Attn: Simone Ross

[Briggsy]

Just spotted your Facebook status about your hearing mate.

Seriously, if you've had ringing in your ears for two months, and they're hurting, they're telling you something - have a rest for a week or two. I know its hard - i've tried to keep off the decks myself when i've had problems - but if you ignore them, you'll end up with the same problems as me.

I now get regular earache in my left ear - this happens almost every day for at least an hour - regardless of whether i've mixed or not. Also, I find it almost impossible to hear people talking to me know in an environment where there is a lot of background noise - such as a shopping centre or club. According to research i've done, the first sign of permanent hearing damage is not being able to hear people talking in a noisy environment - the frequency of speech is the first to be affected.

Seriously mate, you're only young, so if you love DJ'ing that much, its better to take a short break rather than being forced into hanging up your headphones early.

I've only been DJ'ing for 9 years and i've noticed how bad my hearing bas been affected over the last couple of years - so don't make the same mistake mate.

[Judge Mental]

If its any sort of problem in the slightest get to a doctor pronto before you even use a phone again.

Hearing is not to be taken lightly, I've been giving my ears proper torture at times over the years and any time I've had ringing I've went to the doctors. As a result I've had a few much needed weekends of and nearly punched a few people that have shouted in my ears 'for a laugh'.

2 months is a VERY long time to have ringing in your ears, get to your GP, never mind taking it easy.

Hearing only lasts once.

[Judge Mental]

Even going to post this again just for show, cos some people like my mate Ste aren't lucky enough to do something about it early enough.

I'd rather go blind than lose my hearing.

[kml]

Get some ear plugs. I won't go to a club without my alpine ones now.

[simonross46]

Thanks for the warnings guys. It has ben a short while that I've had the ringing noises (I can tell as I go to bed and everything is quiet) but over the past few days my ears have began to hurt a bit. I am going to gradually calm down with my music intake rather than suddenly stop, that way I won't feel the need to play music too soon. I plan to have a few weeks with nothing at all going into my ears, not sure how to do that though because things are extremely busy for me. I just want to enjoy silence, but music has seriously become an addiction to me.

[Briggsy]

The pain in your ears could also be a build up of ear wax.

Try using olive oil in your ears for a few days. Olive Oil disolves ear wax and reduces the need for syringing. DON'T use ear drops - they actually do more harm than good - your ear creates even more wax when ear drops are used.

[simonross46]

I have always had problems with my ears.

When I was little I often had ear aches and any visit to the doctor was an ear related issue. Not had ear aches for a few years now, but I discovered the common cause for them was getting water in them (swimming etc.) Thats not to say I don't clean my ears, but I have always had that fear of getting water into my ears incase I had stupidly painful ear ache for the following month. When my left ear went deaf last year I stated with proper ear drops, then I remember you saying what you have just posted, Briggsy, and resorted to Olive Oil. It certainly worked, so I might have a go at that soon as well. I've noticed when I eat I can feel wax in my left ear now, and a few nights ago I woke up with it blocked too.

[Briggsy]

Does your ear(s) click when you yawn or sneeze mate? If so, that's probably the problem - a build up of ear wax.

One of these should sort it:

[simonross46]

haha, no I don't get any clicks or anything like that in my ears. If need be I will get a plunger from work and use it in the aisle, then just put it back. You should see what they look like at Homebase (clue: sex toy).

Resorting to your post kml, I bought ear plugs when my left ear went deaf last year, and although I used them for the period of time when I got my hearing back properly, they weren't used for long. I have them on the desk infront of me so will try to use them more from now on. The weird thing I found though was that I would just find myself turning it up louder so I can hear what I need to, but in the back of my head I tell myself that the ear plugs are blocking the frequencies that do the damage aren't they?

[kml]

When I go out to clubs I was experiencing ringing in my ears the following morning. I was also struggling to hear what people were saying when they talked to me. I have started using ear plugs and I no longer experience the ringing and can actually have a conversation in the club.

The ear plugs filter the frequencies that do the damage. Since I have started using them even the music is clearer.

