Hearing...

[Sarah5string]

Came out of rehearsal tonight and my ears are ringing more than usual and my hearing is muffled. Thing is I wore earplugs the entire time (the foam in ear ones). Surely that totally defeats the purpose of the earplugs??? I have tinitus as it is (mild) so trying my best not to make it worse!
Any tips?

[7string]

Try some of these Etymotic earplugs from [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Etymotic-ER-20-Earplugs/dp/B000VJGO8C"]Amazon.[/url] (It seems that Stringbusters are out of stock at the moment).

They fit to your ear better than the foam ones and the effects is like someone just turned the volume down on the world. Not the usual muffled sound you expect. I bought a pair for a mate of mine for an all-day gig a couple of years ago. He wasn't convinced at all, but after 10 hours of music he was grateful for his birthday present.

[Sarah5string]

I used to have some ER-25s b my tw*t of an drummer exhusband stole them

[Ou7shined]

ER-20's.
I even wear them when I go out.

[OldGit]

+1 better earplugs and imagine how loud the ringing would be if you'd not used anything..

Also ask your band to play more quietly unless you were in final rehearsals for a gig.

[d-basser]

Pick up some ER-20s, will skin you less than a tenner if you search the net. I keep mine on my keyring at all times so I can put them in whenever. Great for practices, gigs and putting the point across to someone that you are tired of listening to them. Did that at a party saturday and the look on this lasses face as I calmly popped in earplugs whilst she blabbered on and went back to drinking my beer was priceless, good job I know her and she didn't hit me too hard for it.

Edited January 18, 2010 by d-basser

[7string]

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='717346' date='Jan 18 2010, 11:31 PM']I used to have some ER-25s b my tw*t of an drummer exhusband stole them[/quote]

That what ex's are like.

My ex-wife still has my coveted Trace Elliot baseball jacket.

I'd rather lose the jacket than still have her around....

Edited January 18, 2010 by 7string

[Cat Burrito]

[quote name='OldGit' post='717356' date='Jan 18 2010, 11:36 PM']Also ask your band to play more quietly unless you were in final rehearsals for a gig.[/quote]

Plus one. Hearing is no laughing matter. My Dad played in the 60s & his hearing went at the age of 47. He now has 2 hearing aids. It scares me

[Sarah5string]

go a doctor's appointment this morning as my hearing is worse than ever now. Got a feeling the earplugs could've done more harm than good. Struggling to make out what people are saying to me and getting shooting pains in my eardrum...

[Ou7shined]

Sh!t. Good luck girl.

[geilerbass]

It could be simply that the earplugs you used have compacted wax in your ears - obviously I'm no expert, but I have been told by doctors in the past that something like that can account for temporary hearing loss and tinnitus.

It could also be an ear infection - possibly caused by the earplugs introducing bacteria into your ear. Again, I'm just going on what I've been told before, but the pain, tinnitus and hearing loss can be symptoms of an infection.

In any case, seeing the doctor is the right thing to do.

I think it unlikely that the louder ringing in your ears is due to the foam earplugs being less protective than your ER-25s (which I also use), since the attentuation of foam plugs is generally higher than the etymotic ones (25-30+db for the foam, vs 20 or 25 for the etymotic ones). The advantage of the etymotic plugs, from what I understand, is that they block out sound more evenly across all frequencies than the foam ones.

Hope you get it sorted.

[Hot Tub]

Sounds like compacted wax. Happened to me a few years back - quick trip to the GP, got my ears syringed, sorted!

Also, father-in-law is an audiologist and gave me a little piece of advice that no one ever seems to mention: When wearing ANY earplugs, take them out [u][i][b]VERY SLOWLY[/b][/i][/u]. Just yanking them out quickly can cause irreparable damage to the eardrum and beyond!

[Paul S]

Yes, it sounds like your immediately problem hasn't been caused by the volume of rehearsal but possibly an inner ear fluid thing.

But please do look after your hearing. I am 52 and have had to wear hearing aids in both ears for the last couple of years to get anything like a normal level of hearing. I also have reasonably bad tinnitus and what seems to be the start of some other inner ear problems. Postulated by the doctor that it was too many rock concerts without ear plugs when I was growing up. Wearing deaf aids is ok once you shift your mindset and the benefits majorly outweigh the downsides (luckily I am an ugly b@astard so looks aren't an issue) but it would be better not to have to wear them at all just because it is additional crap to add into your life. I've ordered some coloured ones now - better than those horrible pink things.

