do you have tinnitus ?

etymotics is the go-to for earplugs, imo.

I don't *think* this is tinnitus but a) wasn't sure where else to put it and b) was wondering if anyone had or does experience this...

I've always listened to lots of music and have seen well over 300 bands over the years. I wore some form of headphones/earphones every day for the best part of 20 years. So I'd be the perfect candidate for some form of tinnitus/hearing degradation I guess. My ears don't ring, as such, but I do experience a particular kind of discomfort in certain circumstances, which means I'm not really listening to much music at all.

Broadly, gigs are still fine (when I go to them) and, say, the cinema is fine. It's when I listen to music in a confined space - particularly the car, playing at home or in my classroom - or on headphones for an extended period (say, over 30 minutes) that I suffer and it feels like a kind of pressure inside the ears or a thickening of the eardrums. It's not painful, as such, but it is debilitating and I know when it occurs it'll be three days of feeling disconnected and I won't be able to listen to much of anything at all.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had any experience or idea of what I can do. I've had problems with wax build-up, and have this treated every year or so but this particular phenomenon can come on anywhere within that cycle. The last time I had the wax removal I had an ear test and was told my hearing was broadly fine for my age.

Post is down to all the amazing lists on ilm and the frustration at not being able to listen to any of them (certainly not with any real interest or freedom)!

Apologies if this was tmi or gauche in any way. I was hoping someone might say, 'oh, that sounds like this, here's a solution'. I should speak to a doctor/audiologist.

It doesn't sound like tinnitus--I've never felt pressure--but does sound like something brought on by hearing loss...not an expert! But you many need to look into hearing aids.

definitely talk to a doctor or hearing specialist, yes

my experience of tinnitus and mild hearing loss is that it's purely an auditory thing and quite different from wax-related issues -- but i am definitely recommended not to listen to music on headphones any more (unfortunately)

I have experience my tinnitus as pressure, early on, but I think that was because my mental health went straight into the toilet during those early months of tinnitus. see an ENT if you can!

I've had wax in ears before, about 15 years ago at least and it didn't ended up hurting a lot and all I could hear was like high pitched squealing. The nurse wouldn't syringe my ears and I had to drop almond oil in my ears several times a day for weeks until it cleared it. The nurse said that syringing ears risks permanent hearloss.

(there's also an ear wax thread: is everyone allowed their own ear wax thread? )

Thanks y'all. I've been through the wax cycle about five times by now; I'm probably due another visit and I can ask about the wider issues while I'm there.

yea that doesn't sound like tinnitus to me. it does sound like something that probably could be diagnosed but you kinda have to get lucky with the right doctor in these situations

on a similar note I'm wondering if I just have sensitive hearing because I've had times where I've been in a bar and music would be playing extremely loudly - like to the extent that you'd have to yell to talk to the person next to you - and nobody else seems to be bothered by it. after like 10 minutes I have to step outside. is it me...?

I was cooking dinner last night and listening to music on a Bluetooth speaker; the speaker was sitting on a worktop and I could feel it was affecting me even at low volumes. It's not pain but an accretion of pressure - like the ears becoming clogged with cotton wool or something. Argh. Anyway, I'll speak to the docs.

I'm with you on that frogbs. I'd have a certain tolerance and then want to leave.

That sounds maddening.

reply to thread title: I didn't until you reminded me

on a similar note I'm wondering if I just have sensitive hearing because I've had times where I've been in a bar and music would be playing extremely loudly(...)

Some of us must have a hypersensitivity thing... just something like dropping ice cubes into a bowl can make me wince. I have a heavy aluminum ice cream scoop (it was a gift, lol) that makes a particularly hash ringing sound if it hits the countertop that f's up my ear for like 20 mins...

I know some ppl wear special earplugs out & about, to reduce high frequencies or something (at least I've seen them advised on Instagram), but I'd feel kind of silly going that route. I have thought about taking earplugs next time I go to a movie though. (I used to be "triggered" fairly easily by environmental noise, to the point it was interfering with my life... it's actually gotten better since the incident last winter that I wrote about upthread. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise.)

you can get pretty nice earplugs, molded to your own ears, with very specific characteristics eg cutting the volume by 50% but without distorting the EQ of what you're hearing... i imagine some people on this thread know a thing or two about those.

I just heard it pronounced "tín-nit-tus" recently when I'd been hearing tin-EYE-tis forever.

Those with ear discomfort, do you get accompanying jaw issues as well?

I only notice how bad my tinnitus ringing is when I'm in a completely silent room, it's quite horrifying to think this is actually going on all the time!

ha same

left ear 24/7, right ear is infrequent

I find myself turning towards people with my right ear to hear them more clearly, I'm clearly due for a tin ear trumpet

My sister-in-law has been struggling with it in both ears for several years, and is trying this treatment: https://www.lenire.com/what-is-lenire/

She's 4 weeks in and noticing improvement. Supposedly around 6 weeks is when most folks really notice a big difference.

^ same, left ear rings 24/7, maybe a little in the right one, hard to tell. Kind of amazing how quickly I got used to it at the onset. I can now go weeks without even thinking about it, even though I know it is there. And yes, my jaw pops when I chew, which I have been told can be related to the ringing but is not in itself problematic.

(Referring to xxp, of course.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2x2X4-NEto