A word about hearing protection.

[Jason White]

Friends, please take this seriously!


I have tinnitus (ringing in the ears), caused by high frequency hearing loss. Most likely, my hearing loss was caused by running power tools without adequate hearing protection. I'd wear ear muffs for my larger woodworking machines (table saw, planer, routers, etc.), but I didn't bother wearing them for smaller tools like power drills, nail guns, etc. Big mistake!!


I will have tinnitus forever. It's a 24-hour loud, high-pitched, screaming nightmare. There is no cure, and the saddest part is that I could've prevented it!


PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE protect your ears!


Yours in sawdust,


- Jason White

[Jim Tabor]

Jason
I don,t have to worry about high frequency hearing loss, that happened many years ago when I was an USAF Marksmanship Instructor. You are correct, it can be prevented with proper hearing protection. Most of us learn after it's to late.

[Jerry Bruette]

I'm with you guys. Started loosing hearing back when I thought I was bullet proof and didn't wear hearing protection while working in the engine room of the ship I was stationed on.

I get a hearing test every year at work and I've noticed the ringing is right at some frequencies during the test. It's almost like the ringing cancels out the test frequency and I can't hear it until it almost hurts.

I was involved with a interesting thread here at the Creek a couple of years ago. A young poster laughed when I offered to send him free of charge different types of hearing protection to try. Claimed he didn't need them or safety glasses, always wondered how or what he's doing.

Yes it's preventable if you take the precautions but like Jim said, most of learn after it's too late.

Jerry

[Chris Parks]

I have had it for 40 years, brought on by shooting when in the army. My advise to anyone who has it is never read or research the condition because as soon as you do that it lifts your awareness. I am fortunate, mine is extremely loud, they can do tests BTW, but I have always had the ability to ignore it, some can't and there have been suicides due to the problem. My greatest fear would be to be in a dead silent place for a long time. It is getting louder as I get older, not nice at all!!

[Brian Libby]

Same here-Mine was mostly from tractors and farm equipment. USE HEARING PROTECTION ALWAYS

[glenn bradley]

27db Peltors for the last decade. Very happy. Thanks for the reminder. We can never share safety reminders, tips and stories enough.

257570

There's no such this as a "just this once".

[Sam Layton]

I have had loss of hearing, and ringing in my ears for a long time. Hearing aids help a lot. Obviously, they help you hear, and they also help with the ringing in the ears. Most of the time I don't notice the ringing in my ears.

Sam

[John Hays]

So does that mean those of us who have tinnitus already DON'T have to wear hearing protection? :confused:

[Alan Lightstone]

Yup. Tinnitus, hearing loss. Now just started wearing hearing aids this year.

Religiously wore ear protection when flying (which I used to do a lot of). Didn't seem to prevent the hearing loss, unfortunately.

[bob ware]

So does that mean those of us who have tinnitus already DON'T have to wear hearing protection? :confused:



I don't know if it means we don't HAVE to but I do because I bought hearing protection for my grandson so I not only want to set the example but when he is around he always brings out mine with his. I have had severe ringing/tinitus for 40 years but I figure wearing the hearing protection now might make what hearing I have now last a little longer.
I have the same problem with skin cancer. My dermatologist reminds me to put on sunscreen and wear a hat at every visit even though I am paying for the sins of my youth with each visit.

[phil harold]

What?


I tell you hearing aids in the shop is no fun

[paul cottingham]

I have tinnitus related to a brain injury. I am lucky, I can ignore it for the most part. I do wear hearing protection regardless, as I would hate it if it got worse. Also, it is much easier to convince my 7 year old to wear hearing protection when I practice what I preach.

[Dean Chapel]

Another thing to consider- if you wear foam ear plugs and are a person who sweats alot, when the plugs absorb the sweat, they become EXCELLENT conductors of sound. ie, they are worthless when wet. Gotta keep em dry to work right.

[Jim Andrew]

I lost about half my hearing when I was 5, due to a bicycle accident. Riding double, I was on the back. I wear hearing protection on my skidsteer and other farm equipment with no cab, but my shop is quiet compared to farm equipment, so I don't there. My DC is outside. And I have helical cutters on both the jointer and the planer.

