Are Celebrities Ashamed of Tinnitus?

It just makes me wonder why celebreties are not doing more to raise awareness or push for more research for cure?
So many of them, so much money they make, yet not a word of support.
When celebrity is diagnosed with cancer it gets so much attention!
All over TV, social media, foundations are established, awareness promoted... support from fans...
Tinnitus? Not a word!
Is tinnitus a shameful condition to have?
I can't think of any other reason!

 

It's quite a humiliating condition so yes I would assume that it would be hard to go public in a big way, I wouldn't. Hell, I have only told a few of my friends. If it ruined my career I wouldn't want to admit that to millions of people. I can't imagine the criticism, especially on that scale, complete humiliation. Better to keep quiet and hold onto some pride, it won't be understood anyway, you would just be labeled as someone with depression issues and brushed off. Just because you are famous doesn't mean that people will take your T seriously.

 

Why would someone be criticized or humiliated for tinnitus?

 

Ozzy Osborne has it and hes wonderful...just needs a swear box...lots of love glynis

 

Unless you are a bat!

 

I don't understand how tinnitus is humiliating either. All my friends know I've got it, three of them also have it including two of my cousins and my dad.

I think there's two personality types and that's probably the big difference to how people cope/react. A lot of celebs don't actually care that they've got it from the interviews I've heard and read. It simply doesn't bother them in a lot of cases which is why you don't see them do a lot, which is a big shame.

It seems people more prone to depression/OCD have the worst time with T. If you are this kind of person than its easy for T to consume you. I am this kind of person.

Some people are just wired differently and it simply doesn't bother them. I only found out my dad has a bad case of T after I told him about my increase five months ago. It turns out he's had it for over twenty years and I've never heard him mention it in my life, neither has my mom cos she was just as shocked as me.

I was out at a family meal last week and I brought tinnitus up, something in the conversation made it a topic. This is when I found out two of my cousins have it. I basically asked one of them how long it took him to feel himself again after losing his eye. He told me around two years and opened up and told me how he would sit and cry in his work van, which for him to talk about was surprising cos he's a real mans man. This is when he asked me why I wanted to know, so I told him about my T and how it had become intrusive, to my huge surprise he told me straight off that he has it as well. Told me how it was hard to sleep at first and then went on to make the sound that he hears in his head. I asked why he's never mentioned it before and he said after a couple of weeks he just got on with things and it's never really bothered him. At this point my other cousin shouted tinnitus, that annoying noise in your head, we said yea, then she said 'I've got that as well'.

It marvelled me how these people I've known my whole life have T and I never even knew.

 

I do totally agree with you @valeri

A lot would not want to say they had tinnitus incase it jeopardized future jobs or learning. Famous people included more than most.

I lost my job 4 months ago just after advising them (2 weeks before losing employment) I had tinnitus from the concert I told them I was attending from months ago.
Since then I had medical examination for a job I really wanted and I lied about having tinnitus when I was verbally asked by the audiologist......

 

Tinnitus is just not viewed as being as important/severe as cancer. You can make your own judgement as to whether it should receive the same or even a portion of the attention but my guess is a poll of 100 average people would say no (with results somewhere over the 90% mark). I think for most people cancer, AIDS, heart disease, certain mental illnesses and the likes are in one group and tinnitus is in another with things like migraines, chronic back pain and the common cold.

 

You don't understand why its humiliating? You just stated a ton of reasons why. Lots of people have it and it's not a issue, you don't even know they have it. And then you started putting labels on the people that do struggle with it. You don't take it seriously, just like most people, you don't think tinnitus is even the issue, you think it's personality type or mental illness that is the problrm.

People are ignorant about tinnitus, you just end up being labeled by people like yourself. Why even bother, that brings zero awareness to tinnitus, and just makes you look like you are crazy. You don't think that's humiliating ? When you tell people that you are suffering and disabled with a physical issue and they tell you that you have a mental problem and what you are talking about is not a problem? What do you not understand!!? And no, I don't have a fucking personality disorder,or a history of mental illness, I have really bad tinnitus, H, ear pain and hearing issues that would cripple anyone. Tinnitus is not all the same thing, this condition can get really bad.

