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Tinnitus

D

daws0n

pfm Member
I went to a gig in Bristol recently to see a band called 65daysofstatic. They were a decent math rock outfit a few years back but seem to have gone down a highly experimental computer generated/algorithmic route... The venue was a large warehouse in an industrial estate, with the main entrance coming into the front side of the stage. Getting in there fairly late meant no choice but to stay in quite close proximity to the PA rig... The whole thing was unmelodic, extremely loud and I spent most of it behind the left speaker near the merch table to stay way from the worst of the SPLs being chucked out. Clearly, the sound engineer was a sadistic bar steward... Visually a memorable night but aurally it was probably the worst thing I have listened to. Nearly 2 weeks on, despite wearing ear plugs I still have a persistent ringing in my right ear. It's become very sensitive all of sudden to loud noise and discomfort.

It's bloody annoying and causing a general lack of sleep and concentration. I've worn ear plugs at venues for 10 years now to look after my hearing and this is the first time an event has left me with any kind of ringing. Sadly this has co-coincided with the purchase of new speakers which I can't really enjoy at the moment. Am really hoping it's temporary and not a long term thing, however doctor google seems to suggest that 14 days is the maximum duration for "temporary" tinitus.

Have any of you guys experienced it for longer and does it tend to ease over time?
 
You become inured to it. Perception of it apparently changes with stress and you can get devices to block it. I used to get it about ten years ago then it came back in one ear and I thought ‘that’s odd’- turns out it preceded a second episode of sudden hearing loss.
 
Until recently I've had very mild intermittent tinnitus for a number of years. There were long periods when it was entirely absent and when it did occur it never bothered me. However, all that changed 2 days after having my flu jab back in october. It was as if someone pressed a button to set off a loud high frequency whine mainly in my left ear, but occasionally in the right as well though not as loud. For the first couple of weeks I thought it was going to drive me crazy but it seems to have gradually improved since, or perhaps it's more likely that I've become more inured to it as mentioned in the post above. I did go to see my GP a few days after it started who prescribed a month long course of tablets that supposed to help reduce pressure within the ears. Difficult to say if they have helped and my GP asked me to go back if things did not improve, which is something I've yet to do.

Difficult to say what has caused my tinnitus. The flu jab does seem a likely culprit, it could also be due to long term medication I'm taking, or simply down to getting old with some loss of high frequency hearing. Whatever the cause, I find both stress and tiredness can make it worse.

I can truly empathise regarding your new speakers....I also bought a new pair a couple of weeks before the tinnitus hit me. Talk about sods law!..I could not believe my bad luck and worried if I would ever get to enjoy them again. Indeed the high pitched whine did intrude on the music quite a lot during the first couple of weeks, but thankfully this has decreased and happens a lot less often of late.

Hope your tinnitus stops soon, if not at, least decreases to a level that's not too bothersome.
 
I've had Tinnitus for years. I've spent years working in noisy environments such as cotton mills and foundries, though my Tinnitus seems to have been mainly kicked off by an episode of Labirynthitis about 30 years ago. Thing is it mostly stays in the background. I've only noticed it now because I'm talking about it. As above, it does tend to become 'part of the furniture' and less bothersome.

I'm not generally convinced by the various levels of 'fear and despondency' generated by the flu jab and I'd certainly rather have it than not. I had the 'Asian Flu' as a kid in the late 1950s and woudn't wish it on my worst enemy. I'd have thought that if the flu jab was responsible, it would affect both ears equally. Most of the numerous 'cardio' related meds I'm on have 'ringing in the ears' as alleged side effects.
 
Thanks for the comments guys. Am hoping it stops or at least becomes less bothersome. I didn't know it can be brought on by medication, I am not taking any at the moment but will keep that in mind for future.

I'm feeling much the same as you did moffer - the constant noise is driving me round the bend! Sounds like a camera flash charging... Sometimes I forget it's there until it's quiet again.

Has certainly put me off live music for a good while... I find most live events are too loud and am always surprised by how casually a lot of people stand next to huge speakers with no hearing protection. You notice people wiggling their finger in their ears every now and then as it's obviously not going to feel right with 100dBs going through them. I didn't know any better in my teens but when I started motorcycling in my early twenties I got accustomed to wearing ear plugs on a daily basis. After that I started taking them to gigs also and never stopped as it makes the experience far more comfortable.

