How Can I Forgive Myself for Causing My Tinnitus by Attending a Concert?

I was at a concert, too close to the stage. It was too loud there, and I knew it. I thought several times that I needed to protect my ears, but I just kept watching the show. Now I have nerve damage in my ears for certain. I was afraid of tinnitus for years. I was always careful around loud noise. Then I threw it all away in one 3 hour show. It’s been 8 months and it doesn’t seem to be improving. How can I ever forgive myself for this?

 

HI @Dosman

Noise induced tinnitus usually improves over time and if yours hasn't, there could be a few reasons for this. Since the onset of the tinnitus have you been using headphones or headset at any time even at low volume? If the answer is yes and you are still using them, this could be a reason the tinnitus hasn't improved. If you work in a noisy environment or have been listening to music at home or in the car at medium to high levels even for short periods, this can also cause the tinnitus not to improve.

It is not unusual for Hyperacusis to accompany tinnitus especially when it is noise induced. If you are overly sensitive to sounds, you may have hyperacusis and this can also cause the tinnitus not to improve. Noise induced tinnitus will affect each person differently, so you may need to be referred to a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist that specialises in Tinnitus and hyperacusis treatment and management.

Try not to dwell on the passed because you cannot change anything. However, you can look towards the future and it's something that you can address, by seeing the health professionals that I have mentioned. Please click on the links below and read my articles on tinnitus, that I think you may find helpful. Take your time and read them thoroughly and not skim through them.

If you have been using headphones or headset then I advise you to stop using them even at low volume.

All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/acquiring-a-positive-mindset.23969/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-the-negative-mindset.23705/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-habituation-process.20767/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/is-positivity-important.23150/

 

Give it time.

 

Time fixes everything. You will be in peace with yourself. Every day all sort of accidents happen. This is not different from some other unfortunate circumstance, like falling from a bike when driving, or having any sort of accident.

 

Imagine that your T improves and your repeat the same mistake. That´s what I did.

It is not your fault after all. They set the volume high due to ignorance. And you probably have predisposition to suffer this. Many people and musicians are surrounded by noise and this does not happen to them. Imagine all the people who work for years in nightclubs or playing in bands. Many are lucky that this does not happen to them. Science will find the difference between them and us someday.

 

How did you cause it? The friggen sound engineers set the sound levels to a dangerous level.

Oh well, even though this should be a lawsuit with lots of damages, nobody gives a damn rat's butt about people with tinnitus and no lawyer would take this case.

 

I want to thank all of you for taking time to read what I wrote and your comments, etc. It really was very helpful for me today.

 

Why were you afraid of tinnitus? Have you experienced it before and got better?

 

You're absolutely right, I wasn't the source of any of that sound and I should remember that. Thanks for replying

 

No, I just knew of it and it seemed like something I wouldn't deal with well.

 

If anything you paid them to give you hearing damage. The so-called tinnitus associations aren't doing jack shit to push for regulatory change in this area either.