If I were a celeb, I wouldn't bother, even people with tinnitus don't understand it, why try and explain it to the public, it's a complete waste of time, you just end up looking like a nut job. That's why it's humiliating!

it's absolutely not humiliating if you have tinnitus and get along ok with it, but if you are one of the few that doesn't, you get treated like a second class person. And if you are a proud person that is disabled by something that others say wouldn't disable them or others, yeah, it's hard to keep your pride. Better to sit back and avoid the further shaming then speak up and admit that tinnitus is killing you.

 

I think the question at hand has been well answered.

Thank you Telis.

As for celebs, there's apparently an insurance angle too. I remember Shannon Noll (Val will know who that is) cancelling a tour because of an "ear infection". Maybe it was, maybe its a euphemism. We'll never know because they never said any more. Haven't really heard much from him since and he was quite a name down here.

 

@Telis

Tinnitus is not humiliating at all though, it can be annoying as hell but it's not like saying you've got crabs or genital warts or something. Why would anyone ever be embarrassed to admit to having tinnitus? The people who I mentioned aren't embarrassed to tell people they just happen to not care to the point where it's not worth mentioning it. Believe me some people can have loud screaming noises in their head and it doesn't bother them at all.

For me personally I was suicidle and took things extremely badly, so don't ever say that I don't care or think it's just pyschological; I have no idea what gave you that idea?

As for celebrities, the list of people affected is a mile long, they aren't embarrassed at all and why would they be. Most of them do nothing because they see it as a minor irritance and simply do not care. That is the blunt truth on the matter. I don't always read much into stats but it's something like 15% of the population have T, researchers believe that only 1% of those have a problem with it, the rest just crack on with things.

Anyone who feels the need to sign up to a support forum are the 1% by default because you will never hear from the other 14% unless you ask them.

And of course it boils down to personality types, that is one of the huge mysteries (Dirk De Ridder talks about this in one of his lectures). The fact that people like my dad can have intrusive T that's louder than mine and never have a bad day. He's the happiest person you'll ever meet. Other people, like most of us on here, seem to go into a depressive state because of it. The only real difference between both types is how we react to things. How can some people be so laid back about it and yet others be at total wits end?

Here's an interesting insight into what Paul Gilbert thinks about his T: skip to 15:15

Paul Gilbert-Interview

 

I thought that I laid down that last post in pretty clear terms, it seems that you completely missed the point.

This is the very reason that I would not try and explain why tinnitus was an issue for me if I were a celeb going public.

 

@Telis

I read your post and still don't understand what your point is? Our wires must be completely crossed somewhere because I'm not just arguing for the sake of it.

You say people end up getting labelled by people like me? What does that mean? I haven't labelled anyone as anything.

If I was a celebrity I'd be campaigning to raise awareness for noise damage pretty much like Chris Martin does. I'd Try and educate people before it gets to the stage where they even need help getting rid of it.

I don't see it in anyway as humiliating though personally. It never even crossed my mind that people may find the condition embarrassing; f&@king annoying, definitely. The point you made about being treated like a second class person is just down to the severe lack of education on the subject, especially by the medical community. I still don't see it as humiliating though, for me personally I'd describe it as infuriating. If I had a soapbox I'd be trying my best to inform people as much as possible, and there's no damn way I'd be embarrassed about it.

In fact I make a point about tinnitus to all my students as some of them are in bands. I have told them about the dangers of noise and how I've got a horrible sound in my head because of it. I've told them if they don't want to end up like me to use ear plugs at rehearsals and gigs.

 

Imagine... music gives you millions... you have a perfect live rock all around the world in a beutiful house. so you got a weeee sound in that trade? That's how they think they don't get bother by it. But they will become deaf. I think coldplay and will i am talked about tinnitus but I don't understand why they don't donate or at least do some awareness by joining some Tinnitus association. With more money more research more easier to find better treatmenents.

