How Don't Rappers and Rockstars Get Tinnitus?

[Michael Leigh]

Well said Ed, be careful though, you don't want to disagree with Michael too much or challenge his views/opinions or you'll end up on his "highly coveted" ignore list for being too god damn rude for challenging him

Your post did make me laugh @Jcb for you were about to be placed on my "highly coveted" ignore list for your Funny emote, which I don't take kindly to on such a serious matter.

As I said @Ed209 I do not wish to debate this matter further because I will say certain truths that some people may not like. I'm a veteran to "noise induced" tinnitus and have many years experience that's how "I know" what I have said is correct.

Good day and I wish you well.
Michael

 

[Jcb]

So I made the list then Micheal?

Your post did make me laugh @Jcb for you were about to be placed on my "highly coveted" ignore list for your Funny emote, which I don't take kindly to on such a serious matter.

As I said @Ed209 I do not wish to debate this matter further because I will say certain truths that some people may not like. I'm a veteran to "noise induced" tinnitus and have many years experience that's how "I know" what I have said is correct.

Good day and I wish you well.
Michael

 

[Jcb]

Your post did make me laugh @Jcb for you were about to be placed on my "highly coveted" ignore list for your Funny emote, which I don't take kindly to on such a serious matter.

As I said @Ed209 I do not wish to debate this matter further because I will say certain truths that some people may not like. I'm a veteran to "noise induced" tinnitus and have many years experience that's how "I know" what I have said is correct.

Good day and I wish you well.
Michael

Ps the funny was because I disagreed with you reply. You are Always saying some blanket statement Micheal and then when challenged... zero response.

 

[Don Tinny]

Some people are not prone to this, thats all. Maybe we have weaker ears or some chemical/brain disbalance.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Some people are not prone to this, thats all. Maybe we have weaker ears or some chemical/brain disbalance.

In a sense you are correct but be under no illusion: if a person exposes their ears to high levels of sound for long enough, then they will develop tinnitus there's no doubt about that. If they continue to subject themselves to loud sound/noise it will get worse to the point where it can become seriously debilitating. I say again, the musicians discussed in this thread that have tinnitus, it hasn't reached a level were it has become seriously debilitating that they cannot continue to perform - this isn't to say that their tinnitus doesn't cause them some discomfort. However, if they repeatedly expose themselves to very loud noise the tinnitus will get worse, to the point they will be unable to continue performing in concerts etc.

Some people think having the best ear protection will stop their tinnitus getting worse, this is definitely not the case. If sound is loud enough it will pass through the head/skull and be transferred to the inner ear by bone condition. This can spike the tinnitus. A person may be fortunate and the tinnitus reduces to it's baseline level. If spikes in the tinnitus occur frequently caused by loud noise (even wearing earplugs) the tinnitus will increase in volume and not return to it's baseline level. Spikes in tinnitus brought on by loud noise or headphone use should be taken seriously and treated as a WARNING. Repeated episodes will make the tinnitus permanently worse.

Michael

 

[Ed209]

Here's a collection of videos of almost entirely musicians, talking about tinnitus. You can watch them in your own time:







This doesn't seem to work on other platforms, so to watch it, type in Ryan Adams tinnitus on YouTube. He goes into detail about how badly it affected/s his life.



















Skip to 4:20 to hear him talk about tinnitus, and then skip to 6:40 to hear him give his opinion on why nobody talks about it. Quite interesting.

 

[john paul]

I think I've seen that thread before, do they generally seem to treat tinnitus as a minor annoyance and carry on with gigging etc?

They all pretty much carry on it seems like yeah, except take more breaks and use caution. Its crazy, i know if i was a musician previously my career would be over now no question about it.

I think Liam Gallagher would typically act like a hard man about it because he's not the kind of guy to say publicly that he cries himself to sleep every night over it. I know some people love the ailments that come along with being a bonafide musician or producer, i get the feeling some people wear T like a badge of honour sometimes. F that its terrifying. I cant see how Liam Gallagher shouts himself to sleep every night either.

 

[Ed209]

In a sense you are correct but be under no illusion: if a person exposes their ears to high levels of sound for long enough, then they will develop tinnitus there's no doubt about that. If they continue to subject themselves to loud sound/noise it will get worse to the point where it can become seriously debilitating. I say again, the musicians discussed in this thread that have tinnitus, it hasn't reached a level were it has become seriously debilitating that they cannot continue to perform - this isn't to say that their tinnitus doesn't cause them some discomfort. However, if they repeatedly expose themselves to very loud noise the tinnitus will get worse, to the point they will be unable to continue performing in concerts etc.

