Hi, I'm 35 year old male with no preexisting conditions. I play the guitar and have done a lot of stereotypical things guitarists do, like playing unreasonably loud.

I had a smaller room I was cranking a 50w Marshall in, and typically I was fine with the foam ear plugs I was using, never noticed any issues at all. Then I tried some ear plugs that were supposed to protect the ears, but not filter out as many frequencies so you hear the amp better. It seemed normal while I was playing.

After about 1 hour of playing I pulled my plugs out and noticed my ears felt really full and inflamed, and they were very sensitive to loud noises now. Typically I'd listen to music in my car stereo at around 20, now I'd have to turn it down to 11 or 12 to listen comfortably. This went on for 4 or 5 months before it finally seemed to resolve itself and hearing was normal again. I could tell my ears were still more vulnerable than before, but I was pretty close to 100%.

About a year or so after I thought this was over, I had another incident helping a friend setup a guitar rig, and he hit a chord on a loud amp that damaged my left ear. I've lost a large amount of the bass frequencies I used to have in that ear, and if I hear anything above a certain volume my ear starts ringing (happens above 85db). In general, my left ear feels more "open and hollow" where my right ear does not.

If I even speak above a certain volume, my ear starts ringing. Another odd thing, if I take my voice and force to the right direction so only my right ear hears most of what I'm saying, it sounds normal. If I do this with my left ear, my voice sounds "hollow" and ofc my ear rings. Also both my ears are now prone to getting that full and inflamed feeling if I listen to music at even moderate levels. It goes away quickly after I stop listening, but still this is happening at 85db which is not sustainable.

My ENT said there's nothing he can do, and it will resolve itself. After a year+, it hasn't resolved itself at all. I was hoping maybe someone could point me in the right direction of the right kind of specialist who may be able to help. Thanks.

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