Being Young with Tinnitus

You cannot be certain about anything. Where you listening for the T after the club to see if things have changed? If so...

Hearing test, hearing test, hearing test. Without knowing your baseline hearing and where it goes over the next few months or years we can sit here and play Internet ENT all day. I can't push it enough, my main point in being apart of this thread is to get the point across to not be afraid of living life and to get hearing test at least yearly so you can see signs of hearing loss from any of the "risk" that life may bring.

I've touched base on this already.

You never had a hearing test after it first showed up?

 

No, I wasn't listening for it. This was back from when I didn't have tinnitus permanently.

I don't think there is always a causal relationship between hearing loss and noise induced tinnitus; there are people with noise induced hearing loss without tinnitus and vice versa. But that's just my opinion based on anecdote. Please feel free to prove me wrong with evidence, otherwise we're both just speaking our experiences (which was the intention of my original comment).

I did, I was told that I have very mild hearing loss in my left ear, and none in my right ear.

 

I think Jeffie and Linearb both touch on some very interesting and valid points. I would side with Linearb in being dubious of applying OSHA guidelines as a hard and fast rule for what you can consider a safe volume. As Linearb mentioned, everyone's body is different, so we will all respond differently to different levels of noise. I would personally be cautious of exposing myself to any loud environment (even with ear plugs, which would of course be mandatory).

However, Jeffie also raises a good point. Since this is a thread for us young people, it is important to remember that although we've all had the misfortune of acquiring T, we should not let T limit us from experiencing life.

If you're young and you want to go to concerts or go out to the clubs, I think with all the proper precautions (e.g. wearing strong ear plugs [correctly inserted], staying far away from the source of sound, taking frequent breaks to go outside, etc.) statistically you should be alright. But of course, there is always a chance of doing more damage, just as a person could blow out their knee playing a game of basketball, or fall off a horse, or any number of unlikely, but possible, things that can happen to a person. And of course these scenarios become more likely when you're entering the situation with a pre-existing injury, which the majority of us are.

However, it is worth mentioning that as young people with T, we become extremely cautious of worse case scenarios because we've already been on the receiving end of something statistically improbable. But a life lived in fear isn't much of a life lived at all. So, there is a question that all of us must ask ourselves. When we are on our deathbeds, would we be more concerned about the chances we took or the one's that we did not. That of course, much like everything else, is a highly personal and philosophical question that only you can answer.



As a side, that's very interesting what you said about Nomadic South American tribes Linearb. Do you have a link?

 

Different places all over the world hold T as a good thing.

Some people believe if you have T is is gods way of send messages and such, others think it comes with wisdom.
I forgot where I read it but not long ago I ran across a website that listed different areas and all the benefits of having noises in your head.. For those people they love having it, so it kind of puts a twist on the problem since we can't stand it, yet some embrace it.

OSHA is just a guideline to give you an idea of what has been found to cause damage, in the end, it's up to each person to monitor their hearing.

Biggest issue with new T people is they pretty much shut the world out and become depressed over it, this in turn causes T to get worse because they can't stop focusing on it and how it holds them back.

Like a minor fender bender that causes your air bag to go off... 165DB right in your face One of my biggest fears! Clubs, movies, shooting ranges, I can protect myself with plugs, however a car crash... not so much, sure it's for a split second but 165db... not sure how many ms it would take to cause damage. Guessing not many. That's pretty much a high powered rifle going off in your face.

 

Yeah, I don't worry about these kinds of scenarios because they are too far out of one's control. If one were to worry about an airbag going off and increasing one's T. One should be even more concerned with being T-boned and having one's neck and spine irreparably damaged.

I think it's better to control the controlable and humbly admit that the rest is in the universe's hands.

 

In general I agree with the statement of fear but does being brave really have to do with doing something that will very likely create a problem? Brave can mean accepting the consequences and not doing the thing you want to do. I think a person can figure out why they love loud events so much whether it be the company of others or enjoying music and find ways to do them anyway. And yes, one should take chances but there is more point to taking chances that will likely have a positive outcome not a negative one.

