4 Days In, Very Scared

Hey guys, thought I'd join to share some thoughts and try get some closure.

I'm 20 years old and love techno music. Been to many festivals/raves/nights out and occasioanlly the ears ring but need more than a few hours.

Unfortunately I went to one on Saturday where the speakers were very loud and In such a small location I couldn't escape them.

My hearing has only just gone back to normal, but unfortunately the buzzing has stayed since then and it's unbearably loud. So much so that I'm rarely getting more than 2 hours sleep and am staying up all night sick with worry.

I haven't been able to work since, I haven't been able to socialise with friends and fear I'm not going to be able to deal with this.

Am I overreacting as I'm only 4 days in, I hear lots about tinnitus clearing up but at the minute I'm seeing no light at the end of the tunnel.

 

Hey.

I wouldn't say you're overreacting, though you're in need of happier thoughts for sure. I'm almost a month into a loud spike(accompanied by pain that comes and goes) and I do a bunch of all-nighters.
Have you seen anyone about your buzzing?

Some people get loud ringing in ears that lasts months after a concert or similar, so there's a chance it'll go away, or at least diminish significantly.

 

Hi Tom,

Welcome aboard!

The best thing you can do for yourself from this point forward is to avoid any and all loud noises within your control.
Secondly, I would advise you to make an appointment with an ENT and have him or her measure your hearing as well. This way, the hearing test (audiogram) will let you know if your hearing has been compromised.

I know it is not easy, but the best thing you can do is to try to limit your anxiety to tinnitus. It takes months and months for your mind to dismiss it as not important, but it can be done. As I type this to you, my left ear is ringing but I could care less. This is what is known as "habituation" and that is the prime way most of us cope with it.
Best of luck!

 

Hi guys, appreciate the replies, I'm bold in to see my GP today so will keep you posted, slowly coming to terms with it at something I will just have to deal with.

Unfortunately staying away from loud music is no option for me, I refuse to live in fear of it and not so what I absolutely love to do!

I am at an all night event this weekend but will be taking some good quality plugs so hopefully the buzzing won't increase due to it

Cheers for the closure guys, good to know it may not be permanent.

 

You're seing no light at the end of the tunnel, right ?

I'll give you one light : rest your ears for some time (weeks, months). Going to this night event this weekend might be the mistake you'll regret for the rest of your life.

You love music ? You need your ears. Don't fuck them more now. You just had an acoustic trauma man.

See your GP, maybe ask for Prednisone, and rest your ears.

You'll worry about going back to live events with good ear plugs later.

 

If you want trouble you are certainly going about it in the right way @Foncky is absolutely right. Leave the clubbing alone and rest your ears. Tinnitus can be a very debilitating condition when it is severe and intrusive and can ruin your life.
Michael

 

Again thanks for the feedback guys. I have seen my doctor today, who advised my glands are swollen which could be contributing towards the tinnitus. Also one ear is fully blocked, so I'm going to hot oil both ears and try flush them to see if it helps at all, will let you know how it goes.

So do you think this night out is a bad idea even with some good quality ear protection?

 

I don't think it's a bad idea. I know it.

12 years of T (including one year of bad intrusive T) taught me that, at least.

 

With all due respect @Tom Shelby I don't think you know a lot about tinnitus and what it can do. I don't want to frighten you but please read the post below and then click on the link at the bottom for help and coping tips.

Tinnitus, a way forward

Outside the realms of a tinnitus forum or a support group many people do not realize that tinnitus can be a very debilitating condition. Someone that has loud intrusive tinnitus there is usually no outward bodily signs indicating their discomfort. Unlike a person with a broken leg, on crutches and wears a cast. Neither can the severity of tinnitus be measured on any medical equipment. So the sufferer endures this torment in relative silence.

The fact that tinnitus comes in many forms and intensities compounds the issue and just for good measure it can be variable on a daily basis: mild, moderate, severe or very severe. However, many people with mild tinnitus are able to live perfectly normal lives doing everything they want to because the condition hasn’t become serious enough for them to visit their GP and then be referred to an ENT department for treatment.

To people reading this page I ask, how many times have you mentioned to someone that you have tinnitus and the reply has been: my friend, Father, Mother has that but they just ignore it and get along with their life? These comments can be crushing to someone that is distressed by tinnitus. It can make one feel terribly guilty for even mentioning the word. You might feel a failure. That old adage: pull yourself together is still alive and well in 2016.

There might be times you feel it necessary to confide in someone how your tinnitus makes you feel, there is nothing wrong in this, a problem shared is often a problem halved. Just choose carefully with whom you talk to, as you need support, understanding and a good listening ear. Thankfully, there is also people at tinnitus forums and support groupls that are understanding and won’t judge you or think that you are complaining about something that other people think is a minor irritant.