Michael, with all due respect you are arguing against yourself here, and are creating your own paradox. You can't believe that continued exposure to loud noise causes louder and louder tinnitus without explaining the miracle of how musicians (the one demographic that experiences just about more noise than anyone) do not suffer 'the right tinnitus'. It's absurd. Their headphone usage is often off the scale as well as it's part of their job.

Some of these guys have been in the game for decades with loud tinnitus. I'm not sure what you're suggesting. Are they mutants or something? Does fame come with a contract from god that stipulates tinnitus can no longer get worse?

Trust me, there are an absolute ton of musos out there with insanely loud, debilitating, tinnitus.

 

[Don Tinny]

In a sense you are correct but be under no illusion: if a person exposes their ears to high levels of sound for long enough, then they will develop tinnitus there's no doubt about that. If they continue to subject themselves to loud sound/noise it will get worse to the point where it can become seriously debilitating.

Yes. But some people seems to need A LOT more damage to have tinnitus or at least they have stronger ears. I have a friend who always go to concerts (metal), play drums, go to nightclubs or pubs every weekend and he does not know what tinnitus is. He never experienced it, even in a very mild form. I have mild tinnitus since childhood, so...there is a genetic factor or something like that.

It´s true what you say about plugs. My tinnitus became very mild in 2015 after 2 years of moderate but bothersome ringing, but nearly 3 years later I ruined my recovery when I went to a concert with ear plugs. It changed from mild to severe. Sadly most sufferers and ENTs think ear plugs are 100% safe.

Now 1 year on since worsening it´s softer but still bothersome. I hope it keeps improving little by little.

 

[Manny]

Here's a collection of videos of almost entirely musicians, talking about tinnitus. You can watch them in your own time:







This doesn't seem to work on other platforms, so to watch it, type in Ryan Adams tinnitus on YouTube. He goes into detail about how badly it affected/s his life.



















Skip to 4:20 to hear him talk about tinnitus, and then skip to 6:40 to hear him give his opinion on why nobody talks about it. Quite interesting.

I'm gonna watch this whole list when I get home from work today.

 

[Michael Leigh]

With all due respect @Ed209 please do not refer to my comments or statements on this topic that I know a lot about as being absurd when you know so little about it.

I will not continue to discuss this with you, my post and comments were to another forum member.

Michael

 

[Michael Leigh]

Yes. But some people seems to need A LOT more damage to have tinnitus or at least they have stronger ears. I have a friend who always go to concerts (metal), play drums,

You are quite right @Don Tinny for we are all different but as I said, repeated exposure to loud sounds/noise a person will develop tinnitus and if they continue, to subject themselves to loud noise it will make the condition worse, to the point where they will find it seriously debilitating I assure you.

Michael

 

[Ed209]

With all due respect @Ed209 please do not refer to my comments or statements on this topic that I know a lot about as being absurd when you know so little about it.

Michael, I'm a musician so your comment makes no sense at all. I know a lot about this. Are you a musician? What pro musicians have you had candid conversations with about this? Guessing and assuming doesn't count. It's actually really insulting and I'd expect more from you.

One further example is a screenshot from a conversation I had with the guitarist CJ. He has never admitted this publicly but he told me this after I shared Danny's story with him.

Just lately he has opened up about his own mental health battle and tinnitus has likely played a role in this.

 

[Flamingo1]

I have a friend who always go to concerts (metal), play drums, go to nightclubs or pubs every weekend and he does not know what tinnitus is. He never experienced it, even in a very mild form.

Sooner or later he will.

 

[Flamingo1]

It´s true what you say about plugs. My tinnitus became very mild in 2015 after 2 years of moderate but bothersome ringing, but nearly 3 years later I ruined my recovery when I went to a concert with ear plugs. It changed from mild to severe. Sadly most sufferers and ENTs think ear plugs are 100% safe.

Now 1 year on since worsening it´s softer but still bothersome. I hope it keeps improving little by little.

@Bill Bauer Another data point.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Sooner or later he will.

