Hear that ringing in your ears? You’re not the only one…
Everybody has their own problems, and some people, who you might not immediately expect to suffer, do indeed have their own issues to deal with on a daily basis.
A breakdown of the inner ear.
“It was like listening to the hiss of a TV that’s not tuned to a channel. I thought I’d go deaf or nuts. “I thought of killing myself.” Shatner eventually underwent tinnitus refraining therapy, which helped him retrain his brain to ignore the buzzing. “Now the condition doesn’t affect me.”
That quote is from an interview in the Globe magazine with Star Trek icon William Shatner, who apparently once contemplated suicide because his hearing problems were driving him mad. Shatner’s permanent hearing damage was apparently as a result of an explosion on the set of Star Trek, and it used to keep him awake at night - he started fearing he’d never shake the noise. ‘Shatner isn’t the only star to have suffered from tinnitus - The Who’s Pete Townshend, Barbra Streisand and fellow Star Trek veteran Leonard Nimoy have also fought the hearing condition.’ I’m sure that Francis Rossi from the Quo also suffers from this, as does Phil Collins (in a big way) and all the surviving members of bands such as Pink Floyd and the Moody Blues! But hopefully Shatner’s quote should serve as a reminder that you have a lifetime of permanent damage inflicted upon you in a split second, not just through years of listening to loud music. I have tinnitus caused by someone smacking the side of my head and forcing air into my inner ear; if it can happen to me it can happen to pretty much anybody. So, although you may forget about them while they’re working fine, be grateful for the small things like perfect hearing or sight - because they tend not to grow back once damaged. :)
If you’re curious as to what tinnitus can sound like (because it takes many forms), you can listen to a synthesis of tinnitus here: http://www.hearingconservation.org/docs/tinnitusSimulation.mp3. I can confirm that that audio clip does mimic my tinnitus fairly well, but the ringing is more high-pitched in my own ear.
If you don’t fancy that kind of noise accompanying you day and night, wear some good earplugs! They needn’t cost the earth.
