Concerts and Microsuction

[Beagleears]

Hi everyone I have a couple of queries about Tinnitus. I have a concert to go to end of May which was originally booked for 2020 but delayed until now. I'm a bit worried about how loud it will be and wondered if there is anything I can buy to reduce the volume of the sound. I don't wear hearing aids yet. Also I have to keep getting my ears cleared out roughly every 3/4 months. My ears are very dry and itchy the dry skin gets caught in the wax and prevents it from exiting my ears naturally. Sorry for full on description its really horrid. I already use earol and my GP hasn't suggested anything else to help me. So any suggestions ideas welcome. Thanks and take care.

[Beagleears]

Thanks for your reply. I was thinking of some ear plugs or some type of headphones. The link was interesting but they are a bit expensive as I will only be using them once. I won't be booking any more concerts as I am worried what effect it might have on my tinnitus . This particular concert was booked before I started to have problems and I have thought about reselling the tickets as a solution. Anyway I will keep investigating thanks again take care.

[daverussell]

I've found these to be a good investment. They come with a useful carry case I have attached to my keyring and carry around with me all the time.

Alpine PartyPlug Pro Ear Plugs -... amazon.co.uk/dp/B074P5PXQZ?...

However habituation is important too. I absolutely refuse to let my tinnitus/hyperacusis stop me attending noisy environments or becoming reliant on earplugs. I'm due to attend a concert next month for the first time since before lockdown . At least I have them at hand if needed

[Beagleears in reply to daverussell]

Thanks I have been checking out ear plugs on amazon. There are so many of them good to know you can recommend these. Thanks very much take care

[Mazzrock]

Hi Beagleears, Sorry to hear of your particular Tinnitus problem. As regards the itching ears, which maybe eczema related, I suffer similarly and my GP prescribed Mometasone Furoate cream to apply to the ear but only just as far as the start of the ear canal. I find this cleared up my itching and scaly skin within a couple of days and I only need to re-use about once every 10 days or so to keep my ears clear. I have also had micro suction about 12 months to remove wax. I have suffered tinnitus in my right ear continuously for the last 18 months or so and like you am due to go to a concert [Wilko Johnson Band] soon which had been cancelled due to Covid.This is the first music concert I have attended since before the pandemic. I am also worried as to how this will affect my Tinnitus and have purchased a set of Vibes Hi Fidelity Earplugs for use at loud concerts and which reduce the sound level by 15 decibels without sacrificing sound quality. I'm crossing my fingers these will be adequate and not cause my Tinnitus to worsen, as its manageable at the moment. A risk I know.

Sorry to go on a bit but hope the above may be of help to you. Best wishes.

[Beagleears in reply to Mazzrock]

Thanks for the info I have been looking on amazon for ear plugs that reduce the sound level its so difficult as there are so many to choose from. At least now I have a few suggestions to look at. I will check with my GP about the cream you have been using to see if I can try it. Thanks again and take care.

[Mat189]

Hello. You are the same as me. My wife booked a concert in May. I’m going to wear ear plugs. Especially in my left ear where the T is. Going to try and get a pair that doesn’t stand out too much! Hope you enjoy the concert!

[Beagleears in reply to Mat189]

Thanks hope you enjoy yours too. I am going to get sone earplugs too just trying to figure out which ones as there are a lot to choose from. Take care.

[Sailorsam2001]

Hi Beagleears I myself am worried about hearing loss and exposure. As of late I have took steps to protect my hearing..I wear alpine music safe ear plugs. They are fantastic and come in three filters (which allow for the bad sounds to be reduced and the sounds that you want to hear come in essentially). The protection goes all the way up to 22DB. I have been wearing them around traffic and can still hear and maintain a normal conversation whilst still protecting my hearing. They also seemingly have a calaming effect on me when I wear them.

alpinehearingprotection.co....

[Beagleears in reply to Sailorsam2001]

You are the second person to recommend the alpine make so I will definitely take a closer look at these. Many thanks and take care.

[Veecat]

Hi Beagleears - I went to a very loud concert recently - after a very long gap of time and was so glad I took my "common or garden" ear protectors (ear plugs), or I would have had to keep going out! They did help, for sure, yet I would also have benefited from over the ear protection, which I'd think about another time. I was actually quite shocked at just how pronounced the "hyper-acusis" if that's the right word, actually was. It really was a thing! I also was sitting more towards the middle of a row of seats, although up in the "Circle". I actually moved to an end of row seat and so was further away - "sad" I know, yet that's the way it was. I hope to go back to more cinema visits and even the odd concert, yet shall really make sure I have better ear protection and strategies! I did manage to enjoy the concert overall - especially important as travelled from East of England to North of Edinburgh to attend! Peat & Diesel from the Isle of Lewis are worth travelling for, even with tinnitus - ha ha! All the best - VeeCat.

[Veecat]

Thanks for the "link" willow-song and for the helpful info, which I read in replying to the person who posted the original query. I feel less alone with the whole "tinnitus thing" knowing I can share tips/experiences/feelings with others in the same/similar boat! Best wishes VeeCat.

[bournville]

Hi this is an area I used to work in, it’s also how I got my tinnitus.

Most indoor rock and pop music concerts are very loud peaking between 110 to 120db. Classic music usually less around 90 to 100 dB but still loud.

The best advice i can give is to use a combination of the “hearos extreme” foam earplugs along with a pair of “peltor x5a” ear defenders together. This will cost about £45 for both on Amazon. A small price to protect your hearing.

