OFT wrote:
I attended the Bruce Springsteen concert last night in Houston. It didn’t dawn on me to bring hearing protection. After the second song, I stuck paper napkins in my ears.
It was too little and too late as my ears are still ringing. What a big mistake I made.
I have constant ringing in my ears or tinnitus. Too many years of ear drum splitting music and the final straw was back-to-back concerts. When you first get tinnitus, your inner ear is screwed up and your sense of balance is off. Imagine the drunken spins just while sitting and watching TV.
I'll be 35 this year and I have something in the range of 40 - 45% hearing loss. If there is a lot of background noise like in a restaurant or bar, I pretty much can't hear the person across from me unless I really pay attention and read their lips.
So I feel your pain and treat your ears gently.