[ken masoumi]

I have Tinnitus also,it's directly work related,metal fabrication environment is extremely noisy ,I also learned to ignore it for the most part but there are days I feel like every body around me sound muffled when they talk.
There are times the ringing is less noticeable ,but it is very random I can't pinpoint exactly why some days it's quieter than other and what triggers it to get louder..
Hearing aids may help but I find wearing them more annoying than the ringing noise so I suppose mine is not that bad compare to some of you.there is nothing we can do except learn to ignore it.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I have tinnitus........and am deaf.

I lost most of the hearing in my right ear over 12 years ago. In July 2010, I awoke deaf. My left ear had literally died. 16 months later I had surgery and a cochlear implant implanted in that dead left ear.

While I wear the most powerful Hearing Aid (HA) made on my right ear. I can't function with just the Hearing Aid. I can function with just the CI. I wear the HA only because it gives me limited directionality of some high frequencies...so I can sometimes tell from which direction a siren is blowing or the direction from which a bird is chirping.

At night when I take off my hardware, I am deaf again. Literally...I can stick my fingers in my ears and yell....and I can't even hear myself. I have a special system that monitors the doorbell, telephone and smoke detector and shakes the bed if any of those devices goes off. My wife travels more than I so it's only prudent to have the monitor/bedshaker system in case of fire.

Wear hearing protection. Being deaf isn't cool or fun.

[Bruce Page]

I credit my tinnitus to a Boot Camp training accident and 30+ years working as a machinist. Most of the time I can ignore it...most of the time. My wife once asked me what tinnitus sounded like. I told her it’s like standing in a ceramic hallway with a hundred crickets on a cool evening. Not fun.

[Michael Mayo]

I lost about half my hearing when I was 5, due to a bicycle accident. Riding double, I was on the back. I wear hearing protection on my skidsteer and other farm equipment with no cab, but my shop is quiet compared to farm equipment, so I don't there. My DC is outside. And I have helical cutters on both the jointer and the planer.

That is a mistake not wearing it in the shop as well. Please take heed of the comments here and put it on in the shop as well. The helical cutters are generating enough noise to damage your ears I would bet anything on it. Doesn't take many db's to ruin your hearing and it is the frequencies that do the damage mostly high freqs. I worry about the young kids now that ride around in their cars with the booming bass in their cars they are all going to be deaf some day. I used to when younger have the booming car stereo and I am paying the price now at almost 50 didn't think much of it back then bt had a hearing test about a year ago at one of my clients that is a big ENT practice and I was essentially deaf according to the test but I can still hear quite well just not as well as my wife and thankfully I only have occasional ringing in my ears that doesn't last long. But if it did I would really go insane I feel for the guys that have to deal with it daily and constantly.

[Dan Ness]

I have been great at wearing hearing protection while using power tools, but made the mistake of taking it off the other day while knocking some joints loose. I was doing it on top of my table saw, and using a wood mallet, and somehow I didn't notice how loud it was. After a dozen blows I thought my ears were going to start bleeding. My left ear hurt for more than a day.

Now I am getting in the habit of putting it on when I set foot in the shop, and not taking it off until I leave. Lesson learned, and hopefully it didn't cause any permanent damage.

[Mike Cozad]

I have worked for a steel food can manufacturer in my past and metal stamping is one of the loudest operations I have ever been around. It was always amazing to me the people that refused to wear protection properly or at all. Companies get punished by OSHA for hearing test phase shifts these days, so we developed progressive discipline policies around proper hearing protection. I was bewildered and dismayed over how many people were willing to lose their job over not wearing it. Sad really on two fronts: losing a good job and probably deaf in their future.

I wear mine religiously and always have. The habit was driven by incidents when I was a young kid. I worked for my grand-dad in his auto body shop pounding on cars back in the 70s. Loud noises made my ears ring and was so painful I would suffer headaches. Been wearing it in loud situations since.

My pops was not so lucky. Worked in the same body shop before I was born, then metal fab shops the rest of his working life, shot guns without protection until his 50s and now in his 60s is mostly deaf. Wears aids and has to wear headphones to watch TV with us. I really feel for him and wish I could fix it. But alas we always seem to pay for our sins of youth...

