Take Care Of Your Hearing.....

[Ole Anderson]

As a teen I liked to listen to my music with headphones, back when the music industry was just transitioning to stereo. Add to that a particular Rupp Nitro II snowmobile I owned that had a terrific ring to its exhaust, and now I hear nothing over 4.5 khz. Tough when I oversee our sound system at church, "Ouch, hear that piercing feedback? What feedback?" I have a zero turn mower which are notoriously loud. I used to wear a set of Stihl earmuffs until I realized they did little for the low frequencies you get from a mower. So now I wear earplugs, much better. And tinnitus for so long in both ears, it rarely bothers me anymore. But I am thankful I am not deaf. Two things I am holding out on: no suspenders and no hearing aids, yet...

[Rod Sheridan]

Dennis, sorry to hear of your hearing loss.

I'm always wearing ear protection, either muffs, or muffs with a radio built in which I really like when blowing snow.

When I ride, I always wear ear plugs, it's amazing how much better I can hear with them in, and how less tired I am after riding long distances..........Rod.

[michael langman]

Earplugs have saved my hearing.
When I started out in the machine shop I found the noise of machining metal irritating. And I could concentrate better with ear plugs. Most of the other guys did not wear them and I always wondered why. Then I spent 20 years going into press rooms with 50-300 ton presses running nonstop, and dewalt 16 inch saws cutting aluminum extrusions every 30 seconds, and dozens of pneumatic riveting tools running nonstop.
It was like walking into a war zone every morning.
And those orange foam ear plugs have kept my hearing normal through it all.
When my wife and I go to church suppers we have to wear ear plugs now because the conversation in the room becomes too loud.

[Michael Weber]

Began a slow lifelong decline in hearing due to measles at 8 or so. I know a bit about the restrictons and isolation resulting from hearing loss. Take my word for it. Protect your hearing

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Began a slow lifelong decline in hearing due to measles at 8 or so. I know a bit about the restrictons and isolation resulting from hearing loss. Take my word for it. Protect your hearing

Michael, from someone who just before their 61st birthday woke up deaf. I discovered new meanings of the words "isolation" and "lonely"! The 16 months from that day until my CI was activated were the loneliest days of my life! I concur and understand my friend!

[Dennis Peacock]

Rod,
I've been riding my motorcycle with ear plugs for several years but in my early days of riding, I would never wear hearing protection, it just wasn't "cool". I lived my childhood days on a farm tractor with no cab. Shoot, our first tractor was cranked by hand and you had to be careful or it could break your arm from compression kick-back. Then we moved up to a newer old tractor that had electric start. That was really nice!! No more hand-cranking!!! I've also been around firearms all my life, to include the military. I just never had the education of protecting my hearing until after I got out of the military in 1981 and I primarily learned about hearing protection from woodworkers. I started woodworking in high school in 1974, some hearing protection was required in school but the big push was eye protection. Oh well, I have what I have and now I get to learn how to live life with hearing aids, when to use them and when to not use them. My education and experience starts this coming week. I'm hoping for the best in the ordeal.

Dennis, sorry to hear of your hearing loss.

I'm always wearing ear protection, either muffs, or muffs with a radio built in which I really like when blowing snow.

When I ride, I always wear ear plugs, it's amazing how much better I can hear with them in, and how less tired I am after riding long distances..........Rod.

[Charlie Hinton]

I grew up on the farm farm too and when mufflers rusted off the machines if they were replaced it was with a straight pipe.
Hunting was also a big part of my youth as well as going to the dirt track to watch the racing.
Of course there was never any hearing protection.

I was still in the Navy (ripe old age of 23) when I first became aware of the ringing in my ears.
I thought one of the machines was making a new noise and my friend wanted to know what the heck I was doing wandering around listening and trying to find where it was coming from.
Imagine that conversation where he was telling me I was hearing things and I was accusing him of being deaf.
The ringing would come and go but eventually it came and stayed.

Now I use hearing protection all the time, just trying to hang on to what I have left.

[Ted Calver]

Dennis, Check with the VA to see if it will cover the cost of your hearing aids.

[Jim Becker]

Dennis, Check with the VA to see if it will cover the cost of your hearing aids.

Excellent point. I know the VA covered at least some of the cost for my father's hearing aids.