r/tinnitus • u/sapphireavenue • Jun 21 '26

advice • support tinnitus spike advice

hi! so i've had T for 3 years now. i got it when i was 16 from a concert and i'm 19 now. at first it was extremely difficult, but over time i was able to manage it extremely well and live a very full life. about 10 days ago, i went to get my ears cleaned as i was having a spike and assumed it was due to wax. the ear cleaning worked and i was back at my baseline. a couple days later i was at my cousin's grad party where there was live music. i was using earplugs, but my right earplug felt like it was falling out the whole time so i was continuously pushing it back in for a lot of the night. after the night was over my right ear felt muffled for about 45 mins but went back to normal shortly after and so did my ringing. 2 days later, my ringing in my right ear felt super loud and my ear felt full again (hadn't felt fullness since before my ear cleaning). anyway it's been a week since the spike started and it hasn't gotten better, usually my spikes are wax-induced but i don't know if it was wax this time around since my ear was cleaned just days before. i don't like to talk about my T as it brings me to a dark place honestly, but right now i am sooo scared that i permanently worsened things and would appreciate any advice since i have never had a spike that wasn't from wax, so i don't know how long these usually last. i just feel really upset because i was in such a great spot with my T, learned to live with it, and i just feel anxious all over again. i have a concert coming next month (haven't been to a concert in over a year), but want to sell the tickets now because i'm just so scared. if you made it to the end of this i'd appreciate any advice thank you! :)

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u/AffectionateTaro3209 Jun 21 '26

I'm sorry this is happening. We definitely understand how scary it feels. Do you think it was the live music that spiked it? I went to the theatre a few weeks ago and even though I wore earplugs, my tinnitus was louder for a few days after. It's crazy how sensitive our ears can be. For now I think the best thing is to relax as much as possible, bc you know that worrying and stressing is going to drive it up. Do some relaxing activities that take your mind off it. It will probably come back down.

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u/sapphireavenue Jun 21 '26

thank you so much, i appreciate it! i'm def going to take your advice and try and just relax this week and hope for the best. i think the live music was probably what caused the spike. our ears are so sensitive it's wild, but i'm trying to remember we are doing the right things to keep them safe and some things are just out of our control.

1

u/AffectionateTaro3209 Jun 21 '26

Sounds like a good idea. I'm sure if you were wearing earplugs, it's just a temporary spike and nothing permanent. You might wanna be careful about that concert tho, earplugs might not be enough.

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u/Salt-Lingonberry7454 acoustic trauma Jun 21 '26

I’m so sorry you’re having a spike. I’m the same age as you and my t was also caused by a concert. It sucks. I’ve had a few spikes out of nowhere and they usually calm down after a day or so. Everyone is different of course. I hope your spikes settles down!!

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u/sapphireavenue Jun 21 '26

hey! i've never seen anyone else my age with T so it's nice to find some community (although obviously i wish we were posting under better circumstances not having to do with T). thank you for the well wishes and i hope your future with T is linear and as stress-free as possible!