I wasn't deafened, but there is a residual singing sensation in my ears all the time. It may have been there before, but I don't think so. At any rate, I am definitely conscious of it now. It's easily drowned out by ordinary everyday noises when out and about, but in the stillness of my home, which has good sound-insulation, it's a constant companion. I hope it gradually fades.
The episode prompted me to read up about hearing damage and hearing loss on the Internet, and I think I've become a lot better-informed. That doesn't mitigate the effects of past exposure to too much sound, and it's no consolation for any permanent damage done, but at least I now know the dangers and can try to avoid them. I probably won't be buying any kind of earphones from now on. And I won't be attending any event involving very loud noise, cinemas included. My remaining hearing needs to be protected.
One of the things I did back in August was to install a hearing-test app on my phone, and, with earbuds in (I had a choice of wired or Bluetooth at the time) go through a testing routine. The app I used asked me to indicate whether I could detect a series of tones at frequencies high and low, to establish my hearing threshold at those levels. It then interpreted the results for me, and kept a record of the test, so that I could repeat it later on and make comparisons.
This was the result on 16th August, soon after blasting my eardrums:
The ears are differentiated, blue for one, red for the other. It's not good, is it? 'Moderate' to 'severe' hearing loss at the higher sound frequencies, and one of my ears has a hearing-age of nearly 80. And I'm only 67. Oh dear!
I did a retest two days ago on 11th October. I still have my wired earbuds. It's a much better result.
Hearing loss has improved to only 'mild'. And my hearing-age on the not-so-good ear is now less than my actual age. I still can't hear nearly as well as a young person can, but in a quiet environment I can pick up some very soft sounds indeed. That's a relief. I will now want to keep it this way.
I might do fresh tests every couple of months, and see whether any further improvement is possible. Probably not much; once damaged, ear parts never recover.
Hearing is very important to me. I rarely watch TV now, and the radio (or recorded music) plays a big part in my daily life. I don't want to grow older with most things around me silenced, and nobody talking to me because I can't understand what they say. I want to take country walks and hear the tiny noises that wild creatures make, and the sweet song of birds, and the buzzing of bees. I want to hear the breeze, and the crash of the surf. I want to hear the postman call at my front door. I want to hear the tread behind of anybody who might be following me with bad intent. Good hearing is so useful, and it's not to be taken for granted.
