Going Deaf Serving the Deaf

I have always had ear problems. When I was a baby, I had ear infections all the time. I have scar tissue to prove it. I outgrew it, but in high school they came back. Then I knew that my weak spot in my body is my ears. (Sorry, couldn't make the grammar work...). I figured I would go deaf some day. I took a sign language class in college. Didn't do much with it until recently. I have a part time job. I think that's when the tinnitus became permanent. It's been about five years. I work under the ventilation vent and have the constant motor sounds at work. I guess that's what did it. I'm only part time.

I have been interpreting songs for church for two years on stage. I have ear plugs for church. For some reason, they want loud music at church. I can usually ignore the head-in-the-refrigerator noise, but last week, on stage, someone's monitor was way loud! My 29 decibel ear plugs were not enough! The loudness was so distracting I could hardly think. I also could hardly wait until I could leave the stage! That was a week ago. My tinnitus has been double loud since last week. I started looking into other solutions and restarted my research into tinnitus.

I'm looking I for affordable musicians ear protection and monitor. I'm also looking for something to help with this noise. I used to hear the expressway at night. Not anymore! Sometimes I play a podcast to distract me from the noise. I just want to grab my noise and throw it out, but it's nothing I can grab! Plugging my ears doesn't help, although it seems it should. I hope this increase goes away! It makes it hard to hear the smaller noises. My tinnitus is so loud, it masks other sounds ...... and mumbling teenage boys with low voices.

Oh well, at least I have sign language to help me when I become deaf, because of Deaf ministry...