Over the years I have read in tinnitus books that the condition is not life threatening, I have heard people say it isn’t comparable to any serious medical condition. In reply to all those people I will say this: You have never suffered from loud intrusive tinnitus otherwise you would think twice before making such a statement. At the very least I believe such statements are abridged. You have to walk in a person’s shoes to be able to know what they are going through. You have to have been there done that then you are entitled to voice an opinion.

It is true, by itself tinnitus is not life threatening but that isn’t the end of the story. Anyone suffering with severe intrusive tinnitus, I believe it is comparable to any acute medical condition, simply because of what it is able to do to a person’s state of mind. Anti-depressants are sometimes prescribed as treatment for tinnitus. These drugs will not necessarily stop the tinnitus but can help prevent a person from becoming too depressed because of the noise in their head and ears.

People mustn’t be under any misconceptions the depths that this condition can take one to. If tinnitus is left unchecked it has the ability to make a person think and do something irrational that otherwise they wouldn’t contemplate if they weren’t in such a distressed state. One only has to do a search on Google to find this out. So there lies the paradox.

We can move forward and help ourselves by using different coping strategies in addition to such things as anti-depressants, tinnitus retraining therapy cognitive behavioural therapy and Relaxation exercises. I have talked about the importance of having a positive outlook on life and how negative thoughts about this condition shouldn’t be allowed to get a hold. Acquiring a positive attitude to tinnitus isn’t something that happens overnight but we must start somewhere. Our mind and thought processes are very powerful.

There is a saying: belief can kill and it can cure. When my tinnitus is particularly troublesome I try to takeaway my attention from it by first thinking inwards and acknowledging the positive things in my life and holding on to them - I would encourage you to do the same. Secondly, I project my thoughts outwards away from myself and into the world and look at what’s happening with other people. First in and around my neighbourhood then further a field. How other people’s lives are being affected and the circumstances they are going through.

It is often said no matter what our circumstances are there is always someone worse off. I am in no way trying to play down the severity of tinnitus but it is my way of trying to be positive in hope of restoring some equilibrium in my life in order for me to carry on.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/an-introduction-to-tinnitus.12100/

 

I won't lie, i don't know a lot about it, I have only just acquired it. It doesn't appear to be intrusive atm and appears to be dying down already. I came on here for a bit of closure but so far most comments have made me feel much much worse. I have spoken to people in person on the matter and the broad variety of severity of tinnitus mean I may be being ill advised on here. It's not helping my mind set. I appreciate the advice on the whole but think this may have been a bad idea. Cheers guys, good luck with your conditions. Il go it alone from here.

 

You're probably not going to read it but whatever.

I had a tinnitus for a week a few years ago after a night out. It went away on it's own after just 7-14 days. Month later it was non-existent. I forgot about it, started going out "normally", as other people. Now I have tinnitus for a month already and it's intrusive.

It's fading? You have been given a second chance. Avoid loud places for a bit. For the rest of your life protect your ears. Dude, I wish I was given advice like that 3 years ago. Your ears gave you a warning. A f***ing huge red flag.

It's fading? YOU CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE HOW LUCKY YOU ARE.

 

Many of us wish we were given the advice back in the day @maltese

 

Sorry, right now we only care about your ears, not about your mindset.

If you rest your ears now, your mindset will be alright for good, that's the idea.

 

@Tom Shelby my tinnitus started the same way as you. Ringing after concerts and then one day it became permanent. Yes it was very mild at first but i kept going and now i would say its highly mild/ low end moderate in severity. Don't kid yourself. I was advised by doctors that as long as i wore ear plugs it would be okay, but it still got worse. So yeah , please take our advice seriously. I am sure whoever you have spoken to has not experienced loud intRusive tinnitus as someone like @Michael Leigh has. His advice is golden and you should really adhere to it.

Ask yourself why you bothered to sign up here if your just going to ignore the advice of tinnitus veterans?

 

Oh you kids.. I'd highly recommend you not attend any more of these concerts. Ear plugs or not, the damage is done, and anything loud like this will make it worse. Focus on getting better, socialize with your friends, go for nice walks in nature, but be warned and stay away from these incessantly loud concerts.
You do NOT want to make this worse.

 

Unfortunately @Sam Bridge many people like to be told what they want to hear and do not want to hear the sobering truth. You see Christmas will soon be here, and our friend wants to go out clubbing and listening to loud music way into the small hours, because that's called: living life.
Michael

 

I cant remember the supplemets but there are some that if you take them at the very onset they may just sort this out but I cant remember them ,head over to the allternative treatment section and put a thread up someone will know good luck.