losing your hearing?

john gordon · Post by **john gordon** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 1:22 am

unfortunately, i am. last night i was sitting at a table of senior citizens and about half way through i noticed that i was saying, "huh" more than anyone at the table.how many years do you think it will before they have a hearing aid that is totally hidden from peoples viewing pleasures.how am i going to get a proper mixdown as well.im starting to get bummed. guys.mostly djs,turn down the music before its too late.take it from me its a real bummer.

formatk · Post by **formatk** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 2:10 am

errr, what was that?? say again

you can get clear custom earplugs that channel out harmful prolonged frquencies. They're about £100 in the Uk which includes the specialists appointment to make a mould of your inner ear. worth doing. I used to use them when I sat for hours on end VJing stuck next to huge PA's. My hearing is a little damaged pre, but since I got them it's not got any worse. Unfortunately, I've lost them, but I don't play out in loud clubs as often as I used to. google em.

scottwallis · Post by **scottwallis** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 6:44 am

over the years ive noticed my hearing get a bit worse, especially in my left ear, it feels muffled sometimes.... but the wierd thing is when i have my headphones on djing i always press my hand on the right headphone to hear better, same when im in the studio i tend to lean toward the right monitor speaker...yet its definenetly my left ear that feels wierd.

years ago i remember cleaning em out with some cotton buds and i think i did a bit of damage to it, pushing the bud in too far and stuff...plus ive has them syringed as well, but still no joy........

adhmzaiusz · Post by **adhmzaiusz** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 7:54 am

i lostmy hearing for a week once in my left ear

it sucked so bad, i couldnt even help the customers at my work cause i couldnt hear them. not only that but my whole confidence in music making was shattered. It all happend after a loud shriek from the singer in my band and my ear pointing right into the monitor. I endured a good week or so with absolutely no hearing in my left ear, and i actually got to the point where i accepted the fact i had no more hearing for the rest of my life

then

i went to the doctor and he syringed my ear
all my hearing came back, and even better than i even remember it...it was so dissorienting because i heard such high frequencies it threw off my balance and everything. I thanked God after, because i'd prayed so many times to get hearing back, and here it is now

i think the ear as a defense to loud sounds makes excessive wax to block loud sounds, and when it stays in your inner ear it has time to heal any perforations on your ear drum. the anatomy of the ear is really interesting, because you can really give your eardrum a good beating, but theres a part of your ear thats made up of tiny little hairs that actually process the sound by vibrations that is the most important part of hearing, and if damaged, is true hearing loss. Your ear drum can repair itself, but the little hair things cant. If your eardrum or whats called the hammer in your ear get effed, then thats the reason people have hearing aids, so they act as the drum of your ear so the little hairs can pick up sound still.

anyway, get that checked out, cuase it may not be a permanent problem, and if you get it fixed you can be more wise in the future concerning your ears

-drzeisz

scottwallis · Post by **scottwallis** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 8:13 am

thanks for the tip adhmzaiusz...

i found that whole ear story u described fascinating and very informative

i think i will make an appointment, maybe there is some light at the end of the tunnel for me and my ears.....and hopefuly for me its not permanent. Saying that if i get them cleaned out ill have no excuse for ignoring the girlfriend (or better half as she always says)

thanks again

jerry123 · Post by **jerry123** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 8:45 am

Also, the rest of your health can affect your ears. I've found excessive partying or being sick makes everything sound flat or compressed. If you need your ears for work, you need an entirely healthy body in my experience. Remember your ears are like your eyes, how do things look after staring at a bright light?
A good lesson I had in school was that your head works on voltage, like when someone claps close to you or cranks on a snare, you blink automatically. Basically your head overloads, so if something is using energy up there, your ears suffer as a result.

terragong · Post by **terragong** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 1:49 pm

in chinese medicine the ears are related to the kidneys...so check them....
give some piss to the lab.....

mohler · Post by **mohler** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 1:33 pm

John,

I signed up especially to reply to this post, I've been lurking for a couple of years and reading tons more recently.

I noticed that I have been having trouble hearing in my right ear, it's been getting progressively worse over the past 5 years. It started to be a problem when I would end up with colds and nasal infections that it took ages to clear up. Eventually it didn't clear up even after treatment (syringing, ear toilet {vacuuming}, drops etc.). I was on a flight to a gig in Germany & my ear didn't seem to restablise after the pressure.

I was able to tell the doctors that I was missing my hearing in the 500-1000Hz range and some low end as well. Last Year I was in the hospital visiting the Specialist and after some cleaning & 2 audio tests, the specialist asked me back into the room and told me I'd need a hearing aid.

Flip, I almost fell off the chair, the took a mold of my ear & I left but I was in total shock and cried my eyes out when I got home!

Eventually I found out that I have outosclorsis which is cause my repeated infections and it is damage to the staples that connect the middle ear to the ear drum (conductive hearing loss). It is predominant in 18-4 year olds and about 10% of the population suffer from it but don't even realise! The is an op called a John,

I signed up especially to reply to this post, I've been lurking for a couple of years and reading tons more recently.

I noticed that I have been having trouble hearing in my right ear, it's been getting progressively worse over the past 5 years. It started to be a problem when I would end up with colds and nasal infections that it took ages to clear up. Eventually it didn't clear up even after treatment (syringing, ear toilet {vacuuming}, drops etc.). I was able to tell the doctors that I was missing my hearing in the 500-1000Hz range and some low end as well. Last Year I was in the hospital visiting the Specialist and after some cleaning & 2 audio tests, the specialist asked me back into the room and told me I'd need a hearing aid.

