Tinnitus for 2 Days, Not Trying to Stress

I went to a metal show in Houston on Wednesday night. We were standing maybe only 15 feet from the big speakers on the left side of the stage, which in hindsight was, y'know, a big mistake without earplugs. About three songs in I suddenly had this piercing pain in my left ear and the music got really echo-y and loud. We ended up moving to the back of the crowd shortly after that and I was able to enjoy the rest of the show with no pain or anything.

During the drive home both of my ears were pretty muted (as they always are after a show), and as that wore off I noticed a heavy feeling and a dry ringing sound in my left ear that continued into the next day and the day after that (today). I don't think today is quite as bad as the day before, though I was at work today surrounded by speaking people and radio music for 8 hours, and so now my ears are achy.

The heaviness and the dry ring is still there, though it slips into the background if I stop paying attention to it. I'm used to hearing noises like this humming away in the background (the A/C, the fridge, the Playstation), but it's still irritating. I think I have a lot of patience though and I tend to be chill about health problems...even so, I'd really prefer this not to be a permanent thing. I know there's no actual way to know yet if this will go away on its own.

Nice to meet all of you, though I'm really crossing my fingers that I won't need to stick around for long, no offense.

 

Steroids?

 

Is that something I should be looking into? Are they just pills or injections?

 

See your dr asap about a course of prednisolone. There will be threads on here about it.

Rest your ears

Lots of sleep/relaxation

Audiogram

 

Thank you Deb! I'll be able to call someone on Monday for an appointment (or I'm wondering if I could just go to one of those Urgent Care clinics).

 

@kellydawn welcome, what band was it?

When i go to metal shows i barely see anyone wearing ear plugs, its a huge lack of awareness issue. If i had known what tinnitus was i would of plugged up for sure, promoters don't seem to care about warning people clearly though.

 

When I read another post were someone did not realise what damage can be done attending concerts I am starting to see your point of view and agree.
There should be clear warnings at concerts. 100dB on average in a concert hall is not 100 dB "close" to speakers.
@kellydawn I do hope it will improve.

 

Agree, how is it even legal for people to down the front with mo protection, in hindsight its madness but many many people do it.

 

We saw Devin Townsend Project with Between the Buried and Me. It was Devin's set that did it because we moved closer to the stage for him, and it wasn't even a really hard song of his that messed up my ear either. Oh well. I've been sitting here in the silence trying to write for the past few hours before sleeping and the ringing has definitely quieted without all the sounds of talking and the TV making my ear ache, so I'm trying to be hopeful that this will just heal over time.

I'm going to see Ghost for the third time in San Antonio in late October and I will FOR SURE be bringing ear plugs with me. I'm used to just saying whatever and going to these really loud shows but I guess I'm almost 31 now and I need to start taking care of myself.

 

@kellydawn i like some devin songs, especially where he collaborated with Anneke Van whats her name. Oh and Ghost are amazing i saw them in March, yah just plug up.

 

i would get on prednisone ASAP

 

I haven't been to a doctor yet (and honestly I'm not sure if that's even something I could do - I work retail and have no health insurance). But I've been taking Lipo-Flavinoid since Friday and have already noticed an improvement in my ear aches and the ringing. The ring is more of a vague scratchy hum now and much easier to ignore (I don't even notice it at all unless it's dead quiet), though whether or not this is due to the Lipo-Flavinoid or just my ear healing is anyone's guess. I'm going to keep taking this stuff though to see if my ear keeps improving.

 

Just rest your ears. Go on a diet away from caffeine, sodium, or whatever can drive up your blood pressure. You'll be fine. Carry ear protection around if you're going to be in loud places.

 

Thank you for the advice!! I hadn't considered keeping away from caffeine. As I type this I'm halfway finished with a bottle of Coke. Oops. I knew to keep away from sodium, though, and I've been trying to do that.

 

Caffeine doesn't make a difference to my t.

 

I think it's generally accepted now (after at least one large study) that caffeine doesn't really affect tinnitus. It will make you jumpy and more likely to be react to tinnitus if taken in large doses.
I hope (and from the sound of things,too) your tinnitus will continue to fade.
DO,DO,DO protect your ears in future, though....good quality, proven dB reduction ear plugs every time, and, even though you won't see your favourite artists so well, keep well away from the speakers.

Good Luck,

Fungus.

 

@kellydawn
How are you doing now? I hope you are feeling better.

 

I'm actually doing pretty well, thank you @Devjt2 The tinnitus in my left ear is practically nonexistent now. Even when it's dead silent I only hear the faintest little buzz, and only when I think about trying to hear for it. I'm concerned that I might have some slight degree of hearing loss in that ear, though (whether that's temporary or permanent I guess I'll find out eventually) - if I plug up my right ear and only listen with my left it's become more difficult to make out what people are saying if they're speaking in a deep voice, I catch about 80% of what is said.

I'm not complaining though!! I'm just happy the ringing is gone and I can still hear music just fine, that's all I need. I'm definitely protecting my ears more fiercely from this point on though.

Thanks to everyone in this thread - y'all made me feel welcome, offered me advice, and gave me hope that I would recover. I wish every single one of y'all the best!!

 

I'm so happy to hear you're doing better, @kellydawn!
It seems like if there is any small amount of Tinnitus left it's not interfering with your life. Congratulations!

I too, had attended a loud concert recently and your story gives me hope that recovery may be possible for me too.