@Don Tinny friend most probably has already developed tinnitus and isn't aware of it and this is quite common, before it develops fully into something that is unmaskable. At the moment the tinnitus is likely to be at a very low level and is easily masked (covered up) by everyday normal sounds, so the brain hasn't detected it yet. Please don't tell your friend the following @Don Tinny as it's likely he will become a ware of the tinnitus and then he's doomed. If your friend goes into a very quiet room or waits until night, when all is quiet and listens, he is likely to then hear the tinnitus.

Michael

PS: There have been tests done, where people have been put into a soundproof room and after a while they hear tinnitus. Regarding Don Tinny's friend, if he regularly attends places where loud music is played and uses headphones, it is just a matter of time until the tinnitus becomes more noticeable which would be a shame, as it can be prevented with a little care.

 

[Ed209]

I'm gonna watch this whole list when I get home from work today.

On the two videos that don't load just click on the link inside the embedded video and it should load them in YouTube.

I know Ryan Adams in particular has a really bad case and he is known to reach out to other celebrities via twitter. He describes his tinnitus as an overwhelming rushing wind noise, like a jet engine, and makes a point to say it's much worse than what people usually experience after a concert (based on his previous experience of ringing ears). His tinnitus was derived from Ménière's disease just like Glynis's. He still performs after taking a long time off, so it's probably 'not the right kind' .


The sixth video down is Chris Singleton and near the end of that clip he talks about how easy it is to get trapped in a state of fear towards every sound in your environment. He talks about his overuse of earplugs and says his hyperacusis got better once he stopped overusing them.

 

[coffee_girl]

I doubt human ears have evolved fast enough to be able to handle the kind of trauma that we force on it daily.

I think musicians are driven by the passion and the support of their fans, so they probably don't have time to be worried about T. I know when I travel or do charity work , i hardly think of my Tinnitus once, but when i am alone and bored...i get transfixed by it.

 

[Michael Leigh]

I doubt human ears have evolved fast enough to be able to handle the kind of trauma that we force on it daily.

I think musicians are driven by the passion and the support of their fans, so they probably don't have time to be worried about T. I know when I travel or do charity work , i hardly think of my Tinnitus once, but when i am alone and bored...i get transfixed by it.

@coffee_girl

Musicians are no different from the rest of us. If the tinnitus becomes loud enough and this level is sustained, no amount of will power will enable them to continue doing their work. By this I mean subjecting their ears to loud sounds. The facts are this: Once a person develops "noise induced" tinnitus, if they repeatedly subject their ears to excessive loud noise the tinnitus will become worse. Earplugs can help to a certain extent, but the facts are, repeatedly exposed to excessive loud noise will make the tinnitus becomes so loud and intrusive a person will have no choice but to stop being around loud sounds as the tinnitus will become too distressing.

I have corresponded with many musicians over the years who have had stop playing in their band because the loud sounds were just too much for them and the tinnitus unbearable. The musicians in this thread that continue to play at concerts etc do indeed have tinnitus but it hasn't yet reached acute criticle stages. Believe me, when tinnitus reaches severe levels and this is sustained it becomes so debilitating people have committed suicide.

All the best
Michael

 

[Ed209]

@coffee_girl

Musicians are no different from the rest of us. If the tinnitus becomes loud enough and this level is sustained, no amount of will power will enable them to continue doing their work. By this I mean subjecting their ears to loud sounds. The facts are this: Once a person develops "noise induced" tinnitus, if they repeatedly subject their ears to excessive loud noise the tinnitus will become worse. Earplugs can help to a certain extent, but the facts are, repeatedly exposed to excessive loud noise will make the tinnitus becomes so loud and intrusive a person will have no choice but to stop being around loud sounds as the tinnitus will become too distressing.

I have corresponded with many musicians over the years who have had stop playing in their band because the loud sounds were just too much for them and the tinnitus unbearable. The musicians in this thread that continue to play at concerts etc do indeed have tinnitus but it hasn't yet reached acute criticle stages. Believe me, when tinnitus reaches severe levels and this is sustained it becomes so severe people have committed suicide.

All the best
Michael

How do you define or measure what is effectively a subjective experience? From my own experience I would say that volume matters as I have experienced various intensities, and when mine went crazy, I felt like my life was over. That feeling for me was gut wrenchingly real and very disturbing.

However, I would never presume to know how other people might react to their tinnitus, and how bad theirs might actually be when it's impossible to know. You are still making no sense. On one hand you're saying loud noise and headphone use will make one's existing noise induced tinnitus worse, and on the other you're saying that it's not possible that any famous musicians are suffering from severe tinnitus? And yet, this is worst demographic for breaking all the rules. They are surrounded by loud noise and use loud headphones literally all the time, and should by all intents and purposes have a tinnitus monster in their heads by now. But somehow you know they haven't, even though your own advice says they should? There's thousands of them out there but none of them have it bad? Hmm, ok.