Has anyone invested in "custom" / bespoke ear plugs? I've used disposable howard leight "max 1" plugs for years which apparently are the best in terms of noise reduction, but am wondering how much better moulded ones would be... They are not cheap, but can't put a price on looking after hearing IMO.
 
Re the custom plugs, I had some done, and to be honest I found the Etymotic musicians earplugs (I use the white tip clear stem ones) just as good fidelity wise. The good thing about the custom plugs is that you can select different levels of attenuation, but the ones I got had a very similar "sound" as far as what frequencies were reduced at what level to the Etymotics.

I also found that the customs sort of "seal" into you ear canal, and if you yawn or stretch your mouth then the seal can break, letting more sound in. Finally, with the Etymotics you can easily pop one out temporarily really easily if you need to. And if you lose one, it's no great financial loss.

There are loads of similar ones about, but I find these Etys easiest to use - the stem is bigger than many, so it's easier to insert and remove than some that have almost a little "tab" instead.
 
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daws0n said:
Has anyone invested in "custom" / bespoke ear plugs? I've used disposable howard leight "max 1" plugs for years which apparently are the best in terms of noise reduction, but am wondering how much better moulded ones would be... They are not cheap, but can't put a price on looking after hearing IMO.
Click to expand...

I bought the moulded version about 20 years ago and they were my best ever investment. I think mine were getting on for £200 then , so i imagine over £200 now. Still worth every penny.

Basically they are a perfect fit for you ear, and have a hollow Chanel in the middle. On the outside end of this is a little filter. I opted for the 15 dB reduction version, but you can get even greater reduction if needed. I believe 15 dB is the norm, and it is just right for me.

What is great about them is that it is the closest you will get to turning down a volume control, but without changing the sound quality. Not perfect, but pretty good.

Unlike the cheaper ear plugs on offer. I never found any of them satisfactory, as they all seem to change the balance of certain frequencies, and the sound you hear doesn’t feel natural.

Good luck
 
Take5 said:
I bought the moulded version about 20 years ago and they were my best ever investment. I think mine were getting on for £200 then , so i imagine over £200 now. Still worth every penny.

Basically they are a perfect fit for you ear, and have a hollow Chanel in the middle. On the outside end of this is a little filter. I opted for the 15 dB reduction version, but you can get even greater reduction if needed. I believe 15 dB is the norm, and it is just right for me.

What is great about them is that it is the closest you will get to turning down a volume control, but without changing the sound quality. Not perfect, but pretty good.

Unlike the cheaper ear plugs on offer. I never found any of them satisfactory, as they all seem to change the balance of certain frequencies, and the sound you hear doesn’t feel natural.

Good luck
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I have moulded plugs too, in my case from ACS. -12dB for general use (loud pubs can annoy my tinnitus) and -26dB for gigs.

I do get the ‘break the seal’ effect that RichardH describes when singing, but a quick touch and they’re back in place.

I find them more acoustically transparent than other designs, including the white Christmas tree types, and they’re very discreet - people often can’t tell I’m wearing them, which is useful in situations where sticks poking out of the sides of your head would be undesirable.

OP, I hope it goes away eventually. But if it doesn’t, have faith that you’ll stop noticing it as much most of the time. Having some good plugs available when needed will help.
 
Mullardman said:
I'm not generally convinced by the various levels of 'fear and despondency' generated by the flu jab and I'd certainly rather have it than not. I had the 'Asian Flu' as a kid in the late 1950s and woudn't wish it on my worst enemy. I'd have thought that if the flu jab was responsible, it would affect both ears equally. Most of the numerous 'cardio' related meds I'm on have 'ringing in the ears' as alleged side effects.
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I'm not trying to scare monger about the flu jab, just saying it may well have triggered my tinnitus. Of course I can't be 100% certain it did that's why I mentioned other possibilities. Neither can I or anyone else entirely rule out the flu jab, and whatever else is said, it will remain at the top of my list as the most likely cause.

Entirely agree about having an annual flu jab. Tinnitus trigger or not, I'll continue to have it without fail because I have an autoimmune condition. If I was a fit and healthy then I doubt very much I would ever have had it.
 
