Musician's plug

[jerseygirl]

Hi,

I am considering a musician's plug for loud situations. My audiologist told me it can either be 15 or 25 db dampening. Did anybody use it and was it helpful? Which one was it? Thanks in advance,

                         Eve

[Static]

Eve,
I have a plug for loud situations but it's not a musicians plug.  It's just a noise reduction plug.  My audiologist told me that a musicians plug is more expensive and I really didn't need something like that.  This plug fills my entire ear canal without a hole to let in any noise but I can still hear with it in.  An example would be that when I am at a football game (my daughter is in marching band) with the band at my left which is my good ear, everybody else is struggling to hear each other and I am not.  It cuts out all the background noise and loud noises but still allows you to hear what is directed at you or right next to you.  I could still hear the audiologist talking to me when he had the mold in my ear and he told me it was probably because I had gone so long with single sided hearing that my good ear had compensated for it.  Anyway, the plug I have cost me about $25 less than the musicians plug.  It was not covered by my insurance.  I hope what I tried to explain made sense to you.
~Karen

[jerseygirl]

Karen,

Thank you for your post. I tried noise reduction plugs but they either fall out or stick out or are very obvious because they are bright. The only thing bright in my ear should be an earring, thank you very much! What you are saying about hearing better in loud situations makes perfect sense and I hope I get that! The other plugs never worked for me I guess because I could never keep them in.

              Eve

[Static]

Eve,
The other, over the counter type plugs were never much help to me either.  The fitted plug helps much better.  It still does let some sound in, but makes it much easier to deal with being in a loud situation.  I am now dealing with the winter season when my daughter is in indoor guard and I think that is louder because of the sound systems in the indoor gymnasiums.  Sometimes it can be so loud, but with the plug, I'm hoping it will be much easier to cope (this will be my first indoor season trying it).  I just got the plug in October of 2007.  Good luck in your endeavor!
~Karen

[Yvette]

The musician's plugs are a great help to me! Saves me from tinnitus as well. Also very helpful is my new speaker for the television-it amplifies only the human voices so the background noises don't interfere with my ability to hear what they are saying. My non AN hubby likes it too, since he doesn't here some pitches.  The musician's plugs are great at a movie theater or loud restaurants.

Best wishes, Yvette

[Static]

Yvette,
Where did you get something like that?  A friend of mine is partially deaf in both of his ears, not from AN, and whenever he watches TV he always blasts it and it drives his wife crazy!  Maybe something like that would help him.
~Karen

[Charlotte Lady]

I:ve seen several mentions of a musician's plug.  What exactly is it?   I gather it allows some sound in but how that help distinguish voices, I don;t get.  Also how does is cut back on tinnitus.

Donna

[nancyann]

I've had a musician's plug for awhile now,  mine is about 3/4 inch & fitted to your ear canal- just a small tan rubber piece is outside the canal so you can pull it out.
I personally don't like it much, though it does work to diminish the noise level. (I'm excused from large meetings at work via a doctor's note). 
I find when lots of people are really loud it doesn't help much, but will help in a setting where people are talking at a normal level, places like a restaurant,
concert.     You are better able to hear the person next to you,  They come in 2 levels: 1 decreases sound by 15 decibels (the one I got) & the other decreases
sound by 25 decibels.
I don't notice it cut down on tinnitus at all, that's inside the head!
I got mine at a university hospital - the ear, nose throat dept.  It cost me $75.00    They take a mold of your ear canal (not deep), then they'll call you when it's
ready & show you how to place it.    Quite easy.

Hope that helps Donna,    Nancy

[Static]

I don't have a musicians plug, but mine was made with a mold and a bit larger than 3/4".  It's more about 1" X 1/2" or close to that and fits the same way.  I don't know what the decibel rating is, but it was $25 less than the musician's plug.  It was made at an audiologist's office.  It is of alot of help at loud events like marching band shows and indoor events where music is being played extremely loud in a gymnasium.  It doesn't help with the tinnitus in general, but it does help reduce the intense pulsing and rushing that the loud noises would otherwise cause the tinnitus to become.  I hope that makes sense.  I asked my audiologist for a musician's plug and he told me I really didn't need to spend the extra $ on it and I should just get a noise reduction plug. 
~Karen

[jerseygirl]

Static,

I never heard of a noise reduction plug! Do you need the audiogram for that also?

                       Eve

[marg]

I like the idea of a noise reduction plug... I will have to check it out. 
thanks,
Margaret

[GM]

I just go to Lowes (Home Improvement Stores), and go to the power tool isle and pick up some disposable ear plugs for those noisy situations (Race track, concert, etc).

[Charlotte Lady]

I used to have some good disposable plugs.  The ones available now are so soft they don't go into my ear canal (I have very small ear canals). 

I'm finding that now, months after the surgery, loud noises cause longlasting tinnitus.  I work wiht a woman whose loud laugh and loud sneezes cause my ears to ring and shriek and whistle for hours afterwards.  I've never heard such loud noises from a person.  I've got to find some protection from that.

D

[jerseygirl]

Charlotte Lady,

I also have very small ear canals and had no luck with cheap plugs available everywhere. I am really hoping the custom  made  version will do the trick.

                Eve

[Static]

Eve,
I suppose you do because I had already had an audiogram at my ENT and I went to the audiologist associated with my ENT.  They did give him a copy of my report.  As far as the guy who did the mold and took care of me at the hearing aid place told me, the noise reduction plug is very similar to a musician's plug but isn't quite as sophisticated.  It makes a huge difference as compared to the OTC plugs which I could never get to stay in my ears anyway.  I really don't know what else to tell you, I don't remember exactly everything he told me because I'm on too many meds, but if you talked to an audiologist or someone else who makes aids and plugs, I'm sure they would know what it is.  Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
~Karen