Tinnitus at 28 from Conductive Hearing Loss/Loud Music

I've had conductive hearing loss in my left ear for over a decade (I haven't been able to hear normal conversations in my left ear for example), but never got a hearing test done to confirm it until I experienced my tinnitus onset after attending a loud concert on May 27th, 2022.

As of now, tinnitus is only present in my left ear and it is coupled with some dull pain, itching and fullness. Sometimes the tinnitus increases to a deafening volume, but then goes away after a few seconds. Those moments are scary, but I figure that is like normal fleeting tinnitus occurring over my acute tinnitus or something like that. More or less, my tinnitus has been a consistent 4/10 high pitch ring that sometimes fluctuates (quieter in the morning and louder at night).

I am also experiencing noise sensitivity in my right ear, but it is not too bad. I was told by my doctor that this should go away on its own and that I should not use ear plugs in "normal" situations in order to get my hearing sensitivity back to baseline. I am curious what y'all think about that advice. Should I stay unplugged when in environments that are noisy (like 70 dB) and cause me slight discomfort as a means to habituate and get back to baseline or should I be more protective due to the danger that increased noise exposure may cause hyperacusis?

Doctor's impression for source of tinnitus:
After two hearing tests, it was more or less confirmed that I have moderate-severe conductive hearing loss in my left ear between 40-60 dB. They put this thing over my head that was pressed up against the bone right behind my left ear to check if my inner ear was picking up signals, which it was. That info was a major relief and it seems my inner ear is functioning as it should.

ENT stated that the membrane to see into my middle ear is gray and they're unable to see through it. A healthy ear has a thin, light red membrane that is translucent so a doctor can see into your eardrum. My eardrum is also "shifted" and is not sitting in its "natural" place.

So, conductive hearing loss is stopping vibrations from entering the middle/inner ear = lack of stimulation in inner ear = brain making noises knowing it is supposed to be getting stimulated = tinnitus.

My ear history:
- Tubes in both ears as a very young child. Twice in left and once in right. Surgery was a success.
- Two temporary conductive hearing loss events on my left side. First was getting my head hit hard playing basketball in middle school and the second was caused during a slap boxing match in high school. These are the only two times I can recall incidents of temporary conductive hearing loss.
- I have been to over 150+ concerts in my lifetime and abused my ears further with prolonged use of air pods and the like.

Treatment plan so far:
- Prednisone 6 day taper. 60 mg. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. I took my first dose 5 days after the concert. Finished my last dose three days ago. feel like it helped lower the volume a bit, but I can't really tell because I was such a mess during those first 10 days.
- Medical Marijuana: Smoking spikes my tinnitus volume as well as the dull pain associated with it, which is a major bummer because I have been a chronic smoker for most of my life (pun intended). I know I will have to quit for at least the time being if I truly want to conquer my tinnitus.
- CAT scan to check if middle and inner ear are structurally sound given that they can't see through the membrane into ear drum.
- Follow up appointment with ENT to discuss CAT scan and future treatment options.

Thanks for reading and please feel free to say hi and offer your perspectives about my tinnitus journey.

Mr. Camp

 

Hi @jecamp1, came by to say hi to you and welcome you.

I don't have quite the same experience, but some of your experience is similar to mine. In my case, my tinnitus was not due to conductive hearing loss. But I do have asymmetric experiences with my ears. In my case, all the hissing, spiking, fluctuation is in my right ear. My left ear is more constant, very low level or non-existent, with some low level reactivity to sounds.

I have the same sort of question about whether and when to protect my ears. I happen to be on the road a lot today, and, in my past experience, road noise causes my right ear to act up. So today I decided to wear a foam earplug in my right ear to see if that improves things. So far I haven't noticed a positive effect using it. Perhaps it's the car vibrations that are causing flare ups.

I have done one thing that I feel has helped improve things. I play nature sounds in the background at home in whatever room I'm in. I feel that it helps my ears with sensitivity overall, and it helps my mood overall. Still a struggle, but I try what I can.

I should have mentioned that I've had mine since the end of March. And mine fluctuates on the day boundary. So, the level of noise I experience for the whole day is established in my sleep. Some days it's pretty loud, other days I can barely hear it. Bizarre.

