Boyfriend & I Got Tinnitus After Two Concerts → His Tinnitus Went Away, Mine Did Not

Hello,

I'm new here. I will try & keep this short to the point.

In August 2023, my boyfriend and I went to two concerts. Our ears were ringing, and we assumed they’d settle, so we thought nothing more of it. My boyfriend's ears got better. However, mine did not. The ringing continued. A few days later came the sensitivity and pain. At a complete and utter loss about what to do, I went to my doctor, who examined my ears—no issues were identified.

I have been lurking on Tinnitus Talk & doing googling, & I invested in some earplugs to protect my ears from everything. This, however, I noticed made my ears more sensitive, so I only use them if in a bar & it’s too loud. Or when I go dancing, which is a hobby I’ve done for many years.

I’ve also had two hearing tests, on August and September 23, and they advised that my hearing is good.

Since the trauma, my ears have been up and down like a yo-yo. One minute, they feel great, like they’re healed, and I can start living again (protecting my ears, of course). But then I have days where my ears are painful, and I feel like I’ve taken several steps back.

I am at a complete loss as to what to do. I’m trying to remain positive that this situation will resolve itself. But when my ears get sensitive and painful, I feel like I’m back at square one again.

I know there’s no overnight fix for this and that it all takes time, but any suggestions and hope ‍♀️ would be much appreciated.

 

What type of sound do you hear in your tinnitus? On a scale of 1-10, how loud is it? Does it happen every day, including when you go to sleep at night?

 

It sounds like you have tinnitus and mild hyperacusis.

This might pass, or it might get worse, or it might stay the same. No one really knows for sure.

Just a friendly warning: You're going to get a million theories on Tinnitus Talk concerning what it could be and how you should treat it. It's up to you to decide what advice to follow and see what helps you out the most.

 

Hi @Casey J and welcome to Tinnitus Talk.

I am sorry to know of the difficulties that you are experiencing at the moment with tinnitus. You are right in saying there is no overnight fix for this condition, but your situation can improve, and I believe quite significantly if you follow some of the advice that I am going to give you. In addition to this, you need to be patient and try to adopt a positive attitude and not think because you have tinnitus, your life is one of impending doom and gloom.

You have noise-induced tinnitus and possibly hyperacusis, too. Hyperacusis, which is an oversensitivity to sound, often but not always accompanies noise-induced tinnitus. Noise-induced tinnitus usually improves with time, but for this to happen, you need to do certain things; otherwise, you risk making the condition worse.

If you have been listening to audio through any type of headphones then I advise you to stop doing this immediately. The same applies to earbuds, AirPods, headsets, noise-canceling, and bone-conduction headphones. Please do not be tempted to use any of these devices, even at low volume, as there's a risk of making the tinnitus worse. This is just my opinion but the choice is yours.

If you have been going to concerts frequently with your boyfriend or going to clubs where music is played loud, or your ears have been ringing previously after attending these events and eventually go away, then I suspect the tinnitus has been there for quite some time, but has been operating at a very low level. Low enough so your brain was able to ignore it easily. Sounds during the daily environment, traffic, etc., would have helped to mask the tinnitus. If you have also been listening to audio through headphones or any of the other devices I mentioned above, then it would only be a matter of time before the tinnitus is brought to the forefront of your mind and makes itself known.

I advise you to keep away from all loud noise. This means stop going to concerts and clubs where music is played loud. Please do not put trust in noise-reducing earplugs, even high-end molded earplugs, with the belief that you are safe from making your tinnitus and hyperacusis (if present) worse. The reason is that if the external sound is loud enough, it will pass through your head and transfer to your inner ear by bone conduction and spike the tinnitus. If you are fortunate the spike will reduce within a short period of time, or it could increase the tinnitus to a new permanent level.

I realize that dancing is your hobby and it's something you have been doing for many years. However, such an environment is usually noisy from the music that is being played, which isn't good for tinnitus and hyperacusis, especially in the early stages of the conditions. In addition to this, dancing usually involves activity where the feet make regular on-and-off contact with the floor, a form of aerobics, to be more specific. This sort of activity can aggravate tinnitus and hyperacusis in some people. This could be one of the reasons your ears calm down and heal to use your terminology, then suddenly become painful again. Vibrations under the feet can travel up through the legs into the upper body, head, and auditory system and hence irritate the tinnitus.

I am not saying you should never go dancing again, go to clubs, or even attend concerts. What I am advising is that you need to calm things down and give your ears and auditory system time to heal properly. If you don't, your symptoms may become much worse. Sorry to sound so sobering, but this is what I think. Noise-induced tinnitus and hyperacusis are not something to dismiss or take lightly.

You can start using low-level sound enrichment during the day and at night by using a sound machine at your bedside.

