Tinnitus Started After Loud Concert in May 2017

My tinnitus started after a loud concert that my b/f wanted to go to. I didn't even like the band, lol.

Anyway, I've been struggling with it since then along with a whole bunch of other things. My anxiety and stress went through the roof, which I'm sure hasn't helped things.

I also have hyperacusis and went to a baseball game a month after my T started and between the game and an orchestra concert at the game along with fire works my T became worse.

I wish I never would have gone to either event. My ears, especially my left ear almost always feels clogged up.

I am trying everything possible to fix this issue. I have gone to a chiropractor, which didn't help at all for the T, however, it has helped with my vertigo for many years. I have arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, degenerative disc disease in my neck, stiff and painful neck and shoulders daily and a whole slew of other health issues.

I did go see a TMJ specialist and will be getting a splint for my newly diagnosed TMJ in about a month. I feel that maybe my T got worse lately from me clenching my teeth due to all the stress and anxiety I have been having.

Not sleeping well since T began, all medications the Dr's want to give me could make my T worse so don't want to take them. I was put on Xanax which was awful, was prescribed sleeping pills & Prozac which I don't want to take as they could be addictive and/or could cause ringing to worsen. I stopped caffeine and alcohol as they could cause it to worsen.

I have lost 20 pounds due to stress and anxiety over T. LOL it's a great way to lose weight! I couldn't lose weight if I tried before the T began! It's been tough the past few months.

I have seen a chiropractor, TMJ specialist, two ENT's, Tinnitus clinic, soon I will go to a Sound therapy clinic, and massage therapist.

I have researched so much on T since May. I really feel like nobody has any answers and they are quick to prescribe medications that could cause ringing in the ears or contribute to making it worse.

And also quick to say there is no cure? I tried nasal spray and it made my ears plug up more. I have to stay strong and refuse to give up! I just keep telling myself I will get better somehow...this won't break me!

I am hoping that this forum will give me the support I need to get through this! I have always been a very positive person and always smiling, but this has taken it's toll on me. I am, however, trying to get back to the positive, happy person I used to be!

 

Hi @Daisymay, and welcome.

I am glad you found this forum. Tinnitus is frightening, and your anxiety is extremely common amongst those who suffer from tinnitus.

Let me point you to a few things you should read.

@Bill Bauer wrote the following post discussing studies that show a fairly high recovery rate from tinnitus ( https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-over-70-recover-3-studies.21441/ )

I would also search out articles by @Michael Leigh. He has a great depth of knowledge on this subject and has many posts with a lot of valuable information.

The following are a few I share with people and I think you will find them helpful.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/answers-to-hyperacusis-and-habituation.12058/

Staying positive is important. Depression is very common, and can make coping much more difficult.

You still are that positive, happy person; she is just being talked over by the tinnitus. The tinnitus will quiet, or you will learn to ignore it, either way, it will no longer talk over you and your positivity and happiness.

Hang in there, it will get better.

 

Thank you so much Kolisar...It's so nice to meet you and thank you so much for the information! I am trying very hard to stay positive. I was not in a good place for the first few months, however, I am trying to learn to live with it the best I can. I try to avoid quiet places and use a fan and my TV at night to mask the sound. I take Alteril (natural sleep aid) and sometimes drink sleepy time tea. Still struggling to sleep many nights, but will continue to search for natural remedies. I take a lot of natural supplements for my Rheumatoid and Osteoarthritis as I don't want to take Methotrexate. I remain hopeful that my TMJ splint and massage therapy (he will be focusing on my TMJ next time I go) will help reduce the ringing in my ears.

 

@Daisymay

Maybe of use to you:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...deal-with-tinnitus-suffering.8165/#post-96760

The post is too wordy and a bit poorly edited, but the info in itself holds up.

 

Thank you for your response Vincent...I will definitely read it! I see you are from Sweden! My dad was born and raised there!

