Ears ringing after concert

[Primrose121]

four days ago I went to a concert. It was really loud. I have had ringing in my ears since and my ears feel blocked. I am hoping to get a doctor’s appointment on Monday . I am panicking I have permanently damaged by hearing. Has anyone else experienced this

Antibiotics don’t seem to be working. Ears still hurt and ringing in ears. I am so fed up of this. I just want it to go away

I've had this and it does fade. I now always wear Alpine silence earplugs. I can still hear the music perfectly well but no feedback and my ears don't ring afterwards.

It will fade with time I had this from standing right by speakers at a gig once and it lasted a couple of months but then one day I woke up and just realised ahh it’s gone! Try to stay calm, it won’t get worse than it is now it will only get better. I always wear in ear earplugs now to gigs etc

Thanks both. I am confused as doc said it was an ear infection but I’m not so sure

Ear infections are very hard to actually diagnose and so treatment is usually based upon symptoms. Antibiotics will not harm your condition at the moment but yes if it isn’t an infection then they’re unlikely to help either. Just keep going you will be fine !

Thank you for taking the time to comment. The doctor said he could see redness and my ear drum bulging. My hearing is fine . It’s just the ringing and earache that’s driving me nuts

Loop experience earplugs are your friend here.

Went back to the doctor today as no better. On stronger antibiotics but thinks the ringing in ears is down to the gig. I need to go back in two weeks if no better. To say I am fed up is an understatement

Still no better. My anxiety is through the roof about this. It could so easily have been avoided. Ears still feeling blocked and ringing. I just want it to go away.

Please try to focus on something else maybe you could request some cbt or therapy from the gp as it’s really mithering you. There’s no point living in the regret just really try now to enjoy the things you can and I promise with time you will feel better.

Thanks so much for your kind words. I am trying to keep as occupied as possible. I really must put my big girls pants on and try and relax.

This is off at a slight tangent - and I am not suggesting you necessarily have a B12 deficiency, as it is possibly damage from the concert, but…. it may be worth considering some B12 injections as they potentially support nerve health (as B12 deficiency allows the protective sheath to be gradually stripped from key nerves, and as a result tinnitus can occur from B12 deficiency).

I think B12 injections (not tablets) can sometimes help recovery of nerve function (you could look into this?) so it might be worth considering, as even if it is not B12-related, maybe B12 injections might improve it a bit. You can get private B12 injections from aesthetic clinics. (Or you can order B12 ampoules for injecting yourself, from online German pharmacies (as it is available over the counter in Germany) if you are confident at injecting yourself? There is lots of info about it all on the B12 deficiency forum on health unlocked, if you are interested..

I have tinnitus that occurs as part of my functional B12 deficiency (and I also get visual symptoms as well - halos / glare etc, as the visual nerves can get damaged as well; and pins and needles / tingling in a sort of wellington-boot type formation in my lower legs), but with regular B12 injections it all subsides.

Might be worth trying / researching on Google (ie B12 injections to support nerve sheath repair)…
ps - I’m not a doctor, just an interested lay-person (with experience of functional B12 deficiency and pernicious anaemia)!

back to doc today and have now been referred to ENT. Ears still hurting. I don’t mind the ringing, it’s the pain. What an absolute nightmare. 3 weeks ago I was perfectly fine

Sorry to jump in as the harbinger of doom but this is exactly how my tinnitus started 20-odd years ago. The pain went. The ringing stayed. I've learnt to live with it but went through some bad MH issues because of it. If yours doesn't go, look up habituating with tinnitus - you might get some tips. Fingers crossed for you x

Thanks for your comment. How long did it take for the pain to go away

If you do have permanent tinnitus, then I promise that you will eventually learn to live with it. It's horrendous when it first develops but you get used to it.

It’s no so much the tinnitus. It is more the pain in my ears l

I believe it was about 3 weeks? Seems a long time ago.

The pain does seem to be subsiding a bit. I can cope with the ringing as I am sure I already had low level tinnitus already. It’s the fullness and blocked ear that’s bothering me the most. Does anyone know if this goes.

I’ve been going to gigs regularly for 46 years now. I’m often in front row. At the moment I have constant tinnitus but I have loved every second of my hobby and I’ve always known my hearing would suffer

As a fairly regular attendee of music events,I have had this a few times. Once it lasted a week and I must admit I was becoming anxious that I had permanent tinitus. It did go though, literally overnight on the 7th day. My hearing seems fine now.

Six weeks on a things are slowly improving. Still waiting for an ENT appointment. Ears just feel stiff now and tinnitus. The regret of going to that gig will be with me forever. I can’t even speak to the friend that asked me to go

It's ridiculous that people have to wear ear plugs.
Venues and bands should not be playing at volumes that are causing damage to so many.
I would contact the venue and report your experiences OP. Until people start doing this, things won't change.

I think you’ve been extraordinarily unlucky. I went to loads of ear-ringing punk gigs in my teens, I’m 64 now and my hearing seems to be just fine and I don’t have tinnitus. I have musician friends who are a bit deaf and/or have tinnitus but they subjected themselves to very loud music night after night for years. My post-gig temporary tinnitus usually cleared by the next morning. As the doctor pointed out, the ringing in your ears has been extended by getting an infection.

I’ll add that I don’t think your friend did anything wrong and that it would be a terrible shame to lose a friendship over this.

Good luck.

I am just in shock about the whole thing. My job relies on a headset so can’t do that at the minute. I won’t lose a friend but I just want to be better and fir things to go back to normal