Did I cause long term hearing damage?

[Autumnbird]

Will be grateful for any input. I had translab surgery in November 2021. Complete hearing loss in one ear after surgery and normal hearing in another. I was in a situation yesterday evening where I was exposed to almost one hour of continuous loud music—very loud. I had no way of leaving and no hearing protection. Others were complaining about how loud the music was and it was bothering me. At night, both my ears were hurting and felt hypersensitive. I am not worried about discomfort but am very anxious that I might have hurt my hearing (even if in a small way) given that my good ear is overworked/hypersensitized. Please advise. Thanks for replying! Just so upset that I was in this situation 😰

[donjehle]

Hi Autumnbird!

First of all, I should state that I am not a physician so there is no way I could give you a prognosis on whether your exposure to loud music damaged your hearing.

However, with that said, we do know that continual exposure to loud music (and loud noises) over time can damage a person's hearing, and that is true with those who have normal hearing and do not suffer from acoustic neuromas.  So, it is very wise for us to avoid long continuous exposure to loud music and loud noises without proper hearing protection.

I am glad that you shared your experience, Autumnbird, because I had been invited last week to go to a concert where I know the music will be loud.  Your post here has persuaded me to politely decline going to the concert.  I cannot afford to damage my good ear.  So, thank you for your post!
Don