Saying Hello: Tinnitus from Loud Club

Hello! my name is James (24M) and I got my tinnitus recently about two months ago (June 19th) from going to a club I’ve been at plenty of times but had speaker issues which led ultimately to my tinnitus.

I’m thankful and grateful it hasn’t been overwhelming (about a 2 most days, loudest being 5) but nevertheless the lack of peace and quiet is frustrating, and I truly feel and pray for peace for all of you all who have had it for far longer & far worse.

I’m excited to see what comes in the form of treatment for all of us as I am also taking an active approach in bringing a solution for tinnitus and hearing loss from hair cell damage. It’s relieving to see people have the same fight as me and the care from this community all around is truly special.

I look forward to engaging with the lot of you and premature cheers to clear sound and true silence for all of us not in the distant future, but far sooner than we think.

 

Welcome!

 

I admire your optimism James, and am pleased you have been able to cope with noise-induced tinnitus without too much trouble in this early stage. Whilst this is good news, I think you should be aware that this type of tinnitus is not something to take lightly, because it can change fast if you're not careful and become severe and very debilitating, which can affect all aspects of your life quite profoundly. Sorry to sound so sobering but this is the truth.

You need to be careful of further exposure to loud noise in this early stage and for the foreseeable future. This doesn't mean you can't go out and have a good time where music is played, but it's a good idea to be aware of certain measures you need to take to avoid your tinnitus getting worse and - believe me - it can! Type headphones in the search box at the top of this page and read the posts.

I advise that you don't listen to any type of audio through headphones even at low volume. This includes earbuds, AirPods, headsets, noise cancelling and bone conduction headphones, as you risk making the tinnitus worse. I advise that you keep away from the club scene for a while, 3 months would be a good idea to give your ears complete rest. Even though your tinnitus may be low at the moment, trust me this doesn't mean you are safe.

If you decide to go to clubs after the duration I have mentioned, wearing noise reducing earplugs is a good idea. However, some people think wearing earplugs or custom moulded earplugs, they will be safe and their tinnitus won't get worse which is definitely not the case. If external sound is loud enough, it will pass through the head and transfer to the inner by bone conduction and spike the tinnitus. If you're fortunate the tinnitus will reduce to baseline level within a short period of time but if you're not, the tinnitus can increase to a new permanent level, therefore this is something you need to be aware of.

I also advise not to go to places too often where loud music is played. Even though your tinnitus might be low, the ears and auditory system need sufficient time to recover.

When you have time, go to my started threads and read the posts listed below. If you have a printer, I suggest that you print them and take your time to read them. This way you will absorb and retain the information better than reading on your computer monitor or phone. I advise that you try to avoid quiet rooms and surroundings especially at night by using a sound machine. More about this is mentioned in my posts.

• New to Tinnitus, What to Do
• Tinnitus, a Personal View
• Hyperacusis, as I See It
• Will My Tinnitus Get Worse?
• The Habituation Process
• How to Habituate to Tinnitus
• Tinnitus and the Negative Mindset
• Acquiring a Positive Mindset

All the best,
Michael

 

Hello, @Michael Leigh:

I have noise-induced tinnitus which is severe and now in both ears. It started with a monotone in left ear and nothing in right. Now it's a hiss, static and chirp in left ear and a monotone in right. These are loud high frequency sounds.

I also have sound sensitivity which I think started after I started using hearing aids.

I am from Texas, US and willing to try anything to get at least 25 more years when my son will be adult and settled. Then I will end this misery.

 

Scary.

Sorry to hear you are suffering. It is discouraging to read that you had it since 2015 and did not get better, but got worse

 

Hi @Jibran.

I note that your tinnitus started in 2015, and I'll assume that you habituated to the tinnitus at some time, meaning it wasn't so troublesome as it is now. When did your tinnitus start to become difficult to cope with? The reason I ask, is because noise-induced tinnitus will usually remain stable for many years. It can get worse from either exposure to further loud noise or listening to audio through headphones. Stress can make it worse too.

It is possible that hearing aids or white noise generators can make noise-induced tinnitus worse, but this is usually caused by the volume of the hearing aid(s) or white noise generators being turned up too high. In most cases (but not all) the increase in tinnitus from these devices is usually temporary. Once the volume is set to optimum level, that the person's ears and auditory system can cope with, they will usually be fine. Your audiologist should be able to advise you on this.