Flip, I almost fell off the chair, the took a mold of my ear & I left but I was in total shock and cried my eyes out when I got home!

Eventually I found out that I have outosclorsis which is cause my repeated infections and it is damage to the staples that connect the middle ear to the ear drum (conductive hearing loss). It is predominant in 18-4 year olds and about 10% of the population suffer from it but don't even realise!

The kicker for me is that I have been super careful with my ears. I've been wearing earplugs at gigs & clubs, since a friend of mine brought a dB meter from work with him to a club one night & we clocked the middle of the dance floor at 125dB. I wear earplugs on the plane and even in the pub if the music is too loud. That's about 10 years of over the top ear plug wearing to protect my hearing.

I've had the hearing aid about 6 months now and it does really help. I've had it tuned so it's much better than when I first had it but it's not perfect. I am hoping to get the operation done this year but Ill have to be on a waiiting list for a while. It has the potential of restoring my hearing 100%.

Also I've had to give up dairy as it seems to freak my sinuses out! it's a pain but there's an 80% chance that my other ear will follow suit and I can't imagine how much that would suck when I have done something to prevent it.

The audiologist could not believe that I was a DJ as my left year has the response curve of someone much younger than my 33 years. Confirming that I have good ears and that my use of hearing protection has paid off.

My advice to all of you is enjoy your hearing responsibly now. If you get decent earplugs (with filters) then you don't have to miss out much of the music & you will get to enjoy your hearing for much much longer & while you are at it be considerate to you listeners and neighbors too, turn it down a little it won't hurt that much.

First thing I am going to do when I get an all clear after the op is invest in a set of custom molded full frequency ear plugs.

fatrabbit · Post by **fatrabbit** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 1:54 pm

Yeah, get custom molded ear plugs. You may think they're expensive, but your ears are your most vital tool. Screw that gear lust for a month and invest in a pair.

I would actually argue that such custom ear plugs enable to you to hear what's going on in a live situation. This is especially true in a band environment, as the cymbals on a drum kit may be too loud compared to everything else. What the ear plugs do i attentuate all frequencies evenly, so you hear everything clearer. It also rolls off the damaging and unnecessary ultra-high frequencies.

formatk · Post by **formatk** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 2:09 pm

I have problems with my sinusses sometimes... that cold that won't go away can play jip with my hearing. Went to the doctors, and they explained that during a cold, the liquid that suspends the tiny bones of your inner ear can get viscous and causes your hearing to be less responsive. I'm intrigued whether cutting down on dairy might help this? damn, just made cheese on toast, well, maybe try it tomorrow.

fatrabbit · Post by **fatrabbit** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 2:26 pm

formatk wrote:I have problems with my sinusses sometimes... that cold that won't go away can play jip with my hearing. Went to the doctors, and they explained that during a cold, the liquid that suspends the tiny bones of your inner ear can get viscous and causes your hearing to be less responsive. I'm intrigued whether cutting down on dairy might help this? damn, just made cheese on toast, well, maybe try it tomorrow.

Wasn't this on the Truth About Food programme? I think they said that cutting dairy makes no difference, but check that.

earsmack · Post by **earsmack** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 4:05 pm

About 20 years ago or so I had an ear infection and now my right ear hears pitch about 25 cents flat - very strange. It is especially noticeable when I hold a phone up to one ear (listening to dial tone) and then hold it up to the other ear. Music doesn't seem tp be effected too much though - I guess my brain compensates somehow.

Parametex · Post by **Parametex** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 4:15 pm

Fellas,

There is ABSOLUTELY no reason not to get custom earplugs. None what so ever!

I mean, I have been so stoooopid not to get 'em earlier (6 month ago) ...

They are 150 euros maybe, ridiculously cheap compared to what you are really buying.

A.

mohler · Post by **mohler** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 5:19 pm

Trust me cutting out the dairy works for me. I don't care what they say on TV. (which maybe a generalization any way)

If I eat cheese or drink cappuccino (shame cause I work for Starbucks) I get clogged sinus which feels like a cold within 6-12 hours. Every time!

I still have a little butter which seems OK it's just large amounts. I've probably suffered with it all my life. I've been having ear infections since I was a kid.

Yes yes yes too all of those who said molded ear plugs. I think I'll get them sooner than getting the op done.

kechambe · Post by **kechambe** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 6:09 pm

Great thread! I'm the only one of my friends with custom plugs. The first thing I usually have to do when I play is turn the monitors WAY down. I worry for them!

I also take this:

http://www.thehearingpilling.com

Do they work? I don't totally know cause I can still hear. I take 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening every day. For me it's worth the price, I'd hate to be deaf!

Something interesting is that I was starting to feel like I had to say 'what?' all the time. I noticed it most at loud clubs. I get my hearing checked every 6 months so I asked my Dr about it when I was tested next. He said my hearing was the same as before but that there is a second kind of hearing loss.

He said that often as people get older their hearing comprehension decreases. Basically you're brain can't process everything it's taking in. When this happens you are forced to focus on a single sound and you try to tune the others out. He said this type of hearing loss is hard to treat because you can't use a hearing aid.

I'd never heard of it before but it sounds reasonable. My Dr. it pretty well respected and seems to be up on everything -- I'm incline to believe him.