Marks out of tinnitus?

So, a lot can happen in a few weeks, and I’ve just had one of those ‘few weeks’. Where shall I begin? Well, on Wednesday 15^th May I decided to go swimming, I mean, it can’t do me any harm can it? Well, two hours later, and I can’t hear out of my left ear. Twenty four hours later, I still can’t hear out my left ear. Forty-eight hours later, I still can’t hear out my left ear, and I’m in Brighton, playing at the Great Escape Festival. And I’ve just come off stage. And I have a high pitch ringing in that same left ear. Hmm, shit, what does this mean? Well, what it meant was, anything outside my ear couldn’t get in, and the ringing inside my ear, well, it certainly wasn’t getting out. Add to this the fact that I am now due to be away from home for about 14 days, I’m a little concerned. I phone my doctor and arrange to visit the nurse some two weeks later who will attempt to syringe my ear and at least clear the blockage.

So, forward yourself, or myself, two weeks, and I’m at the doctors. I tell them I’m there for the 4:40pm appointment. What do you mean I don’t have one? I had it last Thursday? No, I wasn’t in London last Thursday; I made it very clear it was for this Thursday. I storm out. I storm back in. I insist I be seen. I have to wait until 6pm but I get seen. I go in to see the nurse. She’s preparing all the stuff; the syringe, warm water, little bowl to catch whatever secretes from my ear. I happen to mention this ringing in my ear, and how I hope that will clear up too. She puts the syringe down. Pulls one of those ‘hmmm’ faces. She brings in another doctor. They discuss something. What? What’s the matter? You can’t syringe my ear? Because I have tinnitus? Right. Shit. Ok. So, back to the drawing board. Or my house. Next morning I phone a specialist ear man, who can see me the following Wednesday. That’s nearly three weeks after it all started.

My sleeping pattern has gone to pieces. The days are filled with made up noises, thinking I’m being spoken to and cancelled gigs, the nights are filled with, well, a constant fucking ringing in my ear and a distinct lack of sleep, generally nodding off at about 5am, then waking up at 8am with my alarm ringing. Only, it wasn’t my alarm, it was my fucking left ear, in my fucking head, and I can’t switch it off. So, I see Mr ear man, he asks me lots of questions like do I smoke, how much do I drink, have I had any operations, any history of head problems in my family, then he puts a long metal tube down my ears causing a sound level equivalent to 110db (a plane taking off is 140db), and I quote, my ‘very bunged ears’ (technical term) are cleared of their shiny residue. They give me a hearing test. It’s all good, I can hear, and there’s no damage. So now I have 20/20 hearing again (or whatever the technical term is). Hurrah! Now all I have to do is get used to the ringing in my ear. It may go away, it may not. I’ve also been referred to an ‘Audio Therapist’ who can help train the mind to block out the ringing noise, so you forget it’s even there (er, Derren Brown, is that you?).

I guess these are the drawbacks to exposing myself to so much loud noise. If you are a musician, or a dj, or work in a particularly loud environment, the level of noise you're exposing yourself to is something you should think about. It’s been three days and already, with my full hearing back, the tinnitus doesn’t seem as bad, but it's made me think seriously about my hearing, something i didn't think i'd be doing for another forty years. If only I wasn’t in a band. If only I hadn’t gone swimming. I’m thinking of taking up football again now, I mean, it can’t do me any harm, can it…

www.dontlosethemusic.com