[Matt Marsh]

Working as a construction electrician early in my career was tough on my hearing, but nothing compared to later when I started as a maintenance electrician at a OSB manufacturing plant. The trim saws, hydraulic pumps, and waferizers were insanely loud. I wore plugs continuously if I was out of the shop, muffs if I could tolerate the heat. After 18 years, I have about an 80% hearing loss in both ears. I have tinitus, but it's not so bad that I can't ignore it. I just bought my first set of hearing aids this past fall. I absolutely love them, and hate to take them out at night.

[Tom Fischer]

I have several sets of hearing protection ear muffs.
Keep two pairs in the shop, one set on the tractor, and one on the ZTR mower (rated at 105 db)
My hearing is good still.
This is my favorite pair. (http://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-Ultimate-Hearing-Protector/dp/B000PW98WO/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1363777254&sr=1-3&keywords=hearing+protection)

[Jason Roehl]

So does that mean those of us who have tinnitus already DON'T have to wear hearing protection? :confused:


No, it doesn't mean that at all. I have tinnitus probably from lawnmowers as a kid, loud music as a teen (both speakers and earbuds), and perhaps some from doing a little shooting without hearing protection. If I'm in a loud environment, the tinnitus will be worse afterwards for a while. BUT, hearing protection will slow down progressive loss. You will naturally lose hearing as you age and loud noise will accelerate that loss.

[John Piwaron]

hearing loss is also caused by illness. Some of my hearing was stolen by scarlet fever when I was a kid. Unfortunately I also have tinnitus. That's much worse in one ear than the other. Yes, it's getting louder as I get older.

Years ago I read of a device a medical school in Milwaukee was working on that would stop tinnitus. Something about implanting electrodes in a specific spot in the brain for stimulation. There's a small electronic device that those electrodes connect to and you carry around with you. Because I also scuba dive I never followed up on that. Perhaps it was only experimental. But the story at the time did mention at least one success story. Someone finally enjoying silence. I wish I could.

[John Piwaron]

My wife once asked me what tinnitus sounded like. I told her it’s like standing in a ceramic hallway with a hundred crickets on a cool evening. Not fun.

My understand, perhaps wrong or incomplete, is that tinnitus (for the ones afflicted) is different from one person to the next. Mine is a continuous high pitched tone. It never stops. Ever. :( I'd like a day off once in a while. At least.

FWIW, I use my hearing protection. For just about everything that's not hand powered. Everyone that works with something loud should use it.

[John Coloccia]

I have it too. Playing in bands + machinery. Motorcycles and shooting probably didn't help. Anyhow, mine just got worse a couple of years ago. After lots of testing, the basic diagnosis was "well, stop doing that and it may stop getting worse." It's all the time now. Fortunately, I can mask it with some noise....radio, rainfall, whatever. Yeah, definitely protect your hearing before it's too late.

[Jason Roehl]

My understand, perhaps wrong or incomplete, is that tinnitus (for the ones afflicted) is different from one person to the next. Mine is a continuous high pitched tone. It never stops. Ever. :( I'd like a day off once in a while. At least.

FWIW, I use my hearing protection. For just about everything that's not hand powered. Everyone that works with something loud should use it.

Mine's fairly high-pitched, too, but I have managed to pick out at least 5 distinct frequencies. It's definitely worse in a completely quiet room, so I set a timer on the TV to go to sleep at night (1 hour seems to work well for me). I've also read, and noticed, that some foods and medications can temporarily make it worse. Alcohol is one of the culprits, but it isn't bad enough for me to give up my beer yet.

[ken masoumi]

, is that tinnitus (for the ones afflicted) is different from one person to the next. Mine is a continuous high pitched tone. It never stops. Ever. least.

.
I have heard the ringing noise has a different pitch in tinnitus sufferers,from crickets chirping to hissing to high pitch ringing etc,etc.
Mine is a hissing sound just like the noise you hear when an Am radio is not on a station.

