Why Shouldn’t You Go to Concerts and Loud Places Anymore with Protection?

[Sam Bridge]

Does no one worry about getting impacted ear wax from having plugged ears? Or bacterial infections from inserting plugs with less than clean fingers?

You can use ead drops to stop it building up, i use sodium bicarb a few times a month for example.

 

[Bill Bauer]

perfectly sums up my feelings and opinions towards T.

It sums up my feelings and opinions too.

No one should be living in fear because of T

Doesn't matter what label (fear vs. caution) you use. The important thing is to be "street smart" and to evaluate everything around you at all times to ensure that nothing poses any potential dangers as far as your T is concerned.

There's one common thread between people who do well and that's their ability to adapt, accept their situation, and move forward with their lives without living in constant fear.

The bolded text above shows that by "people who do well" you actually mean "people who end up with permanent loud T."

Or bacterial infections from inserting plugs with less than clean fingers?

You could carry a bottle of hand sanitizer with you...

 

[Ed209]

The important thing is to be "street smart" and to evaluate everything around you at all times to ensure that nothing poses any potential dangers as far as your T is concerned.

See, now when you say it like that it sounds really paranoid and obsessive to me; and in my experience, obsessive behaviour can fuel tinnitus symptoms. We are all different, however, so we must find our own way. I just don't think people should be constantly monitoring for 'potential dangers'. I believe living like this keeps you on edge, and in the long run, is likely to make your nerves bad. I'd say living in fear and using caution are very different things. One is unhealthy and the other is sensible.

The bolded text above shows that by "people who do well" you actually mean "people who end up with permanent loud T."

We've mostly all got permanently loud T here, Bill. People who do well don't usually sign up to forums in the first place, but of the ones that do, acceptance is an extremely important step in moving forwards. Living in tinnitus' shadow is not acceptance in my opinion, and in fact, I'd say the hardest part is grieving the loss of silence. It takes a long time to come to terms with for many people but gets a lot easier with the passing of time.

 

[Bill Bauer]

See, now when you say it like that it sounds really paranoid and obsessive to me

What are your feelings regarding the advice to be "street smart" (i.e., paying attention to one's surroundings, evaluating everything in terms of how dangerous it might be, and acting accordingly) in general?

I'd say living in fear and using caution are very different things.

I am not sure whether an adult is capable of experiencing actual fear (unless one has a phobia = a psychological condition).

 

[Silvio Sabo]

This is one of the most sensible posts I've read in ages and perfectly sums up my feelings and opinions towards T. No one should be living in fear because of T; it's something I've been adamant about for a long time.

There's one common thread between people who do well and that's their ability to adapt, accept their situation, and move forward with their lives without living in constant fear.

Well I could have agreed with you on this 4 years ago. You see I've had tinnitus since May of 2006 and the first couple of years I was extremely cautious and used protection when ever I felt there was a chance that there could be loud sounds. This meant me using custom made earplugs at work, using heavy foam earplugs the extremely few times I went out to a pub or similar (after all I was 22 when I got this thing and couldn't as well isolate my self).

After a few years though I started using protections less and less. And by that I mean I didn't use earplugs at work anymore (I worked extra as a bus driver at the time while studying at a University). I still wouldn't dream of going out without plugs though. And between 2009-2015 I pretty much never used earplugs at all. I didn't go to clubs or concerts or anything like that so I even stopped bringing plugs with me. I actually didn't even have a set of plugs in my pocket for years.

My tinnitus was stable for all this time with a few milder spikes that never lasted more than a day. But to be honest I probably wouldn't even know because I didn't even think about my tinnitus for years. I was "cured". I didn't hear it unless I listened for it. If tinnitus came up in a conversation I would listen for it and go "yep there it is" and then it would go back to the oblivion.

Then in January 2015 I had a major spike that became permanent. After that my tinnitus is not as stable anymore. Recently I went to a wedding reception and even though I wore SNR:35db earplugs the whole time I am having a pretty bad spike at the moment that has been lasting a good couple of weeks that I'm praying is not going to become permanent. This would never have happened only a few years ago!

So what I'm trying to say is that it's not as clear cut as you might think. Your tinnitus might be stable for now but there can come a time, like it seems to have for me, where something that shouldn't be harmful according to all of the sound level charts just for some reason is. I am going to have to come to terms with the fact that I can never ever go to a loud venue again, even with the heaviest protection, and that is sadly the fact for many others. It's not unreasonable fear. It's simply common sense.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Thank you for sharing your story, @Silvio Sabo . I was planning to wait 2-5 years and then to relax my precautions as far as T is concerned. Now I see that it isn't a good idea to do that.

