A fun new band, I have tinnitus, what to do?

[markal]

Low frequencies can contribute to tinnitus too, and they are conducted by bone. So even if your earplugs had infinite attenuation, you'd still get a dose from the low frequencies beating on your body.

Very true, and I hadn’t noticed how much this is the case until last nigth when I had the bass damp pointed right at me. I’ll try to avoid that from now on.

 

[markal]

If you're actually okay using the ear plugs and your tinnitus was not getting worse then that would be easy.

Could good in ear monitors can be a solution? Ideally they'd block external sound (>25 or 30dB attenuation), and then be usable with custom mix, perhaps with a stage or house mic mixed in for some of the other sounds. I'm not sure the rest of the band will get on with doing anything similar.

There's a very good bass player I played with for a while that had to outright stop due to worsening damage. So this is not to be messed around with.

I'm in exactly the same boat, further on the journey with a loud band, with worsening tinnitus, trying to sort it out, too. PM me if you want to compare notes in more detail. (IIRC we have the same amp, too.)

Yeah, let’s see if we can learn anything from each other. PM coming

 

[loopfinding]

do you avoid loud situations? a lot of people with tinnitus do this as a knee jerk reaction but that can potentially trigger some hyperacusis stuff. i notice in bouts where i'm not playing loud music or going to a lot of concerts, it takes a lot less for my tinnitus to start seeming louder. but it goes away fairly quickly, in an hour or two. not like going to a concert unprotected, where it stays for like a day.

if you put on some 32db nrr earmuffs or cheapo plugs i don't think you'll have too much of a problem. what's the band at, 90-100db? 60-70db is not going to kill your ears. maybe it seems louder afterwards but you shouldn't be doing any permanent damage...do your ears ring after standing on a busy street? if not, then my guess is something psychoacoustic/perceptual rather than physical damage. tell/ask your audiologist.

i wear the earmuffs at practice, it's just easier/cleanlier than plugs and sound quality is not of great concern.

 

[Si G X]

Yeah, let’s see if we can learn anything from each other. PM coming

Dang, going all secret squirrel? I was hoping some useful information may be reveled in the thread that may help myself or others. Not sure why it needs to be private?

 

[markal]

do you avoid loud situations? a lot of people with tinnitus do this as a knee jerk reaction but that can potentially trigger some hyperacusis stuff. i notice in bouts where i'm not playing loud music or going to a lot of concerts, it takes a lot less for my tinnitus to start seeming louder. but it goes away fairly quickly, in an hour or two. not like going to a concert unprotected, where it stays for like a day.

if you put on some 32db nrr earmuffs or cheapo plugs i don't think you'll have too much of a problem. what's the band at, 90-100db? 60-70db is not going to kill your ears. maybe it seems louder afterwards but you shouldn't be doing any permanent damage...do your ears ring after standing on a busy street? if not, then my guess is something psychoacoustic/perceptual rather than physical damage. tell/ask your audiologist.

i wear the earmuffs at practice, it's just easier/cleanlier than plugs and sound quality is not of great concern.

Can you hear much with the ear muffs? I tried foam plugs once and just couldn’t stand it. All I heard was bass.

Maybe I need a new audiologist. While the testing was fine, they seemed mostly like an earplug sales operation. I got little advice.

I go to live music occasionally (and wear my earplugs!) and I”m out and about (city streets, crowded restaurants etc.).

 

[markal]

Dang, going all secret squirrel? I was hoping some useful information may be reveled in the thread that may help myself or others. Not sure why it needs to be private?

Fair enough. I’ll share what I learn!

 

[markal]

Quit the salted Margaritas.

Believe it or not, I’ve just about cut out alcohol! Not really because of tinnitus though (but I’ve read it can contribute)

 

[Boreas]

Dang, going all secret squirrel? I was hoping some useful information may be reveled in the thread that may help myself or others. Not sure why it needs to be private?

True. But not everyone is comfortable about being too personal on a forum - especially with health issues that can often lead to a thread being terminated if too "detailed" medically. Hopefully we will be enlightened with positive results in a future post!

 

[Churchjack]

I've had it for years. Loss of highs, some ringing, but not bad most of the time. I keep playing and it doesn't seem to be getting worse though. Cant deal with things in my ears...

I’ve done it. I think, unlike most, my tinnitus has been a friend since childhood, and I don’t pay it much mind.

 

[Boreas]

Believe it or not, I’ve just about cut out alcohol! Not really because of tinnitus though (but I’ve read it can contribute)

Notice any change after cutting back - plus or minus?

 

[loopfinding]

Can you hear much with the ear muffs? I tried foam plugs once and just couldn’t stand it. All I heard was bass.

Maybe I need a new audiologist. While the testing was fine, they seemed mostly like an earplug sales operation. I got little advice.

I go to live music occasionally (and wear my earplugs!) and I”m out and about (city streets, crowded restaurants etc.).

the sound is not great with the earmuffs, just like the cheap plugs. it does seems a smidge more flat than rolled off on the high end. i just like them for ease of use, and it's overkill so my ears don't ring whatsoever afterwards. but personally i don't need detail at practice.

maybe you want to use your nice 15/25db ones for the live situation and live a little dangerously, but just overkill with the earmuffs for practice.

 

[puddin]

 

[Chester P Squier]

I discovered my tinnitus after coming home from evacuating Hurricane Ida. The electricity was still off. That first night, after going to bed, I realized those sounds I had been hearing were not the HVAC, the refrigerator motor, or the computer fan.

That's how I have learned to live with it.

 

[markal]

Notice any change after cutting back - plus or minus?

In my tinnitus? No, it’s getting worse because of the increased playing with a band.

But I definitely notice other positive effects, better sleep and no more “mini-hangovers.” My wife is out of town and normally for me this would mean beer, steak and guitar, but I’m skipping the beer this time.

 

[markal]

I discovered my tinnitus after coming home from evacuating Hurricane Ida. The electricity was still off. That first night, after going to bed, I realized those sounds I had been hearing were not the HVAC, the refrigerator motor, or the computer fan.

That's how I have learned to live with it.

Meaning you use background white noise to drown it out?

 

[ChicknPickn]

No cure. Just protect the hearing you have.

 

[SRHmusic]

Has anyone with tinnitus had success with IEMs in a band that is loud on stage?

 

[schmee]

I write off my hearing loss to loud Rock and Roll. Had a Marshall stack in the 70's.
But then I think about it....... my Dad had hearing loss about like mine, a bit worse, by the time he was 55 or so...
He never played music.....
So now I dont know what to think about the cause....

 

[JL_LI]

Ask any patron in any venue where you've ever played if they thought the band was too loud and they'll overwhelmingly answer, "YES". Drop the volume, make the patrons happy, and save your hearing. Ear plugs can be a mixed blessing. You'll have trouble hearing the vocals. Stand well forward of the amps. The inverse square law works to your advantage. What you hear will be 1/4 as loud twice the distance from the amps.

 

[David Barnett]

Believe it or not, I’ve just about cut out alcohol! Not really because of tinnitus though (but I’ve read it can contribute)

Caffiene can contribute too. And aspirin.