How are you coping? How's your anxiety?

 

Hey @Joe Cuber,

Today is two weeks post acoustic exposure and my tinnitus has change a bit. For example, past two days the frequency has been changing pitch from a mainly high one to a semi low one. It is more annoying then the steady high pitch I had just a couple days ago. Regardless of that change, music playing at a moderate level in the background and my brain focusing on this really is enough for me to mask like 90% of the EEEEEE noise. Dull pain is like a 2-3/10 most hours of the day. Annoyance is a steady 4/10 this week. Last week the annoyance level was like a 6 so I have experienced some progress there that gives me hope.

That said, I have cried every single day in the past two weeks. I am sad about how ignorant I was about ear protection. I am sad recalling moments in the very near past where I could hear silence or enjoy myself at a restaurant. I am sad thinking about my future and how uncertain it has now become because I am anxious that it will not only persist, but get worse. The other day my right ear started ringing and didn't stop for 10 minutes which drove me into panic mood. This awoke a new fear that my tinnitus can become bilateral out of no where for no reason. Just typing this made my right side ring. It's like the longer I allow my mind to think it could happen, the more likely it will so I bury such thought with distractions when it happens.

At this time, I can more or less live my old life minus concerts and some other loud social outings like crowded bars. I wear foam plugs like 70% of the time I am not at home. I am erring on side of caution when it comes to allowing my noise sensitivity to rehabituate naturally through "normal" noise exposure. For example, I do plug my ears even for a 30 minute car ride or when I go cycling. Seems the consensus on here is to rest the ears particularly in the early days.

I would assume that the car vibrations are not causing your spikes. I would chalk that up to you overthinking it IMO, but I could be so wrong and don't mean to negate your own individual experience. You can try and test it, but our brains are so much stronger than our bodies so I image it is very hard to test such a hypothesis. I do know that strong vibrations can cause serious hearing damage such as those you'd experience at concert standing near a big speaker. I know this from experience hahaha.

Anyways, diving back into as close as a routine as I had prior to my onset is how I am best coping. It's all about distractions and time IMO.

I am hopeful my situation will get progressively better. I am aware that hope can be a double edge over time, but I do not see any other option at this point. One thing I am actively working on is not comparing my situation to others. I have a lot to be grateful for and I'm quick to remind myself of it.

Side note: I never had a history of anxiety and I feel that gives me a bit of an advantage in regard to habituation, but what do I know.

Thanks for replying on my post. We are going to be okay, Joe. Sending my love your way. Stay strong.

Camp

 

Hey there @jecamp1 -

It's great to hear that anxiety is not an issue for you. I wish that was the same for me. I'm reacting quite poorly anxiety-wise, I think because I haven't really accepted that this had happened to me. My first few weeks were really, really rough. 2-3 hours of sleep a night, serious catastrophizing, and crying, trying to make sense of what was going on.

I'm in a slightly better place, partly (or mainly?) due to anti-depressants I'm taking. I've also sought out therapy. But when I have a bad day, it isn't so panic-inducing as it once was. Still annoying as heck though.

Regarding desensitization, an audiologist I spoke with who understands tinnitus warned me to not over-protect (I'm not suggesting you are, sounds like you're being selective on when to protect), which can lead to hyper-sensitivity.

Agreed that I could be imagining an increase during car rides. I do know I have reactive tinnitus at times. Noises like cars passing by, kids playing, temporarily spikes my tinnitus. But there's a distinct possibility that it's my anxiety during the car ride that increases my perception.

I was using foam ear plugs, which might not be the best ear protection. I've learned recently on this forum that there's a difference between foam ear plugs and noise-reducing ear plugs. So I have some research to do.

I appreciate your reply and your words of support. I do believe we can get through this no matter the ultimate outcome. Sending love back at you. Keep up the positivity.

 

Update - 15 days following onset:

Today was mostly a good day in regard to my tinnitus. I think a good night's sleep was the main cause for why my tinnitus was lower for most of the day. The morning was almost blissful and when I walked my dog with foam earplugs in I could hardly hear it, but when I took the earplugs out after the second walk in the late afternoon, the tinnitus came back to baseline and my right ear was more sensitive to normal noise. Weird.

