Quite a scare.

[EuroAussie]

I had quite a few uncomfortable 5 days as I feared that I suddenly got a real case of Tinnitus.

 

Having listened to loud music for over 30 years i was clearly a prime candidate, and know a few musos who have it and have not been able to shake it.

 

Five nights ago i could suddenly hear a high pitched noise come on and off in my left ear, very similar to the sound your dishwasher makes when its finished its cycle and is giving you a reminder squeek.

 

Over the next few days it got worse, three tones, high, around third higher and then a full octave. When I started reading about tinnitus it had all the symptoms. Sleeping became a real challenge as during the day you dont hear it so much, but when trying to fall asleep in silence those three tones drive you bonkers.

 

But ... I went to see a specialist and did a full audio test. Which confirmed i have lost a lot of the higher end frequencies, which i suspected. However the specialist noted i had a an ear inflammation and also bacterial infection, although that was some 3 weeks ago. She felt the sounds were still as a result of this inflammation. (it was the same ear)

 

She gave me some pills and nose spray to fully clear the remaining aspects of the inflammation and encourage blood flow to the ear.

 

Amazingly in 24 hours the sounds cleared up, and now each day i hear it less and less. Seems she was right, thats what caused it.

 

It was a massive, massive relief as the thought of being stuck with Tinnitus was more depressing than a Trump presidency. But it was also a wakeup call to make sure I lisen to music softer, in particular be carefull with the in ear monitors during my gigs, as they can cause real damage.

 

So, in sharing this, I was wondering if any of you suffer from Tinnitus, and how have you treated it ? Have you had a situation where you thought you had it but it went away afte a while ?

 

Curious what the board perspective is on this nasty condition.

 

cheers,

EA

[jedzep]

Glad your doc analyzed it correctly, but if she hadn't maybe once you established what key the noise was in you could have had an accompanying drone note to your guitar work. Like a never-ending pennywhistle.

[CAMELEYE]

I've had this going on 20 years. One thing I can say is, you get used to it. Loud higher pitched noises tend to make it more noticeable but as a normal day progresses, I don't focus on it.

Also, other sounds mask it. Bottomline though, it never goes way.

[OldCowboy]

Yeah, though generally more chronic than acute. Not from loud music - injury and subsequent infection - long ago. Went stone deaf for a while, but partial hearing returned. Really not too bad, especially now that I'm older and expected to be falling apart anyhow😒

[duluthdan]

I produced arena rock shows in the mid 70s. The ring in my ears used to be a perfect 'A" now it is an A flat. Glad you found some relief with the infection diagnosis. There is an upside... sometimes the ringing drowns out the voice in my head that says - Oooo there's a 1948 J-45, buy it ! Not really a laughing matter if anyone has a truly helpful suggestion, I'm all ears.

[MissouriPicker]

My son-in-law got it at a young age. Sometimes it's real annoying for him. Other times it has to be a very quiet room for him to notice it, but either way it's there to some degree most of the time. Aside from playing around with his Esteban guitars (yes, you read that correctly...lol), he hasn't spent a lot of time around loud sounds......EU, I hope your issues with it disappear and don't return.

[tpbiii]

There has been a lot of new science in this area. It turns out the auditory cortex can be trained to ignore the tones -- which BTW are real oscillations along the basilar membrane. You can get an ap for your phone. I spent my life as an acoustic researcher up until the mid 90s, but this stuff has been developed since the.

 

Best,

 

-Tom

[blindboygrunt]

An app for your phone ?

[Hall]

There has been a lot of new science in this area. It turns out the auditory cortex can be trained to ignore the tones -- which BTW are real oscillations along the basilar membrane. You can get an ap for your phone. I spent my life as an acoustic researcher up until the mid 90s, but this stuff has been developed since the.

 

Best,

 

-Tom

 

Hmm. Can you elaborate a bit more? Thanks.

[tpbiii]

This is, as they say, a trending topic. Here are some google apps.

 

Basically, the technique evolves listening to broad band (white) noise where the noise has been passed through a notch filter that is centered at the frequency of the tinnitus. The new science involves the fact that the auditory cortex is so involved in the perception of sound, and that it can be taught to "ignore" the tone. It should not be too surprising -- it is well known that people who speak different languages and live in different acoustic environments hear something differently when they are exposed to the same sound. Back when we were setting the US?NATO secure speech communications standard and had to create the consensus "best" speech quality, this effect was certainly in our face.

 

It is reported that effect also works when the "broad band noise" is music -- so a system that puts the notch filter on your music will also work, but reportedly more slowly. This stuff fascinates me because it is new science, but I really have not researched it well enough to give advice. Apparently however, it is real -- my son the rock musician has apparently seen it work in a number of cases.

