Tinnitus Beware

[itsmedunc]

After a recent gig, being thrown onstage with no soundcheck (backline provided), I've been suffering from tinnitus and it's no joke, believe me. I'd already moved onto in ears as I didn't want to risk my hearing. Stupidly, I agreed to the gig, not knowing if I could set up my in ear system. Unfortunately, there was no facility and so I just "got on with it". Bad move. The following link just goes to show what tinnitus can do to folk like us -

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/05/inspiral-carpets-drummer-killed-suffering-tinnitus/

What a shame...

[mep]

A sad story and end to a life.

I have started to suffer slightly from it since NYE. I now use ear plugs at gigs and have been to see my doctor and audiologist.

[ribbetingfrog]

inspiral carpets were a big part of my life growing up, i was gutted to hear about Craig.
I've worn ear protection ever since i started playing in a band, but i'm the only one in the band that does.
My bass teacher warned me to make sure i did.
A lesson for us all.

[bazzbass]

too late for me, been suffering since 1979 .......

WHAT? speak up

just because you didn't have in ears doesn't mean you shouldn't have worn earplugs however I understand how you wouldn't normally have in ears AND normal plugs on you

[Skybone]

Yup, another sufferer here, had it constantly for about 10 years. Admittedly, it is all my own fault for not using earplugs / standing in front of loud, loud, loud amps / too many small gigs / huge volume etc.

I discovered ear plugs too late, but I always carry some in my guitar case, and always use them.

My advice to anyone playing in bands, or going to gigs, is look after your hearing.

Edited May 9, 2017 by Skybone

[Bigwan]

Yup. Had hearing loss for about 20 years (self inflicted) but my tinnitus only kicked in after a nasty sinus infection 18 months ago. Only advice the NHS have given me is "don't listen to it". Handy... On my bad days it does get me a bit down, especially recently when an inner ear infection rendered me effectively deaf in my left ear. Thankfully it doesn't stop me sleeping - my 2 kids do that instead!

I've been using earplugs for a few years now and am in the process of getting an in-ear monitor setup up and running. A bit like closing the gate after the horse has bolted, but I'm determined to keep what hearing I still have and will always have a set of earplugs on my keyring.

[chris_b]

I don't understand why so many players think they should get hearing protection [i]after[/i] the problems have started. That's like deciding to put your seat belt on after you've been thrown through the windscreen!

I know several players who now turn up to gigs with hearing aids in, then proceed to take them out for the gig and don't use any protection while they are playing. And one of those guys has no hearing in one ear anyway. Madness. It's like playing Russian roulette with a full chamber.

I've had tinnitus for over 30 years and been protecting my ears with various degrees of success for the last 25 years. I know most hearing protection isn't ideal but deal with it. However bad it's better than loosing any part of your hearing.

[Bolo]

Agree with all of the above. You get one set of ears for life, and they are damn hard to fix.

Tinnitus is caused by a neurological problem: the brain is no longer receiving certain information from the inner ear, this is not normal so it decides to make some sh*t up, filling in the frequencies that have gone missing.

Hearing aids are not like glasses. They do not compensate for a slack eardrum, they just try to make the most important frequencies loud enough so they can be perceived over the damaged parts of the hearing system.

There's much more to tell but I've run out of time for now...

Protect your hearing from sustained loud noises, always!

[Coilte]

It always amazes me how a lot of people have no problem spending big money on other band "accessaries" but always neglect, or scrimp on decent ear plugs.

[Marc S]

So sorry to hear of your problem itsmedunc. Even sadder to hear of Craig Gill's suicide
Inspiral Carpets remain one of the best live bands I ever saw - Reading festival (forget which year) they blew me away, and I wasn't particularly a fan at the time - they were just brilliant....

I've not started using in-ear monitors, and can't see that happening, as I'm in several bands - they'd all have to completely change. However, I do use earplugs, after years of not having done so. I've not really suffered from Tinnitus. I get a bit of "ringing" now & again but it always goes away, and it's usually months before I get it again. I suppose I've been very lucky, also given the loud gigs I've been to as punter?

