Needing Support

[Devjt2]

Hello,

I'm Devin, 32 years old.
I went to a loud concert 12 days ago and now my ears won't stop ringing. I thought it would't happen to me.

It was a band that I've seen several times before and they're usually very mellow. But this time the venue was incredibly loud. During the show I recall feeling the sound was uncomfortably loud a few times, but felt that I'd get used to it.

I thought that the only people who got hearing loss from concerts were those people who went to many shows each year. I go to one (maybe 2) shows a year and I thought I was safe.

Wrong.

The first two days after the concert my ears were feeling "funny". Ringing, an odd balance that felt like my right ear was slightly more muted than the left, and an overall fullness. Fortunately, the ringing was not audible over usual everyday sounds.

The third day I noticed improvement and only could hear the ringing upon waking and going to bed. Great! Unfortunately, the fourth day T became much louder and I scheduled and appointment with my ENT.

Day 5 started off great with a significant reduction in volume. Still kept my appointment and went to the ENT. Because of this improvement he was optimistic that it might go away in a few days and he did not prescribe any medication. I had a hearing test and they found a "notch" (loss) in the 4k range, otherwise my hearing is good. The audiologist mentions that this notch is common for people with concert-induced hearing issues.

The couple days after my ENT appointment my condition worsened. Louder T, and some sensitivity to loud sounds in low frequencies. Fortunately, the balance issue has resolved where my left and right ear feel "centered".

I followed up with the doctor this Monday (day 9) and was prescribed a 6-day course of steroids the next day.

I'm now half-way though this course of steroids and some days have been better, some days have been worse. Today was especially hard emotionally. I've been feeling that if this was going to resolve itself, it would continue to get better. Because of this condition getting worse I've become very scared.

I'm scared that I'll have this for the rest of my life.
I'm scared that it will continue to get worse.
I'm scared that this will keep me from living a full and happy life.
I'm scared that I won't be able to enjoy my life and I'll have to build my life around masking T.

Thank you for reading this far. If you can provide any support or words of encouragement I'd very much appreciate it. I've already read many of the success stories here and I hope the same success for me.

 

[glynis]

A warm welcome to Tinnitus Talk.
Prednisalone will help but better taken sooner.
Time is a great healer and hope settle for you.
Keep soft relaxing sounds on around you to help get through the day.
As tinnitus invades our life and quiet time it can be emotionally distressing but this will pass as your brain builds up it's natural filter and not see the sound as a threat
....
Lots of love glynis x

 

[Bobby B]

Louder T followed by quieter T is a very good sign - things are happening your ears are healing
I would be more concerned if there was no change in T
Make sure to protect your ears from loud sound for the next few months

Get a good pair of earmuffs and foam plugs and use those whenever it sounds too loud like subways , restaurants , cars etc

 

[Devjt2]

Hi Glynis and Bobby,
Thank you for wishing me well, it really means the world to me. I'm happy to say that today was much better for me. I spent time with family and listening to quiet relaxing sounds has helped.
A new thing happened to me today - I feel like I'm able to focus my attention on something, conversation, Television, etc... and the T falls away. Unfortunately, if I lose focus the T comes back. I watched a movie today this way and heard very little T. I'm grateful for this relief today. I'm not yet sure if I can use this method to help me sleep.

I'm hopeful that complete relief will come for me soon.

I am staying away from loud situations and I am using earplugs during any activities that are over 80db. For example, if I'm driving for more than 10 minutes at a time (or getting on the highway at all) I am putting in earplugs. Are there any potential problems from longer-term earplug use?

Thank you for the support.

 

[kellydawn]

Just from what I've read around this forum, frequent use of ear-plugs for daily noise control can actually cause your ears to become more sensitive (in a negative way) to sounds.

Man it sucks that you got this from a concert!! I also only go to maybe 2 or 3 concerts a year and thought my ears were just fine.

I feel optimistic that your tinnitus will get better though! I kept having moments too when the ringing seemed way worse and I was worried because I thought I'd been improving. Definitely stay away from loud noise. I kept the radio in my car very quiet and tried not to watch too much TV.

I honestly don't know is this had anything to do with my recovery, but I started taking Lipo-Flavinoid and I'm still taking it until the bottle runs out. It's supposed to help with inner-ear health. Who knows if it actually worked or not, but I would say if you've got like $30 to drop, drop it on that and give it a shot. It's two pills three times a day and they smell like Fruity Pebbles (not in a good way lol).

Keep us updated, and I hope the next day you're doing even better!

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Devjt2
Your tinnitus has been coming on for some time although you probably didn't notice it until recently, when it become loud and intrusive. The previous ringing in your ears (tinnitus) was a warning that you are subjecting your ears to loud sounds which are causing them distress. Many people don't realize if they continue one day the ringing won't stop.

The good news is, if you keep away from loud noise in the future. That means wearing noise-reducing earplugs at venues where music is likely to be played loud. Not using headphones even at low volume. Then you stand the chance of making a very good recovery. However, please take heed of the warning your ears are telling you.

My advice is to keep away from loud sounds and never to use headphones even at low volume. Some people disagree with this even some ENT doctors while others are adamant that one shouldn't use headphone once they experience loud intrusive tinnitus. The choice is yours. Please think about whatever you decide to do.

Below is a link to an article about tinnitus that you might find interesting.
Best of luck
Michael
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/an-introduction-to-tinnitus.12100/

 

[Devjt2]

Hi Kelly, thanks for the tip on the Lipo-Flavonoid, I'll check it out!

Michael - now that I think about it, you're likely correct that this tinnitus may have been coming on for some time. I spent time listening to music with earbuds in my 20's. Also playing loud music on long car rides when I was younger. When I put on headphones at the gym, I felt I had to turn up the volume so that I didn't hear the music from the overhead system. This was not smart. Also attending concerts without hearing protection.

All of this, plus this recent concert, culminated in this tinnitus.

I wasn't really aware about how loud these things were, and what damage they were likely doing. Since my trauma I've been measuring everything in my world. Simply driving my car with no radio is about 70dB, at highway speed it is ~80 dB. With the radio pumping, I'm sure it can get to 90 dB + easily.

From here on out I'm committed to taking care of the hearing I have left.

Thanks again for your support on this! I'm grateful to find this community.

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Devjt2 If your tinnitus is giving problems, the best thing to do is get a referral to a Hearing Therapist for tinnitus management as a lot can be done which I explained in the link to my post.
Best of luck
Michael.