Being Young with Tinnitus

Hey all, I've had T for more than two months.. I have ups and downs. I'm 19 and it's kind of hard getting used to the fact that clubbing and concerts is over for me.. I've never been to a concert and I've gone clubbing maybe 5 times in me life do any of you still go clubbing or to concerts with ear plug?
Cheers

 

Hi, I've got the same problem I'm also 19 and I am a great music lover, and been to many gigs in last 4/5 years, but it was only the last one of them which was ultra noisy and gave me tinnitus. It was 6 months ago and now I'm afraid of going anywhere to not make the condition worse. So I kind of resigned from attending any comcerts because I still believe that my T would go away if I sacrifice now because I think it's getting better a bit. But still... I bought myself a ticket for a heavy metal gig that was announced in September, got T in October and the concert is in June - and I think I will have to sell this ticket away

 

That makes three of us because I'm 19 too. I don't go clubbing nor to disco, but last year I went to a live concert in a theatre. I couldn't avoid it because my favourite band was playing! I used ear plugs only one hour, then I removed them because I wanted to sing and dance. At the end of the concert I had a uncomfortable sensation of fullness in my ears and I remained almost deaf for one whole day. I will never do it again...

 

I do not think that you have to be done with concerts and clubs forever, but you absolutely must wear adequate ear protection, the entire time.

Make sure your earplugs are inserted correctly and have adequate decibel protection. Give yourself breaks during the concert if you feel like you need it. Do not stand next to the speakers at the front. Bring a db monitor if you can - if you have 30db earplugs and the sound is at 120db (concerts can get this loud) - your ears are still dealing with 90db of sound, which isn't safe for very long. I would also "pick my battles" - don't go to every concert or every night of clubbing, be good to your ears and save it for times when it's really going to be a good experience. You can also go check out some local, small-scale acoustic music

Life isn't over because of T, you just have to be gentle with yourself and protect your ears. This is something everyone should do. If you're going out, encourage your friends to wear earplugs, or they could very easily end up in the same boat. The sound levels at concerts and clubs are not healthy, at all, without protection.

Overall, listen to your body, be smart, but also enjoy life

 

@Valentina But did it make your tinnitus worse after all or the uncomfortable feeling that you had just disappeared, leaving no further effect to your T? I'm still considering this concert in June :/

 

@Michaelz

No, my tinnitus didn't worsen and was back to my own normal level. But what @awbw8 wrote is very true and we should be aware of that, by always considering it

 

I completely agree with this. I heard a newspaper reporter on the radio last night who was going to be reporting on the Minnesota Wild home playoff game state that he enjoyed "feeling" the loud noise in the arena and did not wear earplugs like other reporters. I wish we could change this cultural misconception about earplugs and "feeling" the noise. I understand that because I once had that opinion myself.

I still remember walking away from this MLB game feeling excited despite my ears definitely feeling the effect of the extreme noise. My friend and I who attended the game literally yelled in each other's ear to talk over the noise. No doubt this event contributed to my current tinnitus.

 

I have a hard time to believe that you can do regulary clubbing and concerts with T without it getting worse. A few times with earplugs? Maybe, maybe not. But what's the point if you need to be scared of the risks every damn time?

My advice is: Find yourself a new hobby. Don't worry about motivation. If it includes meetings with a fair amount of wonderful females, I'm sure you'll realize just how cool it is soon enough.

Look out for ototoxic meds. Consider investing in tailor made earplugs (those musicians use) and carry them often so you don't get caught by a loud noise by dumb accident.

In short: adept and be succesfull.

 

As Valentina said, she got this uncomfortable feeling because she took off her protection during the concert. Do not go at all if you are not going to wear protection the entire time.

That said, as Vincent R said above, if you're going to be scared (and are already fretting) about going to this concert, and then being scared you did damage afterward, that sounds like no fun and a waste of money to me. I'm about 7 years older than you, so not that much, but right now clubbing and concerts seem like the most fun ever, but there are lots of other great things to do in the world out there. You haven't lost your youth and fun if you've lost loud concerts and clubs. : )

 

@Lj22

I know how you feel as I'm only 22! I've been clubbing quite a few times with my T. When I first got it I didn't wear ear plugs even though I intended too but thankfully my ears went back to normal but I have also been clubbing a few times with ear plugs & it makes a huge difference. No deafness or really loud ringing after so you should be fine. at least you know you can leave a club if you're uncomfortable!

 

Please be careful - even if your ears go "back to normal" there really is no such thing. Any instance of T after a loud event is doing cumulative damage to your hearing that could show up later in life. Always, always wear protection in loud environments.

 

@awbw8

I agree that you should always be really careful and I would never go clubbing or anywhere loud without ear plugs now as it's not worth it. I was just saying that my ears have been fine with ear plugs in and you don't get that horrible deaf feeling after

 

I got tinnitus when I was 10 years old!!

I was so afraid to go out and party, i remember so many nights staying at home while all my friends went out to party..

Well, nowdays (im 20) I do go out sometimes to the clubs and this is how I do it.