 

[john paul]

I went to a gig a few weeks ago, it will be the last time i will ever go to one and i only went because i love the band so much i just couldn't miss out. I knew what i was in for so it was worth a few days of increased T for me. My Tinnitus is not that severe anyway and i never had H or anything. I wore orange foam plugs and they did a great job and i mean a great job. I knew the sound levels i was experiencing were not harmful but within 5 minutes of being there my T became more awake. I could have run out of there thinking my ears are getting damaged but i didn't because i knew that there was no way in hell they were getting damaged.

It stayed at the same level for the rest of the night and to me it proves that T is hard wired into your central nervous system and just being around loud sounds, will awaken the beast. Its almost like it will feed off noise no matter what you do. My tinnitus has been improving for months now and basically it made it go back a few months and then within 4 days it had reversed again and is now continuing to improve. In order for me to recover in a way that i would like i must stay away from any noise for years to come. I do kinda hope and believe if i do it will reduce into something i dont notice or go away. If this happens i will know that it is never gone, only sleeping and waiting. I will therefore continue to live as though i have Tinnitus and stay away from loud stuff forever but hopefully i wont be suffering which will be good enough for me.

 

[TuneOut]

Well I could have agreed with you on this 4 years ago. You see I've had tinnitus since May of 2006 and the first couple of years I was extremely cautious and used protection when ever I felt there was a chance that there could be loud sounds. This meant me using custom made earplugs at work, using heavy foam earplugs the extremely few times I went out to a pub or similar (after all I was 22 when I got this thing and couldn't as well isolate my self).

After a few years though I started using protections less and less. And by that I mean I didn't use earplugs at work anymore (I worked extra as a bus driver at the time while studying at a University). I still wouldn't dream of going out without plugs though. And between 2009-2015 I pretty much never used earplugs at all. I didn't go to clubs or concerts or anything like that so I even stopped bringing plugs with me. I actually didn't even have a set of plugs in my pocket for years.

My tinnitus was stable for all this time with a few milder spikes that never lasted more than a day. But to be honest I probably wouldn't even know because I didn't even think about my tinnitus for years. I was "cured". I didn't hear it unless I listened for it. If tinnitus came up in a conversation I would listen for it and go "yep there it is" and then it would go back to the oblivion.

Then in January 2015 I had a major spike that became permanent. After that my tinnitus is not as stable anymore. Recently I went to a wedding reception and even though I wore SNR:35db earplugs the whole time I am having a pretty bad spike at the moment that has been lasting a good couple of weeks that I'm praying is not going to become permanent. This would never have happened only a few years ago!

So what I'm trying to say is that it's not as clear cut as you might think. Your tinnitus might be stable for now but there can come a time, like it seems to have for me, where something that shouldn't be harmful according to all of the sound level charts just for some reason is. I am going to have to come to terms with the fact that I can never ever go to a loud venue again, even with the heaviest protection, and that is sadly the fact for many others. It's not unreasonable fear. It's simply common sense.

I hear you bro. My story seems similar.. I got mild tinnitus from a heavy metal concert as a teenager. I freaked out big time and went to extremes to protect my ears from sound. This lasted a couple of years. Then I slowly came out of it and began doing normal stuff again. I rarely thought if it and never carried ear protection anywhere. 20 years passed ...

Then I had a few acoustic traumas that, apparently, pushed my auditory system over the edge. I'd get big spikes from all kinds of "normal" sounds and stresses. My ears became seriously reactive, with bouts of hyperacusis. Two years later they remain this way and so my life has been ... restricted.

But that's just me. I've always had issues with stress and anxiety, too. That undoubtedly plays a part in it.

I hope that your spike does go down soon, my friend. It's definitely possible. From experience, I'd advise you to reduce stress and avoid too much noise for awhile while your ears recover.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Then I had a few acoustic traumas that, apparently, pushed my auditory system over the edge.

What happened (if you don't mind me asking)?

 

[TuneOut]

What happened (if you don't mind me asking)?

I was in a car accident with air bag deployment, about 4 years ago. Some time after went to a loud movie without earplugs. Then I attended some small orchestras, also without protection. I believe these were all precursors. Like your wall analogy.

The final insult was two years ago, when I took this old truck out for the day. It had a loud engine and very poor air sealing. Alot of noise, and major stress when I got lost. Right after that was when everything changed.

 

[fishbone]

I was in a car accident with air bag deployment, about 4 years ago. Some time after went to a loud movie without earplugs. Then I attended some small orchestras, also without protection. I believe these were all precursors. Like your wall analogy.

The final insult was two years ago, when I took this old truck out for the day. It had a loud engine and very poor air sealing. Alot of noise, and major stress when I got lost. Right after that was when everything changed.