My right ear, which has no hearing damage, is beginning to get more and more sensitive to noise particularly by the end of the day. Maybe it is just overworking, making up for my increased conductive hearing loss on the left, leaving me with this sensitivity? Or maybe it's mental and now I am thinking about it too much? As I type, I can feel a sensation of fullness on the right ear... I am scared of what may develop in the near future as many on here stated how wild tinnitus can be or that they develop hypy out of nowhere especially during the early days following initial onset due to loud music. I think I will spend the next couple days resting my ears as much as possible, which means self isolation. I am afraid that this "needing to rest my ears" thing will become a cyclical part of my life. I hope not, but for now it is what it is. Good thing I have a couple good books that I have been sitting on.

Stay strong,
- Camp

 

Update. It's day 21. Me and tinnitus have been going strong for 3 weeks now so I guess you could say our relationship is getting pretty serious, not to brag.

Got my CT scan results back along with my ENT doctor's notes who wrote his impression of my conductive hearing loss is a due to what he believes is tympanosclerosis.

"Tympanosclerosis is the medical term for scarring of the ear drum. Scarring occurs after the ear drum is injured or after surgery. Commonly a small white area can be seen after a person has had middle ear ventilation tubes. The scarring on the ear drum looks bright white."​

This impression is consistent with my medical history. I had tubes inserted in my eardrums as a kid twice in my left ear and once in my right ear. That and years of contact sports as well as abuse of loud music caused the tympanic membrane to get inflamed over and over again resulting in a spreading of tympanosclerosis.

I have my follow-up with the ENT doctor on June 21st. Based on what I read I have two options if tympanosclerosis is the only thing I am dealing with (assuming there isn't something else going on). #1 is surgery, which has a high chance of returning most of my hearing and a 50% chance of resolving tinnitus. #2 is hearing aids.

Tinnitus:
The tinnitus in my left ear has changed from a steady high pitch EEEEEE to indeterminate De De Deeee sounds. It has not changed in volume all that much. The spikes I experience are not reactive to noise, but are the product of things we know to cause spikes like coffee/alcohol, hard exercise, smoking a joint, not drinking enough water, etc... all of which are temporary. The most annoying part of this experience is no longer the tinnitus for me, but the dull pain associated with it. It is very bothersome. I assume this is due to inflammation consistent with tympanosclerosis and will start adjusting my diet and taking supplements to help with that. Otherwise I am just sitting tight, protecting my ears, and hoping for a brighter (and quieter) future.

Hoping all who read this the best,
Camp

 

Hey Camp -

Well, to look at the bright side, it's some progress to know the source of your hearing loss. I hope you're able to treat it effectively. Do you know which option you'll choose--or both maybe, or is it one or the other?

I hope you find a supplement that treats the dull pain. I wonder if something like Tylenol would help.

Keep up the positivity,
Joe

 

Update day 25/26

Had my ENT check up yesterday following a CT scan. The verdict is in. My left ear's tympanic membrane (thing that separates our outer ear from eardrum/middle ear) is thickened by 7 mm, which is about a 1/4 inch. The membrane is supposed to be as thin as a piece of paper. Doctor does not recommend surgery and mentioned if the tinnitus gets unbearable that the next step would be hearing aids. My choice as of now is to suck it up and habituate.

It's a relief to know the root cause of my tinnitus. It's wild how mental this thing is. As soon as I found out what my issue is, I was able to relax and not get all hypochondriac, which I have def done with other aliments in the past. I feel so bad for those here and elsewhere that do not know where their tinnitus came from. Doctor said my issue is not one that should worsen overtime so long as I protect my left ear from excessive trauma in the future.

I now know that my conductive hearing loss was not a product of the last concert I went to, but is something I have been living with for most my life. Tinnitus can be random. I have had the same level of hearing loss for a decade. I have been to 100+ shows in that time. I've had regular acute tinnitus so many times that went away by the next day.

Life's lessons can come hard and fast and I definitely learned my lesson about hearing protection the hard way. That said, I have faith I can beat this thing and with proper protection will make a glorious return to the concert scene.

