One Rock Festival Changed My Life by Giving Me Tinnitus

Hi everyone,

I’ve been on Tinnitus Talk for a few weeks and decided to post my story. Before I do, I’d like to thank everyone who shares their stories as it helps us all understand this puzzling disease, it provides some comfort knowing someone else is going through this and hopefully it raises some awareness and we all get better in time.

A bit of background, I’m in my early 30s, I’m a pretty health conscious guy, always exercised, ate well, don’t smoke or do drugs, I occasionally drink, I rarely went out to clubs or bars, and I bought noise-cancelling AirPods so I can listen to music in the gym at a low volume, and rarely did I have the volume above 30%. I have no medical history of anxiety or panic attacks.

5 weeks ago I went to an outdoor heavy metal festival without earplugs (I forgot them) which lasted 10 hours and I was close-ish to the stage, around 10 metres (32 feet) away, sometimes a little further out. I took some breaks to go eat and get some merch as well but Id say I was exposed to 100-110 dB for a few hours and although my ears were vibrating and I felt like I should move away, I thought well, my hearing may be damaged and I had never heard of tinnitus and I sadly and stupidly remained close. Reminds me of one of a quote “It’s not what you know that hurts you, it’s what you don’t know”. Tinnitus.

After the event my hearing was muffled, I couldn’t really hear the tinnitus and when I did a few days later in both ears, I thought it would subside like it usually does after a wedding or a nightclub but, this time it stuck. It was high pitched at a 9/10 level, I could hear it over most things and I was terrified.

I saw an audiologist within the week, she did the standard hearing test and she said my left ear was a bit weaker than my right but my hearing was pretty good overall and then she pretty much told me listen to some white noise or crickets and see how it goes. In that week I went through the standard reactions most people face when they realise they could have this noise for the remainder or their life. I cried a lot, I was very negative, I barely ate, didn’t sleep, I felt like I was in a deep dark hole and no one can understand quite what I was going through. I tried to go back to work but I was struggling to stay focused.

I then saw a second audiologist in week 2 and by this point the tinnitus in my right ear had almost disappeared, which was positive. She did a hearing test and my left ear had recovered to match my right ear, which explains why my left ear still has tinnitus and my right ear doesn’t. We concluded that the cause was due to my left ear more so faced the stage at the festival more than the right. In the end she said I can’t tell you if it will heal but you have to accept this as the new norm, and don’t forget to listen to crickets and white noise! I was crushed.

I’m now in week 5. After week 2 I started to fall asleep by watching TV. The white noise and crickets irritated me and made my tinnitus louder. It’s usually around 5-6 hours of interrupted sleep.

The high-pitched siren like tinnitus is in my left ear but it’s slightly quieter at maybe a 5-6/10 and it almost sounds like it’s pulsating which is annoying. I don’t believe I have hyperacusis since no noise really bothers me.

Lifestyle changes:

• I wear earplugs if I go to a restaurant or a house with loud kids.
• I quit alcohol, not that I drank much to begin with.
• I take Magnesium almost everyday to help with sleeping.
• I go out for walks usually without earplugs.
• Sadly, I will never ever go to a concert again. It’s just not worth despite the fact I love music.

I have heard it does get better in 6ish months but I’m not too optimistic. If anyone has any advice or know of someone in a similar situation and how they coped, that would be greatly appreciated My mental health is suffering because of this.

Thank you for listening and sorry if my writing is not adequate.

I will try to provide updates on a weekly basis.

 

Sounds like reactivity here.

 

I believe your tinnitus will improve with time and will possibly reduce to such a low level that you will rarely hear it. This can happen so give it time.

Although the outdoor heavy metal music festival you went to is probably responsible for you experiencing intrusive tinnitus for 5 weeks, I suspect you have had tinnitus for quite some time but it was operating at a very low level, that enabled your brain to comfortably ignore it. My reason for saying this is because you said that you regularly listened to music at the gym, through noise-cancelling AirPods. This wasn't such a good idea. Even though you said you listened to music at a low level, headphones, earbuds, headsets and AirPods are notorious for causing noise-induced tinnitus because people often listen to music at too loud a volume without realizing it and for too long a duration without giving the ears sufficient rest.

