Tinnitus and Hearing Loss After Attending a Concert

Hi, I’m Daniel and I’m new to this forum.

I got tinnitus and hearing loss after attending a concert. The day after the concert was one of the worst days of my life. Realizing that this is now how it’s going to be for the rest of my life is not easy to come to terms with. Sometimes it feels like a dream; as if something like tinnitus could never happen to me. And yet here I am. Everything was fine before the show, and now my life has changed completely.

I’ve had depressive symptoms over these past few days. Low energy, low appetite, and crying fits. I think I’m slowly accepting my reality, but it hasn’t been easy. I’m afraid of the suicidal thoughts occasionally associated with tinnitus. I hope I and everyone here never succumb to them.

I’m seeing an audiologist this week to see what can be done. I welcome any other suggestions as to what actions I should take.

Thanks for reading. I’m glad I found a forum like this where we can discuss our affliction. It helps a bit to write out what I’ve been feeling these past couple of days. I wish everyone here all the best.

 

@for_t_victims, please see a doctor right away. You are what they call in "acute stage" and at this point going on a round of Prednisone (preferably intratympanic steroid injections but oral is ok too) could restore some of your hearing and possibly make the tinnitus go away or improve. The window of opportunity for this emergency treatment is narrow.

I would also take a lot of Magnesium and NAC (N-Acetylcysteine).

I guess you didn't wear earplugs at the concert? Your tinnitus can still go away. Please don't forget to post back if it goes away, it gives hope to others.

 

When was the concert? Seems it was recent?

Along with what @ajc suggested, it wouldn't hurt to go grab some Vitamins A, E, C to go along with the Magnesium and NAC. All of those should help clear up free radicals that can cause any further damage to your hearing apparatus.

Stay off the forums, except for maybe the Success Stories section. Feel free to ask more questions here.

Some advice I always give to anyone with tinnitus going for an Audiologist exam - politely refuse any Acoustic Reflex and Otoacoustic Emissions testing. They can be loud and you aren't doing your tinnitus any favors exposing yourself to loud sounds right now.

 

How loud was the concert?

How long were you there?

 

I wouldn't count on it being permanent just yet... Ears can take a long time to heal (months if not years).

How old are you if don't mind me asking? I only ask because I've noticed that younger people seem to be more resilient when it comes to recovering from these kinds of injuries.

Anyway, sorry to hear about your injury. I got my tinnitus from loud music as well so I know exactly what you are going through right now. Important to keep in mind that even if it is permanent, most people learn to manage it. Hang in there...

 

The concert didn't seem loud enough to damage my ears when I was in the venue. I didn't feel any pain when I was there. I've learned my lesson to always wear earplugs in the future for concerts no matter how loud it is.

I was there for about 3-4 hours.

 

Thank you - I'm 27 years old.

To be quite honest, my tinnitus seems to have subsided in the few days since the incident. I noticed that whenever I feel asleep or took a nap, upon awakening the tinnitus sounded a bit quieter than before.

Despite this, I'm still planning to go to an audiologist just in case, and will wear earplugs to concerts - and be more mindful of my ears in general.

 

Are you depressed and suicidal? Some days I am.

 

I'm really sorry to hear that. I hope you're finding the help you need. I can't imagine how it would be to have days like this consistently. Let me know if I can help you in any way.

This past weekend dealing with tinnitus was devastating and shocking for me. I had very unpleasant thoughts in these past few days since the incident. Honestly, they've been the most harrowing thoughts I've ever had in my life. I've never felt such a low mood. All the things I normally enjoyed felt empty and pointless. Thoughts of death briefly entered my mind. I reminded myself of the things I'm grateful for (my family especially) in order to push those thoughts out of my mind. It's been a long time since I've felt anything even close to something like this.

Now that my tinnitus appears to have subsided, my terrible thoughts have left me. I've been cautiously optimistic. This whole incident has felt like a warning shot for my physical and mental health.

 

If you're into technology, an Apple Watch will warn you if the environment you are in is too loud.

 

Thank you, I didn't know that the Apple Watch had this feature. That's very good to know. I might actually consider buying it now just for this. Do you have one yourself? If so, how has this feature affected what you do/where you go?

 

I bought an Apple Watch just a few weeks after my tinnitus became serious. I bought it for this very feature and I use it every single day.

My tinnitus is pretty bad, and my ears seem to be more prone to damage now. I always wear hearing protection when ambient noise is above 70 dBA. The watch allows me to check when I need protection or not.

Also, if I experience any loud sounds such as motorcycle going by or dropping something I can go back and see exactly how loud the sound registered so I can take appropriate action.

 

So mine is 24/7 screaming and not going away. I will probably have a stroke or a heart attack sometime in the next few months or years because I almost constantly feel like I’m crawling out of my skin. Been like this for almost a year now...

Be real careful…mine went away once before and I had my fair warning. But, once you’ve had tinnitus you are very likely to get it again unless you are really really cautious with your hearing.

Best of luck and be safe!