Nice to be able to come on here and chat with others in a similar position. Really helps!
Brief history : I'm a singer age 51, with 3 years of T, wearing custom moulded plugs for care home gigs.
My T is thankfully not too bad, high in one ear, low droning in other. I can deal with the sound, accept it, and block it out.
My issue is when I hear the sound getting worse, it really depresses me. My left ear sound has got louder and it makes me feel I'm not doing enough to protect my ears. I'm really doing everything I can though to be able to perform, and still connect with my audience.
I start gigs on acoustic finger strummed guitar, and sing without a mic. Once things get a bit louder and I start using my backing tracks and microphone, I wear my ear plugs. I thought this was working quite well and the T was stable, but my low drone seems to be increasing and I don;t know why. Yes, if I just quit music all together and took up 'walking round fields' instead it would probably fix this. But I've always been a musician and I can't see this changing! Not sure how to feel. It IS definitely depressing though and sometimes I realised I haven't smiled for days on end.
I try to be positive, and I have to appear positive for my work, but something needs to change.
Any chat about this would be welcome XX
p.s. my next thing to try is I've bought some quite fancy ANC earbuds with adjustable transparency and hope to see if I can just reduce the sound of the outside world easily, whilst still avoiding the occlusion effect.
Written by
Fulltimemuso
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Never give up your music. My bro has been a sessions drummer for a long time and has a little bit of T, but not hearing loss. I know the fine details in any piece are mega important to a performer, but even a deaf person could enjoy the vibrations experienced from an acoustic guitar. I'm kind of waffling here, but this is something I've thought about for many years. I find that my tinnitus takes a back seat when I'm playing with my RC toys, or just watching a movie, or even just driving the car. It's only when I focus on the T noises that they take over. Heh, I am hearing them badly right now as I'm typing about it.
Hi Pete, yes it's funny isn;t it how when we post on tinnitus forums you notice it more!
Interesting music channel thanks for that. The low droning type sound is quite similar to what I experience. Really sounds like a far away road, or and extractor fan in an other room.
Yes T can sometimes seem to mimic real sounds. Which is possibly why playing a background sound can help some people. My T is apparently so loud that any background sound I might play is annoying to other people. Not really a surprise.
Thankyou for this, and yes definitely agree about the unhappiness part of life. Learning to accept that is a big thing. I'm doing 'okay' on that aspect. I'm yet top get to the stage where I'm thankful for my T, although I'm sure it's possible!
Thanks for your support. The new 'drone' definitely seemed less today, and this has given me some fresh hope. I'm getting into my happy-space again where I can just do my job, but have half an eye on other 'ear-friendly' ways to perform. Hope you are well and all the best
I don't have any suggestions but just wanted to say I hope people here have some reflections. I'm new to the forum and have found it tremendously helpful.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Do you still go to concerts?
6 months in and no improvement 
will it get better? ❤️🩹 
Sudden Tinnitus
unbearable hiss