[Number2Fan]

I used to get ringing in my ears every morning after I went clubbing. I used to go clubbing alot more often, sometimes every week!! That was bad enough though, imagine having that ringing sound for life. When I recently went to Ministry I have to say the music was slightly TOO loud in that big room, I love loud music, being totally engulfed by music, but apparently you could get some free ear plugs at the bar if you wanted to keep your ears safe. I never had ringing the next day but my partner did and will probably take the earplug option next time.

Deafness runs in my family, my grandfather went deaf and my dad is deaf now too, it's more annoying for the people around them than it is for them.

Once after clubbing I had an echo in my ear, that was weird!

Anyway, after all that gibberish, get it sorted Simon, DOCTORS!!!

[FuzzY-LogiC]

According to research i've done, the first sign of permanent hearing damage is not being able to hear people talking in a noisy environment - the frequency of speech is the first to be affected.

haven't really put much thought into that until recently when i have had difficulty hearing peopl etalk in semi-noisy or noisy environments

I guess reading this post is a sign that I too should go have a talk with my doctor.

Thanks Briggsy.

Simon, I'm truly sorry to hear about your ears condition. Hope it gets better soon.

all the best

EDIT: The above was my instant reply after reading Briggsy's org. post, but after reading you guys' mention of click's and buildup of earwax, I think that might actually have quite a bit to doo with my own condition.

I've been to the doctor some times to have my ears flushed with semihot water because the wax had builded up so dense, that my hearing was reduced to 15-20% of my full hearing (or so they said). It hasn't been an issue the last many years, but with recently clicking when chewing and sneezing, it might just be it.

I'll have a go with the olive oil, as i hate doctors and would rather sort it on my own (stupid, I know), than seeing my doctor.

Do one need to sleep with the oil inside the ears? also, how big an amount does it take to make it work?

[Briggsy]

I'll have a go with the olive oil, as i hate doctors and would rather sort it on my own (stupid, I know), than seeing my doctor.

Do one need to sleep with the oil inside the ears? also, how big an amount does it take to make it work?

Yeah thats the best way mate because when you're standing and leaning over things, it runs out.

If you use a dropper, just take enough olive oil to fill your ear canal (you'll fell when its full up because you'll go even deafer) - you might then feel it bubbling as it runs down the ear canal. Afterwards, just put a bit of cotton wool in your ear - enough to stop the olive oil running back out, but not enough to soak up the olive oil you've just put in.

Then heat on gas mark 4 for roughly 10 minutes and serve with a salad garnish......

[simonross46]

I used to get my mum to sort out the olive oil in my ear, and I always got annoyed because she put cotten wool in my ear almost straight away and it soaked up all the oil. I find its good to us a small piece of cotton wool, basically like an ear plug shape. That way it reaches down a little and can catch some of the wax rather than just sit on the surface of the ear.

[Number2Fan]

Once my sister warmed up some Lard and put it in my ear, needless to say, it wasn't quite so effective against the earache I had!

The first sign of deafness is turning the volume of your music or TV up to 'LOUD AS F**K' and other ppl asking you to turn it down and you cannot hear them.

My dad insisted his hearing was ok for bloody years and we could all tell it was getting worse and worse as his voice got louder and louder, he only heard you right if he was actually looking at you, if you stood behind him and called him he couldn't hear you at all, and he played Tom Jones tunes so loud they distorted and he couldn't hear the distortion!!

Now he does that ' look at you and try and laugh at the appropriate moments ' even when what we are saying isn't funny!!

[Ian_k]

couple of weeks ago i went totally deaf in my left ear (monitor speaker ear)

i could hear very slightly but it felt very stuffed up and muffled. it wasnt hurting and i wasnt getting ringing, just went deaf kind of, but i was bored and decided to have a mix, and could mix, just ad 2 crank up the monitor speaker up a bit more.

it kinda sounded like i had an ear plug in.

anyways i thought i might be suffering dj deafness and got a bit worried. but it seemed to clear up totally within a day or 2