[Shawn Pixley]

I don't have tinnitus but my wife does. I played in bands for many years but used earplugs and tried to keep stage volume low. My wife and I went to many concerts when younger and usually ended up next to the stage. I wore earplugs, she didn't. We still go but now both of us have good earplugs and wear them. My father lost much of his hearing target shooting. In the shop or blacksmithing we all use over the ear earmuffs. When you are young, you think that you're indestructable.

I have a medication that makes my ears ring (side effect). I don't know how you put up with tinnitus all the time.

[John Coloccia]

I don't have tinnitus but my wife does. I played in bands for many years but used earplugs and tried to keep stage volume low. My wife and I went to many concerts when younger and usually ended up next to the stage. I wore earplugs, she didn't. We still go but now both of us have good earplugs and wear them. My father lost much of his hearing target shooting. In the shop or blacksmithing we all use over the ear earmuffs. When you are young, you think that you're indestructable.

I have a medication that makes my ears ring (side effect). I don't know how you put up with tinnitus all the time.

It's like chronic pain. Have you ever had an injury that hurt for a while....back pain, maybe a bruise, a cut...something like that? You tune it out until something reminds you it's there. Going to sleep is the hard part. When there's nothing else around and your brain is trying to shut down, it's difficult sometimes. I can't sleep without ambient noise. My wife can't sleep with ambient noise. She wears ear plugs, so problem solved.

[Bill White]

I use Peltors (the black and red 29db model) when operating TS and planer, and the soft "latex/rubber" plugs (not foam) on smaller equip.
Good advise on this post. Hearing protection is underutilized in most home shops and that's a shame.
Bill

[Ken Fitzgerald]

If you talk to people who are deaf, you will find that their experience with tinnitus is very individual and variable. Even my own experience has changed and changes over time..

2 almost 3 years ago when I awoke suddenly deafened, I had a very strange tinnitus experience. For over 3 months what I heard was the voice of a male singer like Vic Damone or Frank Sinatra holding that last note in a song. Every waking moment....that last note..........holding it. I was envious of the lung power of this guy who ever he was. Eventually it went away.

Following CI surgery, I had a short period of time where I heard the roar of a freight train......

My everyday tinnitus is a hum of sorts that varies in frequency. Once I put my sound processor for my CI on my left ear and my HA on my right ear it tends to decrease and often goes away.

There are all sorts of "ideas" as to what causes tinnitus..... allergies ...... air pressure changes form weather fronts...... too much salt....too much caffeine........ stress ..... all sorts of ideas ....

The main thing to take away from this thread is wear hearing protection.....wear eye protection...... and be safe.......

[David Helm]

Couldn't agree more with all of you. Min tinnitus came from 30 years of carpentry with no hearing protection till the very end. In the years since, I always wear hearing protection in the shop. The hardest part for me is going to sleep; the ringing seems to coincide with the beating of my heart, so isn't steady but has a rhythm.

[Jason Roehl]

Like I said before, I've picked out about 5 distinct frequencies. Mine are all clear, constant tones at those frequencies. No pulsing, roaring, hissing, chirping, ringing or any of that other stuff, just clear tones, but generally at frequencies higher than what is common in most music.

[michael osadchuk]

Hi All

Thanks for all the personal stories of hearing loss/tinnitus...... I still have pretty much all my hearing and your stories are a good kick in the pants to remind me to use hearing protecton in my basement workshop.

hope the aggravation that comes with hearing loss/tinnitus lessens for all of you

michael

[Jeremy Hamaker]

I just want to say that if you've ever felt like you're wasting your breath, you're not. I am a person who has been told things like this from other people in the past, and took heed. I protect my hearing as much as I can. Coming on 40, I still have generally no loss. It is because of stories like the ones you all are telling, that I credit for that good fortune. Thank you all for your concern on this!!

[John Pratt]

It is kind of a coincidence that this topic came up when it did. I am wearing a dosimeter for hearing and noise detection today around the shop.

I lost a good portion of my hearing and got tinnitus in the Army. They used to tell us to take out our hearing protection in the Infantry so that we could hear the commands during movement ranges, (Of course now they have seen the light and force the troops to wear them). As a result, I now have bilateral hearing aids (which cannot be worn in the shop because they act like giant microphones).

