[hanalei mike]

I have listened to my music far too loudly since I was about 12, when I got my first walkman. I would listen as loud as I could stand without pain, and as long as I could until it started to hurt. My parents, aunties, and grandparents used to always tell me I was going to lose my hearing if I didn't turn it down.
I started in the construction industry during my first summer of college. Saws, nail guns, jack hammers, compressors, tile saws, grinders, all the things that are supposed to be bad for your hearing, never wore hearing protection. I am now a contractor, and have only recently made a conscious effort to protect my hearing ( partial thanks to my investment in head-fi ).
During my late teens, I had one of those cars you could hear from 3 blocks away. I kindly provided ear plugs for anyone who rode in the car, always passing myself. I played in a band, I saw numerous, way too loud concerts, never wearing any kind of protection.
From diving and surfing accidents, I have blown my right eardrum twice, and my left eardrum once.

Now of course I don't recommend exposing your ears to any of this neglect, but up until this afternoon, I always believed these were major causes of hearing loss. I just got my hearing tested at the ear specialist today. They have not been tested since I was in elementary school and I was fully expecting him to say I had damaged ears. But no, apparently I have "exceptional" hearing. Whereas an volume level of 30 on test sounds was considered to be adequate, and functional, most people he said tested around 15-20, which was really good. Well I was 0-5 on my left and 5-10 on the ear which is a bit plugged up right now due to my last eardrum rupture.
When he showed my the results, he said "well, I guess you have never worked in construction" when I told him I had most of my adult life, he was shocked, and said "well, I guess you really protected your ears well", I just smiled and didn't get into it.

So my question is this;
If all this doesn't cause hearing loss, what the hell does? is it just genetics and/or aging, and/or luck? Do you really have to be completely abusive to your ears in order to damage them? It makes me want to turn up my amp a few notches and enjoy

 

[soozieq]

I think you've been one of the lucky ones! You've blown your eardrums three times, been exposed to constant loud noise levels (way and above the majority of us) and yet you still have excellent hearing. Nice!

I suspect most of us would not escape so lightly!

 

[Sarchi]

Don't quote me on this, but I thought the damage may show up later in life.... tinnitus and so on? I hope I'm wrong.

 

[usc goose]

As Lewis Black put it, "What's good for one person, will kill the person sitting right next to them."

I think about that a lot for some reason...

 

[sejarzo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarchi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't quote me on this, but I thought the damage may show up later in life.... tinnitus and so on? I hope I'm wrong.

Well, I will quote you on this, Sarchi!

Yes, the tinnitus can show up much later. I've protected my ears scrupulously well in noisy plants for the past 30-ish years, don't engage in noisy hobbies, but still my tinnitus is still worsening. First noticed it as a teen after headphone use, I might add.......

As in virtually all health problems, genetics must play at least some role, but sooner or later things do catch up.

Side question: Mike, is your avatar one of those chickens that run around up at the top of Waimea Canyon?

 

[hanalei mike]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sejarzo /img/forum/go_quote.gif but sooner or later things do catch up.

No that's my pet "steve"


Yeah sooner or later everything catches up, to everybody. We all die because our bodies get old and stop working, no matter how much we exercise or how many vitatmins we take, or how quietly we listen to our music. When most people die of old age, their hearing is crap. Is that because they listened to loud music? or because that's just what happens when we get old? I don't know. I have read many threads with people who think if they listen at 10 o' clock they are fine but if they listen at 12 they might wake up deaf in the morning. This doesn't really make sense to me. Even with all the exposure I have had, I always tried to listen to my ears, with a few exceptions. If i was feeling discomfort, I would take break for a bit. I don't know if listening at a level that doesn't physically bother you can harm your ears?

 

[Wodgy]

Normal hearing tests done by audiologists only cover 500 Hz to 8000 Hz. The upper octave is not tested at all, and this is where you typically lose sensitivity first. So I would be very hesitant about drawing sweeping safety conclusions from what your audiologist told you.

 

[delaril]

There are in fact psychological aspects to hearing loss: sounds you are uncomfortable with will hurt your hearing at lower volume levels than sounds you enjoy or are used to. The level of sound your ears can handle also varies from person to person. Personally I don't take any chances - I've attended and played gigs that's left my ears ringing for several days, so I swear to my custom-fit plugs for all loud situations.

 

[hanalei mike]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wodgy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Normal hearing tests done by audiologists only cover 500 Hz to 8000 Hz. The upper octave is not tested at all, and this is where you typically lose sensitivity first. So I would be very hesitant about drawing sweeping safety conclusions from what your audiologist told you.

I'm just telling my story, and asking for your conclusions and perspectives. Although I did have the "don't try this at home", and " I have learned from my footloose and fancy free ways" disclaimers in there. I am not suggesting everyone burn their earplugs, just maybe that headphone listening isn't the cause of everyones ear problems from tinnitus to loss of sensitivity.

the thread title was to draw attention.

side note: he is a ear surgeon/specialist, and I do not know the exact frequencies tested. Maybe I am deaf above 8000hz

 

[dclancy]

Hope you're happy, reading your post convinced me to crank the Black Keys to 11!!!
Lovin' it, Happy Wednesday to you!

 

[Joeywhat]

I'd say you're just lucky. Being a musician, and working in loud environments my entire life has given me poor hearing. I have mild tinnitus, and some hearing loss in my right ear. I guess being in marching band/ska band/landscaping/manufacturing without protection has done me in early.

 

[markl]

[size=xx-large]Worst. Advice. Ever.[/size]

 

[dclancy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markl /img/forum/go_quote.gif [size=xx-large]Worst. Advice. Ever.[/size]

Even worse than my "brillo earpad" mod?

 

[Assorted]

Oh really? Wow thanks for your advice OP. I'm gonna totally not wear any earplugs for anything, and listen to headphones at 100 dB for 8 hours a day and I shouldn't be deaf!

Because, we all have same ears and the the damage kicks in at the exact same time for everyone

 

[TheMarchingMule]

The OP fails on trying to brush off any hints of bragging.

Oh well, what goes around comes around....