In my first year in radio, an Audio Engineer I greatly respected told me about his tinnitus - the constant ringing which kept him awake at night and drove him to despair.
He got it from loud studios and louder concerts, and didn't want me to make the same mistakes.
"Whatever you do in this business, protect your hearing, because once it's stuffed it won't be coming back."
I have worn hearing protection to every concert since. And I take great care that my studios don't get too loud.
Despite my precautions, I have lost some of my hearing. Just enough to make it difficult to hold a conversation in a crowded room.
I don't need hearing aids, but I do have to address the issue socially. So rather than nodding and smiling when I don't understand someone, I explain that my hearing isn't great and ask them to repeat themselves.
Earlier this year at a public event, I was exposed to a very loud bang, much like having a gun go off next to my head. I've had tinnitus ever since. It's maddening.
So I went back to my audiologist Nick Modrovich for more testing and advice. While he was at it, I got him to make me some custom ear plugs, for future concerts.
Here he is, injecting the moulding material into my ears.
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