Yesterday I spent five hours going around the shop with a person from the audiology department checking the noise levels of all the machines in the shop. Today everyone in the shop is wearing these dosimeters to see what the exposure rates are for different individuals that work for me. It is sometimes tough to get these guys to understand the importance of hearing protection. Usually I just have to point to myself and explain that you don’t what to walk around in your late forties like me saying, “What, what, what” every time someone talks to you.

I can post the reading I got from all the tools if anyone is interested.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hearing protection isn't taken seriously until it's too late.

Between high school and college I worked for a year in a big press room as a shear operator.

Day 1 I asked for ear muffs, and wore them for the entire shift, took a lot of teasing from the older guys, who were so deaf I would just smile when they teased me about my ear muffs.

I even wear ear plugs when riding my motorcycle, if you don't the gradual loss of hearing goes un-noticed.

Glad to see a post about this, we need to be careful in the shop...........Rod.

[Peter Aeschliman]

I'm very interested, John.

I'll reiterate how much I appreciate all of the reminders here. I too have all of my hearing at 32 years old. My dad is a doctor and used to always be on my case about loud music. I played in a band in highschool, and routinely after the end of a jam session, it would sound like there were pillows over my ears. From what the old man tells me, the effects of hearing damage probably won't show up for another decade or two. So I might already be in trouble.

I'm utterly shocked by how many of you have serious hearing loss. It's pretty upsetting actually- sorry guys. It sucks... My hearing protection will be on at all times from now on!!

[Andrew Joiner]

Great information.
I'm lucky. I have no hearing problems after 20 years in commercial woodworking with no protection when I was young.
Now I'm 62 and way more health conscious. I use ear plugs when routing for more than a couple minutes, but that's it. I wear a dust mask when doing real dusty stuff.
Ear plugs are way more comfortable than a dust mask, so I'll get in the habit of keeping them in all the time.

[Prashun Patel]

Wow. What a wakeup call. I havent worn ear protection ever. I will start tomorrow... Thanks for the scare.

[Ronald Blue]

Sorry about all you guys that have hearing loss to the point it affects your daily lives. The general rule of thumb for knowing if protection is needed is that if you can't carry on a normal conversation without elevating your voice then you need hearing protection. I have my hearing checked annually by my employer and have fared pretty well over the years. I wear plugs or muffs when around loud machinery or in the shop.

[Roger Feeley]

You know, I've become addicted to hearing protection. I have Peltor Worktunes hung over the mower and in the shop. I just don't feel comfortable without my Peltors on tuned to NPR.

I've even taken to wearing my Bose Quiet Comfort noise cancellation headphones when I work on the computer. It cancels out the computer fan and window AC.

[Jason White]

Good call, Prashun!

[Jason White]

Bump...

Even if you already have hearing loss and/or tinnitus, you still need to wear hearing protection! The damage might already be done, but you'll absolutely make it worse by not wearing hearing protection. If you hate wearing big ear muffs, at least put some little foam plugs in. It's better than nothing. Tinnitus is not curable and very hard to treat! I've been trying a bunch of different drugs and therapies, but ultimately there's not a damned thing I can do about it. I'm only 42 years old and have the high-pitched, hissing type of tinnitus that doesn't come and go -- it's there 24 hours a day. It's hard to sleep, and hard to concentrate. Some days, it even makes me feel physically ill!

Again -- PLEASE wear hearing protection, even if you're just banging a few nails with a hammer!! You won't know you have a problem until it's too late.

- Jason

[Peter Aeschliman]

Man, that just makes me sad. I'm really sorry man. Thanks again for starting this thread. What an amazing reminder.

[Jeff Duncan]

Very good thread to post as there are always new guys starting out unaware of the danger of working with loud equipment. I'm another lucky one as I've been working with equipment since I was very young and have no hearing issues as of yet. When I started out at my first cabinet shop they pushed ear plugs but I never quite got used to wearing them. That was 15 years ago and I've long since given them up. I found they were too uncomfortable and I never like shoving them in my ears. I switched to ear muffs and never looked back! I now use a set of Peltors with the built in radio which makes milling lumber for several hours straight much more enjoyable.

