Intro — Tinnitus and Other Symptoms Started After Attending a Concert

Hi,

I'm a 27 year old guy who has always been healthy and never had issues with my ears.

Back in June of this year I went out to a concert and found myself with my left ear very close to the speaker. I didn't think too much of it at the time but looking back now I know it was a bad idea.

Anyway, we left the concert and I felt some pressure in my ear and didn't really think too much of it as I have had this in the past and it's never been a significant problem.

The next day my hearing was still not fully recovered and I figured I'd give it another day.

I woke up the next morning with a low ringing in my left ear which I have experienced before and again didn't think too much of it.

I went to bed that night with my ear still ringing and woke up feeling awful. The room was spinning and I was extremely off balance. My hearing was muffled and i just didn't feel well. I went over to see my doctor and they prescribed me some decongestants and said it should be fine.

I flew out of town that evening for business and upon landing I felt horrible again and ended up vomiting due to the vertigo, nausea and overall horrible feeling. My hearing was still diminished and I couldn't hear anything out of my left ear along with constant high pitched ringing in that one ear.

I made it back to my home after the trip and visited the dr again who prescribed prednisone. I did notice some improvement with the prednisone and assumed everything would be back to normal after I finished up my 5 day prescription.

Besides the tinnitus, I felt a lot better after finishing up the prednisone. The next couple days were significantly better and even had most of my hearing back except for higher frequencies although I still had the tinnitus but no vertigo which was the worst thing.

Then I woke up again the next morning and felt dizzy and off balance. I went to my Dr again who prescribed me some more prednisone for a longer period and referred me to the ENT and Audiologist (which didn't have an appointment for about a month).

I am now off of the prednisone but still have tinnitus that gets better and worse randomly.

Not sure what is going on but I hope to have this figured out soon. I have another couple of weeks before my appointment with the ENT specialist.

I also find that sometimes my own voice and other people seem to hurt to hear.

Anyway, I'm not sure if the concert caused all of these issues or just aggravated it since I do battle allergies a lot and i had one doctor suggest that it could be labyrinthitis or even Eustachian tube dysfunction.

I really don't know what it could be at this point.

Is there anything I can do to help manage the tinnitus?? As in drink more water, supplements etc.?

Thanks for reading.

 

I'm sorry this happened, bro. I got mine at a concert when I was 17. Reducing stress will help. It was the concert that caused your tinnitus. It happens all the time. Stay away from loud noise in the future. Make sure you are getting all the required vitamins and minerals. Taking NAC will help ensure that your body's glutathione (antioxidant) stores are optimal. Hang in there.

 

The concert can cause all of that. Give it some time and see how you feel. For sure lay off the loud music and protect your ears....

 

@GR228 ... Do stay on-board the forum ... you've certainly come to the right place where you'll find lots of members who are more than willing to help ... and as @TuneOut quite rightly says, 'Hang in there.'

 

Welcome @GR228. There is a lot you can do, and coming here is a great first step. Search out posts by @Michael Leigh . he has a number of interesting and informative articles.

Another good step is not to worry. There are a lot of success stories here. As previous response have said, the are a lot of people who will be very supportive, sympathetic, and compassionate. You are not alone in your struggle. Pretty much everyone on this site either suffers from, or knows someone who suffers from, tinnitus.

Spend time reading through the posts. I mentioned Michael earlier for his articles which contain excellent advice. I also often recommend looking for posts by @Bobbie7 and @billie48, both write very supportive and inspirational posts and responses, and even when not responding to my posts, I find their replies helpful and comforting.

I wish you well, and hope that you find all that you need here.

 

Thank you all so much! It really helps to know you can turn to someone who understands what you're going through...for now I'll stay positive and hope for he best.

 

Hi @GR228 - Welcome to this forum. I am sorry you are experiencing difficulty and when you have your appointments with the ENT and audiologist you will be able to learn more and, hopefully, they will be able to help you.

You mention you saw your GP twice and both times he prescribed medications for you which apparently has not helped. After you explained all of your symptoms did he give you a thorough examination and suggest any tests other than referring you to an ENT and audiologist? What was the doctor's response when you mentioned you were vomiting, experienced vertigo and nausea? I am wondering whether what you experienced is a separate issue from the tinnitus which might have been caused by being too close the speakers. I gather the nausea, vomiting and vertigo is no longer an issue.

I hope the physicians with whom you are to have appointments soon will be able to recommend what is required (perhaps tests if they are deemed necessary) in order to determine the cause for all your physical distress, offer treatment and thereby give you much-needed relief.

As for supplements I do not know much about these but do suggest you put a search in the forum's search bar and you will be able to see what other members have taken which may have helped.

When you have time, it would serve you well to read the many "Success Stories" and the "Positivity Thread" and please know you are not alone here.

I am sorry I could not offer more concrete help. I know it is far easier said than done but if possible, try to reduce your stress because as we all are aware, this can only exacerbate any physical problems. Hopefully, your doctors will get to the bottom of this and you will feel better. Please keep us posted.

Sending best wishes,
Barbara

 

Hello Barbara,
Thanks for your response! My doctor had many theories of what it could be but decided to prescribe me the prednisone and have me checked out by the ENT specialist. I honestly believe that i may have had two separate issues...one is the tinnitus caused by the loud noise and the other could be a viral infection or something else that caused the nausea/vertigo. I've researched my symptoms online and have come up with so many possibilities it makes me even more nervous. Either way my tinnitus seems to fluctuate in severity theoughout the day and when it randomly gets bad i also become extremely sensitive to any noise including my own voice. Hopefully i can get this figured out soon. Thanks for the help!

 

Hi again @GR228 - Your statement about doing your own online research rang a bell since you sounded very much like me. I happen to be a "Medscape junkie" and whenever I see two of my doctors for routine checkups and mention to them that I tend to research my symptoms online, they both caution me NOT to do this for it is unwise. Why? They both explained that since I am not a medical professional I could easily arrive at the wrong conclusions (this has happened causing me to be overwrought). This can certainly add to one's stress level; I know that for sure and have given up doing my own research. Perhaps this is contributing to your nervousness and affecting the tinnitus so for now, I feel it would be wise to leave this up to knowledgeable medical professionals.

You think it may have been a viral infection and you might be correct. At any rate, I think it is a good idea to mention that and monitor your current symptoms, making careful notes detailing everything so you can clearly explain all to the doctor(s) when you seem them. When the physicians have complete information, they can then determine what needs to be done to diagnose your problem. Try to remain calm and keep us posted.

Barbara

 

Thanks Barbara,
I definitely need to stop looking up things online because it does not help my anxiety at all. I tend to obsess about my problem though and just want to figure out what is going on. I am gona try to stop doing that and leave it up to the medical professionals to figure out. I suppose im just frustrated and want an answer now as to what is going on with me. Thanks!

 

Hi GR228,

I too got tinnitus after going to a concert in May. I have been to my General Dr., ENT's, TMJ Specialist, massage therapist and soon to a sound therapy clinic. I have tried all kinds of supplements, not sure if they are helping at all as I haven't stopped taking them. My ears keep plugging up and I believe that is making the tinnitus worse. I am getting a splint for my TMJ soon and hoping that it will help with my plugged ears and tinnitus as I believe I have made this worse with my TMJ due to all the stress and anxiety I have had. I too have been doing a lot of research online, however, I try to focus on success stories to keep me positive. Keeping my fingers crossed that the TMJ splint helps me. I'm so sorry you are going through this as well and wish you luck!