Gingko Biloba tablets substantially reduced my tinnitus. Took about 3 weeks to work. I've suffered for decades but found this cure a couple of months ago. I take one tablet a day.
Before that, I used to fall asleep with rain or wind sounds from youtube or apps which masked it.
 
https://minervahearing.co.uk/

^^ These guys are the closest for getting molded plugs made. They have recommended different models for motorcycling and concert goers, works out at a fair few quid but I think I will go for it. My daily commute never goes above 40mph so cheap ear plugs are enough, but I could do with more protection for long distance and motorway journeys.

I think I'll try a set of those Etymotics as a backup, and some Gingko Biloba too if it doesn't clear up by new year. Cheers for the recommendations.

Clarity of sound is never top of my list at music events (that's why my stereo is for), just getting the noise level down to a comfortable level is good enough for me. I find almost all gigs from pub bands to concert halls require some kind of hearing protection, which is a bit bonkers really - without it I find them uncomfortably loud. I'll happily play music at home around 80-90dB at chair, but anything above that is nasty.

In hindsight I should of left the venue a few minutes in but had brought a friend with me - at £25 a ticket and an hours drive we felt compelled to make the most of it. Had I known this would happen though, not a chance!
 
venton said:
Gingko Biloba tablets substantially reduced my tinnitus. Took about 3 weeks to work. I've suffered for decades but found this cure a couple of months ago. I take one tablet a day.
Before that, I used to fall asleep with rain or wind sounds from youtube or apps which masked it.
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3157487/

the currently available literature shows that there is evidence for the successful treatment of tinnitus with the Ginkgo biloba extract, EGb 761®. Of note, all trials using this extract consistently demonstrate its superiority over placebo. The average treatment effects may be limited in magnitude and not all patients seem to respond to the drug, yet, given the annoying and often disabling nature of tinnitus, even moderate improvements may have a considerable impact on patient quality of life.
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As I suffer from mild tinnitus I will give this a go. It's got be worth a try, as it would only need a slight improvement to make a difference in enjoying music. On good days it is barely noticeable, on bad days it can be annoying.
 
I use custom-molded Etymotic Musicians Earplugs. I have tinnitus from too many years of seeing and playing in bands. I got the earplus made about 10 years ago; one of the best investments I've ever made. I've used them religiously since purchase and my tinnitus has actually abated to a degree (or, possibly my senses have just adjusted over time - at least, I don't notice it as much as I used to). I wish I had it to do all over again - it can be frustrating sitting down to listen to a record and noticing it. My daughter is 7 and has had the importance of proper hearing protection hammered into her since she was born - I will not hesitate to get custom molded plugs made for her when it makes sense to.
 
How many gigs are ruined by morons on the desk???

Are these people so ignorant that they think running the PA into gross distortion is a good idea?

Presumably.

Obviously rock music needs to have impact, but that can be achieved with dynamic range.

As the James concert came to its finale, the muppet on the desk had the PA so cranked I could barely decipher the vocals.

Just crazy.

Where's health and safety when you need them?
 
I developed some tinnitis a few years ago for no particular reason that I know of - for me it was a sort of 'resonance' in one ear. Most noticeable when in the car, or just after.
As said, it gradually faded a bit, but more important was that I got used to it so as I sit here, I can hear the high-pitched noise in my head, but only when I purposely listen for it. In everyday life it's not a problem, not even while listening to the hifi.
I make sure I don't listen to music at high levels.
To the OP - I suspect (and hope) it will disappear in time.
 
RustyB said:
How many gigs are ruined by morons on the desk???
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Exactly, that's why I said in my post, walk out of gigs that are too loud. I remember attending the Field Festival in Victoria Park, London a few years ago. One of the bands that I was looking forward to seeing was American electric folk band Dark Dark Dark, but the sound level was ridiculously high. I had Music Safe ear defenders in & I tried moving further away, but it was no use, so I went to see another band instead. I can't imagine what the guy at the mixing desk was thinking of and I don't know why a band member didn't ask him to re-set the sound level. It was a similar experience when I went to see Bjork at the Eden Project earlier this year.
 
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