do you have tinnitus ?

Does this come and go? Sometimes it's there, sometimes not. Is it more that it's ever-present, I'm just not, for whatever reason (idle thoughts about something else, etc.), always aware of it?

There is no way to objectively measure tinnitus really. And it presents in a wide variety of ways.

With me it's always there, more pronounced at times (like when I have a head cold). I can tune it out for days at a time, but I'm always aware of it. Weird thing is, when I first acknowledged to myself that it was a permanent condition, it stopped being a problem. My anxiety was really more about finding the right treatment options, rather than the T itself.

About once every week or two, I experience a ringing for ~5 seconds that slowly tapers in amplitude until it's gone. I assume that's tinnitus.

Also worse with head colds for me. At its best I don't notice it unless I'm in a really silent room.

xpost - I get that 5-10 second ringing too, on top of the tinnitus. Usually once a day or so. The temporary ringing is a bit different, certainly more pronounced than the ongoing tinnitus I deal with.

That 5-10 second thing used to worry me - like one day it will start ringing and then never stop. It's probably normal though.

I get that too, same worry. blocking the ear with my finger helps a lot, seems to equalize it

I knew it was probably overcautious to bring earplugs to a Mark Eitzel gig and they were new ones, I haven't been to a gig since 2013. They were called Thunderplugs and the guy who sold me them was really enthusiastic about them.

I put them in minutes before the support band came on, it sounded way too muffled, but then I couldn't get one of them out my ear. The more I tried, the further it got lodged in my ear, I couldn't get the fucker out, it was painful the whole night and I was really pissed off that could have happened so easily. This probably sounds like I stupidly shoved them in but I really didn't.

My mother picked it out with tweezers and it was difficult, painful, and a little scary. To think I was considering trying small scissors to grip the little tube in the centre if we didn't have tweezers.

Thunderplugs went in the bin. I'm going to look for plugs closer to the older plate style but I'm honestly not sure how much I need them, I never go to anything brutally loud except one Swans gig that wasn't as loud as feared. It's impossible to measure how much you'll need earplugs for this or that gig.

Has this happened to anyone else or do I just have huge gaping earholes?

Hasn't happened to me but it was always a fear I had. I only really use the cylindrical or bullet-shaped foam ones you roll until they're thin and then insert.

Have you tried Elacin ER20s? As a tinnitus sufferer, my days of going to see Dinosaur Jr are over, however at the gigs I do attend I always wear plugs. If the gig is quieter than expected with the ER20s you can always pull them out slightly. I think the only gigs I've not needed plugs at is Magnetic​ Fields because Stephen Merritt has hyperacusis he keeps the volume down.

They look easier to pull out because they have longer tubes but I'd prefer something more like the older plate ones, if they still make them.

I have trouble with ear plugs too. A lot of shows I go to I seem to spend more time fiddling with them than enjoying the band. I walk out of venues wth muffled hearing, not so much because of noise levels, but because I pushed the plugs in so far they compacted all the wax (of which I am a prolific producer.)

Anyone try this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajb37ie-Juo

Sounds temporary at best, but sometimes even temporary relief is helpful...

I've done something like that before but my tinnitus isn't that bad, so I didn't notice much difference.

I'll probably try this at some point, but I'm not expecting much and anyway, I've reached an understanding with my tinnitus. You have to kind of fall in love with those things you can't change, otherwise they will drive you crazy. I don't say this when I have a cold and it gets worse, but normally it's a pure, consistent sound that isn't so hard to deal with. Maybe others have it worse.

Have any of you tried the background noise generator myNoise.net?

Commence blatant fawning: It's an incredible collection of about 150 soundscapes, field recordings, drones, music, background chatter, machine sounds, white noise, etc., each made up of 10 different tracks with individual volume sliders, randomizers and presets for endless variety and fine tuning.

They have several generators specifically geared toward tinnitus (see the section called Synthetic Noises), but listener testimonials on many of the soundscapes claim varying amounts of tinnitus relief. It does seem that every testimonial is for a different combo of sounds and volumes, so you'll probably have to try a bit of everything to find one that might work for you.