 

I certainly understand. And you are doing exactly what you need to at this point.

The good news is that you do not have to go through this alone. This forum is overflowing with kind, caring, sympathetic, supportive people who are always here and always willing to help. We are here for you. We will listen when you need to vent, support you when you need support, and provide a virtual shoulder when you need one to cry on. We have all been (or are) where you are. We understand what you are going through, znd having people who understand what you are going through helps tremendously. We are here to help each other. Lean on us when you need to, we will help you through this.

 

@Daisymay I'm sorry that you're going through this but, thanks to this forum, at least you know you're not alone.

I'm new to tinnitus as well and sleep was a huge issue for me. Before this happened, I would sleep 8+ hours a night. Then after T, I was getting 3 maybe 4 hours a night. Took a toll on me, my wife, and my daughter.

I realize that not everyone is the same, and what works for one person may not work for another, but this pillow has helped me get through the night. http://www.soundpillow.com/

I also drink Golden Milk before bed which is almond milk mixed w/ Golden Paste. Here's a YouTube video on how to make the Golden Paste.

How to make Turmeric Golden Paste

Stay positive!

 

Hi Ben,

It's nice to meet you! Thank you for your response. I'm trying to stay positive, but this past week the ringing and plugged up ears is getting worse and I'm not sure why. It's making my stress and anxiety worse and I'm so scared it will continue to get worse. I was doing well with my fan and tv at night before this but now I am hearing it over them. I have a massage therapist appointment and he will be working mostly on my TMJ....but it's not until next week. I also have a sound therapy appointment the week after that, but it all seems so far away.

 

Thank you Kolisar...it's nice to know I'm not alone and there are people out there that can relate to what I'm going through! I'm having a rough couple of days this past week with my tinnitus and plugged ears getting worse for some reason and it's very upsetting.

 

You are welcome, @Daisymay. And you are not alone. We are here of you and will help you whenever you need us.

I did a search on this forum for "plugged", trying to find posts by others who are experiencing similar symptoms to you. I found the following that may provide you with some more information and, hopefully, some hope.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/sudden-plugged-feeling-in-both-ears.20526/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/constantly-plugged-ears.18194/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/low-hum-and-plugged-ear.15932/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/weird-sensation-plugged-clogged-in-right-ear.14403/

@glynis (who is wonderfully helpful) has posted a number of times on this subject. Hopefully my mentioning her here will bring her to your post and she can provide some advice.

And, I certainly understand the "rough days". Those are very common with tinnitus. Remember, we are always here for you. Do not hesitate to reach out when you need support. We will give you the strength to get through those rough patches when you feel you have run out of your own.

 

@Daisymay ,
Hi Daisy,
Tinnitus comes with lots of unwanted emotions and that can be hard to deal with and Tinnitus and lack of sleep.
I also have OA and RA and neck problems and TMJ but my tinnitus started with Menieres.
You have come to a lovely forum for round the clock support .
Love glynis

 

Thank you Kolisar and Glynis. You have made me feel very welcome! I'm so glad I have people I can talk to about this that can relate! My boyfriend doesn't understand and he gets frustrated with me and I with him. He always wants to go to listen to bands and concerts and at this point I have no interest in listening to loud music. He keeps saying put your ear plugs in, but I hate the way the ear plugs make me feel like I'm in a tunnel and I feel like with them being plugged up, the ear plugs just make me feel worse when I take them out. I can't enjoy listening to music wearing ear plugs and it's certainly not enjoyable going out with friends when you can't hear them with ear plugs in.

 

Hi @Daisymay You truly have to do what's best for your ears now to protect them. It would be unfair of your bf to cajole you into these type of events now xx

 

Hello. I feel so much for you. And what breaks my heart is that you didn't enjoy and was uncomfortable with the environment. I am suffering from a hyperacusis and been, and is, living in constant nerve breakdowns whenever by chance I encounter with random loud, awful noises in and outside of the house.