Click the link below and read my post: I Have Noise-Induced Tinnitus — What Should I Do? Please print and read all the posts in the list. You will find them on my started threads. It is better to print them rather than reading on your phone or computer screen. By taking your time to read them, you will absorb and retrain the information better.

All the best,
Michael

I Have Noise-Induced Tinnitus — What Should I Do? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

 

I would avoid both hearing protection and loud venues. Stop going to bars and concerts, but also do not wear hearing protection in quiet—moderate environments.

As soon as sounds cause physical pain, wear hearing protection. You will know what physical pain is if you experience it. It is like a burning, sharp pain in the ears.

 

Now it's my turn to throw in my advice!

Be clear: hyperacusis is more likely to resolve than tinnitus.

Which annoys you the most, the tinnitus or the hyperacusis?

The more you protect, the less likely your tinnitus will worsen.

My advice is to take no risks for the next few months. Your ears are in a vulnerable state after injury, and the tinnitus could easily worsen from further 'accidental' noise exposures.

So protect, protect, protect and avoid, avoid, avoid! That'll give you the best chance of your tinnitus reducing AND from getting worse.

Sure, it may make your hyperacusis worse, but as said at the start, hyperacusis is more likely to resolve than tinnitus.

You can always deal with the hyperacusis later AFTER your ears have had some time and chance to heal without more sound accidents.

Ears heal best in the first few months. Don't do anything that could adversely affect that.

 

I often hear what sounds like a radio station that’s trying to be tuned.

My tinnitus is about a 7-8, and it’s been nonstop since the incident last August. I hear it when I go to sleep; however, it’s never kept me awake. I sleep well, which I feel very lucky to be able to do.

Thank you for your feedback; it’s much appreciated. I’m remaining hopeful that I’ll get better. I had a week where my ears felt great—no pain, no sensitivity, and I felt normal. And then something triggered it, so I’m hopeful I’ll get back to that stage again.

Wow, this is great advice/information. Thank you.

I’ve not touched headphones, since my ears went wrong. The thought just terrifies me.

I’ve not been to any more gigs since. I have, however, been to bars where the noise hasn’t been excessively loud, but I’ve worn earplugs. I’ve also been to the movies, albeit once, where I wore earplugs. I’m due to attend another gig in August; I’m petrified, as I have a feeling my ears will be in no fit state to attend.

Dancing is something I’ve done for over 30 years. I’ve been toying with the idea of giving it a break for a while, and I think this might be an opportunity to do so to allow my ears to heal properly. I went last week, and one particular piece of music has hurt my ears, so much so that my hearing sounds different—for the first time in 8 months.

I will take a read of the links provided, & go from there. Thanks again.

In the beginning, I started using hearing protection all the time. However I noticed this made my ears really sensitive. So, I stopped, & the sensitivity reduced somewhat.

Yes, I know what the pain is like... I’ve been living with it for eight months!

If I can cure the hyperacusis, I’ll be happy. The tinnitus, I don’t think, is new to me. I think I’ve always had it, just that it’s been masked, been operating @ a low level, & since the concerts last year, it has become louder and more prominent.

I’m eight months into this. Is there any hope, or am I doomed? I just feel so stupid. I’m constantly reflecting and thinking back to that week—I wish I had never gone to the gigs.

 

You are welcome, @Casey J.

My advice is to stay away from the movie theatre for now. If you attend the gig in August, just remember not to trust earplugs. Please print my posts from the list and not just read them on your phone or computer.

I know it's difficult but you are doing the right thing by giving the dancing a break to allow your ears and auditory system to heal.

You will get there. Just be patient and give it time.

All the best,
Michael

 

No, it's not. @Michael Leigh (not a real name, by the way) is dishing outdated, proven to be ineffective advice around sound therapy. It is proven to not improve tinnitus sufferers, and may worsen them. Be careful following "advice" in his graphomaniac posts.

 

I think there is more hope for hyperacusis improving than tinnitus at this point, although some improvement could still happen with that. It sounds like your tinnitus isn't too bad despite your self-rating of 7-8. We don't realize what a 10 is because it seems tinnitus has no limit. I never thought it could get this loud. You said your hearing checked out OK, and you can sleep sound, so that's a plus. So many of us struggle with that after getting severe tinnitus, on top of anxiety. Definitely protect your ears from loud noises going forward, even if it seems to get better. You certainly don't want to risk it getting worse.

 

Hello. I'm sorry you're on here and please, absolutely have hope. If this was caused by noise and it was your first over exposure, you have a great chance of healing or not worsening.

I think that friendly warning from @Pinhead is the best first advice you can get on here. I didn't post an introduction because I was too overwhelmed and desperate for answers. When you're in this state - seeing opinions and what could be harmful advice posted on here as if they're facts - could be dangerous. Please use caution and proceed knowing none of us have the answer for everyone else. We are making our own guidebooks as we go. Sorry if that's tough and disappointing to read.

