A Warning to all young DJ's

Please take heed all. There are threads about this but if you don't protect it you'll lose it.

Was playing a gig last evening and for the first time after 20 years of audio abuse i couldn't pick out a beat with my open ear. I found this quite alarming and after switching the cup from my left to right ear it became abundantly clear that my hearing to my right ear was significantly damaged. In the left ear (which is always covered by a headphone) all was crisp and loud with clearly defined highs. In my right ear (which is always open to the monitor) all i could hear was a dull, quiet and muffled sound with absolutely no highs. At 38 it looks like it may be time to call it a day. Ater all, what use is a partially deaf DJ?
To say i'm upset is an understatement. I adore music and to not hear it how it should sound is a bit of a heartbreaker. Im planning on making an appointment with the doc soon to assess the damage although there's probably an online test to check frequency loss.

If you're a young DJ and reading this you're probably believeing, as I did, that it won't happen to you or it will spoil your enjoyment of the music if you wear ear attenuators. Trust me when I say that the consequences of exposure to loud music far outweigh wearing some attenuators.

Please, for your own sakes, protect your ears. If not you can guarantee that somewhere down the line all you will be left with is a dull muffled sound and lots of regret.

Edit; I also forgot to add that socialising with your mates becomes very difficult too unless you can lip read.