So Happy to Have Found This Place!

Hi all. I have a whole lot of reading to do here, but I wanted to introduce myself first and share my experience with this condition. How I found your forum was a Google search of 'flying with tinnitus'. And here I am.

I have been a pianist/teacher my entire adult life. Music has always been an essential part of my life. [For the record, I'm 59 y.o. now] I noticed in the Fall of 2012 that there was a subtle, but slight ringing in my left ear. It didn't "suddenly" appear, rather, gradual recognition of its presence. I did a bit of research, and I clearly fit the criteria for work-related onset as I sit at the edge of a grand piano listening to students play on a daily basis. Talked to my Dr. about this, as well as several student parents who are physicians as well. Every one tells me basically the same thing......there's no cure for this. [Naturally I'm looking fwd. to reading the section of the forum about treatments]. So, I've accepted that this is the way it is. Over time, the ringing in the left ear has increased and add to that a sensation in the right ear of the equivalent of holding a shell up to one's ear. My hearing isn't adversely affected, at least in the sense of loss. It's the opposite. I'm ultra sensitive to loud noises, and this, naturally, is affecting my work. Students who are working on pieces marked 'very loud' need to be able to play at that level for me....but I find myself putting a finger in one or both ears at those moments. I bought some very inexpensive foam ear plugs, and that doesn't seem to help much.

I've felt very isolated and alone in this journey, though when I mention it to various people, they either know someone with similar condition or are experiencing it themselves. That knowledge helps....but a forum is a great place to read with my own eyes about people just like me, who are talking about this....and offering advice about what things might be helpful to learn to live with this condition.

I look forward to interacting with the board and perhaps offering and grabbing a nugget of hope from other people who face the condition. I'm so glad to have found this place!! Thank you
Pianocat

 

Welcome. We are all on this journey together. You will find great support here. We all "get it". I am a year into T. Mine was very loud initially and at times I could not mask it when it spiked. I am doing MUCH better.

 

Teri, can you give me some masking ideas? Sometimes I'm successful at that and sometimes not. fortunately I do not have trouble getting to sleep because of a nighttime pill that I take . But sometimes what I lovingly call the screaming Mimi's just seem to take over. !! Thanks for your input!

 

Hello and welcome! By accident I happened to listen to a Sirius XM channel called Symphony Hall, they play classical music and it really masks for me, especially string instruments. You can also search for Mozart, Beethoven etc on YouTube. Works really well for my high pitched t.

 

In my early days of T, piano was one of the sounds who messed with my H . It's a piercing sound and people who lost high frequency tends to be affected by it. Such a shame because I love to listen to a loud piano.

 

@pianocat - Search this site for "musician ear plugs" and you'll find great information. There are many musicians who are members of Tinnitus Talk. In the meantime, check out this thread for a quick reference: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/review-of-musicians-ear-plugs.8549/

You've got a fantastic moniker!

 

Hi @pianocat,

I just recently invested on some musicians ear plugs. You might benefit from these. I had an audiologist take molds of my ears so they would fit perfectly. They have two types of plugs that are interchangeable. One plug blocks out all noise and the other filters out the loud noise/volume while allowing you to still hear. That is what I use. They were not cheap( $175.00) but worth the investment.


Best wishes
Danielle