You may feel a bit self conscious wearing this stuff but it should provide you with acceptable protection. If you must only use one of these then make sure it’s the Peltor X5A rather than the earplugs.

The other factor is the time you are exposed to the loud music. Most concerts are 1-2 hours so take breaks in the boring bits or every half hour for 10 mins somewhere quiet like outside if possible or the external bar if they have one.

Attached is a noise chart everyone should know about showing safe noise levels and time duration spent in the environment without hearing protection

Good luck I don’t want to scare you off just make sure it’s a safe experience for you.

Hope it’s a great concert!

Safe noise levels uk

[Beagleears in reply to bournville]

Thanks so much its good to know this information as I don't want to cause even more damage to my ears. I will definitely be using something to protect my hearing. Thanks again and take care.

[bournville in reply to Beagleears]

Great thanks - just make sure that the something you go with has a minimum decibel reduction rating of minus 30 dB or more to ensure your safety. 👍

[Beagleears in reply to bournville]

Will do its very confusing with all the products that are available so your advice and chart is really great. Thanks so much take care.

[Suz_2 in reply to bournville]

hi Bournville - what do u think about musical sound frequencies - because the wide range of musical frequencies is what triggered my T after playing music through my bose ( not loud at all). This happened the day after I had a head bump and mild concussion but we think the range of music frequencies triggered the T the day after

[bournville in reply to Suz_2]

Hi Suz hope your doing ok - most music that involves a band or orchestra contains a very broad range of frequencies and listening to music for too long or too loud clearly is a tinnitus trigger. The way I go on now is by protecting my ears in certain situations where sound levels and duration exceed safe exposure. I use the chart I posted as a guide.

[Suz_2 in reply to bournville]

thanks bournville- do u think music in restaurants and cafes has a wide range of frequencies or does it depend on the quality of the speaker system -

[bournville in reply to Suz_2]

It depends on the music being played through the speakers. The speaker quality helps with a better representation of the music - small cheap speakers can accentuate harsh upper midrange frequencies while decent speakers are generally smoother and more balanced sounding frequency wise. Music volume levels should not be dangerous in a restaurant or cafe setting. It’s the louder levels found at rock and pop concerts, nightclubs or loud & over long headphone use where they become problematic.

[Suz_2 in reply to bournville]

thank you bournville for the interesting info as i have a (severe) tinnitus that reacts to sounds, especially music ( in shops, cafes, restaurants ) also travel by car affects it - my T has become louder this week because of noise incidents - but I am not quite sure which one ( or a combination) - just hope it settles because its unbearable

[Covenette1]

Hi, I’ve got a pair of noise defusers from the BTA - not expensive and so effective! Don’t give up on what you love doing… ever! They are great for cinema trips, concerts and any ‘loud noise’ events. Enjoy that concert. 👍Kim H x

[Covenette1]

No - they fit in the ear like earplugs but they don’t block the noise, they defuse it. They let noise in through a small opening but it’s muted. I’m not explaining it well - sorry. If you can go onto the BTA web site or just look online? For the cinema, block buster type films, they are just perfect. Hope this helps. ☺️ Kim Hx

[Beagleears in reply to Covenette1]

Thanks very interesting information I will check these out aswell. Take care

[Suz_2]

Yeh ,me too - concerts, cinema and most restaurants are just not possible for me , even with ear plugs - the T just goes crazy. Great for those who can do these things, no problem with that

[Beagleears in reply to Suz_2]

There have been some interesting recommendations from people regarding this so I am armed with enough information to protect my hearing and still go out to a concert. Check out Bournville information he used to work in this environment and he has posted a very good chart to refer to aswell. Take care

[Suz_2 in reply to Beagleears]

thnx for that - found the chart and info - very good

[Covenette1]

☺️👍kim h

[bournville]

Thanks appreciate the comment 👍

[oldskir]

This probably won't be a popular reply from me, but my advice would be to avoid all really loud events like music concerts like the plague.As you are on this website, you are clearly already worried about your tinnitus, why take any risks that might make things worse?

I'm 70 now, and have suffered with tinnitus for over 50 years, it's been a real trial. It was triggered back in my late teens when foolishly I went to quite a lot of music concerts over a period of three years. You would come out after the concert with your ears ringing, after a while it never went away. To say I bitterly regret ever attending a loud concert is an understatement.

My honest advice is do all you can to stop your T getting worse, and don't risk any noise damage. You can find live footage of virtually any artist on youtube these days. Why not stick with that, where you can play it at a much lower volume that you can control yourself?

Sorry to be a party pooper!

[Beagleears]

To be honest I booked this before my problems started and I am in two minds about going but I don't want to let people down by cancelling. I don't think you are a party pooper you have some good advice but I haven't ever really gone to many concerts. I think my tinnitus might be related to listening to music with ear buds when I used to run as the music beat kept me going well I won't be doing that anymore as I can't run I'm too scared of falling over even though the vertigo seems to be under control. I'd rather go into the countryside and forests fir long walks now and I don't need music for that. Anyway I am still thinking about it and researching the different options people have suggested. I've got a couple if weeks to think about it take care 😊

[bournville]

Hi again it’s hard to disagree with oldskirs post. I really wouldn’t let the pressure of letting people down be the main reason you go to the concert. Your friends will understand if you explain your situation - perhaps meet them for a drink before or after the concert if you decide not to go.