Best immediate advice from me: Protect your ears from excessively loud noise, wear earplugs or avoid it altogether. Being in quiet for a few hours a day may help calm your ears and mind. Read up on cases here that seem like yours and keep asking for advice and weighing if it works for you.

It's not easy, if you had serious noise trauma causing this from the concert, you may have to always be thoughtful of your ears from here on out.

 

Thank you for your response; much appreciated.

I’ve been going to clubs and bars from the age of 18, albeit not every weekend. I am now in my late 30s. I went to 2 x gigs last year (I hardly ever go to gigs/concerts), & I now find myself in this situation in which I’m trying to remain positive and upbeat. But it’s starting to distress me a little. This morning, I did 2 of those online tests to see where my hearing is at, & apparently, I have moderate hearing loss now.

I feel like retreating into a hermit because I’m so fearful of my hearing getting worse. I will continue using earplugs to protect my ears whenever a potentially loud environment occurs.

 

Pain can be delayed, even days. In my early days, I frequently noticed that I had a good day after I exposed myself to a bit more sound. Somebody here called it the "honeymoon." Next, you get pain, more hyperacusis, and tinnitus.

I would advise NOT to do TRT. It's plain stupid. It's like the car mechanic telling you there is a problem with your car's motor, not knowing what the exact cause is, and advising you to drive it even for hours but just stay below 80k m/h.

I wish I had protected more. But there is no need to overprotect.

 

I definitely wouldn't trust online hearing tests. According to one, I have the hearing of a 75-year-old. I'm 34.

 

I don’t find I’m enduring this god-awful pain continuously, though. Is that, in a roundabout way, a good thing?

Apologies, but what does TRT mean?

I’m going back to protecting (not that I completely stopped), but as you said, I should not overprotect, as I found that in the beginning, my ears got very sensitive.

I’m not relying on the online hearing tests religiously, but is this an indication that my hearing is starting to deteriorate?

 

I wouldn't even say that. It's only an indication that you took an online hearing test.

You need specific equipment to make sure these tests are done correctly, and they should be taken in a soundproof room.

In my opinion, most audiologists are a bit clueless regarding tinnitus and its treatment, but they should still be relied on to give hearing tests.

 

Well, pain is not good.

Stay away from online hearing tests and tinnitus sound examples/comparisons. Before you realize it, you damage your ears more.

 

TRT stands for Tinnitus Retraining Therapy. Since you are in the early stages of tinnitus, my advice is to forget about TRT or Cognitive behavioral Therapy (CBT). I have explained some of the most common treatments for tinnitus in my post, Tinnitus, A Personal View. I also advised you to print my articles in the list on my thread: I Have Noise-Induced Tinnitus, What Do I Do?

Please read my post: New to tinnitus what to do? It is in the list. This is all you need to follow for now. Forget online hearing tests, as you may cause yourself harm, especially if you listen through headphones. If you have difficulty with your tinnitus, which isn't unusual in the early stages, talk to your GP/PCP.

Please print and read the posts that I have mentioned.

All the best,
Michael

 

Tinnitus Retraining Therapy. It's sound therapy and counseling, probably not useful.

See:

→ Tinnitus Retraining Therapy Is Ineffective, Latest Study Finds

 

UPDATE:

I went for two hearing tests this week - to check how my hearing is doing eight months after the noise trauma. To my surprise, both tests came back OK, with no hearing loss, which is positive.

That said, my ears are really painful today. I thought I was making headway on the slow road to recovery, but I feel like I’m back to square one. The side, & top of my head aches; it feels like a nerve, & now my teeth.

This is highly frustrating, but I’m persevering. It WILL get better.

 

Now, my 2 cents.

Reduce all loud volume and exposure. A great way to do this is if you have an Apple Watch, it can monitor your environment. This is what I do. You can set limits, so if it’s getting loud, you can leave or use earplugs.

DO NOT overuse your earplugs. For situations under 60 dB, definitely don’t use any hearing protection at all. This will make you more sensitive. You will slowly need to expose your ears to louder, normal sounds so you aren’t sensitive to everyday noise. Within reason, anything up to 75 dB will be safe. 80 dB and over is considered loud.

No movies or concerts. These are loud environments, and dancing could be an issue if the music played is loud. I would not attend the upcoming gig.

It’s important not to expect the worst; things can improve, but you have to change your lifestyle. Some people on here will make it all doom and gloom, but you can improve; you just can’t fall back into bad habits and not care about noise.

I wouldn’t be going to bars and clubs. They are some of the worst offenders.

Although the hearing test only goes to 8 kHz, if you’re anything like me, your tinnitus is closer to 10-12 kHz (some people can hear up to 20 kHz).

You could try to find an audiologist who performs tests with a higher range, but unfortunately, this wouldn’t change the outcome.