How long have you been experiencing the hissing, chirping and static? Have you been exposed to overly loud sounds: working in a noisy environment, going to clubs or concerts where loud music is played or listening to audio through headphones, headsets, earbuds etc? It is important to try and determine what has made your tinnitus increase. Once you are able to answer the questions that I have raised, then I might be able to help you further.

Michael

 

It took me only a few minutes to review past posts from @Jibran. You could have done that, too, before asking these questions. As far I can tell he has not habituated and had progression of minor acoustic trauma making him worse each time.

 

Hello Michael, thank you for the reply.

I would say that I was fairly habituated till 2019. I think for me the decline started in 2021 post lockdowns. In this timeframe I had COVID-19 shots and we started travelling.

I don't listen to music through headphones, however I did use them occasionally for calls (meetings) and during my exam prep at a low volume but as soon as I felt a spike, I stopped using them. I might have used them for two or three months. But I did stream audio to hearing aids. Having said that, I was keeping volume at the lowest possible setting and without active noise cancellation.

Also I was put on cholesterol medication, Atorvastatin 40 mg in 2021 and took that till recently, till March 2023.

Two major setbacks that I remember are April 2022 where they started blasting loud metal music out of nowhere at a restaurant. And another one this year in February 2023 when a balloon popped about 2 meters from me.

Other than these, I travel by air for work and use double ear protection on flights.

Overall I never had hyperacusis from 2015 to 2020. It's new for me.

Do you think I can go back to the old life where I was able to function? Or is suicide the only way out?

 

Thank you for the additional information @Jibran.

Please note, the advice I am about to give you is not absolute because we are all different.

On the advice of my GP, I tried 3 different statin medications that included Atorvastatin. Unfortunately they all increased my tinnitus and caused other unpleasant side effects that I couldn't cope with. I am not someone that gives up easily, so tried persevering with these medicines but my tinnitus reached such excruciating levels, I had no choice but to throw the towel in.

I began taking a cholesterol lowering drink, that is available at many supermarkets under different brand names. The important thing is, they all contain plant stanols which are said to help lower cholesterol. My recent blood test showed my cholesterol levels had returned to normal, fingers crossed I hope things remain this way. I take two different blood pressure medicines, that are listed as being able to cause ringing in the ears, however my tinnitus is not affected by them.

A person that has noise-induced tinnitus, risks making it worse if they listen to any kind of audio through headphones, earbuds, AirPods, headsets, noise cancelling and bone conduction headphones, even at low volume. Some people with noise-induced tinnitus are not affected by headphone use. However, I believe each time they listen to audio through the devices mentioned, they are playing Russian Roulette with their health. Type headphones in the search box at the top of this page and read the posts.

Ruling out underlying medical conditions, medication and stress, the most common causes that make noise-induced tinnitus worse, are further exposure to loud noise and listening to audio through headphones, even at low volume.

Please click on the link below and read my post: Can I Habituate to Variable Tinnitus? I believe It's possible for you to habituate again but it will take time. Your ENT doctor and particularly your audiologist will hopefully be able to help you on the habituation path. You may need counselling and medication too. Please don't give up for there is a way through this.

Print and read the posts that I have mentioned above to @Ja1’97, they are available on my started threads.

All the best,
Michael

Can I Habituate to Variable Tinnitus? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

 

How about listening through hearing aids? I have Phonak Audeo P90 with Bluetooth?

 

I don't recommend that you listen to music or podcasts through hearing aids, as you could make your tinnitus worse. I suspect that it is this that has made your tinnitus worse, or listening to audio through headphones, earbuds or exposure to loud noise.

My advice is to use your hearing aids purely to increase outside environmental sounds to enable you to hear. I have corresponded with many people that have noise-induced tinnitus with hearing loss and wear hearing aids. When they have listened to music or speech audio through the hearing aids, it has made their tinnitus increase. Not everyone will be affected but in my opinion it's just not worth the risk.

Michael

 

Thank you so much for your thoughts Michael. Your posts are always a breath of fresh air and gives some hope.

What is your opinion on the use of hearing protection?

Everything I do seems to spike my tinnitus. I started working out and doing cardio on a treadmill daily and guess what, it also gave me a spike. What do you think about the use of treadmills? Do I need to give that up?

 

Do you have access to vitamin B12 injections?

Hydroxocobalamin, subcutaneous injections (-> into the belly) could help a lot in a quite a short time.

 

Thank you for your kind words @Jibran.

Please print and read the posts that I have mentioned on this thread. I explain about hearing protection in my post: Hyperacusis, As I See It.

