Bob Kinetic

At age 16 I began playing in a rock band and played in bands off and on until my mid-twenties . I was also a music major and played piano . I always noticed ringing and tried earplugs but I could not effectively play in an ensemble with those. I knew nothing about tinnitus or hearing loss . I was a choral director for 45 years standing in front of a 125 voice choir often with amplified instruments as accompaniment. Finally in the nineties I learned about hearing protection while shooting , playing in bands, and using gas-powered tools. I tried hard to protect my hearing . Still, the damage was done and the tinnitus just progressed. It never remained stable . Now it sounds like a high-speed dental drill . It's louder than my speaking or even singing voice . At night I have to have melatonin to get to sleep . Between that and BPH I awaken every 1 1/2 hours and have for several years. My left ear became much worse than the right about eight years ago . My Eustachian tube ceased to function. The ENT I had seen for years said my hearing was decreasing but not bad enough for hearing aids. He said nothing could be done for the tinnitus or for the Eustachian tube.
In 2020 I sought a reputable audiologist connected with an important University and she said TMJ could cause tinnitus . I then went to a TMJ specialists . Quackery. Nothing could cure my TMJ after spending thousands of dollars my tinnitus marched inward. This year I sought another ENT who said he could tell there was fluid in my left ear. He did a myringotomy in an outpatient clinic at a hospital and sucked out a lot of thick fluid. He inserted a tube in my ear drum to allow things to drain and dry. My Eustachian is functioning now but hearing is still getting worse as is tinnitus . I have seen another tinnitus specialist audiologist who recommended Signia Pure Charge and Go with tinnitus Notch therapy as well as other masking programs . They are expensive but I'm trying them . I also went to an ear specialist at Duke who specializes in middle ear surgery replacing the stirrup if it is calcified . That condition causes deafness and tinnitus . He said I was not a candidate . He advised to get hearing aids to avoid a word processing problem later in life . So here I am. I have deep faith in Jesus Christ but I did all this damage to myself breaking the laws of physics as they apply to hearing . I'm thankful for doctors who care .