Tinnitus from Rock Concert Went Away for Years — Now It's Back and Bothering Me Again

[valerinaanna]

Long Story Short:

I developed tinnitus in 2015 after a rock concert. It took about 4-6 month to go away. There was a veeeery silent rushing left but it didn't bother me at all. Tinnitus was no issue for me for 6 years.

In May it started again. A ringing in my left ear and a louder rushing sound like TV static in both ears.

Can someone habituate to a TV static sound?

I can hear it everywhere except in the shower. I'm absolutely devastated. The ringing is not my main concern but the rushing is. It has been 3.5 months now and it has not changed. Maybe it got worse because of my anxiety. The first 2 weeks I hardly noticed it but then I got scared and now I hear it everywhere.

Please help - I want to end my life. All of my friends are going out now and I sit at home and cry every single day... I want my life back.

P.S. I have no hearing loss and Prednisolone did not help.

 

[PortugalTheMan]

Hi @valerinaanna, first you won't end your life, because you still have a lot to live for!

When you get a little used to your tinnitus, your anxiety will start to disappear and the volume of your tinnitus will decrease as well.

I'm in the same situation as you, my friends are all leaving too because now the confinement is over and I'm at home because if I leave I know I'll make my situation worse.

I don't have hearing loss either, there is a drug that reduced the volume of my tinnitus, which is Flunarizine 10 mg, I don't know if your doctor would give you a try. Of all I tried, it was the only one that turned down the volume on my tinnitus.

Do you have any type of hyperacusis or reactive tinnitus?

 

[valerinaanna]

@PortugalTheMan, when will you start going out again? I was at a party last week but left after 2 hours. It's so hard for me since I went out every weekend before my new tinnitus.

 

[PortugalTheMan]

@valerinaanna, I'm going out, but I go to places with the beach, a park and even then I don't think it's safe, I have a peak this weekend and I think it was due to the strong wind.

Do you use hearing protection? Like foam or silicone earplugs? Or earmuffs? If you ever go out to a place where it can be noisy, I advise you to get hearing protection.

 

[Rudedog205]

Hi @valerinaanna, sorry to hear about your ear problems. Most of us on Tinnitus Talk have certainly wanted to end our lives at some point due to this, especially in the beginning, but luckily for you it usually gets easier to ignore or it reduces in volume. Good ear healthy habits will almost always prevent it from getting worse and will always increase the chances of it going away. Anxiety will certainly make it much louder I can tell you that from experience.

Since I am a college student I certainly understand the frustration of having to not go out with friends because of ear issues but unfortunately not taking it seriously often leads to bigger ear problems down the road. I personally don't go to parties anymore as for me personally the risk really isn't worth it but if you really want to I would highly advise getting a good pair of earplugs so you can protect yourself while your out having fun as well as taking breaks from the noise while you're there.

It may also help to take ear health supplements if you aren't already, like Magnesium and antioxidants.

 

[valerinaanna]

@PortugalTheMan, I have custom moulded earplugs and I've used them for years. I had the -15 dB filters and last month I bought new ones with -25 dB filters.

In 2 weeks my sister has her wedding so fingers crossed my tinnitus will not get worse afterwards :-( I've always had spikes but it always settled back to baseline the next morning. Music is my life, it is so hard for me not being able to party right now :-(

And no, I have no hyperacusis, sometimes my eardrum "flutters" but it does not bother me that much. I think my anxiety plays a major role If I get that under control I can imagine that my tinnitus reduces but that is easier said than done.

 

[valerinaanna]

@Rudedog205, I've started taking Magnesium & B12 let's see how it works out. And yeah I can't stop partying - I also sing in a band but I took a break from it due to my tinnitus. I think I will start again in October. The wedding is the next big event I'll attend. My anxiety needs to come down. I think this is my main problem.

 

[Rudedog205]

@valerinaanna, awesome, hopefully those will help.

As far as singing in a band goes, I would recommend trying to avoid playing in enclosed spaces and trying to stay behind the amps so they are pointing away from you and what not to minimize risks and of course don't forget your earplugs. With the right steps you should be able to continue those activities without too many issues.

As far as the wedding goes, it's certainly worth bringing some earplugs in case it gets too noisy.

Yeah, anxiety plays a role. It may take a bit but it should go down as you adjust to living with tinnitus.

 

[Exit]

The flutter you mentioned is around here called TTTS.

I believe it's a sign that your ear is not healthy. But I agree it's our least bothersome symptoms.

 

[mohn]

Looks like the custom moulded earplugs did not help prevent tinnitus?

 

[valerinaanna]

@mohn, when I first got tinnitus I did not use any hearing protection and then I went clubbing with custom moulded ones and everything was fine.

 

[Ken219]

@mohn, people use earplugs at the face NRR. I have read that the rated NRR is for a perfect person. Most people don't insert earplugs correctly or as you wear them they tend to loosen allowing more noise. Just stay away from loud noises!

 

[valerinaanna]

What does NRR mean, @Ken219?

 

[Ken219]

What does NRR mean, @Ken219?

Noise Reduction Rating or NRR is a system used to measure the amount a hearing protection device is capable of reducing sound exposure in decibels. The higher the NRR of a hearing protector, the more effective it will be at reducing noise.

 

[Mister Muso]

It's a delicate time for us music fans as our friends are all buying up concert tickets again.

Got to keep some perspective. It's only concerts. It's not life or death. We still have plenty to live for.

It's not easy, but lots of people have worse afflictions than us. I've been reading in Michael J. Fox's autobiography about his Parkinson's disease, and then on top of that he got a totally unrelated case of brain cancer. His positive attitude and his ability to do some of the best work of his career in the face of adversity is something we can all learn from.

 

[valerinaanna]

I was clubbing yesterday and everything went out fine. I feel so much better now - today was the first day I did not notice it 24/7.

 

[Simon85]

I was clubbing yesterday and everything went out fine.

I'm glad things are looking better. My suggestion would be to give your ears a break for at least a couple more months, but ultimately it's your choice. Also, there are some clubs with a special reputation for being extra loud... avoid these if you can.

I know it's difficult. I'm only getting slowly back into acoustic guitar and music after 6 - 9 months, but my tinnitus and hyperacusis was severe at onset. There is a good chance your tinnitus could fade away after another 6 months to a year so look after yourself in the meantime. I wish you well and hope you find some relief soon.

 

[valerinaanna]

Just wanted to post an update: I got over having tinnitus. I couldn't care less. It's still there but I'm going to sleep peacefully without even recognizing it's there

 

[Strawberryblonde]

Just wanted to post an update: I got over having tinnitus. I couldn't care less. It's still there but I'm going to sleep peacefully without even recognizing it's there

That's great to hear @valerinaanna

Did it change in volume or did you just habituate and not care like you said? and just wondering do you mask it or not?

 

[valerinaanna]

@Strawberryblonde, I think it went down a lot when I stopped caring. It reduced by 50% I guess. Sometimes when I have a stressful week, it's louder, but it always goes down again. And no, I don't mask it, I live my life like I did pre-tinnitus. The only difference is that I wear earplugs when I'm going clubbing.

 

[Jupiterman]

Thanks for posting your update @valerinaanna.