 

Best,

 

-Tom

[blindboygrunt]

Thanks tom

 

And EA for the thread

 

For many years I've become uncomfortable trying to hear a conversation in a busy bar for example

 

I know I'm not deaf , but certain frequencies in the background will make it hard to hear a person speaking to me

 

 

Many a time I've played in a busy bar and the only goddamn thing I hear is some female who speaks in a certain 'key'

 

I can hear every word she says but not what a man is saying 6 inches from my ear

[kwalker201]

I have had this going on for quite some time. I attribute most of it to wind noise from riding motorcycles for over 20 plus years. While younger and riding with no helmet or ear protection with loud pipes. When you are young and fear nothing you have to look cool by not wearing the adequate protection and then later in life you pay for that. I know i brought it on myself.

[MorrisrownSal]

Every. Day. Especially today.

[Boyd]

Have had it to some degree for many, many years. Not much of an issue for me, usually not aware of it. I spent a lot of years in shops with loud power tools. Recently while editing a film it concerned me since I wasn't completely sure whether the "ringing" was just the usual tinnitus or if it was some kind of real noise on the video.

 

Considering all the other stuff that *could* happen as I get older, tinnitus hardly even rates a spot on my list. ;)

[Hall]

This is, as they say, a trending topic. Here are some google apps.

 

Basically, the technique evolves listening to broad band (white) noise where the noise has been passed through a notch filter that is centered at the frequency of the tinnitus. The new science involves the fact that the auditory cortex is so involved in the perception of sound, and that it can be taught to "ignore" the tone. It should not be too surprising -- it is well known that people who speak different languages and live in different acoustic environments hear something differently when they are exposed to the same sound. Back when we were setting the US?NATO secure speech communications standard and had to create the consensus "best" speech quality, this effect was certainly in our face.

 

It is reported that effect also works when the "broad band noise" is music -- so a system that puts the notch filter on your music will also work, but reportedly more slowly. This stuff fascinates me because it is new science, but I really have not researched it well enough to give advice. Apparently however, it is real -- my son the rock musician has apparently seen it work in a number of cases.

 

Best,

 

-Tom

 

 

Thank you, Tom. Doing some research now.

[62burst]

The Dr. had diagnosed my tinnitus-like symptoms to sinus issue- the sinuses swell, and cause pressure on the ear canal. Can also be a symptom of high blood pressure, or excess salt consumption.

 

Half of living with short term tinnitus is getting used to it, the other half is it's slow abatement with time. A good way to get me mad is to drop something loud just to make a macho noise: ears can't take it, just like the voice of a certain niece.

[EuroAussie]

Im the same in a bar, i really struggle to hear what the guys are saying. Hence i dont often go to meetings that will be in loud bars, and clubs .. forget it, i just nodd when somebody says something.

 

It seems like quite a topic, but, this specialist told me that it can be treated. Trick is to get it early. Although in my case it seems it was something different, although if i did leave it unreat it could have become much worse.

 

Its a bugger of a thing, made me very anxious for a few days, and even so i will be careful with volume levels from now on.

 

Thanks tom

 

And EA for the thread

 

For many years I've become uncomfortable trying to hear a conversation in a busy bar for example

 

I know I'm not deaf , but certain frequencies in the background will make it hard to hear a person speaking to me

 

 

Many a time I've played in a busy bar and the only goddamn thing I hear is some female who speaks in a certain 'key'

 

I can hear every word she says but not what a man is saying 6 inches from my ear

[Smurfbird]

My issues with the dreaded Tinnitus began at age 12 when I slammed my head into the end of a pointy desktop. I required three stitches and I immediately lost a tremendous amount of hearing in my right ear that was replaced by a constant ringing. Its volume lowered after the first week but was always there.

 

Then in my early 20s, my left ear began giving me trouble. At age 22, in the late fall, I had both low and high tones screaming in my left ear. I would mask it by always having music on and jamming the radio between stations as I slept. I dropped out of student teaching because I couldn't hear the students any longer. I'd been told the ringing had been caused due to a buildup of fluid in my middle ear and stress in general. I began taking whatever the equivalent of Alavert/Claritin was at that time. By the summer it was mostly a low grade high ring.

 

At age 25, my dad passed in January. One April morning I woke up with my left ear ringing out of control. I couldn't hear human voices above the ringing. Only a TV at very large volume worked for me. I began taking Alavert and cranking the radio between stations until it lowered to a tolerable level. It drove me nut for nearly a year.

 

My last bout was in 2002-03, age 34-35. It wasn't nearly as bad but I had waves during the day where it would spike up.

