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I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

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Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#271

Post by saaaaaam »

JohnJamesRambo wrote: post #229
nate_meurer wrote: post #228

A little PSA: there is some evidence that magnesium can help prevent/cure acute noise-induced hearing loss. Google returns several reputable studies. Also: earplugs, earplugs, earplugs. I keep foam earplugs on me at all times. I have some in my fifth pants pocket, I keep some in a pill container on my keyring, some in my backpack, in my car, etc. I cut them in half; the half size fits easier and takes up less space,…

This is one of the weirder things I’ve ever read here and I read a lot of strange behaviors here. You wear earplugs full time man, that’s not normal, you are missing out on unimpeded hearing due to a fear of hearing loss that likely is not based on science. Normal level sounds don’t degrade hearing as far as I know and loud sounds aren’t that common, certainly not enough to warrant wearing earplugs full time. https:/…

Not so strange. The person above implies that they have lost some of their hearing already. As I understand it hearing loss is progressive - i.e. what is already done gets worse. I’m also of the opinion that damage can spiral - your hearing is damaged so noises that might otherwise be tolerable further damage you hearing. Not sure whether this is true or not.

Someone tried to kill me once by clubbing me repeatedly around the head; the only lasting damage was acutely tinnitus, mid-frequency hearing loss and hyperacusis. There used to be days that I was reduced to tears by noises being too loud, being unable to hear, and being disorientated by the screaming shrieking of the tinnitus in my ears. Now I wear earplugs whenever I’m going to be exposed to any noise above “quiet room” levels and it does the world of good. I’ve persuaded several friends to wear earplugs at gigs etc. First time they are sceptical that they won’t be able to hear. Then they realise that not only can they hear but in fact it sounds BETTER and they don’t suffer acoustic trauma the day after - which peoplempften confuse for a hangover.

Look after your ears!

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#272

Post by polack »

Erik816 wrote: post #263
polack wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was doing my military service another conscript fired his rifle down into the ground as we where standing close together without any hearing protection on. Seconds later our captain orders us to put the hearing protection on and leads us down to a completely dark cellar with beds in it. We then had to lay there for 48 hours in complete silence with noice canceling ear protection on with only breaks for toilet…

I'm guessing this 48 hour timeout was as much about discipline as restoring any possible hearing loss.

I actually don’t think so. That would be a form of collective punishment which is strictly forbidden and the officers was really careful about not crossing that line. Was a bit chocking for me to learn that, I feel like American movies have lied to me my entire life when the military didn’t let the whole platoon do push-ups every time someone made a mistake :)

The guy who fired his weapon got a fine and was eventually kicked out though...

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#273

Post by macintux »

zrobotics wrote: post #253
macintux wrote: post #83

I very recently thought I might have permanently damaged my eyesight. I was working from a library, and stood to start closing up for the day. As I started to close my laptop, the screen (hi, glossy MacBook Pro) directly reflected the sun behind me. For the next 15-20 minutes a significant portion of my vision in both eyes was wavy. I could still safely drive home, thankfully, but it was a severe distraction. While I…

You described similar symptoms to 'arc flash' (brief exposure to welding arcs). While its obviously best to avoid this, a decent first-aid measure is to set a 15-30 min timer and keep your eyes closed. That can help, and while it isn't always an option (driving/etc) it can help.

Thanks, that makes sense. I probably should have delayed my trip home but there’s a clinic along the way so I figured I could stop there if it persisted.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#274

Post by freeone3000 »

JohnJamesRambo wrote: post #229
nate_meurer wrote: post #228

A little PSA: there is some evidence that magnesium can help prevent/cure acute noise-induced hearing loss. Google returns several reputable studies. Also: earplugs, earplugs, earplugs. I keep foam earplugs on me at all times. I have some in my fifth pants pocket, I keep some in a pill container on my keyring, some in my backpack, in my car, etc. I cut them in half; the half size fits easier and takes up less space,…

This is one of the weirder things I’ve ever read here and I read a lot of strange behaviors here. You wear earplugs full time man, that’s not normal, you are missing out on unimpeded hearing due to a fear of hearing loss that likely is not based on science. Normal level sounds don’t degrade hearing as far as I know and loud sounds aren’t that common, certainly not enough to warrant wearing earplugs full time. https:/…

I wear noise cancelling closed ear headphones instead of earplugs, if that makes it more socially acceptable.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#275

Post by nate_meurer »

creep wrote: post #239
nate_meurer wrote: post #228

A little PSA: there is some evidence that magnesium can help prevent/cure acute noise-induced hearing loss. Google returns several reputable studies. Also: earplugs, earplugs, earplugs. I keep foam earplugs on me at all times. I have some in my fifth pants pocket, I keep some in a pill container on my keyring, some in my backpack, in my car, etc. I cut them in half; the half size fits easier and takes up less space,…

Why did you start wearing earplugs? I know in the online music community that developing tinnitus is a fear/paranoia akin to fear of surveillance in the tech community-- not that these fears are unfounded, but many of such types tend to obsess. Is this the case with you? What happened to you that impacted your life to this point?