 

@Lj22 bro we can give u advice but it is you who has to make the descision and it is you who is going to suffer if it was a wrong one. Basically everyones T is different we all dont get it the same way. One might have hearing loss and the other might not. There are people with T who are going to have it minor for the rest of their lives and there are people that will get it very severe like myself it is not pleasant it is hell everyday... Now we dont know who gets to get it mild and who doesnt. I suggest if you feel very uneasy then just dont do it. One with T might go to a club and not suffer damage but another might, we dont know the outcomes. I suggest u listen to ur T if it is sensitive to certain noises or it spikes frequently or if it even feels full take it as a sign that your ear is not that strong or it needs rest and a concert that is very loud might cause harm...but like i said it is your call man were just here to give advice not to make decisions for you.

 

I've actually never been clubbing or to concerts...Yet I still have tinnitus due to an ear infection..Most unfair way of getting it, if you ask me. Or being given benzos.

 

My major concern has less to do with bravery and more to do with not letting fear control you. One can eliminate fear without courage or bravery. For example, one can overcome fear through logic and reason.

As you said, if you choose not to do something because you don't want to open yourself up to possible negative consequences I think that that's a valid response. Personally, I wouldn't use the term brave to describe that action though, rather, I would use the term reasonable. However, I think as the number of things a person limits themselves from doing grows, they risk letting fear dictate the quality of their life.

Again, at the end of the day. As far as we know, a person is only young only one time. One should try their best to enjoy as many possible aspects of their youth, especially since all of us are far too familiar with the very realistic possibility that your whole world could change tomorrow.

 

I've never been big into clubs, went a handful of times and was done. My T showed up around 21 so clubbing was an after the fact thing, my ENT believes I have hearing loss due to an ear infection that went untreated as a child.

 

Same cause as me...It's hard having it so long, as we haven't lived our life's. If we had this at like an old age, it would've been more acceptable as we we would've lived most of our life's

 

Please live your life, just be smart about it and protect when needed as with keep hearing test up to date so you'll find out if you ever do over do it. Once you get tested in 6 months or year with zero new hearing loss and have a list of all the bad things you did do leading up to that test. A massive weight will lift off your shoulders.

While I am now a big preacher of not over plugging, I still carry my custom ear plugs in my pocket any time I leave the house, and a set of foam plugs in each of our cars. Sometimes we are out and about and end up at a loud place with friends like a bar with music playing. If I didn't plan ahead I'd feel like, sorry, we can't go we are just going to go home... Then you get upset about how you couldn't do X Y or Z... Just gotta be smart about it and know your limits.

 

Thanks for the advice mate! I'm on so many drugs that I don't know what is what anymore.

 

I hear you, hopefully you'll stumble onto a drug that makes your T go away =) Hey, it could happen. When it does, pass it over!

 

I will. Although, If this mixture work, then thank god it's all over...No more suffering. Trust me, I'll be the first to tell everyone.

 

That's awful, being smart & still getting it anyway

 

I'm 21 and a uni student. So I love going out and partying with my friends. When tinnitus kicked in due to a much too loud festival (and not wearing any hearing protection at the time) I stopped going to loud events (even though they were one of my favourite things to do). I got depressed and locked myself inside for months. I thought I could never go out again with friends, that my fun student life was over. But since last month I started going out again. I was completely fed up with how T was controlling and ruining my life. So I just said "F*** it" and went partying. But what was the big difference? CUSTOM MADE EARPLUGS. they're expensive but they surely are an investment. I consulted with my doctor, ENT and TRT specialist. And they all ensured me I would be safe from any further damage. I wasn't going to put myself at risk so I made sure I was completely safe. I'm even attending tomorrowland this summer!

Another thing is should mention as well: I live in Belgium. And we have certain noise regulating laws here that prevent clubs and bars from exceeding the noise limit of 94db (100db for festivals). So if you're wearing earplugs that filter up to 30db then you're really safe.

I'm actually much happier like this. Still going out with friends but protecting my hearing. I think it's even helping with my habituation proces. Because it's yet again something I'm taking back what T depraved me from.