I now carry a set of earplugs in my gigbag. Some of the bands I'm in aren't loud - so I don't use them then, just for the louder bands, or where I'm right next to a PA speaker. I'm surprised at just how well I can hear everything, even with the plugs in. I'd recommend every musician carries a set...

[goingdownslow]

Tinnitus in my left ear started soon after I had microsuction to remove earwax. Related or coincidental, who knows?
Had it for a few years now but I find that I can ignore it and it has not got any worse.
I do now use moulded earplugs with 25db filters and find I don't have the wax build up that I used to have.
Wish I had gone for them long ago but then don't we all.

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited February 28, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[Owen]

Tinnitus sucks. And it is almost totally avoidable. I am berating myself here.

[cheddatom]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1494316717' post='3294841']
I don't understand why so many players think they should get hearing protection [i]after[/i] the problems have started. That's like deciding to put your seat belt on after you've been thrown through the windscreen!..
[/quote]

It kind of is, but it's never too late to protect what's left of your hearing. I play with quite a few musicians in their late 40s and none of them wear ear protection. I try telling them, but they say "it's too late for me". It's never too late to protect what you have left!!!!!!!

[project_c]

[quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1494324229' post='3294931']
I've had ringing in my ears for almost as long as I can remember, and worn earplugs when playing from pretty early on. I don't even like to play particularly loud, but sometimes play with others that do!

My meds, the caffeine, the booze, and the... well let's just admit to those three, are all known to exacerbate the ringing, so I'm not exactly helping myself internally, but I've worn plugs religiously to the point that people make a joke of it! Most of the time I think of it like tape hiss- so long as there are some other sounds it's fairly well covered, but when the album's done and the cassette needs to run to the end, there it is.

It seems to be the only well known affliction where the recommended remedy is just to pretend it's not there! Ignore it and you won't notice it so much. Works to a degree, and thinking about it can wind it up to quite a roar.

Probably not appropriate to mention it in such a thread, but there is a certain black-humoured pun in that his wife said he'd 'suffered in silence' all these years.

With that in mind, I do wonder whether I've ever experienced actual silence.
[/quote]

I knew about the caffeine and booze, but i didn't know about the other "things". I didn't think any other stimulants had much of an impact on tinnitus.

Definitely true about the rest though, something that helped me a lot was cutting out caffeine, coffee in the evenings particularly. This not only reduced the effects of tinnitus but it also meant i slept better. And better sleep reduced the symptoms further. And weirdly, organic chamomile tea also helped, possibly because it helped me sleep better. I still drink it after loud nights and it seems to help.

[Dapper Bandit]

You can get a good set of earplugs for not a huge amount of cash. I noticed I was getting a faint ringing after every band practise and thought it prudent to get something before it got worse and it was the best choice I ever made.

I bought a set for about £25 and it made long practises and gigs that involved me cranking an 8x10 in every setting much more bearable from a health perspective and also watching other bands.

[Bigwan]

By "other things" I'm assuming you mean dairy...

[planer]

One gig was all it took for me. I stood at the front, draped over the crowd barrier at a Foo Fighters trib show. After the first few bars of the first song I knew it was too loud but stayed nontheless, ignoring the squeaking noises and pain as my ears struggled with the overwhelming noise.

In the pub afterwards I was pretty much deaf and couldn't hear my mates from across the table in a reasonably quiet cafe / bar type place. Three or four days later the ringing has subsided to the level where it has remained since - that was over two years ago.

It's not driving me mental, but it's constant and sitting here with the radio on I can hear the noise quite clearly.

I agree with the 'it's never to late to protect what you have' theory and wear earplugs to every gig now. Working in the aerospace industry, which is packed to the rafters with regulations and PPE requirements etc etc, I really [i]really [/i]should have known better. I rode a bike for twenty years, and wore earplugs all the time.

Why don't people routinely wear earplugs - I think there are two reasons.

