Pleeeze.....

[Samilyn]

Pleeeeeeze, God.....

 

Quit stealing my hearing.

 

Tonight I couldn't even tune my own damn git. Even the mechanical tuner couldn't make it sound right.

 

Please, God....don't take the the music from me.

 

Sorry guys...not trying to be a drama queen here. Just Big-time-F-ing upset because I can't even tune my own git anymore and the hearing situation is getting worse....much worse....and the music means so much.

 

And these F-ing so-called high-tech hearing aids aren't helping a bit.

 

Thanks for listening, guys.

[chriscarnucci]

Sorry your struggling so. Like you, my music means so much to me too. I know it's easy for me to say, but try and keep focused on the positive.

[gull12]

Sammye:

 

I feel for you. I had the same problem. My hearing was going so fast it was pathetic and you're right, hearing aids suck. What helped me was acupuncture. Believe it or not, it made a heck of a difference for me. I also had heavy ringing in my ears, and it lessened that quite a bit too. I'm not offering this as a cure-all, but maybe it's worth some investigation and consideration. Hope you get better.....

[katopp]

Sam, I feel for ye!

Have bad tinnitus in both ears and it affects my hearing badly. Not that bad, that I need a hearing aid, but bad enough. I learned, that preserving what you have is the first priority. I now use earplugs whenever I play more than just plain unplugged and seating and I noticed, that I might use them while playing very loudly unplugged, too. The Martin D-35 and the Jack Daniel's AG-3 are easily 50% louder than most of my other guits and it's too loud.

Yesterday, I was on a nite-out in another pub, where they had a three-piece celtic folk band, guitar, mando/banjo and tin whistle and they played amplified in a loud'ish pub. Had to leave, because I reaolized, that it affects my hearing. Now, in the morning at the first cuppa java, I have a very noticeable increase of my tinnitus. 'Twas way too loud yesterday and I won't be able to practice guitar today, or the tinnitus will last way into next week.

So, apart from all other things that may help or may not help, preserve what you still have left. Be noise-concious, avoid loud noise and use those earplugs.

Go to the next audiometrist and buy yourself a set of silicone ones that are built after your eartubes. They come in different damping factors and the lower ones that I have are "notched", so they dampen the frequency range of the human voice (i.e. talking) less than the rest. Very, very handy.

[Tartanlad]

Sammi,

 

Just get someone with the experience to check your ears out

and then hopefully all shall get cured

 

meantime hard as it is you keep your chin up

 

i realise how you feel the now..but things shall get better as cant get worse as you feel the now ok

[bfloyd6969]

Sorry to read your news, Sam. I feel for you as well. My fretting hand has been taking its toll on my playing and it is so frustrating. The one true thing I passion for is the most painful thing to do. I have some kind of itis / arthritic thing going on and the doctors can't pinpoint it. Very furstrating.... I wish the best for you.

[Dek431]

Real sorry to hear your having troubles. At 31 I've had a couple of guitar related RSI's. Nothing too serious but it made me worry about the future. I also had a blocked ear, not the same but I was like a bear with a sore head till it was cleared.

 

Kwakatak scared me in a thread this week saying he wants a good guitar before arthritis comes along. It's annoying knowing the things you enjoy can be affected like that. There are a lot of things I could do without in life, guitar ain't one of them!

[panhandler]

Not drama at all... I would be quite upset as well.

 

I have no advice to offer, but your in my prayers.

[Bernie P.]

Sorry to hear this.What do the doc's say?

[OldGuitarPlayer]

My thoughts and best wished go out to you Samilyn. Is there nothing any doctor can do to help you? I hope you can find the help you need for this.

 

We are all your friends here and can call on us anytime you need!

[kwakatak]

I'm so sorry to hear that Sami. Is this a degenerative condition? How long has this been going on?

 

I can't offer you any real advice other than to say that music is not the only beautiful thing out there. If you have a creative inclination and your hearing is bothering you that day then have you considered writing lyrics/poetry/prose or even drawing/painting? I'm not saying give up the music but if the mechanics of your personal form of creativity are giving you trouble then perhaps you could learn to adjust?

[Opa John]

Sorry to hear that, Sam. You're in my prayers.

[LaurentB]

Damn, that is not being a drama queen at all, I would say! I hope it stabilizes.

[Jimmy Chaos]

Thinking of you Sammye. Hope it all works out okay for you. I'm sure it will.

 

Sending good vibes via teh interwebz.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[outdoorgb]

Well here is a topic I can help with from a technical side.

First, Sammi, I can understand your frustration and do hope it improves to the point of better enjoyment for you...

