The hard-of-hearing beekeeper

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Sometimes my tinnitus is a constant low hiss - a bit like a radio carrier wave, so can easily zone that out, but much of the time it's a high pitched whine which is a bit harder to ignore, it doesn't bother me when I'm busy but takes over when having a bit of 'quiet time'
I'm getting the impression that most members of this forum have tinnitus, deafness or both. Maybe beekeeping is the cause?
Nothing to do with bees in my case, more to do with exposure to big bangs most of my life, working on the buildings in the 1980's before PPE had been invented then added to that, years working on 1970's built 'fast' patrol boats, twin Paxman Valetta engines going at full revs most of the day - the equivalent of having your desk on platform three at Paddington station - between two inter city 125' preparing to leave. And even when alongside we had the Perkins generators going continuously. (and then there were the firearms.....)
 
The most interesting fact I learnt during my initial hearing assessment before getting my electronic ear trumpet was.....
They discovered that there is a particular range of frequencies that I'm particularly deaf to, it just happens to be the same range that covers most female voices. So! all the time SWMBO accused me of not listening - it wasn't that, it's just that I am particularly deaf to that range of voice frequencies
..................... Which is nice 😁
And just to settle any arguments, the nice lady audiologist gave me a piece of paper to prove it 😁
SWMBO didn't speak to me for days after.
Or at least I didn't hear her :icon_204-2:
 
My hearing loss is nothing to do with bees for me either or old age. It does have a few benefits, when the kids are arguing I can switch off!
 
Nothing to do with bees in my case, more to do with exposure to big bangs most of my life, working on the buildings in the 1980's before PPE had been invented then added to that, years working on 1970's built 'fast' patrol boats, twin Paxman Valetta engines going at full revs most of the day - the equivalent of having your desk on platform three at Paddington station - between two inter city 125' preparing to leave. And even when alongside we had the Perkins generators going continuously. (and then there were the firearms.....)

Cor, what a lovely job. How about a few pics - the boat, the engines, the firearms, Officer Jenkins in resplendent uniform.....
 
Sometimes my tinnitus is a constant low hiss - a bit like a radio carrier wave, so can easily zone that out, but much of the time it's a high pitched whine which is a bit harder to ignore, it doesn't bother me when I'm busy but takes over when having a bit of 'quiet time'

Nothing to do with bees in my case, more to do with exposure to big bangs most of my life, working on the buildings in the 1980's before PPE had been invented then added to that, years working on 1970's built 'fast' patrol boats, twin Paxman Valetta engines going at full revs most of the day - the equivalent of having your desk on platform three at Paddington station - between two inter city 125' preparing to leave. And even when alongside we had the Perkins generators going continuously. (and then there were the firearms.....)
Fire arms, now that sounds interesting!!
 
I have one ear that is seriously hard of hearing - probably spent too much time in my youth with it stuck against very noisy car and motorcyle engines followed by too much Black Sabbath at Portsmouth Poly Students Union, Deep Purple in Southampton Uni and Jethro Tull at Portsmouth Guildhall .. all in 1969/70 ... I was totally deaf after comng out of those gigs so it's not surprising I have problems now. I have mild tinnitus but it's the same as my eyesight - I have age related PVD - Posterior vitreous detachment - which is always there but I manage to largely ignore it most of the time.

The only annoyance with one ear working is that background noise really makes it difficult to hear what people are saying to me - and I can often hear better what is said behind me than I can in front ! I must subconsciously lip read as well as I've found it increasingly difficult with people wearing masks.
 
I have one ear that is seriously hard of hearing - probably spent too much time in my youth with it stuck against very noisy car and motorcyle engines followed by too much Black Sabbath at Portsmouth Poly Students Union, Deep Purple in Southampton Uni and Jethro Tull at Portsmouth Guildhall .. all in 1969/70 ... I was totally deaf after comng out of those gigs so it's not surprising I have problems now. I have mild tinnitus but it's the same as my eyesight - I have age related PVD - Posterior vitreous detachment - which is always there but I manage to largely ignore it most of the time.

The only annoyance with one ear working is that background noise really makes it difficult to hear what people are saying to me - and I can often hear better what is said behind me than I can in front ! I must subconsciously lip read as well as I've found it increasingly difficult with people wearing masks.
Wearing masks have been a nightmare for deaf people and those with a hearing loss. One of my deaf friends gave up going to the shop as she found it too difficult. I wear visors in work or masks with a clear window but they aren't brilliant as they steam up!!!
 
Wearing masks have been a nightmare for deaf people and those with a hearing loss. One of my deaf friends gave up going to the shop as she found it too difficult. I wear visors in work or masks with a clear window but they aren't brilliant as they steam up!!!
I can sympathise with your friend. It’s very challenging, especially when shops play music at full volume. Masks add a massive barrier to communication. We use this spray to stop our glasses steaming up. Would it work on your visor?
 

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And this is probably why you have hearing issues now! 😁 :bigear:
Nope. Left ear was a 'reverse squeeze' diving incident in the Red Sea in about 1995: instant whistle that has never gone away. Right ear was two and a half years ago with my little boy coming back from school and passing a viral infection on to me: it went into my inner ear and did a job on my inner ear.
 
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Thanks! Every day is a day at School. Even Christmas Day.
 
I'm getting the impression that most members of this forum have tinnitus, deafness or both. Maybe beekeeping is the cause?
Maybe bee-sting venom attacks the ear drum, the hammer, anvil and stirrup, and/or the cochlea router?
It's like all the videos of traffic accidents that seem to be a staple of YouTube: you never see a recording of a traffic accident unless someone has a DashCam, ergo, DashCams cause accidents.
 
It's like all the videos of traffic accidents that seem to be a staple of YouTube: you never see a recording of a traffic accident unless someone has a DashCam, ergo, DashCams cause accidents.
If a tree falls in the woods and there's nobody there to hear it - does it make a noise?
 
I can sympathise with your friend. It’s very challenging, especially when shops play music at full volume. Masks add a massive barrier to communication. We use this spray to stop our glasses steaming up. Would it work on your visor?
Ooo I don't know thank you for that I'll give it a try
 
I wear visors in work or masks with a clear window but they aren't brilliant as they steam up
In my youth we used to apply a very thin film of neat washing up liquid to the inside surface of motorcycle crash helmet visors which stopped them steaming up for a while.
 
Nope. Left ear was a 'reverse squeeze' diving incident in the Red Sea in about 1995: instant whistle that has never gone away. Right ear was two and a half years ago with my little boy coming back from school and passing a viral infection on to me: it went into my inner ear and did a job on my inner ear.

Do you hear voices as well?;)
 
So nicely put Afermo👍😀

I too have tinnitus and miss the silence. Left ear mainly, made worse a couple of years ago by stupidly using an angle grinder to cut paving, without ear defenders. “It’s only a few cuts” but the sound echoing back on the left from the house wall has done the ear in.
I found I just couldn’t wear my glasses, a mask, goggles and ear defenders at the same time and left the defenders off.
Similarly stupid. Think my hearing loss was due to having no ear-defenders when I was using my chainsaw quite a lot about 6 years ago. Used to hear mozzies invading me in the dark in bed. Can't even hear her-indoors snore in her adjacent boudoir now!! :D :D
 

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