hearing/ear fatigue: temporary threshold shift

hernameisrio · #1 10-31-2011, 11:02 PM

I skimmed the Hearing Loss/Earplugs sticky but didn't really find this. The idiot lead singer in rehearsal turned up his vocals on the PA just as I was bending down near the monitors to tweak *my* levels. SCREEEEECH! My earplugs were partially out because I was talking to the drummer. ...Yeah. I yanked the master fader down as fast as I could, but I still feel sort of panicked about it. I have no ringing in my ears, but they still feel sort of "stuffed." I read up on it and I assume this is "Temporary Threshold Shift." To say the least, I am doing my best to rest my ears, i.e. wearing earplugs when I'm anywhere louder than my apartment (the loudest thing in my apartment is my cat, I've been taking it easy on listening to music since I've had so many rehearsals and gigs going on lately).

I feel like since I started working in the music industry and really taking all of this seriously, my ears have tuned up a bit and now it's like I hear EVERYTHING and I CAN'T STAND IT...yet I don't want to lose it! I've lived in New York City for almost six years and suddenly I wish the whole city just had a big volume knob. NYC cabs screeching their brakes...the subway...people yelling in my ear on the phone...sometimes I have days where I just feel overloaded!

When is this feeling in my ears gonna blow over? I am using my Christmas money this year to get fitted for proper earplugs no matter how much it costs. But in the meantime, I don't have the money to get them sooner. So I use those Hearos that you can get at Guitar Center. I am religious about using them, even at bars and on the subway. But I'm just worried...absolutely terrified of hearing loss. I mean, I feel helpless...because it just seems inevitable. I'm 29 and I can still hear 20K. I'd like to keep it that way.

How do you guys deal with trauma to one's hearing and ear fatigue in general?

elgecko · #2 10-31-2011, 11:10 PM

How long ago did it happen? When I've blown my ears out in the past, it's taken from a couple of days to a week for things to get back to normal.

Is your name Rio? My daughter's name is Rio.

hernameisrio · #3 10-31-2011, 11:16 PM

Oh that's cool, a great name! No, my name is Annie...I just took it from the Duran Duran song because I was trying to come up with a user name.

Anyway, it happened last night. I feel so crappy. It really scares me when this happens.

I've been really vigilant about protecting my hearing for the past couple of years, but we all slip up sometimes. UGH.

elgecko · #4 10-31-2011, 11:27 PM

It happens. I wouldn't worry too much about it unless it becomes really prolonged.

hernameisrio · #5 10-31-2011, 11:33 PM

...What?!

I'm sorry, that was a bad joke.

Ok, thanks for the reassurance, sometimes I get kinda hysterical about the whole hearing loss thing. Especially after reading Pete Townsend's website, good god! Very useful information, but hard to swallow!