 

This is the answer I got from my TRT specialist who consulted with an audiologist about going to a festival with custom made earplugs

 

Hey! Sad to hear about you tinnitus, but that doesn't mean your days of concerts and clubbing has to be over. I've had tinnitus since the age of 12 after a concert. I am now 17 and I've been to several concerts after that. In my experience the tinnitus tends to get worse after a concert, but it passes the next day. I was a little stupid and went to a concert without earplugs. Guess who didn't get much sleep that night. With earplugs I haven't had any problems. Over the years my tinnitus hasn't gotten permanently worse either.

If you are going out clubbing or to concert I'd advice you to buy yourself a good pair of earplugs. That way you don't have to worry so much and you protect your ears.

 

Being young with tinnitus really sucks ,

 

Tell me about it. Can't believe there's 13 and 14 years olds on here..It's horrible at any age of course, but that young...It's terrible.

 

Yeah I was reading the threads , just today , fu**king sad :/

 

It truly is...I can't wait till there's treatments for tinnitus as it will end suffering and people dying.

 

I said a prayer for all of us today , for God to help you thru your problem ........God Bless

 

I doubt there is members who are 13/14 y old, but some people get T for unknown reasons very young.

I appreciate that a thread like that appears. I'm 20 year old student, and even if i'm almost totally habituated, i think it's nice to see that T is not only a problem for "old" people.

 

I'm a 19 year old student with Drug-induced tinnitus. I've had Tinnitus for 6 months now and it has been a massive challenge. It was 2 months into my tinnitus that I was told it was a chronic condition, from that point I fell into a spiral of depression and anxiety. Went through all the similar stages: fear of loud noises, feelings of despair.

The major issue for me was that my lifestyle and my entire life that went with it was no longer possible. I clubbed prolifically in my first year of university so I basically designed my life around that activity, all my relationships centered around it, So it was devastating to find out I couldn't do it anymore.

So I did the sensible thing: I stopped going out to loud environments and plugged up wherever I heard a loud noise.

But it was miserable. I did not want to live a lifestyle where I couldn't go out, chat to beautiful women, have fun with my freinds and live the student life. The alternative was just too depressing.

My resolution is to live life again. I still go clubbing and this is how I do it:

• Before clubbing I take magnesium, NAC and vitamin supplements (this is to protect the hair cells in the ear)
• I limit my alcohol consumption to a few units as it thins the blood and makes it harder for oxygen to get to the hair cells
• Use custom fit full blocking/23db attenuating ear plugs in bars or places where the volume isn't so high you can still talk to people.
• In the club I wear 33db foam ear plugs (They must be fit correctly, if they are not then they are providing no protection and you will receive damage as a result, I had been using ear plugs wrong for a while)
• Take frequent break, half an hour IN 15 mins OUT, repeat until exposure is 1 and a half hours.
• You will have a spike the next morning and this can last up to two days, do not test your ears or measure for an increase as you will become stressed.
• For the next 5 days you should take supplements to protect the ears, magnesium, NAC as this is when the hair cells will decide to die or survive.
• The next time it will be safe to club will be two weeks after your spike as any damage by then will be permanent but before that time noise exposure can make the damage worse.
• Finally, accept that if you do this there is a risk, hearing damage is cumulative so although you don't feel an increase to your tinnitus after following these guidelines you may still be making it worse. Everyone is different it's your decision to make.

I don't beleive I'm being irresponsible here as I'm doing this a safely as possible and I'm not doing it nearly as much as I did before. Concerts are also a no go for me- 120db concert is a different beast from a 100db club.

I see it this way, there will be an effective treatment in 10 years and a cure in 20 years. I need to be able to 'go out' for the next 5 years as this is how I will socialise, find a relationship etc. After 25 the need to go into loud environments is much less important and the desire to do so won't be high so if my Tinnitus is worse between 25 and 30 I'll take that over crushing depression and not getting to live life.

Stay safe, be smart, weigh up the cost and benefits.