I Need Some Help...

[Matt F]

So I'm new to the forum, been looking around a lot at the web for information but I get mixed reviews here and there. As a background I'm a 27 y/o music lover that goes to concerts pretty frequently. In fact in the last 3 years I've been to at least 5 concerts a year. The trouble really started a month ago though when I went to go see a band I really liked with my girlfriend. The venue was small and the music was loud (heavy metal concert) but I knew what we were getting into being a veteran concert goer. Though the first two bands we stayed to the back, no problems there. As it got closer to the time the headlining band came out we inched closer and closer to the stage eventually getting in the front right by the speaker. We stayed there for about 2 1/2 hours until the concert was over and then we went home. My ears were muffled and ringing, all things I'd had before and figured it would pass the next day.

One month out now and my ears are ringing long crazy, and my ear feels like it has pressure/needs to pop and is slightly muffled. Tried all the usual things to no avail and I'm slowly but surely losing more and more hope and getting more and more depressed as time goes on. I honestly don't know if I can live like this. I went to an ENT and we did the hearing test (up to 8k I think) and he said I have perfect hearing. I was also having jaw pain (from screaming all thst night I guess?) and he pointed to my TMJs as being the issue. Basically told me to take some anti inflammatory Motrin and come back in 3 months for another hearing test. He also said that my inner ear may be slightly concussed from the noise.

Part of me knows my years of concerts without protection may have finally caught up with me, and I hate myself for going to that concert every day knowing my damage may be permenant and irreversible. What are my chances of healing? It feels like my tinnitus is getting worse not better. Can a concussed inner ear be inflamed and heal? Could it actually me my TMJ cause of all the yelling I did a month ago? Somebody please give me some hope...

 

[Matt F]

Also I should mention also I have been having a lot of jaw pain which is why combined with the clogged ear I went to the ENT

 

[fishbone]

I went to my first heavy metal concert, close to 30 years ago. For sure it added to my tinnitus and permanently gave me, the low hissing and tones...that most people get, when they first get tinnitus. Concerts and LOUD speakers damage ears. You are lucky , that your hearing test came back good.

We never know, if the tinnitus will go away or not. That's basically how tinnitus is. Maybe you mis-aligned your jaw by screaming and being vocal at the show, anything is possible. Possibly see an ENT and see what they have to say, concerts should be avoided IF no ear protection is in place.

Those LOUD sounds are very unforgiving and can do TONS of damage, that may not be reversible.

Try to remain calm and for sure protect your ears and keep your stress/anxiety low...as you can.

Do know this, you STILL can live a wonderful life, even with that annoying low tone/hiss. If you damage your ears more, then it can get MUCH louder and add more stress/anxiety to your life.

Be well

 

[Matt F]

Thing is though it's not just a low hissing anymore, it was just that a couple weeks ago, now it's more of a dog whistle whining off and on all the time. I feel like I have to be so much more conciseness if where I go and what I do which really puts a bummer on my while life thus last month. I hope it gets better, the ENT I saw didn't seem that concerned and seemed like it was a "follow Tmj protocol thing and come back later."

 

[fishbone]

Thing is though it's not just a low hissing anymore, it was just that a couple weeks ago, now it's more of a dog whistle whining off and on all the time. I feel like I have to be so much more conciseness if where I go and what I do which really puts a bummer on my while life thus last month. I hope it gets better, the ENT I saw didn't seem that concerned and seemed like it was a "follow Tmj protocol thing and come back later."

OK, so it has progressed to a louder tone/noise. Stress/anxiety could do this and increase the tinnitus. If you truly have a TMJ issue, then this can cause it as well.possibly Go see a specialist that deals with TMJ and see what they say.

If you have resorted to taking supplements and possibly meds, then this can also trigger and possibly make the tinnitus louder. MOST of the time, there is a reason as to why the tinnitus gets louder. In my years of experience, it just doesn't get fully louder without a cause. It can happen, but not many times.

 

[Bill Bauer]

What are my chances of healing?

There is still hope. Check out the studies on pages 1, 2, 4, and 5 of
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-over-70-recover-3-studies.21441/
Even if the worst happens and your T doesn't spontaneously go away, the volume and pitch of T tend to change (in such a way that T is easier to ignore), so it is likely that the sound you are hearing now will not be what you will end up being stuck with.

Goes without saying that it is a bad idea to visit any more concerts. This forum is full of horror stories of people learning the hard way that ear plugs and muffs provide a false sense of security when it comes to concerts. You might also want to stay away from moderate noises like that of a vacuum cleaner, blender, hair dryer for at least a year. Give your body time to heal.