Tinnitus and Hyperacusis from Two Club Nights Back to Back — Hoping for Reassurance

[Margherita]

Hi all, having a really horrible night so I thought I'd write on here, after many days spent as an observer.

I've had some sound sensitivity since I was 23 or so (I'm now 28) but managed to control it using earplugs at concerts and clubs. It all changed in December 2022, when two club nights back to back (with earplugs) left me with tinnitus, hyperacusis, ear pain, aural fullness and muffled hearing. I went to a GP that said I had damaged my acustic nerve and to try and rest, but to take no further precautions than wearing earplugs in loud environments. The symptoms improved slighly over the first month, until I stupidly went to a blues gig (with earplugs) 3 days ago and had a major setback. The tinnitus is back louder than ever, and I cannot sleep as my hyperacusis makes it impossible for me to listen to white noise at night. I have an audiogram booked in for this week and an appointment with an ENT after, but I am incredibly anxious about the symptoms not getting better, and never getting my life back.

I will try and stay in absolute quiet for a few weeks to try and recover, but I am terrified about overprotecting and never recovering from hyperacusis. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks!

 

[Foamearplugssuck]

I'm actually in a pretty similar position, so I'm sorry you can relate.

Honestly, in my personal opinion, I don't think you should really worry about overprotecting. You might develop some slight misophonia, but it's certainly better than exacerbating your hyperacusis. From what I've read, most people recommend wearing hearing protection during the day and then going without it at night so you still get some exposure to ambient sounds. But, I personally haven't come across any evidence that overprotecting will stop the healing process.

I like to think of hyperacusis as a fractured ankle. You break it, give it lots of rest, and then you can go around life pretty normally, but it forever remains weaker and susceptible to a second break. If you do break it again, it'll take longer to recover, and it'll be even weaker than before. Same thing with hyperacusis: the more setbacks you have, the weaker your ears will be and the longer it'll take to bounce back. I personally wouldn't go to a concert or club until we get some kind of treatment available (which I'm not holding my breath for).

Anyways, I'm planning on keeping things super quiet, taking lots of NAC, and trying to take care of myself (eat healthy, get in some light exercise, etc.) to speed up the healing process. There's nothing much you can really do other than be patient and let your ears heal, which stops me from getting so anxious about it. It's out of my control, so why bother, you know?

 

[Margherita]

Hi @Foamearplugssuck - thanks for your reply. How long have you had your symptoms for? Were they noise induced?

I will definitely stop attending gigs and clubs (heartbreaking as it's my #1 passion) while trying to go on with my life. I've bought another pair of ear defenders (-26 dB) to put on top of my custom-made made earplugs (-26 dB) in case I have to attend any loud event (e.g., restaurant).

I've seen Curcumin, Magnesium/Zinc and Apple Cider Vinegar as possible supplements, but not NAC. Are they supposed to help?

Thanks!

 

[Foamearplugssuck]

I will definitely stop attending gigs and clubs (heartbreaking as it's my #1 passion)

I feel you on this. Music is my reason for living. This condition is an anathema.

Are they supposed to help?

There have been a couple studies that show that NAC can mitigate the effects of acoustic traumas, and it was used by the US Military at some point for that reason. It's definitely not a cure-all by any means, but it can aid the recovery process. Of course, silence, time, and patience will be your best friends.

 

[Jammer]

Give it time and be patient, you will overcome.

 

[Margherita]

Hello, I thought I'd post an update on here to keep track of my journey.

Over the past 3 months I've had lots of ups and downs, good days and bad days, but things seemed to be improving overall.

As suggested by my audiologist, I stopped using earplugs unless the environment was actually too loud (80+ dB) which helped immensely with my hyperacusis. I was learning to cope better with tinnitus and had started to see prolonged periods of semi-habituation.

I'm back on the forum as I've unexpectedly had a horrible hyperacusis spike over the weekend. My hyperacusis - which had been under control for the past two months - started manifesting itself as discomfort at people's laughing and voices, followed by discomfort to music (at low volume) and general noise sensitivity in a matter of 3 days. I stupidly went to see a friend run a marathon yesterday (with earplugs, noise was ~85 dB) but had to leave within an hour cause it was too much to bear (it would have been fine up to two weeks ago). I have aural fullness and pain and my tinnitus also spiked from it (although it feels less intrusive than last night). I hope I have not caused permanent damage as I didn't expose myself to dangerous sound levels, but I'm really worried about having to start my recovery process from the beginning, and about it happening again for no reason.

I've been in a lot of stress last week - I've bought and moved into an apartment, and work has been really busy. I've also had bad seasonal allergies and my ears might have already been inflamed from it (they felt a bit clogged - maybe ETD-related). Could this have been the cause of the hyperacusis spike?

Thanks!
Margherita