OK, heres something different. Since I retired a couple years ago my flying and building time has increased a lot. So has the noise in my ears, to the point of distraction. I wear ear coverings when firning weoaons, mowing, weed eating and all that -so what the heck.

Well, something I wondered about but did not give seroius consideration to was the building aspect of the hobby.

According to what I read after a Google search, solvents, thinners, paints and fuels can also cause cause ringing in the ears, sometimes to access. This new problem of mine has gotten steadily worse since my building/finishing time has incrteased so much.

Has onyone else erxperienceed this?

Don

Hey Don:

Going to a doc may be a good idea.  There's lots of things that can cause tinnitus, not all of which is irreversible, and on the other hand, not all of which is as innocent as just losing your hearing.

Do you wear ear protection while playing with engines?  It could be just that, if you're doing significantly more of it these days.  The rule of thumb that I was taught 30 years ago is that if you have to shout to carry on a conversation, you should be wearing hearing protection.  Standing next to a muffled LA 46 I have to shout -- so I wear ear plugs.

I've been steadily losing my hearing since I started working for my dad's shop in my teens -- he wasn't keen on hearing protection, so it took me a couple of years to realize what I was doing to myself.  At that point the downward slide was already launched.  Now I wear hearing protection for anything noisy -- even hammering stuff, if I remember to put in the plugs.

I have had tinnitus for 40+ years since my days in the Air Force around jet engines.  It's something I learned to live with a long time ago.  Been back in the hobby the last 15 years and it has not affected my tinnitus either way.

Yep, like all the above, life long environmental exposures to a lot of bad stuff: In my case it was 8 years Artillery then Helicopter maintenance. decades in the motor pool with TriCloroFloro and other crap like PD 680, Zinc Chromate and CARC (Chemical Agent Resistive Coating) paints, lots of days with MEK---- yada Yada.... And like all good home owner, years of weed eater, mower, shop tools...always wore hearing protection (beat into us in the artillery days).

Always wore ear plugs testing glow engines and flying, same with trips to the range or hunting. Been retired fro active duty 20 years soon and my tested hearing loss is minimal but the Tinnitus is loud and all day long

When by myself building, I always have music in the shop to mask the damned ringing.... must have TV on to sleep

Wife is retired Army also and some evenings I complain about the Tinnitus and she sez...."sorry darling but what you are hearing right now is crickets at 90dB"....Danged buggers are on same note as my ringing and it drives me nutz!

Go to Walgreens and buy their brand of Multi-vitamins for Men. It has the same ingredients of Lipo-Flavanoid which is for ringing in the ears. It works for me at about 1/2 the price. I tried the Lipo-F and it worked. When I compared the ingredients I was floored to find out it was just a multi vitamin. If it doesn't cure it it might lessen the ringing.

Rich

Like Allan I have lived with Tinitus for over 40 years.  When I was in the Air Force, I was a Morse Code intercept operator, often referred to as a ditty bop.  I. Wore headsets 8 hours a day taking Morse Code and ever since I have ringing and crickets in my ears. I have learned to live with it.  The VA turned me down twice for hearing aids so I bought them myself.

Mike