Last summer while walking through the local box store with my 5 year old, he sees a set of 3M headphones and asks me for them. Without missing a beat I grabbed them and dropped them in the cart. He now wears them on weekends when we vacuum the house and he has his own pair for when he visits me at the shop. I don't run any loud machinery when he's here, but I'll let him take a block of wood to the spindle sander and he'll put the headphones on and is a happy camper:D

JeffD

[Prashun Patel]

Since reading this thread, I have been made aware of the very faint ringing in my own ears that is there all the time. I hear it when I wake up in the middle of the night and the house is dead quiet. Bought 2 sets of Peltors.

[John Piwaron]

As a result of this thread I updated my hearing protection. I have a pair of Peltor H10A earmuffs that I've been wearing. I've had them for many years. But I just replaced them. I got a pair of Peltor X5A earmuffs. They're noticeably better. I checked the claimed specs and see that the old ones are rated 30db and the new ones 31db. Despite the many variables that affect how well they'll work for any particular individual and the closeness of the rating, I have noticed a big improvement with the new X5As over the old H10A earmuffs.

Perhaps time degrades the material earmuffs are made of. Whatever is going on, the new ones are better and I am glad that I have done what I can (so far) to at least maintain what my hearing is now.

[Art Kieres]

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences. I have a bit of hearing loss in my left ear from too many concerts (~500 or so) spent front row left without ear plugs. Now I'm pretty paranoid about hearing protection, though I still "only for a second" every so often like an idiot. Sometimes it's the things we don't think about. Everyone uses plugs/muffs when using a router, but a shopvac is just as bad. All my hearing protection is at work and the other day I vacuumed out my car at home and had ringing for a couple hours. In addition to being a furniture maker I teach college students and constantly lecture them about the dangers of using headphones. It's amazing how many of them already have symptoms at 18-22 years old. We only have 1 set ears and eyes; take care of them...

[Michael Koga]

My tinnitus is a constant ringing in my ears, 24/7 no breaks. You get used to it, but it is extremely annoying. 22 years in a factory which provided no hearing protection. Worse was the 2-3 years where they installed auto-insertion machines for circuit boards 20 feet away from our cubicles. Noisy s*ckers, WHAP WHAP WHAP multiple times a second, from multiple machines. Probably did more damage than the other 19-20 years. We complained, they never installed walls or sound barriers. I found multiple excuses not to be at my desk. Fortunately they moved that line down to Mexico otherwise I'd probably be deaf.

I've done a lot of shooting and working in the shop. Always wore hearing protection.

[Bruce Page]

As a result of this thread I updated my hearing protection. I have a pair of Peltor H10A earmuffs that I've been wearing. I've had them for many years. But I just replaced them. I got a pair of Peltor X5A earmuffs. They're noticeably better. I checked the claimed specs and see that the old ones are rated 30db and the new ones 31db. Despite the many variables that affect how well they'll work for any particular individual and the closeness of the rating, I have noticed a big improvement with the new X5As over the old H10A earmuffs.

Perhaps time degrades the material earmuffs are made of. Whatever is going on, the new ones are better and I am glad that I have done what I can (so far) to at least maintain what my hearing is now.

John, where did you find the X5A muffs?

[John Piwaron]

My tinnitus is a constant ringing in my ears, 24/7 no breaks. You get used to it, but it is extremely annoying. 22 years in a factory which provided no hearing protection. Worse was the 2-3 years where they installed auto-insertion machines for circuit boards 20 feet away from our cubicles. Noisy s*ckers, WHAP WHAP WHAP multiple times a second, from multiple machines. Probably did more damage than the other 19-20 years. We complained, they never installed walls or sound barriers. I found multiple excuses not to be at my desk. Fortunately they moved that line down to Mexico otherwise I'd probably be deaf.

I've done a lot of shooting and working in the shop. Always wore hearing protection.

I've seen those auto insertion machines. They sound like a machine gun when they're doing their thing. They couldn't have been fun to be around all day.

[John Piwaron]

John, where did you find the X5A muffs?

