Hearing Problems?

[bullet08]

I started playing bagpipes when I was 15 or 16. That was winter of 83. Stopped playing for competitions in 2012. I never used hearing protections. I can't feel the music with the damned things in my ears. It's almost impossible to tune the instrument also with them. And none of the older pipers wore one either. Most pipers my age don't care for them. But I remember hearing protections becoming popular and all the young ones using them.

So for the hell of it, looked up how loud GHB (Great Highland Bagpipes) is. They are saying it around 108 - 111 decibel. And any long term exposure of 85 decibel or louder can cause hearing issues. Per some information, that's as loud as pneumatic drill.

I can still hear things rather well. I mean, I did develop selective hearing from my job. Too many bullshit to filter out on daily basis. But per the safe level of noise, I should be deaf as a doorknob. And I'm sure many of those who worked in construction and stuff would be all deaf!

Is it that I'm lucky to have my hearing, or is the society too careful about every little things now days?

 

[VDL_Piper]

I’d say you’re lucky. I have a mate who plays bagpipes and he’s as deaf as a post and when we are together everyone stops because we just yell at one another but it’s just a normal conversation We sure as hell couldn’t whisper a secret

 

[captainsousie]

Stood by a drummer with no earplugs for a lot of my college pep band days. Still considered a "golden ears" by a Bollywood sound director. You may still be ok.

 

[captainsousie]

WHAT?

 

[JOHN72]

I don't know if it's hereditary, but me, my mother, and my brother, we're all kind of deaf. I have this rubbish sound during the day, it's like a cigarra and a humming (cicada or chicharra) sound at the same time. I have to go to the doctor.

 

[kcghost]

You naturally lose some hearing by the time you are fifty. After that it is a matter of luck if you make through to the end with some further loss of hearing. There's a reason so many men are wearing some form of hearing assistance now.

 

[BingBong]

After working with large audio systems and raucous bands back in my younger days, I've long had some mild hearing loss in my right ear plus the general decline of age. In practice, it hasn't made too much of a difference - the cat only has to meow once at some distance outside, busy street and all, and I'll pick that up in the corner of my ear and be ready at the door to greet him.

 

[OzPiper]

I had malaria growing up in Malaysia when I was 3 or 4 yo.
Constant tinnitus as a consequence of treatment with quinine all those years ago.
Thank goodness for subtitles these days.
Hearing aids will be inevitable in a few years I fear

 

[fireground_piper]

Early in my career I did some live sound for maybe 2-3 years and the first thing I did was get custom molded ear plugs made at an audiologist office. The plugs came with interchangeable inserts for different decibel attenuation and they maintained a flat frequency response impact so you could still hear things properly with them in.

Worth their weight in gold. I remember doing a couple shows without them and my ears would always be so tired the next day and I couldn’t afford for my ears to be tired in the short term or accruing damage in the long term. I eventually got out of the live stuff but still wore them for years working around any type of machinery because good ears are still very much a part of my job.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Two things I refuse to be around, marching bands and bag pipes. Kudos to you though. Just because I can't stand them doesn't mean that I don't appreciate that it is a difficult instrument to play. Just play them way over there. Ha ha.

I had my hearing checked this summer. I was prepared for hearing aids and was kind of excited about them having Bluetooth and all these days. But, turns out that my hearing damage isn't the kind that is improved with hearing aids. So, I'll just keep reading lips or nodding like I understand what you're saying... or just avoiding people altogether.

 

[PaulRVA]

I had malaria growing up in Malaysia when I was 3 or 4 yo.
Constant tinnitus as a consequence of treatment with quinine all those years ago.
Thank goodness for subtitles these days.
Hearing aids will be inevitable in a few years I fear

Same here but I did not know about the quinine/mefloquine connection.
I don't know if mine was related to that or decades of gunfire but being stationed on the Mosquito Coast didn’t help either.

 

[PaulRVA]

I don't know if it's hereditary, but me, my mother, and my brother, we're all kind of deaf. I have this rubbish sound during the day, it's like a cigarra and a humming (cicada or chicharra) sound at the same time. I have to go to the doctor.

 

[Peter Peachfuzz]

I started playing bagpipes when I was 15 or 16. That was winter of 83. Stopped playing for competitions in 2012. I never used hearing protections. I can't feel the music with the damned things in my ears. It's almost impossible to tune the instrument also with them. And none of the older pipers wore one either. Most pipers my age don't care for them. But I remember hearing protections becoming popular and all the young ones using them.

So for the hell of it, looked up how loud GHB (Great Highland Bagpipes) is. They are saying it around 108 - 111 decibel. And any long term exposure of 85 decibel or louder can cause hearing issues. Per some information, that's as loud as pneumatic drill.

I can still hear things rather well. I mean, I did develop selective hearing from my job. Too many bullshit to filter out on daily basis. But per the safe level of noise, I should be deaf as a doorknob. And I'm sure many of those who worked in construction and stuff would be all deaf!

Is it that I'm lucky to have my hearing, or is the society too careful about every little things now days?

Post/get a current audiogram you might be surprised.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

When I was a teenager my friends and I shot guns all the time... Never considered hearing protection. We would have made fun of the ones with the ear plugs. Thousands of rounds, no problems.

A couple years back some of us started going back to the range. Everybody was wearing hearing protection expcept me. I was thinking, man you guys have gotten soft.

When I got home that first night my head was throbbing, and my ears were ringing. I really thought I might have damaged my ears.

All that to say, I wear the little foam ear plugs now. I can't say what changed.. maybe it's because the rifles are shorter these days, or it could be that my young ears were more durable.

I'm pro ear pro now... I still don't do the safety goggles though.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

Doing construction work, no ear protection ever. You may get hurt if you are less aware of what's going on around you.

 

[jackattack]

I was a construction worker in the military for 13 years and most of the shops I worked out of were close to the flightline.

I can't stand silence because the tinnitus is constant and every now and then I get a sharp and incredibly loud ringing in my left ear that lasts for about 20 seconds and makes me feel like I'm falling over.

 

[OzPiper]

Same here but I did not know about the quinine/mefloquine connection.

I was curious enough to look up quinine and ototoxicity some years ago.

Growing up, I have memories of government health workers coming around every few months to spray the open drains around our town with DDT to keep the mosquito numbers down.
Not sure if the cure (DDT) is the better solution.

I read somewhere that malaria is still the biggest health problem worldwide.
The Melinda Gates Foundation has donated billions towards its eradication.

 

[PaulRVA]

I was curious enough to look up quinine and ototoxicity some years ago.

Growing up, I have memories of government health workers coming around every few months to spray the open drains around our town with DDT to keep the mosquito numbers down.
Not sure if the cure (DDT) is the better solution.

I read somewhere that malaria is still the biggest health problem worldwide.
The Melinda Gates Foundation has donated billions towards its eradication.

You’ve had me reading off and on all day.
Thank you for some valuable and appreciated insight.
I knew of other issues that were related but not Tinnitus and I have never stumbled across any references until you mentioned it.

 

[captpat]

As frequently as these types of threads (rotten teeth, cataracts, etc) pop up we need a sub-forum for medical issues.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

we need a sub-forum for medical issues.

...and one for financial questions, legal advice, and mental health issues. We can be your one stop shop for what ails ya.