It's All Gone Pete Tong for Me

[OceanOfBlue]

Hi everybody.

What a great forum this is. No many GPs or ENTs fully understand the discomfort that tinnitus causes so this is a great source of support.

I'm new to the concept of tinnitus being a problem. It has become an issue in the last two weeks as its much more noticeable.

I'm a full time DJ based in the UK. I've been DJing 3 to 4 nights a week for the last 5 years. Some weeks up to 7 or 10 nights in a row. In January of 2018 I decided to get some custom ear plugs done and get a hearing test. Hearing test came back normal so I felt I dodged a bullet. I wore my ear plugs religiously to all of my gigs. Then in April of 2019 I finished a night of work and I felt my left ear very tired and muffled (this is the ear I use to mix with my headphones) Someone tried to show me a track playing at full volume from their phone and placed it next to my ear. It sounded very piercing and immediately I pushed their arm away. Its almost as if my ear had become hyper sensitive. I put it down to my ear being tired as it was a period where I had been DJing on average 5 nights in a row. I had a ringing noise in my ear the next day but it faded away. However my left ear continued to feel blocked for the next two months. My GP couldn't find anything wrong with it (no wax or infection) so he referred me to a specialist (ENT). Hearing test revealed the left ear was on the lower scale of normal. Right ear was fine. Again nothing particularly wrong with my ear. Further scans (CT and MRI) revealed everything was normal so it could only be noise induced or age related (I'm 37).


I took another hearing test in March, right before the COVID-19 lockdown happened here in the UK and everything came back as normal. Exactly the same results that I had with my ENT. Because of the Covid 19 situation my work came to an end so I thought it would be a good chance to let my ears rest and heal.

I took a temporary job in a warehouse which is busy but not super noisy (average 62 dB to 73 dB / same noise levels as a quiet street to travelling in a car according to my app). We also get a 35 minute break every 3 hours. First 4 weeks I didn't wear ear protection as it is below 85 dB (that is when employers are obliged to provide you with hearing protection and is the level that puts your ears at risk) About two weeks ago, I finished work and my left ear felt very muffled again. I also had a very noticeable buzzing sound. For the last two weeks the buzzing has been noticeable throughout the day. Its even more noticeable when I leave work and I get home. I've been wearing my custom made ear protection for the last two weeks and the buzzing is still very present. My ear protection reduces noise by 17 dB.

My GP recommended I put olive oil as it may be wax. I've done this for two weeks with no signs of improvement.

My concern is that I won't be able to go back to DJing once bars and clubs re-open as they are loud environments. Also that despite my ear plugs, the warehouse is making my tinnitus worse.

My tinnitus has a buzzing sound. It sounds like a pair of speakers set at a high volume but with no music playing. On a scale of 1 - 10 its a 1.5 or 2 at best when I'm at home but every time I return from the warehouse its a thumping 5 or 6.

My consumption of caffeine has increased at the warehouse (6 espressos and 1 strong americano) I also take anti-histamines daily and 2.5 mg of Finasteride (hair loss medication) every other day. Tried stopping Finasteride for a week but that didn't make a difference.

Has anyone had any similar experiences? ANY advice or input will be really appreciated.

 

[Kriszti]

Although your exposition to loud music probably caused the accumulated damage to your ears and tinnitus, the increased caffeine intake (can mess with your BP) and Finasteride alse could contribute to your tinnitus worsening. Check out the name of the medication on this forum, you will find personal stories with Finasteride initiating or worsening tinnitus.

If working in a moderately loud environment spikes your tinnitus, I would reconsider DJing. Exposure to loud sounds has the potential to turn your temporary spikes into a permanent increase.

Be careful and I hope it gets better.

 

[billie48]

Welcome to the forum. It seems like you suffered some degree of acoustic trauma from your work as a DJ on an accumulative basis and that phone at full volume by your friend might just caused the final damage to cause your intrusive tinnitus. That is probably the reason the medical field couldn't find anything wrong as acoustic trauma is an invisible damage to the hair cells of the inner ear. As such it may take a few months for acoustic trauma based tinnitus to settle down to baseline. So be patient and protect your ears from further damage. It is lucky you don't have hyperacusis like many victims of acoustic trauma (myself included). So this may be a positive sign your case will be not as severe as others. Try to mask it if you bothers you. Take some calming natural supplements such as chamomile tea to help calm the excited neurons and hopefully given time your spike will settle down to lower level. Good luck. Take care. God bless.

