks. You are still to early in.

progress can be made that much later ? After a few weeks ?

 

[dpdx]

progress can be made that much later ? After a few weeks ?

When I had Mild T it took like 3 weeks for it to settle from Moderate. This was back in September.

 

[Rymann]

When I had Mild T it took like 3 weeks for it to settle from Moderate. This was back in September.

But what about just the loss of hearing

 

[dpdx]

But what about just the loss of hearing

I had no hearing loss back then on audiogram. That appeared in January after I did a vemp test which was 100 decibels.​

 

[dpdx]

Your hearing will improve as well.

 

[dpdx]

You have to let your ears heal now and not expose yourself to loud sounds (Blender, Vacuum, Cinema, Club) and no Ear Tests or Earbuds.

 

[dpdx]

Also you have to go to a real audiologist so he measures your hearing and not online ear tests. @Bill Bauer help me out here @Michael Leigh. Please @Rymann listen to @Michael Leigh and read his articles. Please do so he will lead you on the right path. I wished I had listened to him.

 

[yonkapin]

I'd go on a course of oral corticosteroids like Prednisolone as soon as possible. Google oral steroids and hearing loss if you want more information.

They can prevent permanent hearing loss and possibly prevent chronic tinnitus. Find a doctor who will be willing to put you on a course. Usually they will prescribe something like Prednisolone 50mg and then have you taper by half a tablet ever 5 days, but this can vary between doctors and type of steroid.

The sooner you use them the more effective they will be. Also buy some NAC (N Acetyl Cysteine) - it's been shown to be helpful.

Online or at home hearing tests are also very unreliable and wildly inaccurate. Get a proper hearing test at an audiologist's or ENT's office.

Also there is a chance you could recover without any intervention, I had tinnitus for a couple weeks back in 2010 that went away by itself. And I used to deal with tinnitus for days after going clubbing regularly back before I got it permanently.

But do yourself a favor and get on oral steroids, and look into therapies such as HBOT. Don't sit and wait around for it to get better.

 

[Bill Bauer]

progress can be made that much later ? After a few weeks ?

If it hasn't improved for close to a week, it is not going to go away any time soon. However, most people experience fading. Hopefully you will begin noticing this fading after a month or two. For the first two years after onset T is not considered to be chronic. Some people have even recovered after suffering for more than two years, but of course this is rare.

Try to ensure that you don't get a new acoustic trauma. Your ears might have been compromised, and it might now be easier for you to get hurt (compare to how easy it was to hurt your ears before your acoustic trauma).

Check out
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

 

[Rymann]

If it hasn't improved for close to a week, it is not going to go away any time soon. However, most people experience fading. Hopefully you will begin noticing this fading after a month or two. For the first two years after onset T is not considered to be chronic. Some people have even recovered after suffering for more than two years, but of course this is rare.

Try to ensure that you don't get a new acoustic trauma. Your ears might have been compromised, and it might now be easier for you to get hurt (compare to how easy it was to hurt your ears before your acoustic trauma).

Check out
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

My bigger worry is my loss of hearing more so than my tinnitus. Do they go hand in hand ?

 

[Bill Bauer]

My bigger worry is my loss of hearing more so than my tinnitus.

Your hearing might bounce back. T will likely take a longer time to bounce back.

I am glad that your T is mild (if it wasn't - you wouldn't care about your hearing). This is a good sign that it is so mild so early on.

 

[Rymann]

Your hearing might bounce back. T will likely take a longer time to bounce back.

I am glad that your T is mild (if it wasn't - you wouldn't care about your hearing). This is a good sign that it is so mild so early on.

That's a bit of relief, I've noticed when I stay in bed away from sound my tinnitus is very mild, but if I'm out and about it is more bothersome. I'm really scared about my hearing

 

[Bill Bauer]

I'm really scared about my hearing

I remember reading posts where people said that their hearing had gradually improved. Of course there is such a thing as "hidden hearing loss". Audiologists don't test at All frequencies (they skip the very high frequencies).

 

[Rymann]

I'd go on a course of oral corticosteroids like Prednisolone as soon as possible. Google oral steroids and hearing loss if you want more information.

They can prevent permanent hearing loss and possibly prevent chronic tinnitus. Find a doctor who will be willing to put you on a course. Usually they will prescribe something like Prednisolone 50mg and then have you taper by half a tablet ever 5 days, but this can vary between doctors and type of steroid.

The sooner you use them the more effective they will be. Also buy some NAC (N Acetyl Cysteine) - it's been shown to be helpful.

Online or at home hearing tests are also very unreliable and wildly inaccurate. Get a proper hearing test at an audiologist's or ENT's office.

Also there is a chance you could recover without any intervention, I had tinnitus for a couple weeks back in 2010 that went away by itself. And I used to deal with tinnitus for days after going clubbing regularly back before I got it permanently.

But do yourself a favor and get on oral steroids, and look into therapies such as HBOT. Don't sit and wait around for it to get better.

I went to see a doctor who gave me a referral to an ENT and basically told me "wait a week or 2 before you check your hearing" telling me the steroids aren't effective this long after exposure and are only used for SSNHL but a lot of people have recommended it so I might go back tomorrow morning and try to get a prescription

 

[Rymann]

I remember reading posts where people said that their hearing had gradually improved. Of course there is such a thing as "hidden hearing loss". Audiologists don't test at All frequencies (they skip the very high frequencies).

