Re: ears & more

[David Myers <dmgraph@bway.net>]

Thanks Drew--this is just the kind of curious response I mentioned getting
to the question.  What is most interesting is your mention of "paying
attention"; this plays a big part in all the really interesting responses,
I find.  I agree, *some* sort of sound is always there, whether from
tinnitus or something else.  It is a constant (though not static), and what
seems to actually change is my awareness of it; the degree of awareness
appears to actually "control the volume" as it were.  Bottom line: it is
the quality of my listening which is in question, and it would seem to be a
very interior thing.  To once more raise the specter of Mr. Fripp on this
list, he has alway been vocal about his admiration for J. G. Bennett, a
person who has had much to say on the subject....

P.S.  Your "high pitched keening" would describe a good deal of my
experience as well; I'd estimate it as starting above 10 KHz, although
there are more difficult to determine lower bands which require a lot more
quiet (and effort) to perceive.  There is at least one, for instance, which
I've mistaken for refridgerator hum--maybe around 100 Hz.  The former is
more "electrical" somehow, the latter almost "muscular".

><< do you hear a sound in your head? >>
>
>Yes, and I've been meaning to look up some stuff on tinnitis, but I 
>haven't
>yet. I've got this VERY high pitched keening in my ears, which I think is
>tinnitis. Here's the thing--I've had it for as long as I can remember, way
>before I started to listen to loud music. I had a lot of ear infections 
>as a
>kid, so I think that's got something to do with it. It's really loud, 
>when I'm
>paying attention to it (it's always there).
>
>Now this is wierd: I can control the volume of my tinnitis. Whether I am
>actually making it get louder/softer is probably impossible to say, but it
>seems that I can actually control how loud the ringing is. Strange.
>
>Here's another thing: I think having tinnitis for my whole life has made 
>my
>hearing much more acute. Obviously, my actual hearing is not as good as 
>many
>people, but my ability to listen actively is much greater--I'm really 
>good at
>musical dictation/transcription, etc. I've really had to learn to listen 
>past
>the ringing in my ears, so I find it easier to listen past other 
>extraneous
>noise. At least, that's how it seems. The flip side to this is that I 
>find it
>nearly impossible to truly "tune out" background music (non-musical noises
>aren't such a problem). Elevators and grocery stores can be a living 
>hell....
>
>Ringingly,
>
>Drew Wheeler