Please take your time and read my posts. Refer to them often, this way you will absorb and retrain the information better than reading on your computer monitor or phone. The habituation process takes time and requires patience. Use low level sound enrichment at night using a sound machine by your bedside, more about this is explained in the posts.

Running on hard ground or on the treadmill, can make tinnitus worse for some people. Impact with the ground or treadmill, travels up through the feet, legs, upper body and the head. This can cause the tinnitus to spike which can lead to making the tinnitus worse. Again, I say this only affects some people with tinnitus. I believe it's safer to use an elliptical machine for cardio, so the feet don't make any contact with the floor.

You need to be careful when lifting weights too, as some people with tinnitus find it aggravates their tinnitus, while others are not affected. One has to see what works for them.

Michael

 

I have been taking B12 pills. Are injections better?

 

Hi @Michael Leigh, I am reaching out for help again as I did the stupidest thing possible today. I was in the car pool lane and in order to grab my son's attention, I yelled really loud with earplugs inserted. I was wearing the musician's earplugs and I think I might have yelled as high as 90 dB. It was for a second or two. The exact phrase "Ayaan, hurry up!"

Immediately I got a panic attack in the car and started crying. Now I feel I have a really high pitched squeal in both ears. My tinnitus is raging and spiked. I am scared that I did permanent damage and increased the tinnitus to a new level by being stupid.

I wanted to ask you if this is a temporary spike or a permanent one? What do you think?

 

I think you need to try and calm yourself down @Jibran and not worry too much about your tinnitus or a potential spike. Please remember, stress can make tinnitus worse and tinnitus can make stress worse and therefore, it can easily become a vicious cycle that could become a problem if one isn't careful.

I hope that you have printed all my articles that I recommended in a previous post on this thread. They are a form of counselling and will help you understand more about tinnitus and hyperacusis and in the process, I think your anxiety and stress about tinnitus will improve. Please read my post: Hyperacusis, As I See It. It covers the importance of not wearing earplugs too often. Whilst they are good when used correctly, overuse can lower the loudness threshold of the auditory system and make it more sensitive to sound.

Try to relax and not worry too much as I think you'll be alright.

Print my articles and don't just read them on a screen.

Take care,
Michael

 

Thank you so much for the kind words. I really appreciate your replies.

Currently it is day 2 and the tinnitus spike and hyperacusis are still really bad. I feel pressure in my head as well. I hope it goes back to the baseline.

 

Thank you for your reply @Jibran.

As I have mentioned in many of my posts and threads: Noise-induced tinnitus can be complex to treat, particularly when a person has successfully habituated to it for a year or more, then notices an increase with or without hyperacusis. Ruling out underlying medical conditions within the auditory system and stress for causing this increase, the number one reason is further exposure to loud noise, usually more than once or regularly listening to audio through some type of headphones even at low volume.

I call this condition variable tinnitus which I define as a recurrence of noise-induced tinnitus but usually it's in a more severe form - a person may or may not experience hyperacusis. It can manifest itself in many ways but people affected by it will often share some similarities. My thread "Can I Habituate to Variable Tinnitus?" explains it in more detail.

Some people that experience tinnitus spikes with this condition (or noise-induced tinnitus) are sometimes oversensitive to sound - they can be tempted to wear earplugs, earmuffs and other forms of hearing protection as a means of coping with it and hope that in time they will improve. However, prolonged use of earplugs and earmuffs can make the situation worse, as there is a risk of lowering the loudness threshold of the auditory system which will make it more sensitive to sound. I have covered this in my threads "Hyperacusis, As I See It" and "The Complexities of Tinnitus and Hyperacusis" - unfortunately, one could find themselves affected by increased stress which can have a direct impact on the way tinnitus and hyperacusis behave.

There are various ways one can try to help themselves with variable tinnitus and noise-induced tinnitus, that I have covered in many of my threads. If self-help doesn't work, my advice is to try and see an audiologist that specialises in tinnitus and hyperacusis management as a long term solution. Treatment will probably involve counselling, medication and sound therapy, in the form of wearing white noise generators.

Michael

 

@Ja1’97, how are you feeling bro?

I’m in the same boat as you. 25 years old and got tinnitus from a loud club, wearing no hearing protection. It’s been almost a year for me, and although the sound is still there, I tend to care less about it. I know how you must feel when almost all of our friends can go to parties and whatnot without a care in the world and we are staying at home, scared of possibly worsening it. Stay strong man, we got this.