Do Edge and Bono really have tinnitus?

[Rachel D.]

I should have brought earplugs to Winnipeg, because The Fray made my ears ring really bad, so they were already a little dull before U2 came on. Actually, I would recommend that anyone in the inner circle should bring earplugs, if only for the opening band so that your ears are in good working order for U2. The opening acts seem to think that if they're really loud, then maybe we'll like them more. It only made me dislike them more.

 

[nathan1977]

Way to resurrect an old thread!

Just to clarify an old rumor...the "insect in the ear" Bono refers to in "Staring at the Sun" is actually a reference to an abcess that Howie B got in his ear during the recording of "POP." Or so says Niall Stokes in "Into the Heart: The Stories Behind Every U2 Song."

 

[senrab]

I have it - a constant high pitch ringing in the ears - and I got it from one U2 show up in Boston back in 2005. The first year dealing with it was really, really awful. I'm a light sleeper and it made my nights painful. I've since been able to adjust and it's not as noticeable anymore, and and I have to sleep with a white noise generator at night.

I advise everyone to wear ear plugs at every concert (the good foam kind that go into the ear canal and expand back to fill all the space).

Vertigo Tour was a LOUD show. I wore earplugs for that. However, I sat in the seats for both 360 shows I went to, and the sound didn't bother me at all. Sorry you've had problems.

 

[Zoomerang96]

to the original poster, or the person from belgium, (or maybe they're the same person, i can't remember)...

i got tinnitus last year and i nearly went mental. ... it was all i could think about. i was constantly checking to see if the noise was coming from my ears or something else in the room. it was incredibly stressful.

as stupid as it sounds, worrying/dwelling/focusing on it only makes it worse. ... not just for your state of mind, but also quite literally the noise has been shown to increase.

one thing i was told was that at the end of the day, it's just a noise and it's not hurting you. what if you were in a loud room, would that make you uncomfortable? no, probably not. but because the noise is coming from your ears, you automatically feel like you've lost control.

and that's what it's about, i think. being able to control the amount of noise you let in.

again, the brain focuses on things that it deems to be a threat. once you've established in your mind that it's nothing more than a sound and not a threat to your well-being (in a physical sense), your brain will actually tune out the sound.

i know these things because i've been there. and while i might have bad days here and there, there is absolutely no question that i'm miles ahead of where i was.

don't fear the noise, just accept it.

easier said than done, but you know what? it will happen, and you will feel better one day. just try and stay positive and try to focus on the good things happening in your life. i'm sure there are many.

 

[herci]

I'm back a bit late though.
@zoomerang, what you say is absolutely right. I have had some TRT therapy which helped me a lot. Altough I must say. Some people have it in one ear, one sound. I have it in both, mostly 2 sounds, sometimes up to 5 different sounds. In my ears it's not way loud. But I know people who have got a tinnitus o 60 to 80dB. That sounds like a vacuum cleaner. So for those people it must be hard to ignore as it is always louder than anything around you.

On the other hand, I also have hyperacusis.
That is actually the worst thing ever, you can't ignore you have it because, when doing dishes, walking on a street and anything louder you experience pain and much discomfort by hearing certain sounds and noise. That has made my life a hell. I can't go to concerts, movies, parties, weddings, receptions, fireworks, fun stuff in town, shopping in loud(er) shops, walk past by people working on the street even doing regular stuff at home. Like vacuuming, mowing the lawn. Most of these thing are not even possible with the highest hearing protection existing.

So yeah tinnitus, most people can get over it...hyperacusis not. Half of the people can't even work anymore, let alone bear the sounds that their own children make. About 40% of people who get T after a concert get H too...