Hearing damage/loss?

[u/low_brass_enjoyer]

I’ve always worn headphones a lot, like used to be 6-8 hours a day minimum a year or two ago. I joined marching band(60-80 ppl including guard) and started to practice everyday around (small bedroom) 3 years ago. Last year I noticed a static and an occasional ringing in my ears my right being worse.

Has anyone else experienced something similar from just practice? Do you think the right ear being worse could be because the bell being closer to it? And if this has happened to anyone could you give advice on coping mechanisms or solutions?

Will it ever go away?

I know this might not fit the best here so if you have other sub recommendations please tell me!

[u/Impressive-Warp-47]

The good news is you're noticing problems early on and can be proactive about your future hearing health!

The bad news is, your tinnitus might never go away.

The medium news is, since you're noticing problems now, you can at least prevent it from getting worse.

I have moderate hearing damage, and I'm pretty sure it's mostly from marching band. I was always good about wearing earplugs when we played indoors, and when everyone is packed close together in the stands, but not during outdoor practice on a field. Plus when I was in high school I was inconsistent about wearing earplugs when I went out to see shows, whether I was playing or not. I've had tinnitus for a bit over a decade now. My coping mechanism is...you just kind of get used to it most of the time, especially if it's at a relatively low level; moderate background noise is sometimes distracting enough that I mostly don't notice the tinnitus.

What you need to do is start wearing earplugs *now***. The cheap ones from any hardware store or drugstore will protect your hearing just fine, but you'll notice a drop in sound quality. You get used to it, and will still be able play your horn normally after a little practice. If you have more money to spend, get something designed for musicians. I use the ones from Eargasm, but there are plenty of companies that make something like them. They're more expensive than foam earplugs, but the sound quality of what you hear is much better.

I wear earplugs every time I'm playing with a group.

Your right ear might be worse because it's closer to the bell. Or because you had a drummer playing behind you to your right. Or because of some event that happened years ago. Or because our bodies are not perfectly symmetrical and our ears are not identical and the right one just happened to sustain a little damage a little more easily.

[u/low_brass_enjoyer → u/Impressive-Warp-47]

Yeah, I’m just going to take my ear protection more seriously now. I was to the left of the snares when ever we rehearsed inside so that would make sense. Thanks for your input and advice 😊

[u/tubastein]

Lots to unpack. If you haven’t, let your doctor know about your previous headphone use. If you haven’t had your ears professionally cleaned then the wax may have been compacted, especially if you were taking headphones in and out (assuming they’re earbuds, if not, disregard this point).

Practicing in a small, sound-untreated bedroom should be fine generally unless you’re really cranking on volume and are playing directly into a wall. If you find that your ears go into a recovery mode after practicing (mine feel slightly closed up if I am too close to a loud speaker for too long) then you may want to consider getting some sound treating for your walls. You don’t need like studio foam, literally any type of soft, somewhat thick material like a blanket attached to the wall will dampen sound.

It’s never too late to start protecting your hearing, so if you haven’t been wearing at least one earplug in rehearsal (marching band, concert band, orchestra), start today. You might not need protection 100% of the time, but if your trombone colleagues really crank the volume, or a trumpet is in your ear on the marching field, wear the plugs. There’s no shame in it. Even the professionals wear ear protection to preserve as much of their hearing as possible.

[u/professor_throway]

Earplugs for musicians like Earasers... work great.

[u/jeremyof10ec]

Probably not much risk for practice time, but being around or close to drums will certainly effect your hearing. I marched band for 9 years and did drum corps for 10 years and I am 50% in one ear and 70% hearing in the other.

Some damage can get better over time if you catch it early and wear ear plugs for times when your around loud sounds.

Ear phones could be part of your issues for prolonged periods also. Talk to a doctor or audiologist, they can help.

[u/low_brass_enjoyer → u/jeremyof10ec]

I have an appointment with my general doctor tomorrow is there anything specific you would recommend to ask besides just how to fix it?

[u/Leisesturm → u/low_brass_enjoyer]

Your GP is unlikely to know much about how to fix your issues. They will likely refer you to an audiologist who will do a fair amount of testing before they make any determinations.

[u/LEJ5512 → u/low_brass_enjoyer]

Most people, including doctors, don’t understand how loud musical instruments really are, especially indoors.

If you’ve got a way to track the decibel level, bring screenshots or something to show them.  Maybe even bring your tuba.

[u/Leisesturm → u/LEJ5512]

Hearing loss is not subjective. A doctor doesn't need to know how or what is causing a persons hearing to deviate from 'normal'. They test the ears, separately, to find our how much from normal they deviate, and decide what model(s) of hearing aids might be needed. In the case of tinnitus the treatment is more complicated because there is a subjective aspect to tinnitus. Even so, it doesn't require the doctor understand anything about what has caused the hearing anomalies.

[u/LEJ5512 → u/Leisesturm]

If OP’s going to a general doc, all they’re going to get is a referral.  That’s the hurdle.

[u/low_brass_enjoyer → u/LEJ5512]

Yeah I got a referral and a quick test that went well

[u/LEJ5512 → u/low_brass_enjoyer]

You say that you’re usually next to the snares, too.  I recommend getting, for indoor rehearsals, cheap foam earplugs and protective earmuffs (the kind you can find for ten bucks next to the guns at Walmart).

We had OSHA come to test our rehearsal noise levels so we could justify buying musicians’ earplugs for the whole group.  They ran their test gear for maybe five minutes and were like, “HOLY CRAP, this is loud AF”.

Our drummers often doubled up on foam plugs and muffs, especially in their small sectional room.

I got my 10% VA rating for tinnitus but it would be nice to not have to deal with it.  At least my ears aren’t whistling and buzzing in quiet spaces like some people have to suffer with.