Update on musician tinnitus

[Fulltimemuso]

Several weeks ago I first noticed my tinnitus after a fairly loud week of gigs.

After the initial panic and depressed feeling I got my ears checked for wax and found nothing.

So once I had satisfied myself there was nothing particularly wrong apart from the usual top end hearing loss (causing the tinnitus) I have tried to habituate myself to it.

I think for the most part this has actually worked - I certainly don't think about it day to day even though if I were to stop and concentrate I can still hear it.

I'm not sure if it has slightly reduced over time perhaps too. Also I've been wearing hearing protection at all my gigs now and just generally being more careful.

I'd not particularly thought I was at risk as all my gigs are justo in care homes. But the music still can get quite loud with a lot of high frequency in it. Also, column speaker systems are really quite dangerous I think. The idea that you can use this as your personal monitor by placing it behind you, mean you are directly hearing the speaker sound at it's loudest before even the audience do. Not good for your ears -WEAR PROTECTION! Or place the column in front of you. Or both.

Anyway I wanted to share to offer a bit of hope, as the tinnitus has not been bothering me too much.

Funnily enough right now I can hear it, writing this post, and it's the first time I've felt any concern for a while. So NOT focussing on it can definitely help.

Good luck everyone. And I'm going back to ignoring it now.

[Cookie24]

Glad you are dealing with it. I likeconcerts and bar bands. What musicians earplugs do you use?

[Barbiebabbs]

I've learned that the trick to it is not focusing on it it seems like focusing on it makes it louder these ear doctors mess with my ear and got it ringing and then they taught me into a hearing test which made it loud even in my head so for a couple of years I was a basset case but then I I got prayed for her plus I told myself it's gone it's not there it's all in your mind you do not hear it just move on and I started practicing that and now I never rarely noticed when the left ears doing it it's like I've grown accustomed to the light sound that it has and at night I sleep with this thing called a bad apps which I don't have to have it but at first I did you know it I'd listen to that and I wasn't paying attention to my ear but now I can turn the TV off and go to sleep it's really a mind thing it's cuz that noise is not in your ear it's in your head there's a nerve in your head that's damaged but like you said if you produce practice ignoring it it just gets better and better and that's what I'm trying to do and only time I noticed it is when I get real depressed or upset and noises don't really cause mine anymore it's more like having too much stress only that does it

[Kellythecat-74]

Seems like you have got the right idea about how to deal with it . Certainly keep away / protect from loud noises. Certainly ignoring it if possible is the best way to go, its how your brain learns not to notice it .

[Sassyjax1]

I am in awe of your ability to start blocking it out already. Is it persistent/mild? Just that everyone’s experience of it is very unique. It’s certainly good to hear someone offering a positive take on coping with it.

[Fulltimemuso in reply to Sassyjax1]

Hi, yes basically my main idea was to take away whatever was making it worse. In my case it was the volume levels at my solo gigs. I (think) I've sorted this by getting earplugs.

Secondly, I had a hearing test to see what was going on. According to the test, my hearing is in the normal range but actually I think I have some high frequency hearing loss (playing in loud live bands for years). But nothing too bad there.

So a lot of my approach was really trying to understand exactly what was going on. In my case :

1) Historical HF hearing loss

2) A more recent worsening of tinnitus due to recent solo gigs

My approach was to take this into account :

1) Accept there would be some HF tinnitus from the historical loss, and just allow my brain to neutralise it. ie. Get used to it, and not see it as something to worry about. Also, just categories that 'information' (the high pitched ringing) as ' useless info to be ignored'.

2) Take steps to ensure the sound volume at solo gigs was reduced to a safe level. Earplugs.

The results?

Most of the time I don't think about it. I can hear it to a certain degree right now, but it's got to the stage where it is hard to focus on it for too long - I seem to forget about it. It's not important in my mind.

I do sometimes get 'pings' when things are quiet. I suppose this is just something that happens in that complex system of nerves. I'm still exposed to lots of sound in what I do, and maybe my brain just reacts. Overall though for now it has become a non-problem. I have other more important things I think about.

Hope that helps explain where I'm at a bit, and very good luck yourself.

[Sassyjax1]

Hello, thanks for replying. You have come so far in such a short time! I can hear my T when at home mainly as it’s naturally more quiet. I don’t tend to hear it outside unless I get one of those short, sharp spikes. I have had it for almost 7 months 24/7. Still fearful of it and the people I know who have it only have it very mildly, so they have had many years of it not bothering them. I don’t have any hearing loss. I have mild TMJ since a recent op only, I literally woke up with loud, droaning & hyperacusis. Luckily I no longer have hyperacusis.