In the lead up to Craig Gill's death you would have said, "he isn't suffering from debilitating tinnitus because he still plays" and then a week later he would have hanged himself. It doesn't matter though because his family can look to your wisdom and clearly see that he couldn't have been suffering because you said it's not possible! Take a seat Michael, blimey. I've had tinnitus for half my life but that doesn't make me an oracle. I will try to help people by sharing my experiences but I can't pretend to know what they hear in their heads. We are all in a unique situation which is why I wanted to help in a more objective way by raising funds for research, something I know you're against which doesn't surprise me to be honest.

Anyway, as you were.

 

[glynis]

It is time for all professional people, musicians, actors, pop stars, news reporters and so on to stand up to tinnitus.

It is nothing to be ashamed of or the problems it as caused you or how it has affected your Mental Health.

Tinnitus awareness and hyperacusis needs more awareness to protect others by understanding more about it and ear protection.

Also more funds towards awareness and towards finding a cure and not brushed under the carpet.

However, newcomers especially the vulnerable that have mild tinnitus that is causing them a big emotional wobble need hope and support but at the same time awareness is needed for the far more torturous end of tinnitus and protection of our ears for youngsters growing up in this noisy rat race of life whom don't know about tinnitus or hyperacusis.

TINNITUS AWARENESS IS PARAMOUNT!!

 

[juliob]

"I still recall the taste of your tears
Echoing your voice just like the ringing in my ears"

True! I didn't remember this part of the lyric. Today I listened to 'The Becoming' and the references are quite clear.

 

[Flamingo1]

Speaking of Lady Gaga, tinnitus is addressed in her new movie.
http://www.audiology-worldnews.com/awareness/3214-tinnitus-depiction-in-hollywood-movie

 

[Red]

Some people are not prone to this, thats all. Maybe we have weaker ears or some chemical/brain disbalance.

Agreed. The love of my life has reminded me, being with me for over a decade, that my ears have always been sensitive to noise. Of course not nearly to tye level I am now with my hyperacusis.

 

[Ed209]

Speaking of Lady Gaga, tinnitus is addressed in her new movie.
http://www.audiology-worldnews.com/awareness/3214-tinnitus-depiction-in-hollywood-movie

I've been wanting to watch that film since it was released. I just haven't had chance.

It's had really good reviews though and I've heard debilitating tinnitus is a major plot point, not just a five minute scene.

 

[Don Tinny]

Agreed. The love of my life has reminded me, being with me for over a decade, that my ears have always been sensitive to noise. Of course not nearly to tye level I am now with my hyperacusis.

This predisposition to hearing damage should be diagnosed in childhood. That way one could choose jobs and recreational activities to avoid hearing problems.

 

[Jack Straw]

I don't mean to rez an old thread, but Johnny Depp also has tinnitus and discusses it here.



timestamp is 43:45

 

[Bart]

@Ed209 Wow Paul Gilbert is really cool about it, we never realise how many people actually have this condition and how everyone reacts differently to it.

 

[Ed209]

@Ed209 Wow Paul Gilbert is really cool about it, we never realise how many people actually have this condition and how everyone reacts differently to it.

He still gigs constantly as well. I always wondered years back why he wore industrial ear muffs onstage at all his gigs.

 

[derpytia]

Some people are not prone to this, thats all. Maybe we have weaker ears or some chemical/brain disbalance.

I wouldn't be surprised if this is the case.

My old GP mentioned this to me before he retired and I had to get a new GP:

It's noted on my medical record that I was born with a birth defect in my eye and I was my mother's first child at age 37 which put me at a much higher risk for defects and genetic deficiencies compared to a first child born to a mother at an earlier age. Basically it was noted that I may grow up and find more things wrong with me or find that my body doesn't operate as well as other children born to younger parents.

The funny (or not so funny thing is), all of that up to this point has been quite true. As I get older (mind you, I'm only 25 currently) there are more things that pop up that are wrong with me in some fashion.

I know many doctors will say there is no connection between general health and the age of a new mother and that there are many factors that determine someone's general health and well being as they age. But there are also many medical professionals that say that there is such a connection.

(Also, being an accident child doesn't probably help matters lmao!)