Please click on the links below and read my posts: New to Tinnitus, What to Do? Tinnitus, A Personal View. Go to my started threads and read: Tinnitus and the Negative Mindset, Acquiring a Positive Mindset, The Habituation Process, How to Habituate to Tinnitus, Hyperacusis, As I See It.

Start using a sound machine, for low-level sound enrichment during the day and especially at night. More about this is explained in my posts. I advise you not to listen to any type of audio through headphones, earbuds, headsets, AirPods or bone conduction headphones, even at a low volume.

All the best,
Michael

New to Tinnitus, What to Do? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum
Tinnitus, A Personal View | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

 

Your post was very informative and very familiar sounding, as tinnitus is not well known to people until it hits and takes over your life. Even then, it is hard for your friends and family to understand what you're going through.

Let me say this, I believe your tinnitus will fade, as most acoustic trauma fades in 6-18 months. Will it fade to zero? Maybe. Mine did in 12 months after a bad acoustic trauma. I don't mean I habituated to it, I mean it went completely away.

The fact that it has faded some (even if in just one ear) already is very good news. Your recovery will be slow, and you will probably only notice improvement measured in months, not days or weeks.

One other thing, you must protect you hearing from loud sounds for the rest of your life because your inner ears have been compromised and will get re-injured by sounds that other people have no problem tolerating, even years after your tinnitus fades away. You can't be exposed to concerts, loud movies, and sporting events EVER again without proper hearing protection.

Give it time and you will get your life back.

 

The lifestyle changes you made are solid. I would advise to just try and live healthy in general and don't do anything crazy. Of course you should avoid loud places. Like you already said, a lot of people recover or improve a lot within 6 months. Time is usually the healer here. I wouldn't aggravate your tinnitus too much by using white noise or a sound machine like @Michael Leigh suggested. Every case is different so try and find what works for you but if your ears say no to white noise or a noise machine, don't push it too much. You are in the early stages so just give it time and be easy on your ears and healthy in general. Most importantly, don't try any crazy stuff and do your research before you do anything. Time is usually the healer.

 

Hi @FestivalT, sorry you've joined the tinnitus club. To give you a little hope, the first time I got tinnitus, it faded to nothing over the span of a few years. It might've been even gone at the 1 year mark but I just wasn't paying attention at that point. The first few months were hard but you'll be amazed at how much better you feel this time next year.

If it feels like your tinnitus is reacting to fans and other stuff and your ears are getting irritated, I would lay off those sounds if possible. For my most recent tinnitus increase, just being with the tinnitus in silence made me habituate amazingly fast. Sounds like you're doing a good job of protecting your ears right now. In my opinion, there's really no such thing as overprotecting especially in the early stages.

Other things I would add that I wish I knew before:

- If you're some place truly loud, use foam earplugs. There's nothing better. Custom earplugs are nice but I got screwed going to a festival and trusting them.

- Speaking of concerts, if I could go back I would give up concerts/clubs altogether right from the start (which it sounds like you're already doing).

- Watch any meds you take like a HAWK. No doctor is looking out for your ears, not even the ENTs half the time. I am nearly homebound now (hopefully not forever) with noxacusis/pain hyperacusis after 5 days of prescription dose Naproxen. If I could go back, I wouldn't even touch Ibuprofen here and there. Before you take anything, research it here and/or elsewhere.

- If you ever need an MRI, ask the doctor how the results of the MRI will change management (this is a major question in medicine - a lot of things we do don't actually change management) and ask if you can get by with any other type of imaging. Sometimes you really do need an MRI. If so try to find a Canon Pianissimo Zen. At least as of last October that was the quietest available based on my research. Bring your own earplugs you know how to use and call ahead and confirm they have earmuffs for you too.

There are treatments for tinnitus on the horizon now, so don't lose hope! Know there are better days ahead.

 

So far from what I’ve read in these forums, I’d say you’re right. Hoping this at least passes with time as it’s quite distracting and harder to mask.

Thank you so much for your response Michael. I’ve seen the amount of responses and threads you’ve contributed to on here and it doesn’t go unnoticed.

I did wear those noise-canceling headphones for about 3 times a week for the last 6 months for around an hour each time so yes, they may have fractionally contributed. You mentioned a noise machine at low level but would an app playing white noise on my phone be sufficient enough? I have tried this in the past but as mentioned before, my tinnitus reacts to this and I’m coping better with classical music at a low volume from speakers throughout the day and just falling asleep while watching TV at night. I will also read those articles you provided, thank you again.