Can someone precis the video - it's region blocked

Sat in a pub with friends last night when, dead on 8pm, a DJ started up and suddenly nobody could hear anybody else. The ringing is bad today.

lying in bed this morning at about 5:30 listening to the birds waking up and something clicked and the tinnitus got suddenly louder and changed frequency (to one that masked out about half of the birdsong). it's grim. i hope it stops.

tons of batshit tinnitus 'cures' on youtube.

see an ent as soon as you can (make sure that includes a hearing test with an audiologist)

the tests you undergo are simple hearing tests so it's nothing painful

i do wonder how on earth (ho ho) kevin martin copes with his gigs as 'the bug' as they are supposedly insanely loud.

never seen him mention anything re ear protection.

/oldmanconcern.

maybe he was already deaf after years in metal bands in his youth

cosign mynoise.net, it's amazing

doctor reckons, and i hope, that my recent noise upturn is related to recent / ongoing cold / sore throat / etc. and that antibiotics will clear it all up.

it's still there, still as loud, but it now sounds like it's more to the left than it was.

doctor reckons, and i hope, that my recent noise upturn is related to recent / ongoing cold / sore throat / etc. and that antibiotics will clear it all up.

every time i get a lurgy, the inner ear buzz increases.
hopefully once you are clear it will subside to a more acceptable level.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/05/inspiral-carpets-drummer-craig-gill-inquest-tinnitus

"Inspiral Carpets drummer killed himself after 20 years of 'unbearable' tinnitus"

That's awful. Stories like this used to keep me awake way more than the actual tinnitus when it first set in. Then I would look at people like Neil Young, who must have it as bad as anybody, and he gets by. Made me think there was a way to make peace with this thing. And there is. Like Steve Martin (another sufferer) said, "you just get used to it."

Ha, after one failed attempt I got an ENT appointment in the post this morning. April 2018, 11 days short of the day it started.

https://gizmodo.com/this-small-device-could-silence-the-maddening-symptoms-1821739320

Tested on an actual Guinea pig...

so, 11 months after this kicked up a notch i got to see an audiologist (nhs sent me to a private hospital as they had no appointments until july (it was put back 3 months))

he said there was hearing loss at certain frequencies, but didn't seem to consider that the ringing was drowning out the tones, making them hard to spot, rather than not hearing them exactly. (the audio equiv of being dazzled by the sun, say). he generally didn't look too happy about the situation.

MRI booked as well, but i worry that all the metal in my teeth will rule that out.

i also realised that i've lost my earplugs. haven't used them this year. will buy some more but the ones i like are a penny below the amazon free postage limit.

(he also singled out Brixton Academy as a dangerously loud venue)

My brother, my sister and my mother all wear hearing aids now - how I've escaped God knows, it's murder on my throat having to shout all the time, let me tell you.

My ears are pretty bad at the moment. I don't have a history of tinnitus beyond gig-related episodes but I'm starting to wonder. Current symptoms are ringing (no way!), what feels like swollen drums, mild hearing loss and a physical reaction to certain frequencies. I have a history of wax build-up but this doesn't feel like that. I'm a teacher, so you can imagine what it's like in the classroom at the moment. Oof.

Anyway, this would maybe fit better on the ilxors in their 40s thread.

A few years ago I was getting a faint whistle, and I thought oh well. But it went away after 6 months or so.

I have super sensitive hearing, and am also super careful about it (to the point of annoying family members) – partly b/c "everyday" sounds can be painful, but also b/c I'm hung up on not damaging my hearing (no doubt in part because I'm so aware of how sensitive it is).

Recently, I was at a work dinner, and made three trips to the restroom... the music was v loud in there, but not in a way that seemed bad or troublesome. On my third visit, though, it seemed louder than ever – like "huh, this is too loud." As I took a leak, I used my watch to check the decibel level... it was hovering around 78 or 79. Not too bad, I thought; but then I quickly washed my hands right underneath the speaker before exiting, where it was obv louder (I didn't check the db's again there).