-I overdose magnesium before and after the club.
-Same goes with vitamin pills.
-I used to take NAC, but I dont have it annmore.
-I use cheap ear plugs that cost no more then 1 dollar, they are Brown and very discrete, no one can see them. I also have ear plugs which i bought for 500 dollars, custom made, but iv tried both and the 1 dollar ear plug protects better haha.. Insert the earplugs Before you enter the club, and remvoe them as soon as you leave the club.
-And most importantly, never stay near the base or wherever the msic is comming from.

 

Thank everybody, I've never been big into clubs and concerts.. ( the night I got T was the lamest party ever.. Oh sweet irony) sport is my life, I'll get the ear plugs for the big occasions I guess.
Take care

 

Turned 21 two weeks ago, clubbing and loud music venues are over for me. I always wore ear plugs when going clubbing (which was not even a frequent occurrence) in order to protect myself from tinnitus since I've known about it for years. I ended up with tinnitus anyway. Definitely not risking making it worse - it's just not worth it.

 

Go to the concert. Make sure you wear great ear plugs inserted properly. If you have the opportunity, go outside a couple of times to give your ears a little break. and you'll be fine.

 

If wearing plugs you shouldn't have had any hearing damage.

Is your T from hearing loss or something else? People need to get over loud noises. If you are not risking damage to your ears (by wearing protection) then hearing damage related T won't change...

Of course T can be caused by other things not related to sound...

 

All the talk about members here getting T after clubbing & concerts or sport games make me wonder what kind of DNA those other folks who are unharmed by the noise are made of. LOL & sigh! You would think if all who are exposed to such loud noise would get severe tinnitus or struggle with it, tinnitus would not have been a forgotten item by most drug firms or the medical community. Why the heck these others folks can stand this level of noise without problem? Are their auditory system different from us? (We need a study there, LOL). I never went clubbing. I was trying to fix a faulty smoke alarm & got a brief exposure of the beeping and I think I got mine over that short exposure. Hearing loss in the high frequency. LOL.

 

I don't think this is necessarily true. Ear plugs do not cut out all frequencies equally, and things which are very, very loud may be damaging through properly fitted plugs. Bone conduction/vibration is another concern.

Basically, I think everyone needs to make up their own mind on this stuff; what is right for one person may not be right for another.

 

regardless of what someone thinks or feels. Only a hearing test will show the true value of it.

People shoot guns, ride motorcycles and all kinds of other things that would be listed as louder sounds than a concert. With proper protection they will not experience hearing loss unless it's some sort of serous sound like being behind a jet take off after take off after take off.

If in doubt, get frequent hearing test at least yearly. Then you can easily know without assuming that you truly did damage hearing over the course of each year or less depending how often you go.

 

I got tinnitus when I was 14. I'm 56. I went to bars starting when I was 18. I didn't think much about it then even though I had all the danger signs the 'morning after.' I think probably clubs are way louder these days thanks to technology.

 

I don't think it's their genes but rather ours. I have come to accept the fact that I have some little wimpy school girl ears that couldn't hang with everyone elses'. (sigh)

 

Another 19-year-old here. Personally I am not brave enough to go to places like bars and clubs, but I hope I will be in the future. I think it is definitely possible to go there if you take the right precautions

 

If you are smart about it, you shouldn't worry to much. One thing I've noticed about T over the years is when I think I was around something loud, my T spikes regardless. Key is knowing what is and isn't safe and playing by those rules of protection when needed and not thinking about if it effected you after the fact, because regardless, if it did or didn't you will notice your T more and it will bring you down because you'll fall back to the I can't do this I can't do that cycle.

Check out my post over here
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...bout-everyones-tinnitus-and-hyperacusis.9250/

I talk about how last year I was around a really loud sound, an explosion that I had no doubt caused damage to my hearing, that caused my T to go crazy, many months later after having an updated hearing test and finding out I DID NOT have any additional hearing damage since my last hearing test many years ago, my T dropped off rapidly. Amazing how the mind works... Now, without a doubt will get yearly hearing test.

Being worried nonstop and limiting yourself at doing things in life will only cause depression. Get annual hearing test so you can have peace of mind that you did in fact not cause any damage to your ears from the times you went to the club/bar/ whatever with earplugs. As you build that confidence, you'll care less and less about it. The less you think, worry, and care about T, the faster you'll habituate.

If I told myself today that I can no longer be a musician (working on music right now BTW) My ears would be screaming tonight.

 

Bone conduction is something I worried about with motorcycling since wind noise can get intense! I love motorcycling, T was a big road block for me and really bothered me I spent way to much time researching hearing damage and motorcycling, In the end I found bone conduction to not be an issue at least from my findings with normal riding of 100mph or less.

Ear protection is limited to about 40db NR after that bone conduction/body is the limiting factor, so IMO it's safe to assume the max hearing protection you can have at any point without wearing a body suit is 40db Even if wearing ear plugs, and ear muffs on top (what I do for shooting guns)

Most plugs do list their frequency ranges, a 33db howard leight Max, orange plug (I highly recommend BTW) is rated at 33db, depending on the frequency it supplies up to 40db reduction in sound. (based on their specs) the 33 db is just the average across the board so it also goes down below 33 but for the most part its high 20s to 40db reduction when worn correctly.