Thank you for your words, they really helped me gain some hope on the matter and I will definitely be cautious for the remainder of my life when attending loud events. I'm glad that you were able to recover @jjflyman. How long has it been since you healed and what was your noise-induced incident story?

Thank you for the advice @Jsm_Joestar I'll definitely take it on.

I appreciate your advice in this response @yeezysqueezy. I bought a couple of Loop earplugs which vary from -18 dB to -28 dB which I carry around everywhere now. I'll definitely be using them at a wedding I'll be attending next year. I do also have an MRI coming up and I'll keep your last paragraph in mind when booking that in.

It's confusing seeing advice about being silent improves habituation or whether exposing myself to moderate levels of noise improves habituation. Especially right now with how reactive/sensitive my ears are but I guess time is the most important way forward.

 

Phones have lousy, tiny speakers. It would be more effective if you bought a couple of those small speakers to run off the headphone jack. I use a HoMedics sound machine, think I paid about $20 for it many years ago. It has 6 or 7 different types of sounds, so some will be more effective for you than others. I found that by simply laying a napkin partially over the speaker you can change the sound quite a bit. This can help you fine tune it to the most effective pitch to mask your tinnitus.

 

Thank you for your kind comments @FestivalT.

Listening to classical music for sound enrichment is fine but remember, the idea is not to mask or cover up the tinnitus so it can't be heard. I have covered this in my post: New to Tinnitus, What to Do? I strongly suggest that you print the articles in the links that I have mentioned, this way you will absorb and retrain the information much better than reading on your phone or computer monitor.

A phone is not the ideal source to use for sound enrichment at night unless it is Bluetoothed to an external speaker or attached to a docking station with external speakers. My advice is to buy an Oasis Sound Machine, model S-680-2. Keep this by your bedside and set the volume low, it should not mask the tinnitus. It takes about 6 to 8 weeks to get used to using sound enrichment at night. It is important to use sound enrichment at night and not sleep in a quiet room. More about this is explained in my threads.

@Jsm_Joestar has decided to comment on the advice that I have given you regarding the use of sound enrichment. Whilst he is entitled to his opinion, I would have preferred he addressed me directly, then I would have told him he is quite wrong. My advice to use low-level sound enrichment is to help to desensitize your auditory system which has become hypersensitive due to noise trauma. Many audiologists and hearing therapists advise tinnitus patients to use sound enrichment during the day and at night. Using low-level sound enrichment in this way does not aggravate tinnitus. Although you may think that you don't have hyperacusis, my many years of experience in this field suggests to me that you have it to some degree. Please don't be alarmed by this because I don't believe you have it severe and it usually improves with time, hence my suggestion to use low-level sound enrichment.

Hyperacusis often (but not always) accompanies people that have noise-induced tinnitus. It can manifest itself in many ways. I have covered this in my post: Hyperacusis, As I See It. One of the worst things that you can do is to start overusing earplugs and deliberately keeping away from normal everyday sounds. I have covered this at length in many of my threads that I have mentioned to you. To fully understand noise-induced tinnitus, hyperacusis and the healing and habituation process, please print these threads and take your time to read them.

I wish you well,
Michael

 

I've been going through the same thing following a music festival, seven months now. If you want, check out my thread on my profile about my experience. It is hard and sucks but at the least it becomes manageable.

 

Hi @Blackbird1016, I’ve actually found and read your post in the past and just read the whole thread now. I can sympathise with you fully on all fronts and I’m really sorry to hear that you went through such a horrid time at the start and I’m glad you’re in a much better place now.

What’s your level of tinnitus these days? Has it improved much over the past few weeks?

I really hope you make a full recovery which I’ve read that some people achieve around the 12-24 month mark. Although it’s a long time, and tinnitus has made my days and weeks feel longer, a light at the end of the tunnel makes the journey easier.

Thanks for keeping the community updated about your progress, it helps a lot.

 

Update

I visited my doctor yesterday and he noticed my drastic weight loss and asked me what was going on. After telling him my story, he checked both my ears and noticed that the left one, the one with tinnitus, was inflamed and prescribed me with a steroid grade nasal spray. I’m kind of shocked that the first 2 audiologists didn’t pick up on this despite me telling them that my left ear feels “full”. I’ve only used it for a day and haven’t noticed much improvement in my tinnitus but I’ll keep you posted.

