Disastrous Tinnitus Spike and Pressure in Ears After Going to a Concert WITH Hearing Protection

Hello,

I attended a concert 2 weeks ago, unfortunately, but with very good hearing protection. Since then, however, I have had an extreme tinnitus spike and a lot of pressure in the ears. I could imagine that it was just too loud and too much for my ears through the bone conduction.

I had my first sudden hearing loss 20 years ago in my left ear, followed by terrible hyperacusis, which fortunately has subsided over the years. Since then I have always protected my hearing when things get a bit louder.

I have been plagued by spikes previously if I've misjudged the situation and not protected well enough.

This time, however, I am very surprised, because I protected my hearing very well, and yet I now still experience such a disaster. I am very angry and very scared, because I really do not know how this will end.

Maybe someone has experienced something similar?

My tinnitus is very high-frequency buzzing, but sometimes it is also deep and humming, sometimes it is present in the left ear, sometimes in the right ear, but mostly in both ears. I also feel this pressure that is very annoying.

Is this a good sign when the tinnitus changes? What can cause the pressure in the ears? What can I do? I already take Magnesium, Betaserc and Curcumin.

Thanks a lot,
Tom

 

Hi Tom,

unfortunately I can’t offer you any advice as I’m 4 weeks into the same thing.

I only had the pressure in the ears for a few days though I believe.

Mine has acted the exact same way, always fluctuating and changing tones. I did have a couple of horrific tones that at least seem to have disappeared in the last 10 days or so (knock on wood).

My tinnitus used to be primarily in the left ear/head, and mild. But now periodically it goes to the right ear and is very loud. I can’t tell you if fluctuations are a good or a bad thing in terms of recovery prospects. I just know it’s extremely annoying.

I don’t think there’s anything more you can do than what you’re doing now. You just have to ride it out and hope for the best.

Sorry I couldn’t be of much help, I’m struggling myself and it sucks major balls.

 

I suspect that you are right about the sound being transmitted through your bones even though you had ear protection. I've had spikes off and on the 20 or so years that I have had tinnitus. They have always gone down, so far, LOL, but that doesn't mean they always will either. Yours will probably go down too.

Recently I have been having increased tinnitus and higher frequencies than in the past. As you know, the higher frequencies seem to be much more difficult to mask using white/pink noise. I went through a step by step process trying to figure out why mine went up, although I think the big factor was my move from a low humidity desert home to a high humidity Southern one.

I started eliminating the usual suspects a few days at a time, starting w/ my medications I use to sleep like Gabapentin and Benadryl. Then I cut out my nightly Bourbon night cap. Went to a no salt diet, etc. It continues to spike when I exercise/ride my bike, but the base level returned to not much higher than when I lived in the desert.

But now that I am really keeping an eye on it, I see that it goes up and down pretty much of its own accord. Just a big yawn can cause a spike that lasts many days. Cleaning up my diet and cutting back on suspected culprits can't hurt, so I still do that. I think you might try something similar, and never again attend a loud music event, or any event, that puts your tinnitus at risk of going up. We know that low frequency sounds are felt more than heard, so that's a heads up to all of us that we should avoid loud events even w/ ear protection because they may prove to be inadequate. We hear this over and over, but we forget it... stay busy. Just engage in things that you enjoy doing and try to avoid down time when there is nothing going on but your tinnitus.

 

Unfortunately, I cannot yet speak of an improvement, at least not a lasting one.

Yesterday, the tinnitus was very much in the background, but today it's very much in the foreground. My left ear keeps popping, and it seems like I have Eustachian tube dysfunction in addition to the spike. What's new is that everything sounds muffled. I've experienced this before during a spike, and it took quite a while for my hearing to become dynamic again. It seems as if my auditory pathways were stimulated by the music and are now overactive.

Does anyone here have experience with this? Could it be because of hyperacusis, which I developed 20 years ago after a sudden hearing loss?

 

Hi @tomytl, the popping could be in relation to your previous hyperacusis episode. I have had this a few times and it did stop in time.

As your hearing is muffled, do you feel a fullness in your ears? If you are concerned, I would speak with your doctor. Otherwise I would suggest auditory rest for the next few weeks/months which I am sure you know to do after noise exposure.

Best wishes for your recovery.