 

IMO,I think alot of the people that say that they have T and say it doesnt bother them..are people that dont have T as bad/severe as they think they have.

Also,I could never turn and say to someone that their T is minor, mild or severe,because how the hell could I know what level of discomfort they are experiencing.

If one person says their T level is 8/10 but I say mine is a 6/10. Does that mean I don't have T as bad as the person with the 8/10?.


I could go on and on

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...ldplay-record-album-for-tinnitus-charity.html

 

Chris Martin donated a track for this tinnitus fundraising album: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21181250

He also does a lot of work with the BTA. To be fair we don't actually know the full extent to who donated what to where. We may be doing some celebs a bit of an injustice because let's face it we don't exactly know every detail of their lives. There could well be some big donations that aren't publicised.

 

Yet no word to warn people to wear plugs during the concert!
I wonder how many walk out of THEIR concerts with permanent tinnitus.
There's few members here who met the unfortunate faith

I think it's a crime and I have already asked before if they would be legally responsible for damaging ones health?
Just like any other workplace that needs to stick to OCCHS guidelines to protect workers from any harm.
Wish there is a lawyer on the board to answer this!

 

If there are big donations we know where that ends up, covering salaries and other expenses of the organisation first and the leftovers are invested in some useless studies to keep somebody else's job going.

 

I agree on your point of view. As for the lawyer part. Where is cousin Vinny when we need him?
ha ha

 

Being disabled by something that people tell you is not a disability is humiliating, it just looks like you weak and like to whine and complain, to me, that's embarrassing, I will would keep my pride and not go public unless I was doing well, otherwise I would constantly be defending my case and look weak. I honestly don't know how else to explain it to you.

 

Ed, I think Telis's point is illustrated within your own anecdote about you bringing up tinnitus and then having those around you respond as they did. The guy crying in his truck...would he have volunteered that to you prior to you bringing up the subject? In doing so you created a safe space for him to confide that, but until then did he not do so because of a presumed stigma in his mind (a breach in the "man's man" psyche)? To me this is a good illustration of why people keep it to themselves. The limbic response is every bit a part of the disease process but that is the very thing that we try and keep under wraps when out in public and he's a poignant illustration of the loneliness this condition can bring.

 

My cousin never cried in his van over tinnitus, I asked him how long it took him to get over losing his eye. He lost it because a nail gun misfired and went straight into his eye. He told me it took him around two years to get back to normal and said it gave him balance issues, which led to him getting really down because his work relied on it. He said some days after work not long after they removed his eye he'd lie in his van after work and cry cos he thought he'd never feel the same again.

It was at this point that he asked me why I wanted to know, so I told him about how my tinnitus had got worse. The thing is when I was at my darkest point I thought about him losing his eye and thought if he got over that then this should be nothing.

It was at this point when he said 'tinnitus'? 'does your head ring' then did the ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh noise, I said 'yea', he goes 'yea I've got that too'. I said 'oh right doesn't it bother you', he said 'no not really, it's always there but I don't really think about it'. My other cousin over heard and shouted 'that annoying noise in your head? I've got that as well'.

Basically no shame at all. Celebrities as far as I can see are far from ashamed talking about T. Pretty much every old school rock star has it, it even appears in their songs.

For example:

Audioslave- Show me How to Live:"This ringing in my head, is this a cure, or is this a disease?"

Beck-Nausea: "Now I'm a seasick sailor, on a ship of noise, I got my maps all backwards, and my instincts poisoned, In a truth blown gutter, full of wasted years, like blown-out speakers ringin' in my ears"

Blondie- Fan Mail : "And the bells in my ears kept ringing, In my ears bells are ringing."

Bob Dylan- Call Letter Blues: "My ears are ringing, ringing like empty shells... Well, it can't be no guitar player. Must be convent bells."

Fallout Boy- I've Got All This Ringing In My Ears And None On My Fingers (title)

Peter Frampton- Show Me the Way:"I wonder how you're feeling....there's ringing in my ears."

Garbage- Push It : "This is the noise that keeps me awake, my head explodes and my body aches."