I got referred to an ENT which is almost 8 weeks away and not sure if they’ll help reduce my tinnitus as much as they’ll reduce the weight of my wallet so, we’ll see what happens.

 

Thanks. Yeah, I figured the more anecdotal experience records we have, the better.

I'm in my living room right now with the windows closed and I can hear it. If I didn't know better I would think my electronics were making a buzzing sound/light beeping.

I really only hear it in quiet places at this point, but it is infuriating when I try to sleep. With my ear to the pillow it's a strong ringing.

I'm still hopeful it goes away too... I signed up for Lenire even though everyone thinks it is trash.

 

Sorry to hear about your struggle to sleep. Do you eventually sleep? And when you do, is it a good amount and/or uninterrupted?

Regarding Lenire, what doesn’t work for someone may work for you so, why not right?

I’ve downloaded some apps to help with my tinnitus:

• Widex Zen tinnitus (sound therapy)
• ReSound GN Relief (sound therapy)
• Calm (meditation)
• TinniBot. I just downloaded this one and I heard it’s got a lot of good features which can help tinnitus sufferers.

Hopefully one of those can help you @Blackbird1016

 

It is important that you are examined at ENT, preferably 4 to 6 months after the onset of tinnitus. I have explained the reasons in my post: Tinnitus, a Personal View. ENT doctors treat underlying medical problems that cause tinnitus but they do not treat tinnitus. People that have difficulty managing tinnitus, particularly when it is noise induced, should be referred to an audiologist that specialises in tinnitus and hyperacusis management.

Michael

 

Thanks Michael. A friend of mine in the medical field said the exact same thing today so I might cancel that appointment.

 

You should not cancel the appointment.

 

I think I’ll take on your advice and push the date back so it’s around 6 months from onset.

 

HI @FestivalT.

Providing you are not experiencing dizziness, problems with your balance, deafness or acute pain in your ears, seeing your ENT at 6 months is the right thing to do. Many people habituate to tinnitus within this time and may choose not to be seen at ENT. However, it's something I don't recommend.

Try to carry on with your life the best way you can and give your ears time to heal. I suggest that you don't listen to audio through any type of headphones even at low volume. This also applies once you have habituated which I feel you will.

All the best,
Michael

 

Oh man, I thought this way too when I got hit with chronic tinnitus after a show last May, but never say never. Please see my story. It took me about half a year to habituate. My onset was May 27th, 2022. Since October 2022, I've been to a dozen shows without incident and plan on hitting over 10 this summer. I've ridden the rail at rock shows. I have left shows early due to it being too loud, but it is what it is. You are stronger than your tinnitus.

As for your mental health, talk therapy and a low dose of SNRIs helped me get over the hill and feel optimistic again.

Some may say you should never go to a concert again, but it is possible to live a life with tinnitus and still go to a live show. Feel free to ask me any questions because I definitely emphasize with you.

Camp

 

What were the hearing levels at the audiogram (if you mind sharing)? If you have elevated thresholds, it's unlikely that the concert was the culprit, it was more the last straw that broke the camel's back.

 

Hey Camp,

I am truly glad you habituated to your tinnitus and are able to live again normally. I did the exact same and thought tinnitus was a thing of the past.

Please listen to your own advice and be very smart about your concert exposure, I’d hate to see you back here in the future like a lot of us that took our habituation and fading for granted.

 

I think it’s important for people to differentiate between tinnitus and hyperacusis, and what’s known as reactive tinnitus, a subset of these conditions. If someone has the latter two, they’re potentially playing with fire when they engage in loud events, even with protection. Someone with stable tinnitus is also potentially at risk. While we’re all here to help one another, these conditions have continually proven themselves to be extremely volatile and uniquely personalized for each individual. Person 1 can do X and get away with it, but person 2 can’t, even though both had similar symptoms to begin with. So perhaps our greatest folly is trusting one another’s advice. I know people who’ve literally lost their lives because of that. I’m one of them. Had I never taken advice from a few threads on here, I’d still have moderate tinnitus and hyperacusis right now. But I ended up trying some things that others said were safe, and now I’m catastrophic because of that. We’re kind of on our own with this crap. We have to navigate the waters cautiously and assess what’s best for us alone. It’s your life. Guard it like Fort Knox.