 

[OceanOfBlue]

Although your exposition to loud music probably caused the accumulated damage to your ears and tinnitus, the increased caffeine intake (can mess with your BP) and Finasteride alse could contribute to your tinnitus worsening. Check out the name of the medication on this forum, you will find personal stories with Finasteride initiating or worsening tinnitus.

If working in a moderately loud environment spikes your tinnitus, I would reconsider DJing. Exposure to loud sounds has the potential to turn your temporary spikes into a permanent increase.

Be careful and I hope it gets better.

Thank you so much for your input Kriszti. Certainly helps. I've done what you suggested. Initially I thought it was Finasteride but most of what I read seems to be problems with tinnitus after people have stopped taking the drug. I started my treatment in January and everything was fine until April. In the meantime I was still DJing and no major spikes of T. I'm just wondering now if its Finasteride, why did it take 5 months for T to become a problem ?
Its only in the last two weeks when I have noticed T to become an issue to the point that I'm looking for guidance in here as my GP and ENT can't really help. I did try stopping Finasteride for 1 week but not much difference.

Yes - definitely reconsidering working in loud environments as they seem to aggravate the problem.

By the way, what is BP ?

Thank you for your help.

 

[OceanOfBlue]

Welcome to the forum. It seems like you suffered some degree of acoustic trauma from your work as a DJ on an accumulative basis and that phone at full volume by your friend might just caused the final damage to cause your intrusive tinnitus. That is probably the reason the medical field couldn't find anything wrong as acoustic trauma is an invisible damage to the hair cells of the inner ear. As such it may take a few months for acoustic trauma based tinnitus to settle down to baseline. So be patient and protect your ears from further damage. It is lucky you don't have hyperacusis like many victims of acoustic trauma (myself included). So this may be a positive sign your case will be not as severe as others. Try to mask it if you bothers you. Take some calming natural supplements such as chamomile tea to help calm the excited neurons and hopefully given time your spike will settle down to lower level. Good luck. Take care. God bless.

Thanks Billie - really appreciate your input. Yes, having that guy shove his phone in my ear didn't help. I remember taking my headphones off and having my ear very muffled before he put his phone in my ear. Not sure if his phone is what caused T. This incident happened 14 months ago and I didn't have a problem with T until the last two weeks.

I just can't understand why T has become an issue for me now. I started taking Finasteride 5 months ago and I didn't have an issue with T. Its only in the last two weeks that it has increased exponentially to the point that its an issue for me now. I definitely have Hyperacusus as my left ear is very sensible to the point that my volume tolerance has decreased dramatically in that ear.

I've added Chamomile tea to my shopping list. Thanks for your input. If you have any other tips please don't hesitate to share them with me .

 

[Kriszti]

By the way, what is BP ?

I meant blood pressure.

 

[linearb]

I am very sorry to hear this, especially given the precautions you took.

My concern is that I won't be able to go back to DJing once bars and clubs re-open as they are loud environments. Also that despite my ear plugs, the warehouse is making my tinnitus worse.

well, the good news is that there are a lot of people who manage to DJ with tinnitus, and some of them are on this forum. Also, especially if you're in the US, you may not have to worry about clubs coming back soon, as a new analysis indicated up to 90% of them may close permanently: https://www.npr.org/sections/corona...ic-venues-could-close-soon-due-to-coronavirus

We'll (stupidly) see stratification along political lines; concerts might be a thing in Florida, but no one is gonna be going to them here anytime this year.

The upshot of all of that is there is an increasing number of "online music festivals". An advantage to performers is, as long as your line out is clean and well mixed, no one cares what your local volume is. I know some producers who have been making some money lately playing shows like that, and if that's something you're interested in, I can see if there's anyone in my circles who would want to talk to you. (If so, Discord is likely to be the medium of choice).