1. When we start playing, it's for the fun and passion and the sheer joy of making music. It's difficult to imagine any teenage guitar legend stood, legs akimbo, in front of his cranked amp thinking to himself, 'Marshall stack - check, Flying V - check, AC/DC T-shirt - check, earplugs - check'. It just ain't gonna happen. That becomes the norm, mostly until it's too late.

2. It's hard not to feel at least a little isolated from the music wearing earplugs and unless everyone does it, it's just not cool.

But neither is being followed around by a flippin' noise your whole life, day and night.

[Dapper Bandit]

[quote name='planer' timestamp='1494334246' post='3295052']
2. It's hard not to feel at least a little isolated from the music wearing earplugs and unless everyone does it, it's just not cool.

[/quote]

A few years ago I played in a band that opened for a group called Conan. They were terrifyingly loud, in a pub they were using 2 full guitar stacks (4 4x12s) and two full bass rigs (1 x 8x10, 1 4x10 and 1 1x15) plus full PA support! I was stood as far back as I could with ear plugs in and it was still too much as pint glasses were shook from the shelves behind the bar.

Imagine my dismay as I watch a crowd of young chaps without ear protection right at the front sticking their heads directly in front of cabinets for "the full experience".

It may not be cool but this whole "maximum amplification ensures maximum results" philosophy does need the caveat that you need protection for maximum enjoyment.

[Marc S]

[quote name='planer' timestamp='1494334246' post='3295052']


....1. When we start playing..... It's difficult to imagine any teenage guitar legend stood, legs akimbo, in front of his cranked amp thinking to himself, 'Marshall stack - check, Flying V - check, AC/DC T-shirt - check, earplugs - check'. It just ain't gonna happen. That becomes the norm, mostly until it's too late....

2. It's hard not to feel at least a little isolated from the music wearing earplugs and unless everyone does it, it's just not cool.

[/quote]

Yes, I think you've got a point here. When you're young, you also tend to feel at least a bit invincible...
Or at least like, it's never going to happen to you! Much like when most of us took up smoking (I don't anymore) but you can see all the warnings, ads and posters, or hear about others who became ill because of it...

... but it's not going to happen to me, and anyway, heck, I'll be old then, so who cares?

[naxos10]

Like [u]planer[/u] listening to one concert was all it took so I paid for the problem. After the concert there was ringing in the ears but it never stopped so went to the docs and was diagnosed with tinnitus.
Had it for around 12 years and it has it's good and bad days but never goes away and can see why it would drive people to despair.
Started to get hearing increased hearing loss last year so saw a consultant and found out I could not hear the first/highest 4 levels of the test due to the damage, not good, so now have hearing aids.
The one 'good' thing is that as part of the package I had a free set of 'musicians' earplugs with a 19db cut - it's never to late to protect what you have left.

[IainS]

I've had tinnitus for years and it drives me mad. I keep meaning to go to my GP about it, as is often recommended, but I'm not really sure what they can do. I always wear ear plugs now and wish I had started 25 years ago.

One question, though: are in-ear monitors better for your hearing (and tinnitus) than standard monitoring?

My ears always ring more after I've used headphones to listen to music so I assumed in-ear monitoring would do the same. The rest of my band use in-ear so it wouldn't be a problem to switch.

[40hz]

I'm 31 and developed it in my mid 20s. Years of playing in loud bands without any ear protection *facepalm* mine isn't too bad but the fact that it's always there is a horrible feeling. I just hope and pray that advances are made in curing it or minimising it's effects.

[chris_b]

[quote name='IainS' timestamp='1494342964' post='3295157']
One question, though: are in-ear monitors better for your hearing (and tinnitus) than standard monitoring?

My ears always ring more after I've used headphones to listen to music so I assumed in-ear monitoring would do the same. The rest of my band use in-ear so it wouldn't be a problem to switch.
[/quote]

The only thing that is better for your ears is turning the volume down.

No matter what the source of the volume either block it out or turn it down.

[essexbasscat]

My earplugs go everywhere with me and I wear them in the car, definately on the London underground, practically any time I play anything louder than an acoustic guitar. The TV at home is almost always quiet.

If only I'd done all that before I got tinnitus