 

I’m glad to see that you’re able to go to concerts but for me, I don’t think I ever want to risk it and I’m fine with never going ever again. Honestly that didn’t upset me one bit.

Once I’m over the 6 month mark, I’ll begin trying talk therapy and maybe SNRIs like you suggested, thank you. How are you feeling these days @jecamp1?

I'm not sure how to exactly read an audiogram but for both ears it’s between the -10 to 10 dB so that’s considered normal. The test only went up to 8 kHz.

From what I went through that day at the festival, which was exposure to over 80 dB for hours, I definitely can only blame that. I was perfectly fine before that. Always practiced good ear health and barely attended loud places.

So sorry to hear that some advice has set you back. What was the advice? And how are you feeling lately?

 

So, back in 2021, I had terrible sciatica pain and read on here that turmeric was safe, and used by hyperacusis and tinnitus people okay. But it made my hyperacusis go from super mild to high moderate after 6 days of use at a normal daily dosage. Then, when I had a bad, infected ulcer on my leg, I avoided antibiotics like the plague because they’re notoriously bad for ears. The doctor said if I didn’t do something, I’d either lose the leg and inevitably be forced to do antibiotics, or get sepsis and die. I researched on here for safe alternatives and was told to use colloidal silver. Several tinnitus and hyperacusis people vouched for its safety. I only used it as a topical gel, but it worsened me significantly. My tinnitus became electrical with zaps, to the point where it causes physical sensations of pain because the frequency is so shrill now.

Also, at one point in my journey, I was instructed by a well-known hyperacusis “expert” on a different page to use headphones for pink noise therapy because they’re the same as white noise generators. In the past, I tolerated white noise generators fine, but I didn’t have them anymore—they were broken. So I thought it was safe and the advice seemed okay. But it made my tinnitus permanently worse after trying it for brief periods over the span of a couple days. I developed a bombastic, pulsating hum in my left ear and more reactivity.

So for me, had I never visited any tinnitus or hyperacusis forums, right now my life would be amazing and I’d only have mild tinnitus and hyperacusis. It’s beyond ironic. You come to these places for help and get screwed. I’m still in a catastrophic state, unfortunately. Noxacusis is catastrophic and tinnitus is severe.

 

Completely fine in regard to the never-ending ringing in my left ear, but like someone else stated, everyone's experience with tinnitus is subjective. I still take a low dose of medication and I carry custom molded earplugs along with solid foam ones in a small bag with me everywhere I go. I play it safe always, i.e. wear earplugs in loud places, but I still enjoy my passions.

The thing that bothers me these days are the eye floaters that apparently can coincide with the develop of tinnitus lol. These buggers are so annoying, but I'm adjusting to them too.

Camp

 

I guess we do have to take everything said in these forums with a grain of salt. Even advice from hearing professionals can sometimes not benefit us in this case.

I was actually also told by a hearing professional to use headphones with calming music to help with habitation but haven't done that out of sheer fear that it can have the opposite effect and make it worse.

I'm sorry to hear you're still struggling. Hopefully things improve in time.

What's the low dose of medication that you're taking?

I also carry earplugs everywhere I go that are -18 dB and wear them in most places that are over 70 dB.

Do you ever wonder whether your habitation may have progressed further if you stopped going to concerts altogether? Do you ever go days without noticing your tinnitus?

Our scenarios are quite similar so I really appreciate your input here @jecamp1.

 

Hi @FestivalT,

Just thought I'd pass by here to share some info about the Loops earplugs in case it helps. I have both the Experiences and the Quiets and have learned recently that the NRR value of the Experiences is only 8, while the NRR of the Quiets is only 14. I've also read that when using any non-custom earplugs, it is suggested to de-rate them by 50%. So personally, I wouldn't count on either of the Loops to offer a lot of protection; I do use my Loop Quiets (and sometimes Experiences) when going for walks along quiet streets and in the park (and at home sometimes), but I wouldn't rely on either pair to provide adequate protection in noisier settings.

Wishing you all the best!

Maddy

 

How exactly did you come across this information? If that’s the case, they’d be false advertising and begging for a lawsuit.

 

@Michael Leigh, do you believe there’s a minimum decibel reading when we should start using earplugs? Should I use them if it’s around 75 dB?