Metalhead Suffering From Severe Tinnitus And Hyperacusis Commits Suicide
Sad news in the Belgian newspapers today. Dietrich Hectors, a 29-year old Belgian metalhead (and a doctor of engineering) killed himself last Friday because he was suffering from a severe form of tinnitus and hyperacusis. Tinnitus is an incurable condition, where the ear is permanently damaged, resulting in an over-sensitivity to certain frequency ranges of sound. Despite taking some sort of medication, in the end, every single sound hurted his ears, especially his own voice. "This disease controls my life: every word hurts."
His ears got damaged permanently after a Sepultura concert in 1996. From then on, he used ear plugs for almost every loud activity. After a rehearsel with his metal band - where he forgot his plugs because he was in a hurry - his condition got worse. Eventually, Dietrich Hectors was forced to quit the band in 2003. He also gave up most of his social life - avoiding pubs etc. - locking himself up in total loneliness and silence. After visiting a small, local music festival in 2006, he took off his ear plugs, just when people started firing fireworks right next to him. When he got his plugs back in, already a few explosions had passed. The next few days, his ears started hurting like never before.
In his goodbye letter, Hectors wrote: "For the first time in my life, the ringing noise in my ears is totally unbearable. It goes beyond anything. Despite the heavier medication, EVERYTHING is hurting my ears, especially my own voice. I can no longer communicate - just when I really needed to talk with the people around me the most. A hundred times, I tried to fight back, kept myself in silence, involved in antisocial behaviour - waiting for some sort of improvement. But there is a line somewhere. That line is reached. Please respect my choice, my life has become a living hell."
He also added he now regrets his switch in musical preferences from hard-rock to heavy metal...
Dutch-speaking people can read the whole letter at this location.
May you rest in Peace and Silence, Dietrich.
His ears got damaged permanently after a Sepultura concert in 1996. From then on, he used ear plugs for almost every loud activity. After a rehearsel with his metal band - where he forgot his plugs because he was in a hurry - his condition got worse. Eventually, Dietrich Hectors was forced to quit the band in 2003. He also gave up most of his social life - avoiding pubs etc. - locking himself up in total loneliness and silence. After visiting a small, local music festival in 2006, he took off his ear plugs, just when people started firing fireworks right next to him. When he got his plugs back in, already a few explosions had passed. The next few days, his ears started hurting like never before.
In his goodbye letter, Hectors wrote: "For the first time in my life, the ringing noise in my ears is totally unbearable. It goes beyond anything. Despite the heavier medication, EVERYTHING is hurting my ears, especially my own voice. I can no longer communicate - just when I really needed to talk with the people around me the most. A hundred times, I tried to fight back, kept myself in silence, involved in antisocial behaviour - waiting for some sort of improvement. But there is a line somewhere. That line is reached. Please respect my choice, my life has become a living hell."
He also added he now regrets his switch in musical preferences from hard-rock to heavy metal...
Dutch-speaking people can read the whole letter at this location.
May you rest in Peace and Silence, Dietrich.
| gva.be |
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| Elio Red Nightmare Posts: 4920  |
Woah sad story. Guess you guys wants us to understand the importance of earplugs...
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| Uirapuru Liver Failure Posts: 2955  |
Damn... what a hell... would'nt be better to become deaf? Quote: Why can't he regret being more responsable with his health?
----  ---- member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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| Iskariota Posts: 6 |
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| Lucas Mr. Noise Elite Posts: 13427  |
Written by Uirapuru on 22.07.2009 at 17:26 Probably not, I'm guessing it was 'phantom pain', not sure what the English term is, but pain in a limb which isn't actually there. (Ever heard of people having pains in their amputated legs, for example?)
---- SLUDGE. DOOM. DEATH. Wait, what?  "The reason I'm running for president is because I can't be Bruce Springsteen." - Barack Obama
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| Dane Train Beers & Kilts Elite Posts: 8902  |
Written by Uirapuru on 22.07.2009 at 17:26 My thoughts as well. Your ears could be damaged going to see Mountain or Megadeth just as well as being damaged going to see Garth Brookes or The Rolling Stones.
---- (space for rent)
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| Uirapuru Liver Failure Posts: 2955 |
Written by Lucas on 22.07.2009 at 17:38 Ah. so it kinda hits directly the brain? Well... in this case the situation is really unbeareble...
---- ---- member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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| Valentin B Iconoclast Posts: 10084  |
The moral of this story is of course to use them damn earplugs when going at gigs... i'm sad i didn't do that beforehand, i might have suffered ear damage as well, though i don't realize it now..
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| RhaegarTargaryen Telcontar Posts: 388  |
Actually the Rolling Stones got much more louder speakers, so ... anywayz, it was his choice, but you have to be responsible towards yourself and your personal health in the first place, and then everything else ... and besides this is a very rare ccurance, many thousands of people go to concerts, and are prefectly fine afterwards ... anywayz, may he rest in peace, regardless of everything else.