I remember the last concert I went to when I was comparatively free from hyperacusis. It was a Greenday concert and having been in the back of the place, and with the excitement and merriment of people around me, I quite was fascinated by it all, only sound was really loud, but I wasn't recoiled or anything like I would do now. The sound of the drum and bass was so low and loud that it seemed to touch my heart every time they were heard. Those were the first and last sound I would entirely feel the loud noises - it was the only concert I've ever went to in my life.

Now going to a movie is not to be thought of, and I don't enjoy it either. The sound of my doorlock system beeping is so loud and penetrating to my ear which would make me wear my foam earplugs even before I cross the doorstep of my flat - I'm trying to endure the sound now. It is uncomfortable but... I had to.

The announcement and beep sound of the bell in public transportation(bus, subway, etc) is quite frightening to me. They are too loud in my ear and if the pitch of the announcement gets a little higher and louder, it blows my ears with horrible metallic sharp pains. I'm not sure If I can call them 'a pain', but so be it.

I'm trying to live my life without earplugs because even if they gives me peace of mind, they are really uncomfortable to use and I'm lazy. Also, I felt the need to adjust it for the future.....

Now, I don't have a tinnitus except when I was streessed with loud noises. But I believe tinnitus and hyperacusis are the same, essentially, and I believe there is a chance of improvements because human body and mind is adaptable to anything, even if a human hearing hasn't rapidly developed unlike the other organs do. I advise you to avoid the loud sound as much as possible for about a year or two to heal your ear to your full capacity. Think of this time as slowly recovering process. Going to the theater or restaurant(for the sake of screaming and loud kids and music and buzzings of people). Being in a small performance is not recommended and amuzement park and stadium, etc, etc.
If you have no choice, wear earplugs. Foam types muffles the sounds without lowering the whole frequency with purpose, but they are the most effective ones. The proper way to wear them is life your ears and thrust the earplugs upward. That's the way to wholly block your ear canal.

If you don't have those earplugs but have to cover your ears anyway, don't cover them with your entire hand as the sound will be magnified in your hands and then bang! You should with your finger press the.... what do you call it? You would know.

 

Thank you for your responses Vicki14 and Victoria9273. I am so glad I can talk to other people in the same situation as me and everyone is so nice! I am trying to cope the best I can with my Tinnitus and Hyperacusis. I have to say today was a good day as my left ear seemed to unplug which made me feel so much better. Although the ringing didn't change much. I sometimes feel my hyperacusis is improving because I can tolerate louder noises than before, but there are other times when I feel it becomes more sensitive again. I don't wear ear plugs unless I am around loud music. I did however, have to wear them at a wake we went to because it was so loud. But I know it wasn't just me, because my friends also said it was extremely loud. I try to avoid quiet places, but when I am in a quiet room I try to remain calm and not panic like I used to. I just want my life back to normal. I love going to movies, but I have avoided them because I don't know if it would be too loud for me or not. I am hoping someone at the sound therapy appointment I have in a few weeks will be able to let me know what is too loud for me.

 

I'm very new to this (<3 wks!) so am learning right along with you. I saw an ENT on Saturday and he told me not to mask the tinnitus, but to have the TV/white noise/whatever at the same volume. That way the brain can more effectively train to put the tinnitus more in the background.

Good luck to you. Good luck to us all!

 

Thank you for your response moonscape! I'm sorry you are going through this too. I wish you luck as well!

 

I went for my massage on Sunday and he worked on my TMJ for a half hour. I felt great when I left and by the next morning my tinnitus was about 90% gone (I was so happy!), however, after taking a shower I had a set back. The usual thing happened and my left ear plugged up once again and the ringing returned to what it was as the day went on. I am trying to keep positive and I am hoping that because the ringing almost completely stopped due to the massage that after I get my splint and start treating my TMJ that it will stop the ringing. I mean if the massage stopped it, then treating the TMJ should stop it over time is what I am hoping.