Hazel - Ringing in My Ears: "...So that I'll carry with my years the sound of you ringing in my ears."

The High Dials-Can You Hear The Bells?: "Sad to hear what I hear, so sharp and clear, like a ringing in my ear."

Mark Knopfler- All The Roadrunning: "And when there is only a ring in your ears, and an echo down memory lane, then if it’s all for nothing, all the road running has been in vain."

Looper- On the Flipside: "I'd like to sit down in the shade, maybe drink some lemonade, sit and just be quiet and breathe, but ... my head makes too much noise."

Mr. Bungle- Slowly Growing Deaf: "To my ears the greatest sin, feel a bit like Beethoven... No one is listening, yet ears are ringing."

Nine Inch Nails- Something I Can Never Have : "I still recall the taste of your tears. Echoing your voice just like the ringing in my ears."

Nine Inch Nails- The Becoming : "I can try to get away but I've strapped myself in. I can try to scratch away the sound in my ears. I can see it killing away all of my bad parts. I don't want to listen but it's all to clear. Hiding backwards inside of me I feel so unafraid. Annie, hold a little tighter I might just slip away. It won't give up. It wants me dead. Goddamn this noise inside my head."

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band- Hillbilly Hollywood : "I played some bars where you never wanna go. From Oklahoma City down to Tupelo. My ears would be ringing like an old fire bell when I'd lay me down in some cheap motel."

Robert Plant- Stairway to Heaven: "You´re head is humming and it won´t go in case you don´t know."

Francis Rossi/Status Quo- Burning Bridges: "I can't escape this ringing in my ears."

Bob Seger- Turn the Page: "Later in the evening as you lie awake in bed, with the echo from the amplifiers ringing in your head."

Snow Patrol- The Last Shot Ringing in My Ears (title)

Thom Yorke- Hearing Damage: "Your speakers are blowing...Your ears are wrecking...Your hearing damage..."

U2- Staring At The Sun: "There's an insect in your ear, if you scratch it won't disappear."

Wilco- Heavy Metal Drummer: "Classical music blasting masks the ringing in my ears."

Ive been a pro musician for around 15 years and know loads on the circuit round here who have tinnitus, it's almost just part of the job. It's a far cry from being humiliating, just an annoyance. Some musicians are proud of it such as Liam Gallagher, check these quotes out:

"Without a doubt I have tinnitus. You're not a proper rock'n'roll star if you don't,"

"I learned to live with it a long time ago. I put up with it – I just talk really loudly over it. I'm proud of it. Anyone who doesn't have ringing in their ears can fuck right off."
Read more at http://www.nme.com/news/beady-eye/70802#zDIlDTQU8czu6diX.99

 

Part of the shame is when you expose yourself to others (like yourself) an they tell you that it's "just an annoyance". How do think that makes a person feel that has a ruined life over it and has done everything in their power to get better? I'm telling you, it's makes you feel shame.

Maybe educate yourself a bit before you spout off about how it's no big deal, it's just an annoyance and how people aren't even bothered by it. Tinnitus can include ear/head pain, hyperacussis, balance issues, hearing problems and loud enough noises to mess with ANY PERSON, not just those that have OCD or anxiety issues. Are you aware that the CIA uses noise to torture and mentally break prisoners? Let me guess, you wouldn't be bothered with this? You are just too awesome hey? You would sit while they give you acoustic beatings (as they called) and shrug it off right?

Anyway, my point is proven over and over here. Trying to explain how dramatic tinnitus can be is completely pointless. I can't even do it with you (one person) never mind trying to convince the public that it can be a major problem.

And what are you trying to do? Tell everyone that tinnitus is no big deal right? What kind of awareness does that bring? If I didn't have T and listened to guys like you, I wouldn't even give a shit about preventing it, after all it's just annoyance that you get past, big deal. Great awareness man! Tell people to be careful and take seriously something that is just an annoyance and that you get used to anyway. Wow, I'm sure that will get people thinking and make a big impact!! You might as well just walk around telling everyone that tinnitus isn't a problem and to not even bother trying to prevent it, that is essentially the message that you are putting out there.