Even though the experience freaked me out a little / pissed me off, I didn't expect it to actually do harm... but I've had a low hissing that has persisted, almost two weeks later. Not something to really complain about, considering what others deal with (my wife lost all hearing in one year, years back); and it does seem to maybe be slowly getting better. But it has thrown me for a bit of a loop.

I've had a low-level ringing in the ears for about 10 years now. The ENT said it's just damage to the "hairs" in the ear and it won't go away. What I worry about is it getting worse--I know at least one person who has it so bad that he can't really hear much beyond the noise in his ears. Apparently, it drives some people to suicide.

I've had the ringing in my ears for about 15 years now and presume it is tinnitus but haven't talked to a GP about it. It's at it worst when I'm surrounded by silence or stressed. I put the radio on at low volume when I go to bed, usually bbc ws or r3 and it doesn't interrupt my sleep. The damage is all from a period when I didn't wear ear defenders at work, by the time I did start using them it was already too late.

I think Daniel Ash is the one who finally pushed me over the edge.

kind of amazed how much we just tolerate this. outside of Sufjan Stevens every single concert I've been to has been way too fucking loud. I was at my company Christmas party this weekend and the band was so loud my Apple Watch was telling me to get away from them despite being like 400 feet away. We did go and dance when they did "Superstition" but my ears were ringing for two days after. so like, what about all the people who were watching the band for an hour? it's wild.

What?

We had a mariachi band play in our backyard last weekend, for my wife's bday (they were great) – I came outside wearing these bulky black ear protectors, like you'd wear trackside at a NASCAR race. I know I looked silly... but they were loud! Like 95 db or more, for an hour.

Hearing aids definitely help, although cost is an issue. The Canadian government covers some of it, and my insurance covered some more; still had to pay $3,200 out of pocket. If the tinnitus bothers me, I put them in and it goes away; also the tinnitus is less frequent when they're not in. And, uh, they help you hear better.

Is that a hearing aid, or solely Tinnitus Noiser?

It's always been bewildering me why so many concerts are this loud. It's definitely far louder than it was in the '60s, something I've asked engineers who worked in rock and pop music at that time. Like I get that rock music is typically played louder than anything else, but the gulf has become ridiculous. When I went to see Superchunk this summer, I had good ear plugs in and it still sounded REALLY loud. A friend who was with me had no hearing protection, and his ears were ringing badly the next day. (His hearing was already damaged from years of shows, but having early on-set of tinnitus doesn't somehow shield your hearing from further damage.) I went to see Kurt Elling last week and sat in the very front row. Didn't need any hearing protection at all - volume was perfect. I imagine it's possible that Superchunk needed it louder for themselves - a middle-aged rock band that's toured regularly for decades probably doesn't hear that well at this point - but a jazz vocalist for a variety reasons probably has good hearing into middle-age and probably never has anything amplified to the point where it starts to overwhelm their own voice.

also wanna point out this isn't just a "getting old" thing, I have always felt this way. my first "real" concert was the Moody Blues at the age of 18 (lol) and the main thing I remember was some of those guitar solos just searing into my head. it was actually physically painful, and it sounded like garbage because it just drowned out everything else. it was a good show otherwise though!

It's always been bewildering me why so many concerts are this loud. It's definitely far louder than it was in the '60s, something I've asked engineers who worked in rock and pop music at that time.

The Who show I saw in 1989 was one of the loudest I've ever seen (based on the minute or so when I had to change out my earplugs). But later Who shows -- 2006 and 2022, specifically -- felt like I almost didn't need earplugs at all. So maybe it depends on the act.

A problem I run into a lot, though, is when drums are miked in small rooms. They're drums. We can fucking hear them.

voted "yes - a lot, but i accept it for the life i have lived .."

a stupidly loud Gary Numan show a year or so back has created even more permanent damage in my left ear, a more low-pitched fluttery sound, not like the typical tinnitus whine.

― sleeve, Thursday, June 18, 2015 5:14 PM (seven years ago)

this has improved significantly but I still get it sometimes

re: excessive volume, I read a great David Mancuso quote recently where he said something like "if you can hear the system and not the music, either it's too loud or you need a better system"