I'm willing to accept some loss, seen a few studies that showed improvement up to 2 weeks after exposure. I know the online tests aren't super accurate but it looks like I've lost pretty important frequencies in 4K and 6k

 

[yonkapin]

I went to see a doctor who gave me a referral to an ENT and basically told me "wait a week or 2 before you check your hearing" telling me the steroids aren't effective this long after exposure and are only used for SSNHL but a lot of people have recommended it so I might go back tomorrow morning and try to get a prescription

The usual time frame that studies cite is 72 hours. But there are studies that suggest benefits can still be reaped weeks after an incident. I used to have these bookmarked years ago but have lost them since. I'm sure if you look enough you will find the same ones.

Either way, try to convince your doctor to give them a try anyway. The side effects are minimal especially when used in such a short period of time.

 

[Contrast]

hearing takes months to recover, only to a mediocre degree at best.

you have to understand some aspects of hearing loss are permanent and when the cochelar synaptic connections and hair cells die it cannot be naturally reversed. You have to wait until theraputics for hearing loss become available in the next 5-15 years or learn to live with it as most people here seem to be okay with.


You put Cause of Tinnitus : Unknown when it clearly was caused by hearing loss at a concert.

 

[Contrast]

Get a steroid immediately!

 

[Rymann]

hearing takes months to recover, only to a mediocre degree at best.

you have to understand some aspects of hearing loss are permanent and when the cochelar synaptic connections and hair cells die it cannot be naturally reversed. You have to wait until theraputics for hearing loss become available in the next 5-15 years or learn to live with it as most people here seem to be okay with.


You put Cause of Tinnitus : Unknown when it clearly was caused by hearing loss at a concert.

hearing takes months to recover, only to a mediocre degree at best.

you have to understand some aspects of hearing loss are permanent and when the cochelar synaptic connections and hair cells die it cannot be naturally reversed. You have to wait until theraputics for hearing loss become available in the next 5-15 years or learn to live with it as most people here seem to be okay with.


You put Cause of Tinnitus : Unknown when it clearly was caused by hearing loss at a concert.

mediocre at best ? I get a lot of mixed responses of the likelihood of recovery. And also I had mild tinnitus in my right ear for about 2 months before this event which felt like it went away completely ent told me it was because of my jaw but clearly the noise brought it back

 

[Contrast]

mediocre at best ? I get a lot of mixed responses of the likelihood of recovery. And also I had mild tinnitus in my right ear for about 2 months before this event which felt like it went away completely ent told me it was because of my jaw but clearly the noise brought it back

did your tinnitus get worse after the trauma.

Neck jaw problems and hearing loss both can cause tinnitus.

 

[Rymann]

did your tinnitus get worse after the trauma.

Neck jaw problems and hearing loss both can cause tinnitus.

Yes it did get worse

 

[Contrast]

it's impossible for your hearing to be post trauma with current technology but steroids are the currently best option.

hurry

 

[Rymann]

it's impossible for your hearing to be post trauma with current technology but steroids are the currently best option.

hurry

it's impossible for your hearing to be post trauma with current technology but steroids are the currently best option.

hurry

Are steroids effective 6 days later ? Also I've heard hearing can recover weeks later for a temporary threshold shift

 

[Michael Leigh]

Hi so it has been 6 days since I went to a concert with no protection too close to the speakers. There was a smoke machine that caused pain in my right ear when it went off. Since then I have ringing and noise sensitivity in my right ear and online tests are showing me a 30 decibel loss at 4K hz and a 65 decibel loss at 6k hz. Before this event I already had a bit of loss at 8k which has not changed. It's been 6 days and I feel like I haven't really improved at all I'm really worried this is going to be permanent for me has anyone else recovered over a week after a threshold shift this drastic ?

HI @Rymann

It seems your tinnitus was caused by exposure to loud noise. If you regularly listen to audio through headphones or attend places where loud music is played the tinnitus is likely to have been there for some time, in the background without you realizing it until now. I advise you not to use headphones even at low volume and keep away from places where loud music is played, at least for a 2 to 3 months. More about this is explained in the links below which I suggest you take your time and read my posts.

All the best
Michael


https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/is-positivity-important.23150/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-the-negative-mindset.23705/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/acquiring-a-positive-mindset.23969/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-habituation-process.20767/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/a-change-of-lifestyle.20643/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-negative-counselling.26669/

 

[Rymann]

pdate if anyone cares, hearing is starting to slowly improve, if my head is on the right angle I can hear crickets briefly I hear buzzing of my ear trying to pick up the missing sounds. Honestly it's keeping me very optimistic about having some sort of recovery

 

[dpdx]

pdate if anyone cares, hearing is starting to slowly improve, if my head is on the right angle I can hear crickets briefly I hear buzzing of my ear trying to pick up the missing sounds. Honestly it's keeping me very optimistic about having some sort of recovery

Very good news. Did you take the steroid?

 

[Rymann]

Very good news. Did you take the steroid?

Sadly I couldn't see any doctors today our system in Canada is pretty broken, the downside of it being "free" I have an appointment Wednesday with an ENT my family trusts very well who's helped us a lot and I'm going first thing Monday morning to my family doctor to ask for the prescription. Almost no doctors available on weekends