Question: I am afraid to use headphones. Read too many horror stories on here especially about earbuds, but my issue is conductive so what about bone conduction headphones that bypass the middle ear completely? Thinking about buying some, but I am cautious.

Camp

 

Hey Camp - I don't know much about headphones and bone conduction headphones in particular, but just wanted to congratulate you on finding your cause. I hope you can make it back to the concert scene safely.

 

Hi Camp, what type of music do you like?

 

Born and raised a deadhead by way of my parents so mainly jam bands and bluegrass. Bulk of the concerts I've gone to are for a band called Phish. I am an audiophile and appreciate almost all music expect like post 9/11 country music and most electronic/EDM stuff.

 

Update. 6 or so weeks after onset:

Left ear is still ringing. I now have three competing tones, but I mainly only hear the original constant high pitch eeee during the day and when I’m engaged in activities.

Sleep has been more difficult with the new tones, but I’m still managing it. Been getting stoned before bed to help fall asleep, but again that always gives me temporary spikes. Spikes always go away after the high wears off and I typically wake up with my tinnitus being super low in volume. Makes me want to lie in bed for as long as possible in the mornings lol. IMO it’s worth it at least in the time being. Not sure how I’d be able to fall asleep and calm my mind without a joint, but I digress.

My sound sensitivity is all over the place. I’m working at a summer camp currently and it’s noisy... Most times all sounds bother me to a degree, but it’s not all that bad. I am plugging up in nearly all situations that I lack volume control. I got custom musician earplugs on the way that my audiologist molded for me. They should be arriving this week or the next! Can’t wait for them as the foam plugs and other silicone high fidelity plugs make my ear itch after awhile.

I think my tinnitus is worse than it was a couple weeks back, but most success journeys I’ve read here ebb and flow. No one’s success story is linear. That notion makes it easier for me to not panic as much, but i miss the days when i only had 1 tone.

I did purchase the bone conduction headphone and they are definitely cool. Worked out using them today at a very low volume. Tinnitus did not spike. I’m going to keep using them sparingly and even though my tinnitus is partly noise induced. Will keep y’all updated about the headphones.

Last note. I am now highly considering a hearing aid for my left ear. Just need to save up some $$ first!

Thanks for reading,
Camp

 

Hey Camp -

I tell myself this often. The way I say it is, "Progress isn't linear."

I'm also considering hearing aids, for both ears in my case since I have hearing loss in both. I have an appointment next month to evaluate different models. They're seriously pricey!

Have you tried any sedatives? My doctor prescribed me Trazodone, which is non-addictive and well-tolerated. It's been helping me fall asleep with no side effects.

I hope your custom earplugs are all that you imagine!

 

Update @ 7-8 weeks

Perhaps this is my success story? Maybe too early to tell, but things have seemed to taken a turn for the best.

I think I have started to habituate to my tinnitus. For the last week, I have no longer needed to listen white noises to fall asleep. I wake with a hiss instead of a ring that slowly develops into a soft ring in the early afternoon. It has been a steady 2/10 throughout the day and I only have been really noticing it when I am alone or I when I try to listen to it. It does seem to get louder at night when I try to sleep, but it's not too bad.

I can not pinpoint anything I have done that directly contributed to a lessening of my tinnitus other than the fact that I have been spending the last couple weeks in my favorite place in the world... a summer camp I grew up at and now work for. Been 18 years coming up to New Hampshire. Life is good up here. Practically zero stress and the days are so busy that I have little free time to sit and even think about my tinnitus.

I do have anxiety about returning to my classroom in the fall. Teaching is super stressful... Nevertheless I am taking things day by day.

I have been plugging my ears less and less, but I do err on the side of caution. That said, I will be going to a Dave Matthews Band concert tonight and will be wearing double protection. I will be out on the lawn furthest from the stage/speakers, I'll monitor the DBs on my phone and won't be anywhere where it is about 85 dB, and plan on taking song breaks far away from the pavilion.

Please no lecturing about going to concerts with tinnitus. I am an adult and understand the risks I am taking.

I'll continue to update this every other week or so for as long I as can remember too.

Take care,
Camp

 

I've been to 2 in my entire life and have catastrophic reactive tinnitus and hyperacusis.

I love the fairness of life lmao.

Glad you're doing better man. Keep it up.