I have some tinnitus, but probably no more than the average person and it rarely bothers me.

No, I just really like my hearing. I resolved to always wear earplugs out of the house one day after a particularly nasty bus with squealing brakes made my ears ring. I ride my bike a lot so that just made sense. At home, I was putting in ear plugs when putting away dishes, because I want to just get that shit done, pulling handfuls out of the dishwasher and stacking them hard and fast, like you do if you're not a priss. Except the sound was making me act pretty damn prissy. I cook a lot and I'm impatient, so that just made sense too. Some other things like that caused me to just keep plugs on hand all the time.

But I realized I couldn't possibly predict all of the potentially damaging acoustic events in life. It also occurred to me that maybe the full 30+ dB earplug is overkill for most of these things, and I could use something like half of that full-time, and still be perfectly functional. I consider these "mild" earplugs similar to clothes, which I also wear most of the time even though they're not, strictly speaking, necessary.

EDIT: I also wear glasses at all times when I'm out of the house. Not for vision -- I have excellent vision -- but plano lenses for protection. I started doing this after one day in college when a fucking tree branch nearly went in my eye as I walked down the street. I just didn't see it. I think I was looking sort of downward, and then looked up just in time to catch a spear in my eye. The only thing that saved my cornea was the fact that I was wearing sunglasses. I've had several other instances of random shit flying or poking at my face, but that was the closest I've come to a serious eye injury.

Just normal fairly slender wire-framed glasses, with clear polycarbonate lenses that filter almost as much UV as sunglasses. Nothing fancy. Haven't had my eye poked out since, happy to say.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#276

Post by inferiorhuman »

eeZah7Ux wrote: post #104
inferiorhuman wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To that end, Mercedes-Benz is playing around with technology to create a loud noise before the airbags deploy in a crash. The ideas is that by triggering this loud noise reflex, the ear will protect itself from the louder noises of airbag deployments.

Various cars have that already.

Such as?

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#277

Post by [deleted] »

nate_meurer wrote: post #275
creep wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why did you start wearing earplugs? I know in the online music community that developing tinnitus is a fear/paranoia akin to fear of surveillance in the tech community-- not that these fears are unfounded, but many of such types tend to obsess. Is this the case with you? What happened to you that impacted your life to this point?

I have some tinnitus, but probably no more than the average person and it rarely bothers me. No, I just really like my hearing. I resolved to always wear earplugs out of the house one day after a particularly nasty bus with squealing brakes made my ears ring. I ride my bike a lot so that just made sense. At home, I was putting in ear plugs when putting away dishes, because I want to just get that shit done, pulling h…

[deleted]

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#278

Post by dvtv75 »

_sdegutis wrote: post #52
symfoniq wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This can also happen when holding your upset child and they scream near your ear. Be careful, parents!

Never got tinnitus from it but it does make me lose balance fast.

I have the balance problem, too. A hearing specialist suggested that one of the bones in my ear was made of a spongy material rather than bone, which can cause it.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#279

Post by gerdesj »

weinzierl wrote: post #260
komali2 wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The other obvious question I think is why all of y'all had access to live ammunition at eight years old.

I grew up in a country with very strict gun control (Germany) and did almost the same thing that timonovici did. We used to collect blanks in the woods, thrown away by NATO troops during maneuvers. I don't remember what I was expecting, but I too remember the bang being so loud to make me dizzy - I think I wasn't sure for a few moments if I was dead or alive. Just a few days ago I wrote a comment [1] about a boy who…

I also (partly) grew up in (what was West) Germany but I am British. My dad was an ATO but by that time he generally ran ammunition depots. From a very early age (5+), me and my brother were taught how to look for "devices" under cars and other skills that kids should not need.

Dad was called out to mop up after a young lad found an unexploded mortar shell and put it in a bench vice and whacked a nail into the firing pin. He has several more harrowing tales along those lines.

Gosh what fun old days those were. This was the era of the Cold War, at school we would have a bomb scare nearly weekly, Rheindahlen E mess was bombed, troops were shot at by quite a variety of nasty people and other fun and games. Mind you, a CSM pinched a Saracen or Saladin and tried to run down a bloke who was playing away with his wife. He drove it over the other bloke's car first. Shandy was involved.

On the bright side, I have friends from afar that I'm in touch with today - 40 odd years later.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#280

Post by paulie_a »

jjeaff wrote: post #163
paulie_a wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have never understood the shift to glossy screens. And it's funny that matte screens were briefly marketed as "privacy" screens because the angle of viewing was lower.

The matte texture diffuses light and gives you a relatively fuzzy picture compared to gloss. They just don't look nearly as clear and crisp when you compare side by side.

I'd rather be able to see a slightly fuzzy/diffused image than not be able to see anything.
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