[geilerbass]

I've heard from several sources that in-ear monitors/earplugs etc can actually be quite damaging if not used correctly. The problem is that with most amplified music, there's really no choice, if you don't want to go deaf. Unless you want to wear ear-defenders to rehearsal, which actually probably isn't such a stupid idea...

[martthebass]

+1 to all of the above.

I've been on ER20's for the last couple of years and hopefully it's slowing my hearing loss.

To avoid ear infections I wash them with antibac wash gel after each gig/practice.

Regarding ear syringing - best of luck finding a GP that'll do it!

[crez5150]

Make sure that you fit them properly using the instructions that came with them.... I deal with so many people that have the same issue and it's down to not inserting them into the ear correctly. Instructions for the foam type below -


Step 1
Roll the earplug into a tight cylinder. In order for earplugs to fit into your ear canal, you must roll the foam so that it forms a tight cylinder. This makes it easy to slide earplugs into your ear so that you get a proper fit.

Step 2
Lift the top of your ear to open the canal. It’s impossible to insert earplugs correctly without pulling on the top of your ear. Otherwise, the canal is too closed off to reach. You will need to grab the top part of your ear and lift slowly. If opened properly, you will feel air coming into the canal.

Ste 3
Insert earplug into the open canal. If you opened the ear canal properly, you should be able to slide the earplug in easily. If the canal isn’t open enough, you will find yourself trying to squish the earplug into place.

Step 4
Hold earplug in place until the form expands. The foam will take a bit of time to expand. If you simply insert the earplug and then pull your hand away, the earplug will pop out. Instead, you need to gently hold the plug in place until the foam fully expands. This ensures that the earplug blocks out as much noise as possible.

Step 5
Repeat Steps 1 – 4. It’s important to insert one earplug at a time. Otherwise, the foam will expand before you can begin work on the second ear.

Step 6
Use wax earplugs for swimming. Foam earplugs are best suited for sleeping, but if you need earplugs that are waterproof, wax is your best bet. To insert wax earplugs, roll the wax into a fat cylinder. Press the wax into your ear canal so that a flat disc forms on the outside of the canal. This will help keep water from entering the ear canal.

[Sarah5string]

Thanks guys. My doctor was pretty useless and just said I need my ears syringing as they're both blocked up and to go back next week. I had guessed that it was the earplugs compacting the wax as I've had problems with wax build up before. I just wish he could've helped out with the pain and pressure rather than just saying 'come back next week'. What about now??? It's all fair and good putting olive oil in my ears for 7 days unless I get sectioned from the insanity first!!

[Jerry_B]

The olive oil should help relieve the pain and the pressure.

[leschirons]

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='717346' date='Jan 19 2010, 12:31 AM']I used to have some ER-25s b my tw*t of an drummer exhusband stole them[/quote]

Not bitter then.

[Sarah5string]

[quote name='leschirons' post='717831' date='Jan 19 2010, 01:46 PM']Not bitter then.[/quote]
Not at all... lmao
In my defence they did cost £25!

[Mr. Foxen]

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Elacin-ER20-Hi-Fidelity-musicians-hearing-protectors_W0QQitemZ360209758878QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_MusicalInstr_Access_RL?hash=item53de2cba9e"]ER20s for £7.50 posted.[/url]

[Sarah5string]

Thanks! Wll get those ordered.

[bottomfeed]

I've been using the custom moulded plugs for the last 10 years... infact I'm trying to clear a bit of hard wax in one ear before getting new moulds made... I find them much less isolating than the 'one size fits all' ER20's etc

They cost about £170 but are well worth it...[url="http://www.elacin.co.uk/ordering.html"]ER15 moulded plugs[/url]

Edited January 19, 2010 by bottomfeed

[Spoombung]

Years ago I used to stuff tiny bits of soft tissue my ears at loud gigs and on stage. That stopped the ringing but the only problem was compacted wax (which I still suffer from)

[Anthony Joseph Wiaczek III]

hey dude i know the situation, my ears are fooked! born with a perforation in the right eardrum, glue ear in left ear and then 2 tumors in the right last year.

persal opinion is not to use earplugs but ear defenders. then your not stuffing wax further into your ear, my doc gave me a bollocking for earplugs. mainly due to the fact my wax doest migrate out of the ear naturally anyway haha.