 

I've learned to love my white noise machines. I long ago gave up on hearing people in crowded rooms. I sometimes struggle to hear people in a quiet room, depending on how their voice travels. The ringing varies. It's always there but not always that annoying. I began trying out a hearing aid this past year. It's weird. It makes the background noises so loud that it can be hard to hear people, BUT it does raise what little high end I have to the point where some people come in clearer. The problem is that sometimes the volume becomes too much and it causes my ear to ring!! Damned if I do, damned if.....

 

I'm 48 now and at different times in my life I thought I'd be completely deaf by now. At certain low points, I thought I'd be dead, driven to suicide due to endless ringing. Thankfully, knock on wood, I've hung in there and the ringing can be a non-issue for long periods. But I've brought air filter machines (before discovering white noise machines) to offices and found ways to work from home where I control the environment. I still sometimes play my music too loud but not as loud as many people dare. People will good hearing tell me I play most things too loud. But I'm only getting enough sound to understand what's going on. I watch the TV with headphones and closed captioning on. You adapt.

 

Besides, I have other medical issues that are more concerning (none fatal, just chronic). I can hear today.

 

I still enjoy playing guitar and my Nord keyboard, but I can't be in a band with a drummer or a loud guitarist.

[E-minor7]

In late January of 2013 I was severely attacked by King Frost ❄ He sent me down with pneumonia, which stole my hearing as well, , , for months.

Caught somewhere between depression and silent desperation, I could only hear normal sounds in the cans.

My guitars sounded like covered in wool and played under water. And the nitemare went on.

 

3 doctors all placed me in tests - a secretary even interrupted the maneuver and said : You have a strong hearing loss. . .

"Yes, , ," I answered, "that is why I am here. . . "

 

 

According to a doc, small amounts of fluid was concentrated inside the secret chambers in there, but he wasn't sure. Couldn't see what I couldn't hear.

 

I tried everything.

Hot water through the ear-canals, hot cotton the same way, warm cloths around the head, inhaling steam from boiling kettle-water, oriental nasal cleansing for the first time (a thing always avoided), wrote about it here, , , I even asked a priest to pray for me. . .

 

Only during summer the inner ears slowly returned to something acceptable.

I remember lying outside hoping the much too hot temperatures would kick in. They did - seemed as if the long warm period finally made sunshine burn the moist out.

Only in September was I cleared. What a trrrriip.

 

 

Think it would be an idea to revisit the specialist and check if any permanent loss happened as a result of this.

After that blur for months and the slow curve back, I could walk around grateful for something lesser than before the incident without knowing it.

Yes, such test will be done. .

 

Its a bugger of a thing, made me very anxious for a few days, and even so i will be careful with volume levels from now on.

 

Do yourself that favor - you don't know what you got until you lose it. .

[olie]

Im the same in a bar, i really struggle to hear what the guys are saying. Hence i dont often go to meetings that will be in loud bars, and clubs .. forget it, i just nodd when somebody says something.

 

It seems like quite a topic, but, this specialist told me that it can be treated. Trick is to get it early. Although in my case it seems it was something different, although if i did leave it unreat it could have become much worse.

 

Its a bugger of a thing, made me very anxious for a few days, and even so i will be careful with volume levels from now on.

It looks that bar in Praha is a hoot! Next time I'm in the.......ya,right.Wish.

[fortyearspickn]

This is a good thread. The differences in what and how well we hear is why I always felt attempts to answer questions like 'Which guitar sounds better?" are too subjective to bother with. I've slowly lost a bit in one ear and a bit more in the other. Audiologist tests classify the latter as a 'mild hearing loss' in the middle range. and recommended hearing aids for both. Each cost as much as a Gibby, but my wife insisted I spring for both. These are the kind that tuck behind your ear with a small transparent wire that wraps over and into your ear with a little speaker on the end that projects amplified sound. into the ear canal. Since the actual device sits behind your ear and 'receives' sound from that direction, it picks up sound better from behind you.

Without them, I believe I can hear pretty well. I can hear two of my three sons.90% of the time. The third talks more quietly and apparently in the frequency I have most of my loss. I can hear my daughter fine. My wife - not so much. I claim it is because she doesn't enunciate and speak loudly enough, and she claims it's because i don't wear my 2 hearing aids 24X7.

I've accepted I do have a hearing loss - probably 25% of the store clerks mumble now, and none of them seemed to 20 years ago. I need to turn the TV volume up to 30 and my wife turns it down to 20.

One example - professionals on TV, news commenters, etc. talk pretty clearly. Some TV shows - the actors feel it is a part of their 'persona' to mumble and talk without moving their lips. I'll usually switch channels, or tune them out.

[Hall]

I measure each day's potential by whether I hear just a few locusts or 10,000 in each ear. Tried the doctors' and told to try serenity. So, I'm always investigating on this one. Not much luck to this point in time.