Seeking Answers/Closure — Do I Have Tinnitus?

Some people (possibly a minority) get serious spikes after going to a movie theater (even when they user earplugs). Other T sufferers whose ears might have been compromised are completely fine even when they don't use earplugs. It is a risk. Personally, I am not willing to take this risk.

If you decide to take the risk, I hope that you at least attempt to reduce the risk by wearing earplugs. If you experience a temporary spike, or a full ear sensation after being at a movie theater, your body is trying to tell you that this noise is too loud. If you ignore these signals, eventually you will likely regret it. If you don't get any spikes or a full ear sensation, then perhaps that volume level is ok for you.

Keep in mind that one loud sound is all it might take. The trailers can be loud, as are the sounds of gun fire and explosions. If the sound seems very loud to you, please don't hesitate to run out of there. The possible spike resulting from that noise exposure will likely be temporary, but there is still a possibility that it will be permanent.

Accidents and unexpected events do happen (especially if the technicians don't realize that their actions/lack of actions can ruin lives).

When you weigh making your body uninhabitable (and having a choice of either committing suicide or being tortured nonstop in this body for the next 70 years) vs. what some strangers might think about you for a couple of seconds, hopefully you will choose to ignore what the strangers might be thinking.

If I were you, my objective would be to minimize the risk of making my T louder. To minimize the risk, play the music at the lowest volume you can.

Many people on this forum believe that using headphones (at regular volume) caused their T to become permanently louder. Check out
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/isnt-it-ok-to-use-headphones-even-at-low-volume.25287/
for an example. I plan to never use headphones ever again.

Some people believe that noise-cancelling headphones made them worse. I wear Bose 25 noise-cancelling headphones when I drive long distances and when I fly. I wear earplugs under these headphones to ensure that they can't possibly hurt my ears. Goes without saying that I am just using those headphones to reduce noise, I don't play any music through them.

Read those threads again - what they are saying is that wearing earplugs Everywhere (e.g., at home, in the park, etc.) can result in greater sensitivity. I don't remember anyone arguing for not wearing earplugs at loud events.

You might be one of the lucky people whose ears haven't actually been compromised. But if you behave as if you are one of those people, you might find out the hard way that you are not one of them (and the resulting damage to you and your life might be irreversible).

Why not watch them at home, where you are in control of the volume?

If I were you, from now on, I would stay away from concerts. Don't assume that if you wear hearing protection at a concert, you will be ok. Earplugs often provide a false sense of security...

Would that concert Really be worth having to listen to a loud high-pitch T for 70 years?

 

Hi again @Josh C,

Just have to tell you, I'm delighted to hear you say things like this. Given your sense of confidence and discerning nature, I couldn't help but think you'd be open to hearing about Julian Cowan Hill, a fairly familiar name in the world of tinnitus. He's a Buddhist who's somewhat controversial (I like him) because he claims to have discovered that doing cranial sacral work was able to alleviate his tinnitus (not habituation).

He believes that the auditory cortex of the brain can be calmed, so that the tinnitus no longer registers in the brain. Here's a LINK to a 5-MIN video I wish I would have found the very first day of my tinnitus onset (Feb. 2018), as it has a very hopeful message. He believes that besides cranial sacral, any number of other modalities that can calm the brain would work as well, with the best modality an individual thing for each of us.

This is in line with many people who claim things like yoga and/or mediation have helped their tinnitus. One techniaque I use myself to help bring balance to the brain--or restore harmony--is to do an energetic technique called, "Balancing the Cortices" (I've done it for years). Here's a couple of relatively short videos on how to do that simple exercise:

Balancing the Cortices Technique --- How to "Tap Out" your Cortices

Something you may want to consider: -- I believe that when tinnitus hits our brains and neurological systems out of the blue, it can lead to a degree of crisis within our body's entire electrical system. This can lead to any number of "mental" or "emotional" conditions, such as depression, anxiety, OCD, etc. I think this is a natural response as our system starts "scrambling" as it tries to re-establish an equilibrium.

Given your description of how your tinnitus has taken over your train of thought, it made me think you may be dealing with a mild case of OCD. I'm a BIG believer in nutritional interventions for just about any kind of health condition we may run across. A couple years ago, I ran across a remarkable article on OCD, and how a researcher in Israel discovered that a simple supplement can often dramatically improve OCD symptoms. Here's a link in case you might want to check it out: -- LISTENING TO INOSITOL: CLINICAL NOTES
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If you're open to a spiritual technique that might help--which I use daily--here's a link to a 3-minute video on singing the HU SONG. It sort of falls into the category of "calming the brain" and "sound therapy", along with it beign a spiritual technique. -- It's somewhat similar to singing the sound of OM, but has a higher frequency--and from my experience, is more deeply calming.

P.S. -- Also, a quick recommendation on high quality pair of ear plugs. The kind I'm currently using is a brand called EAR PEACE. They're extremely comfortable, and interestingly, almost completely invisible to others. I use them mostly when I drive and when going into stores, which I've noticed can create some unexpectedly loud noises at just about any time. I like the protection it provides, and helps me feel less anxious as well.