 

I've been wearing HA for close to 20 years now. I'm 47 and have had loss my whole life so my outlook may be differenct. I've had analog and digital and have had good and bad experieces with technicians setting the correct levels (new digital HA's).

 

The best quality for those people with mod to severe loss is behind the ear models. I have two sets now, both digital, one in the ear and one behind the ear. Both are digital and have three preset programs...I'll limit my story here by saying it is very important to find a person who understands what were looking for in listening when he or she sets the programs.

 

Mine are, normal conversation (mics fwd 180 deg), noise environment (mics front facing), and open (360 deg)...I use the open for music but it is key to have the correct volume preset. You don't want open and then just blast your brain with too much...

 

I've found good folks and prices at Costco. My last set of HA's, behind the ear, were $2700. That's about 1/2 price for a name brand aid. And, they have a netwrok of technicians. She did not understand the settings for music needs and contacted a store in HI who had techs with experience. Took me three trips to get them tuned right but now all is good.

 

Sorry, I took too long for that story. I hope you find a good solution. Remember this...hearing aids can take 2-4 for a new user to get comfortable wearing..if I remember, your not a new user but keep talking to the person fitting.

 

GB

[Terry Allan Hall]

That's EXACTLY why I'm such a fantatic about stage volume levels with the folks I hire to back me...but particularily drummers!

 

I exoplain from the get go what the db meter in my gig bag is for, and I've still had a few get very upset because I fired them for exceeding the level I dictated...otoh, I pay 'em, they work for ne, and that's just how I roll.

 

Once your hearing is gone, it's gone!

[bigald18]

Feel bad for you Sammye. I have no intelligible hearing from my right ear and my left ear has about a 30% loss but is still clear hearing. The right ear everything that I do hear is totally distorted with a 70% hearing loss. I can't hear anything lower than a middle C note on a keyboard at all.

 

I'm seeing a ear doctor on Monday to get the results of an MRI to see if they can figure out what's causing it. I will also be able to hear better if they make me deaf completely in my right ear (removing the inner ear) and that will also cure my Menieres Ear problem with vertigo.

 

Best of luck to you.

 

BigAl

 

 

 

 

 

 

c

[poppytater]

Sammye, I hope you can find help for your hearing problem. In the meantime, remember you carry the music inside you,where no infirmities can touch it.

[Misha]

Jeez Samilyn, I hope you're gonna get better!

 

Go consult a good specialist as soon as possible!

 

My grandfather was deaf and a couple of my aunts and oncles are having earing issues. This freaks me out!

 

A couple of years ago, I've been told I would have a prothesis at 40 yo. I had otitis at repetition. After several months all was fine and they even told me that my hearing was very good...

 

I really hope all is gonna be fine for you!

[Ohioarrow]

 

Hang in there Sammy ... I know it's got you down..

 

Wish I could suggest something useful my friend, but as you know, I have no experience with it.

[seagullplayer77]

Damn. That sucks, Sami .

 

I'm young and spry and though I've got problems (or so I've been told ), hearing loss isn't one of them, thank the Lord. Every once in a while, I'll hear a high-pitched hiss/squeal from a TV or some other source. I'll start getting annoyed, but then I remind myself that since I can hear it, I've still got pretty good ears. The day when I stop hearing those annoying hisses is going to be a sad one indeed.

 

Hope things start looking up for ya !

[Samilyn]

Thanks so much, everyone, for your kind words, encouragement, advice, and for all the good mojo sent to me.

 

I'm really sorry to read about the issues so many of you are facing, too. Makes me stop the pity party, knowing I'm not alone in trying to enjoy git and music to its fullest while battling something that gets in the way.

 

I've been struggling with hearing loss all my life and have worn hearing aids for 30+ years. It is a nerve loss, so there's no medical or surgical cure for it. A few years ago, I reached what's categorized as "profound" hearing loss. Both ears are now more than 80% gone and still deteriorating.

 

The biggest thing I've been noticing in the past year or so is the increasing distortion - things that I can hear with the hearing aids are more distorted than before. That's due to having more loss of some frequencies than others.

 

Imagine playing a C note, but your ears convince your brain that you're hearing a B or a C#. You know you're playing the correct note, but it simply sounds all wrong. That's what is happening to me.

 

So far, I've managed to squeak by with very high-powered hearing aids, but no amount of amplification or volume can un-distort what I hear.

 

I spent quite a few hours yesterday trying to come up with some workarounds. I'm extremely frustrated and pissed, but not gonna give up yet.

 

The good news is that my fiance is a musician and he'll tune my gits for me (But I'm still pouting because I can't do it myself anymore)