So 85db can cause damage in 8 hours of nonstop exposure. let's assume a very loud club is 105db (concerts are listed in the 105-110 range), with protection you'll never have damage even if you lived there. bump that up to 115db, you'll be able to stay in the club for about 8 hours nonstop before damage happens. Keep in mind everyone can start having damage after 15 minutes of exposure at 115db... That's FRIGGIN LOUD!!!! Most clubs will hit 115DB but it's not sustained. Movie theaters for example can hit 120db+ again, not sustained.

If you are correctly wear ear plugs at a club and come out with hearing damage, everyone not wearing hearing protection will be well on their way to being deaf.

Concerns about living life and hearing protection should be discussed with your ENT/Audiologist. If in doubt, do that before exposing yourself. Again, peace of mind goes a long way.

 

Interesting to read; I've been considering selling my bike and maybe getting an electric one, just because I'm not convinced that it's not harmful to me. The engine on my bike is about 110db, and that's not even at full rev. (That sounds like a lot, but I have verified this with an actual decibel meter and not a shitty phone app.)

This assumes that OSHA ratings are both accurate and equally true for all people including those with existing damage. I'm not sure that's a safe assumption. We just had another thread about this:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/which-guideline-to-use-to-avoid-hearing-loss.8992/

Basically, the EPA guideline is 75db for 8 hours. So, there's a huge discrepancy there, given that it's an exponential scale.

There are probably genetic factors in much of this, and recent research has even started to identify specific genes as culprits in specific kinds of hearing loss. Different organisms can exhibit a huge variety of physiological responses to the same stimuli. I have no problem believing that some people can sustain damage from volume levels that barely cause a temporary threshold shift in other people.

I have done this; I actually spoke to 3 different professionals about motorcycles specifically. One audiologist told me that he didn't think use of a motorcycle with earplugs was a concern. Another one said that use of a motorcycle at not-excessive speeds and for not-that-extended periods of time was not a concern. A third ENT told me that he thought motorcycles are unreasonably loud for anyone, and that anyone who already has HL/tinnitus was foolish to use them for any period of time, earplugs or not. So, there is no good consensus on that stuff.

I think it's fine for people to have different opinions and come to different conclusions, since we all have to live with the consequences of our own decisions. But, I don't think it's safe to necessarily assume that OSHA noise guidelines will protect all people from all kinds of acoustic damage.

Peace of mind is great for happiness, but it's not a good indicator of empirical fact. I have read that there were, in the past, nomadic south american tribes who actually liked tinnitus because they took it as a sign that their god was communicating with them. I am sure that goes a long way towards peace of mind, but that doesn't make it true. Likewise, in the 50s, some doctors told their patients that smoking tobacco was good for them and would help their overall health.

 

With motorcycles it is not the exhaust... It is the wind noise. Although 110db exhaust is pretty darn loud! there's a very easy fix to a very loud exhaust... however, not so much of an easy fix for wind noise. Regardless of electric or gas powered, the wind noise will always be there and is the loudest part of riding if you get above 50mph.

ENTs, like me and you have opinions and IMO the hearing test is the only non biased factor.

Bottom line, monitoring your hearing is the only way of knowing if you are or are not doing damage. However always being worried about it might cause more ringing than the actual damage. To say, hey avoid all loud places because you'll get damage and more T even with proper protection, just causes everyone (like the younger people in here) to worry about what they can no longer do and enjoy, which imo makes it worse.

I do believe OSHA has a pretty good handling on the sounds and damages because they deal with major businesses, we all know that in the US if someone loses their hearing (or has any issues while being told they are safe) at work (now, not in the old days) the company will just be sued. A lot of lawyers are watching over that. Money > > > all

 

Im 24 so Im also pretty young. I never really enjoyed clubbing or concerts so its not a big loss for me but after getting tinnitus I wouldn't even consider going to a loud event. I see people with tinnitus attending loud events and getting increases all the time. Some of them get the loudening right away, some in several years. Of course there are some people who never have it go louder despite concerts and the like but you will definitely increase the risk by going.
Life demands us to be flexible and be able to adapt to different situations not only in health realted issues but basically in everything. Therefore I would tell you not to attend loud events, visit bars, lounges, cafes with more normal noise levels with plugs. Channel your energy into volunteer work, studying, hobbies - you will meet people and have fun there too.

 

And how can you be certain that this is the case? I've previously gotten temporary tinnitus that's lasted a day, once or twice after clubbing with earplugs in (~1 year ago)

Remember, loud noises aren't only conducted through the ear canal; it can also be conducted through the skull (tap you head for a demonstration)

I'm not 100% sure what it's from.

 

I have been out a lot since I've been at uni and even to a couple of concerts, always wearing ear plugs and I've never had any problems... Until this weekend when I suspect I forgot to put them in... I never even thought that was a danger because I'm always very aware how loud it is when I go into clubs!