I have experienced temporary tinnitus (the high whirring/ringing) several times recently, probably never for longer than a couple hours, but the fact that it happened multiple times within a week or two definitely has me concerned that it will continue to develop into a chronic problem. I know that one incident of noise exposure can cause this for a short time, but I first experienced it in the morning after doing nothing out of the routine--though I am a loud music addict and listening to the headphones is my routine. My dad suffers from tinnitus and I've been aware of the risk, but could never quite break the bad habit for long; at this point I'm definitely considering it the best-case scenario that I'm at a high risk, I may only have hope of delaying it and should be very cautious.
My question though is whether it's likely that my hearing is at a particularly vulnerable state at the moment, considering the problem is now minor but could maybe heal? As luck would have it I'm supposed to go see a favorite band before the end of the month. I know many permanent sufferers--my dad included--still go to shows with ear protection, but I'm wondering if this is a time when I should be taking it very easy on my ears in case the problem is recoverable. As I said, I don't feel like this came from one incident of noise exposure and if the problem is accumulative it may not go away, but I'm not finding many accounts to tell me whether this could be typical of a more temporary problem. Do I skip the concert, even if it's a risk I'd take a few months from now when the damage is either healed or permanent?
My question though is whether it's likely that my hearing is at a particularly vulnerable state at the moment, considering the problem is now minor but could maybe heal? As luck would have it I'm supposed to go see a favorite band before the end of the month. I know many permanent sufferers--my dad included--still go to shows with ear protection, but I'm wondering if this is a time when I should be taking it very easy on my ears in case the problem is recoverable. As I said, I don't feel like this came from one incident of noise exposure and if the problem is accumulative it may not go away, but I'm not finding many accounts to tell me whether this could be typical of a more temporary problem. Do I skip the concert, even if it's a risk I'd take a few months from now when the damage is either healed or permanent?