In my case, the loss began early in life, when I was just 17 and a first loader on a 3-inch 50 dual mount anti-aircraft gun in the U.S. Navy. This was from 1957 to 1960, a time when the Navy said this was not a problem. They said the same about asbestos too. Consequently, when we went to General Quarters and manned our battle stations, the only hearing protection we had were wads of raw cotten that we swiped from Sick Bay. After a firing exercise, during which you were standing between the gun barrels as they fired 60 round a minute, you couldn't hear the guy next to you if he was yelling. All you heard was a loud ringing in your ears. The medics and medical officers at sick bay would tell us not to worry and it would get better in a week or less. They were right, after about 3 days you could hear the gunners mate yelling, and at the end of the week you could hear normal conversation. Unfortunately, it took its toll, eventually resulting in tinitus.

One of the problems with wearing a hearing aid for correcting the problems associated with hearing loss, at least for musicians, is hearing aids are very selective in the frequencies they amplify, and for most males, the loss is high frequency sounds. Consequently, amplifying just the highs means the hearing aid is acting like an ear plug for the lower frequency sounds--not a good thing.

For those individuals that have not suffered hearing loss, the best advice any of us can give you is to protect your hearing using any method at your disposal. Ear bud monitors work well, but only if they're not turned up load.

Good topic Renig,

Gary

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Travlin' Easy