New Member. Remaining Strong. Remaining Hopeful.

[ChrisRA]

Hello all, I recently acquired tinnitus after attending a concert in a small indoor venue and after standing too close to the speakers. From day one it's been very mild; I can only hear it in silent rooms. But I will admit that I hit my mental rock bottom at the week point, after days of poor sleep and maniacal focus on the ringing.

I'm hopeful for full recovery for the sheer fact 1) it is so mild and 2) I've spoken to many people who have had tinnitus from loud noise exposure and it fully recover.

For those interested, I am 22 years old and truly an active, go-getter minded person who has experienced and conquered trials, but this brought me to my knees within a week. I visited an ENT and I have perfect hearing, and she's confident that it is self-limiting, giving me more hope as well.

I've been reading this forum, and many stories have given me harrowing anxiety and many others have given me sober-minded positivity. I will say that for those of you who have had this condition for a long time and at a severe level, I am with you in spirit. I truly sympathize with you and admire your courage to tackle this condition every day.

Please remain positive, and don't let this inanimate recurrence strip you of your human spirit. I hope that some of you find my introduction meaningful, as I've found many of your posts meaningful and encouraging. Tinnitus does get better! Last week felt like an eternity, so my recovery time will certainly not fly by as I would like. But we are all suffering together and improving together!

 

[Digital Doc]

Classic noise induced tinnitus. Glad it is only mild for you at this point, and take this as a serious warning, as it only gets worse with each subsequent noise exposure. Take your tinnitus as I do- a constant reminder to protect your hearing from further damage. Therefore, avoid further loud noises whenever you can, and have your earplugs ready for when you cannot.

 

[ChrisRA]

Thank you sir! I most certainly will protect my hearing. I've honestly always been protective over my hearing, I had no idea that I would suffer this from simply being too close to a amplifier. Regardless, it is very mild and I'm handling it well especially compared to the first week. I'm going to remain patient for my recovery, as stress most certainly does not help the healing process!

 

[Bobby B]

You are young. It will disappear.

 

[ChrisRA]

Good news: I woke up this morning and could not hear my tinnitus no matter how hard I tried for around 10 minutes. I hear it now, perhaps at a higher pitch at the same or lower volume. It was initially a hellacious night, I didn't get more than 1.5 hours of sleep until after 4 AM. Is it normal to have silent mornings before the ringing recommences? I'm inclined to take it as a good sign...