The ears can take abuse but eventually, they will give in. I hope you are protecting your ears now. Don't blame yourself for the past. I did the same things and now live with a loud/intrusive multi-tones tinnitus, that I treat as my friend. It's the profound hearing loss, that I don't like. I simply ask others to repeat themselves and there is no harm there

 

[jeannie]

I see alot about Metallica in this thread,my bf got tickets to go in Feb.but I'm afraid to go.I have molded custom earplugs and muffs .but afraid of it going through my mastoid bone since my ears will be protected...I'm gonna have to tell him I cant go and hes gonna be upset cause he thought he was doing something to surprise me..

 

[Flamingo1]

I see alot about Metallica in this thread,my bf got tickets to go in Feb.but ...I'm gonna have to tell him I cant go and hes gonna be upset cause he thought he was doing something to surprise me..

Don't worry, I'm pretty sure he's got plenty of friends who would jump at the chance to go to a Metallica concert! If you're not a fan, it's not worth the risk IMO.

 

[MuffinMan]

This one of the social issues that T causes, not being able to go with SO to concerts, movie theaters and parties may be a big issue to some, unless the SO is the bookwork calm type of person.

 

[Sam Bridge]

This one of the social issues that T causes, not being able to go with SO to concerts, movie theaters and parties may be a big issue to some, unless the SO is the bookwork calm type of person.

That may be true for some people with tinnitus but not for everyone. Personally I have attended a few concerts without issues and cinemas. I don't go often these days and if I do I make sure I'm near the back.

 

[jeannie]

How are we to protect that area other than not going anywhere?most people dont even know this.maybe that's how alot of us got tinnitus is through the bones in back of our head??

 

[coffee_girl]

People act like good advice is some kind of gospel, you need to apply a little common sense and do some self evaluations. Nobody's T is gonna be the same way, don't just look at the people who got worse over the years and automatically think it applies to yourself. Even if it does, so what, do what you can to protect your ears and if the worst happens then it was meant to be anyway...no amount of worry will change the outcome.

 

[Tom Cnyc]

I'm going to a concert tonight. DO NOT STOP DOING THE THINGS YOU LOVE. I go to LOTS of shows, and my tinnitus has not gotten worse AT ALL.

Custom earplugs are everything.

 

[gav01]

My earplugs have a noise reduction of 32 decibels so theoretically I could go to a concert with them on and stay there all day if it went that long.

If the concert stayed around 110 decibels it would be reduced to 78 the entire time.

I always thought this but with all my years of wearing earplugs I never knew the real decibel reduction with earplugs until I read this a few dasy a go.

How does NRR change decibels of exposure?
When hearing protection is worn, your level of exposure to noise is based on the NRR rating of the protection device being used. Keep in mind, however, that while the NRR is measured in decibels, the hearing protector being used does not reduce the surrounding decibel level by the exact number of decibels associated with that protector's NRR. For example, if you are at a rock concert where the level of noise exposure is 100 dB and you are wearing earplugs with an NRR 33dB, your level of exposure would not be reduced to 67 dB. Instead, to determine the actual amount of decibel deduction applied (when decibels are measured dBA which is the most common), you take the NRR number (in dB), subtract seven, and then divide by two. Given the previous example, your noise reduction equation would look like the following: (33-7)/2 = 13. This means that if you are at a rock concert with a level of noise exposure at 100 dB and you are wearing a hearing protector with an NRR 33 dB, your new level of noise exposure is 87 dB. If you are wearing a product with an NRR of 27 it would deduct 10 decibels (27-7/2=10).

*To maximize noise reduction, hearing protectors must be worn properly.

How does wearing dual hearing protectors change NRR?
When hearing protectors are worn in combination (i.e. earplugs AND earmuffs), rather than adding the two NRR numbers together, you simply add five more decibels of protection to the device with the higher NRR. For example, using 3M™ E-A-R™ Classic Earplugs (NRR 29) with 3M™ Peltor™ H7 Deluxe Earmuffs (NRR 27) would provide a Noise Reduction Rating of approximately 34 decibels.

 

[Sash]

Such a difficult one. I agree you should enjoy life with limitations though I also agree too much bashing on the ears most likely to have adverse long term affects. I have just curtailed going out and only go if there is something exciting happening as I love dancing. I am more likely to go out to larger venues where the music dissipates and doesn't bounce off the walls like with smaller nightclubs I stay at the back (away from my friends as they like to be at the front) and wear custom earplugs.

I don't drink but always forget to take breaks. Breaks are really important. I went to tomorrowland music festival in July and that was the most loudest event over three days (wearing custom earplugs). I didn't get a spike but two weeks later mowing the lawn without earplugs I did get a spike which looks like permanent one (maybe my ears weakened from the relentless sound two weeks earlier who knows) Its not a risk free strategy I am following but better than nothing. Also some types of sound maybe worse for the ears especially Rock.

 

[Sam Bridge]

Why is rock worse @Sash