 

Telis you're going way off topic! The topic of the thread is 'are celebrities ashamed of tinnitus! I just think ashamed is completely the wrong term. There is absolutely NOTHING to be ashamed about having tinnitus. Likewise there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to feel humiliated, a lot of people with tinnitus have an incredibly difficult time with T, it can in many unfortunate cases lead to depression and suicide.

I've struggled a lot with it, especially in the first four of months of the increase, I was literally suicidal. Do you think I enjoy having a raging noise in my head that changes frequency and volume everyday? The noise I hear cannot be masked by traffic noise, tv or conversation, it cannot be switched off so I have no haven from it. I don't need to tell you this because you know, you have it to!

Am I ashamed? No chance! Can it sometimes devastate my life? Absolutely, but I refuse outright to lay my life down to this shit. No matter how hard you've got it you're not the only one, don't be ashamed about it. If someone asks what's bothering you, tell them! Don't hold stuff in that's half the problem.

One of the worst musical celebrity cases I know of is Jeff Becks tinnitus. He had a huge spike which he blames on guns n roses, he needed help from hearing aid maskers just to get him through the day. He is not ashamed though, so the answer to the question in his and most cases is a resounding no.

I am saying this to help you not to argue, if you genuinely feel ashamed then maybe that's one of the things holding you back possibly? If I ever get depressed, tinnitus related or not, that doesn't shame me either, I will tell people exactly how I feel. Open up your soul to others and it's very healing, no matter what's wrong with you, you should never feel shame because of society or the way others make you feel. I feel for everyone suffering on here, that's why I'm on the forum, others gave me help here when I was at rock bottom.

I had another health problem in the past that was just as hard or even harder then my current T problem to overcome. I refuse to let this beat me.

 

Alright. Cool. Anyway Merry Christmas man.

 

Merry Christmas to you and your family @Telis and everyone else. I read your last post and you've got me all wrong. T is no joke, you couldn't be further from the truth if that's how you take what I'm saying.

T has had me on my knees begging, but in these moments sometimes you just need to see what can be achieved, even with a jet engine in your head. Seeing how many others share the condition and still tour/act or continue their trade to me is inspiring. The last thing I wanna see on this forum is another 'is life worth living thread' I just don't see how that helps in anyway. I wanna balance it up with some more uplifting outlooks cos when I was suicidal I read a few too many of those and they could have easily nudged me over the edge.

I fear for the newbies reading so much of the doom and gloom stuff, there is and can be a light at the end of the tunnel. This is a support forum after all, let's show people some of the more successful stories. Shame is what you feel when you've done something wrong or embarrassing; T is neither so it's time people empower themselves a bit.

All the best and don't eat too much turkey.

 

wbat if celebrities are just like regular people and don't want to advertise their health issues to the world? Most people from my professional life don't have a clue about my health and I like it this way. I know some cases of people who went on "vacation" while dealing with their issues and chose not to tell everyone about their problems. Why celebrities would be different? Everyone who is alive eventually will have health problems at some point, we don't hear about everyone's stuff.

Also, celebrities have paparazzi and shady magazines after them, don't mix having to explain that trip to rehab or the cancer ward and willingly talking about personnal issues to the world. I donate money to ATA but most people from my extended family don't know I got T, and I like it this way.

I agree with Ed, let's stay positive! Merry christmas and happy nee year to you all!!

 

@Zug

It's not a secret that many celebreties have tinnitus! They are not hiding that fact!
The question is why oh why aren't they doing more to rise awareness, to push for cure!
Bono from U2 is happy to ride a bike through Central Park to rise awareness and support HIV yet not happy to do the same for tinnitus or at least warn people of the damage that his/their concerts can cause!
And he's not alone!
Why?

 

HIV is sexy. Charlie Sheen?

Tinnitus is a SERIOUS LONG-TERM problem only for 0.000001% of the population.

Celebrities will never raise awareness for tinnitus. There are better causes for them that make them look good.

Appearance is everything! A celeb helping HIV is much more media sexy than ear problems!