Unilateral Tinnitus and Pain Around Ear After an EDM Concert

Hello everyone,

I wasn't sure about making a post here because it hasn't been very long and it doesn't seem as bad as many here.

It started about 3 weeks ago (mid-January) when I went to an EDM concert on a Thursday night. Mind you, I work in a relatively quiet environment, rarely go to concerts or anything, and have always had good hearing. So I was not used to how loud it was. (I ended up in the back of the balcony trying to cover my ears). I didn't notice anything immediately after the concert but over that weekend I started seeing problems. The first is extremely high-pitched tinnitus (like a constant CRT whine) in my right ear, and the second is a pressure headache around the region of my ear and jaw.

It's been three weeks now, and the tinnitus and pain have settled a bit from the first week but have also not improved much since. I noticed in particular the pain seems to migrate from the front of my ear (when the tinnitus is also worse) to the bottom of my ear (right under the ear lobe). Sometimes I feel it on both sides but usually only the right side.

Now for the confusing bits. I first went to an ENT who thought it *didn't* necessarily have anything to do with the concert and instead was related to jaw issues (like TMJ maybe?). So I have a dentist appointment next week to look at that. He also ordered a CT scan which came out looking normal. I then went to my regular GP who thought it might be an infection. As such I'm on a round of Cefprozil currently. He did mention that I may want to see an otoneurologist (?) as he suspected it might be nerve related if it doesn't go away. I should mention I have had problems with headaches on my right side in the past and I also had Bell's palsy on my right side at one point. So he may be on to something.

Meanwhile, I'm not sure who to believe or what to do about it. Currently I'm taking it one day at a time. I'm not sleeping very well and work is suffering for sure. I have lots of anxiety about this that I'm not sure how to handle. I haven't been eating super well and already lost some weight. I got a white noise machine that's helping a little bit at night but I'm not sure it's really dialed in.

Anyway, thanks for letting me vent.

 

Get yourself to an ENT that will prescribe you Prednisone or another kind of steroid. Mine initially started after an EDM festival and the steroids helped, although be warned they do not help everyone.

I wouldn't go to anymore EDM shows if I were you, they're way too loud and you've received a warning from your body. You're still in the early days so it could go away but be prepared for a possible long road...

I'd avoid loud noises, get some earplugs and musician earplugs to wear, avoid using headphones and protect your ears.

You can also try NAC. It helps some people. Read the studies on it and make your own decision from there.