The 3M website. There's a store there to buy stuff. Those X5A earmuffs are supposed to be industrial only, no homeowner use. Sure. Whatever. They let me buy them. They got to my house and I'm liking them. Only about $40 with shipping.

[Bruce Page]

The 3M website. There's a store there to buy stuff. Those X5A earmuffs are supposed to be industrial only, no homeowner use. Sure. Whatever. They let me buy them. They got to my house and I'm liking them. Only about $40 with shipping.

Thanks John, I'm going to order a pair.

[David C. Roseman]

John Piwaron wrote:


Despite the many variables that affect how well they'll work for any particular individual and the closeness of the rating, I have noticed a big improvement with the new X5As over the old H10A earmuffs

John, when you say big improvement, in what ways? E.g., less overall sound gets through, better modulation of highest and lowest frequencies, easier to hear conversation without apparent loss of effectiveness, etc.?

David

[John Piwaron]

John Piwaron wrote:



John, when you say big improvement, in what ways? E.g., less overall sound gets through, better modulation of highest and lowest frequencies, easier to hear conversation without apparent loss of effectiveness, etc.?

David

I mean less sound altogether. My wife no longer calls to me "Dinner is ready!" or anything else. I get signaled with a light. :)

[ian maybury]

Seems like hearing loss is a very similar issue to the problems that can develop with exposure to fine wood dust - another of these things that creeps up and isn't obvious until it's too late to do anything about reversing the damage already done. Dental mercury by the way is often another.

Tinnitus is a strange one. No doubt but that it can originate from noise, but it's also very linked to broader health issues. (stuff like ear infections and thyroid and blood pressure problems) The latter variety can sometimes be persuaded to go away...

ian

[Jim Matthews]

257570



"Luke, I am your father..."

[Jim Matthews]

Mine gets worse after coffee, red wine and driving my kids to school.

It's sad when I can't tell Madeline Peyroux from Billie Holliday.
I find that I read lips much better than as a younger man, which makes watching hockey loads of fun.

[John Piwaron]

Seems like hearing loss is a very similar issue to the problems that can develop with exposure to fine wood dust - another of these things that creeps up and isn't obvious until it's too late to do anything about reversing the damage already done. Dental mercury by the way is often another.

Tinnitus is a strange one. No doubt but that it can originate from noise, but it's also very linked to broader health issues. (stuff like ear infections and thyroid and blood pressure problems) The latter variety can sometimes be persuaded to go away...

ian

Linked to other issues - I'm wondering about that. I get checked frequently (blood work, etc.) by my doc, the companies health program, wife's employer's health program, and all along nothing - no problems. Except for screwing up my back with a couple of hard falls. I *did* have scarlet fever long ago - perhaps that's the source of my tinnitus. Even if the cause was identified the knowledge of where it came from won't be providing the cure. :( There isn't a day that goes by where I don't wish it would stop.

[Phil Thien]

For you guys w/ hearing issues (any issues, from partial to profound deafness, to tinnitus)...

do any of you have blood pressure issues?

[John Piwaron]

No blood pressure problem here.

Some time ago I read an article about a local (to me) hospital in Milwaukee that was experimenting with a surgical method of eliminating tinnitus. While I can't find that exact article at this point, the link below is to a story that discusses the method I read about.

http://www.henryford.com/body.cfm?id=46335&action=detail&ref=613

[Leo Graywacz]

Well, they say they can do something about it. Don't know if it's true or hogwash. But, you'd probably be silly not to at least try it.

http://www.amazon.com/Clear-Products-Tinnitus-Capsules/dp/B0014AX72I

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Leo.....I hang out with a bunch of other deaf persons......some are even physicists, doctors and engineers......we all have tinnitus in one form or another. The group is large enough (12,000 IIRC) that I'm sure that product has been tried and if it had been found successful it would have been broadcast to all of us by now.....

[Leo Graywacz]

Well Ken, I'm not saying that you should try it. But it does exist. From the reviews it looks like it can work for some. Doesn't look like the cost is too much to give it a shot for a bottle. If it did work for you or someone else that would be great. If it didn't, it's not like you invested a whole lot.

I only have occasional intermittent tinnitus. It's really not a problem for me, at least not yet.

