Aspirin can definitely aggravate, and sometimes even cause, tinnitus, especially if used a lot.

jeez, why don't we talk about preventing cirrhosis next.

Does anyone here have those custom-molded earplugs from Etymotic? With the interchangeable filters?

How have you guys been cleaning them? Inevitably, after I wear them, I have to clean the earwax off of them. Since they are hollow, some gets inside them.

I've been removing the filters and soaking them in warm water, but I was wondering if maybe hydrogen peroxide is a better solution?

Still bummed they couldn't make me glow in the dark ones.

A toothpick'll do it.

I hate to sound kinky, Miss B, (not really) but you should do the ol' in'n'out with a q-tip before throwing those in.

One of the highlights of my day, I think.

Someone should invent q-tip porn.

You own a camera don't you?

I read somewhere about a mathematical constant you can use to accurately gauge the dB level of noise exposure you've endured, by timing how many hours your ears continue to ring afterwards.

Of course, that won't tell you anything about the exact frequency distribution of the noise or the particular degree of permanent hearing damage you may have suffered.

I don't recall the exact formula, just thought it was worth noting.

Pure L wrote:A toothpick'll do it.

I hate to sound kinky, Miss B, (not really) but you should do the ol' in'n'out with a q-tip before throwing those in.

One of the highlights of my day, I think.

Someone should invent q-tip porn.

You own a camera don't you?

Q-tips never touch my ears. They're bad.

Also: you can't clean your ears out at a rock show, that's so uncool.

burun wrote:Q-tips never touch my ears. They're bad.

Huh?

posted this in another thread, similar topic:

http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/hearing.html

it's an online hearing test. it's all relative to your speakers (volume and freq response), but i was able to confirm my opinion that i'd lost some high-frequency hearing in my right ear (as i could hear high frequencies at lower volumes with my left ear).

btw take advil if you have an earache and your ears are getting red or swelling. that's a danger zone for nerve damage and anti-inflammatory stuff could help.

larsxe wrote:

It gives a good introduction how hearing is connected to emotional states, and thus how tinnitus stays with you when seen as a problem. If you stop seeing it as a problem, "subcortical filters" will filter out the noise generated by your brain.

this makes so much sense to me. My (dear departed) band was, for a time, known as one of the loudest bands in Boston. This was due primarily to Sam (the other guitar player besides myself) and his HiWatt Double stack - two 100 Watt Hiwatts into two 4x12s. I had my Dean Markley 100W head (into one, later two 4x12s) cranked up pretty high just to hear myself. Of course the drummer had to hit his snare extra hard so we could hear him. The poor bass player was mostly inaudible.

I tried wearing earplugs, but I just could not do it. So, 6 or 7 years of this has taken its toll. When I think about it, I can hear a ringing in both ears. But _only_ when I think about it. It does not keep me up at night, and I hear very well, despite heading into my mid-40s.

Maybe I got lucky, and I am sure Roger Miller has it worse than me, but I swear, if I don't think about it, it never bothers me.

ironyengine wrote:Anyway the earplugs are at http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er20.asp . They even come in pretty colors. Enjoy, or something.

i use these. they work well, but occasionally hurt my ears if i wear them for a prolonged period. (by hurt my ears, i mean the plastic thing in my ear starts to stretch my ear & it physically hurts, but not like a loud sound would)