---- ... For years I have traveled in coldness, But my heart is warm as the darkened sun above me... Nothing can never take away What I've seen with these tired eyes
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| Holy_Diver Posts: 32 |
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| MeloDeathViking Posts: 514  |
That's really a shame. It's amazing the amount of pain that two small ear plugs can save you.
---- "I am not superstitious, but I'm a little 'stitious." - Michael Scott
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| BloodTears ANA-thema Elite Posts: 11835  |
I noticed it kills your ears if you stay on the front row or similar rows. So basically I avoid staying there. Because it hurts my ears and because I can't breathe. Even though I don't wear the earplugs I take simple measures like staying away from the fatal zones.
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
Written by BloodTears on 22.07.2009 at 18:21 The entire venue is a fatal zone, not just the first couple of rows. So, always wear earplugs.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| dancingdecember Posts: 264  |
Wow...what a dramatic story.Could be well made in a short film. Respect.
---- i'm super, thanks for asking
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| Visioneerie Urban Monster Posts: 810  |
Funny thing, I've always worn my earplugs for concerts and my past ex-band rehearsals. I heard if you don't take the precautions early on you might not notice a big difference but it catches up with you quickly as you age. Oh and may the metalhead rest in peace.
---- Any man can stand adversity, but to test his character give him power - A. Lincoln
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| FeskarN Posts: 867  |
Sad story indeed. After reading this I will be more careful with using ear-plugs at consert/festivals.
---- The Land Is Silent... Before The Storm!
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by Lucas on 22.07.2009 at 17:38 The pain Dietrich suffered was not "phantom pain" but real physical pain.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| corrupt With a lowercase c Admin Posts: 3136  |
Written by Uirapuru on 22.07.2009 at 17:26 When people suffer from tinnitus and think they cannot take it anymore, there is an option to cut the nerve that connects the damaged ear (or ears) to the brain. But many times when that was done, the patient continued to hear the sound he heard before and the pain doesn't go away either. Only that then, you are really deaf to anything else and only hear the hissing or rining sound. If you feel a pain that makes life unworthy of living for you I find it ok to end it on your own terms. The wife of one ex-chancellor of Germany killed herself a few years ago because she was literally allergic to sunlight (not the itchy kind but the really hurtful kind) and had to stay in dark rooms all of the time. Back then I couldn't disagree with her choice, and now I see myself in the same position again with this guy. And my parents were mad at me when I spend 400? on professional earplugs... solid parenting 
---- 
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| Ernis 狼獾 Posts: 6807  |
Written by Holy_Diver on 22.07.2009 at 17:59 True....not just metal gigs...all kinds of large events where loud music is played is not good if the sound waves are so strong you feel they hit your body physically and make your insides shake... I heard once of a dude who stood at a music venue next to a large speaker and fell down dead...the sound wave from the speaker hit his heart out of the rhythm....
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| Crème fraiche Posts: 695  |
Having someone in my immediate family commit suicide, I don't agree with his decision at all. No matter how unbearable the pain is in your life, it's not worth ending it. His story sounds terrible, and I cannot even fathom the excruciating pain he must have felt, but who knows what tomorrow may bring? It's always worth holding on.
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| Shadowcross The Summoner Posts: 481  |
Written by Lucas on 22.07.2009 at 17:38 yes phantom pains in the correct term... A sad story. I guess he can't really blame Sepultura.. The heavier concerts I always wear earplugs unless i really LOVE the band which is very few.. Last time I was in Belgium a lot of people were throwing fireworks around... I guess a telling reason why they are banned in many countries includin my own.
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| Shadowcross The Summoner Posts: 481 |
Well actually Marcel is more correct as he hadn't completely lost his hearing.. my Dad has tinnitus from his days of playing in bands, and that was in the seventies.. although it isn't as extreme as this case it seems. I often find the volume at some venues TOO loud.. It even ruins the sound.. whereas the better gigs I have been to have had a moderate mix where you can hear all the little parts of treble I would support limiting noise to a certain dB limit, definitely!
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| Asitis Posts: 201  |
Hm, makes me think though. I'll take my plugs with me to EVERYTHING after this 
---- The silent moment, right before the dusk fades away I open my eyes, but the darkness stays
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| RainFillsRivers Posts: 31  |
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| Manzo Posts: 20 |
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| Hamird Lieutenant Posts: 2564  |
Why he should be regret from switching from Hard-Rock to Heavy Metal..? Even if he was a Electro fan he would have the same end..
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| tulkas el parcero Posts: 4742  |
Wow, poor dude. I can understand his decision because not being able to bear even your own voice, that's gotta suck. Sad story.
---- love is like a jar of shit with a strawberry on top
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| Janne Hugin Posts: 1721  |
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| crusader84 Posts: 23 |
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| Maxx666 Meshuggahian Posts: 376  |
Written by Guest on 22.07.2009 at 18:36 Yeah as always.fuck them:mad7:
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| Warman Erotic Stains Posts: 7695  |
This makes me think once again about my choice to never wear ear plugs... but I hate those, I hate them so much!
---- 
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