[Jason Roehl]

For you guys w/ hearing issues (any issues, from partial to profound deafness, to tinnitus)...

do any of you have blood pressure issues?

Only if 110-120/65-80 is an issue.

[Philip Duffy]

Got mine from working on flight decks on carriers and flying helicopters for 30 years. Good advise from Jason and I would add; Don't be afraid to wear double hearing protection, ie, foam ear plugs inside of hearing muffs. Noise countering headsets work wonders I am told. Too late for me to spend the money. Be smart and not go deaf! Philip

[Ken Harris]

Jason
I have samething I drove 8 hrs. a day in work van doing hvac for utility I worked at with no AC. it would get to about 115f inside so I would open the window, wind noise did me in started wearing ear plugs after the fact trying to save what hearing I have left.

[Ole Anderson]

As a kid in the 60's I used to listen to a lot of loud music with headphones. Then I started snowmobiling in the 70's. Had one machine with a very loud high pitched ringing sound. Rode it 15 hours in one day and I was ready to pay $50 for a set of earplugs before the day was done. The helmet really helps, but now on long rides I use foam earplugs, no one else does. I have tinnitus, but not so bad that it is a huge annoyance. My hearing has definitely taken a beating, but I'm not ready for a HA yet. Tried them but there was no wow factor. Sure I will end up with them though. Don't get to many concerts any more, but once I took a set of foam earplugs with me, and what a difference! You still get he thumping in your chest, but the music is so much more intelligible and enjoyable. Got a set of Bose noise cancelling headphones, those things are amazing on the plane. In the shop I wear earmuffs or foam earplugs, but only when using the router, belt sander or planer. The rest of my tools are under 85 dB. And I wear earmuffs on my ZTR mower. Have an app on my IPhone which is a decibel meter, very interesting to pull it out any time you are wondering how loud something is. If I am just doing sound measurements, I go to the Radio Shack digital dB meter.

[Gordon Eyre]

I was born with a high frequency hearing loss accompanied with tinnitus. I have learned to live with tinnitus and can actually tune it out until I think about it. Hearing aids drive me nuts and while they do help me to hear better I can't stand to wear them. I like my more quiet world and manage to get by fine. Now the tinnitus is always with me but I just ignore it most of the time. As for hearing aids, I do have a very expensive pair and they are programmable. I still hate them.

Like others who have commented, I wish I had good hearing but it is just not in the cards for me. For those that do have good hearing I urge you to take care of it.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Phil,

My personal physician is shocked I don't have high blood pressure when you consider my size and sedentary life style.

My deafness is probably due to 2 factors.....1. I have been diagnosed with Meniere's disease which effects both hearing and balance. I have taken a diuretic daily for over 13 years to hold debilitating vertigo attacks at bay and profound hearing loss in one ear and total deafness in the other. 2) I was exposed daily to jet aircraft noise when I worked in air traffic control maintenance for 5 years in the US Navy and ran up and down runways and waited on runways for clearance and other personal noise environments that I could have controlled and didn't. Mind you, the US Navy offered us hearing protection and I elected to not use it.

[Jason White]

Pure snake oil!!

[paul cottingham]

Pure snake oil!!

Huh? Not following you here.

[Leo Graywacz]

Probably talking about me.

[JimT Thompson]

Noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus are incredibly common and pile onto the loss that comes naturally with age for many. Saddens me to see so many young folk exposing themselves to noise. Mine came from a military incident too. Constant buzzing ring. Started in my late 20s, so I was highly motivated from then on to wear hearing protection mowing the lawn, blowing snow, in the shop and on the motorcycle; and to avoid loud music. Fortunately still don't need aids and can live with the tinnitus, phew. Avoid exposure over 80 db.

[ian maybury]

There's other causes (infection, hearing damage etc), but my tinnitus is definitely linked to my blood pressure Phil. I know from long testing with a cuff monitor that eating (especially nasty processed foods), stress etc raises my blood pressure, and that i get tinnitus while it's changing. Also when it's reducing after e.g. i've taken my blood pressure pills. For some reason it settles when the blood pressure is fairly steady - whether high or low....

ian