[mrsa1]

So last sunday, I went shooting and yes, i forgot to bring hearing protection and i stupidly decided to shoot anyways. I fired maybe 30 something shots of 762x54, and after that my hearing gradually came back in the next hour or so.
anyway, after it came back, i noticed that any time i talked, somebody else talked at a normal level, there was a good bit of distortion, parts of words made a buzzy raspy sound, almost like a blown speaker and its only in my right ear.

now i still have it, but it has calmed down. the first two days following, it was bad, i could hardly stand listening to other people, talking was to the point where i couldnt stand to do it unless it was a few short sentences, and it seems to be slowly getting better. like every 2 days theres a noticeable difference, day to day its hard to notice much difference.
anyway, now its saturday the next week and its still going on, but i can usually talk at a normal level without hearing it much, i get little bits of it when i talk, and when others talk it doesnt happen unless they're louder than normal, and even then its not as severe. i also have a feeling of fullness in the ear, i wouldnt call it pain, but its not comfortable.

i went to an EMT 3 days after, he basically said i could have damaged the hair cells in my inner ear, and you never know if it will come back, he put me on 40mg prednisone per day for 5 days and said to check back next week sometime.

now, i also talked to two marines on thursday, the one i mostly talked to said he was in the marines for 2 years and hardly ever wore ear protection. even said he lost his hearing completely for 2 days. i described what im experiencing to him and he said hes had the same thing a few times. same with the other guy. according to him its your hair cells in your inner ear laying down flat and they cant pick up sound correctly, and it takes time for them to come back to their normal position, usually around a week. which honestly is the only answer ive heard that makes sense. everything ive read about online about noise induced hearing loss talks about a noticeable decrease in hearing ability overall, or over a certain range, and as far as i can tell my ear hears just as well as my left and i have no trouble hearing any range of sounds. so it really does not sound like a symptom of hearing loss that ive heard of. (though im sure i suffered some)

ive read about swelling in the inner ear causing distorted sounds, so im wondering if its not the hair cells lying down, if it might be that. and i still feel the fullness, its definitely getting better, so hopefully the sound goes away with the fullness/swelling.

but anyway, just wondering if anyone has any experience with this or advice? i sure learned not shoot without ear pro again, its just not worth it at all. if i had to live with what i was experiencing those first two days for the rest of my life i would have gone insane.

[winds-of-change]

No, I have not had that experience. Nor would I shooot my gun without hearing protection.

I have done it only twice. The first time I ever shot my first gun, I was so excited I forgot to put the 'ears' on. The second time, months later, same thing. But I had them with me and promptly put them on. The 'bang' was DEAFENING and I would not want to risk my hearing in any fashion.

I hope your hearing comes back. You took quite a risk, there.

[texaswoodworker]

The only time I have ever had a hearing problem due to shooting happened the first time I shot my 30-06. I was using a very powerful (loud) round (hornady sst) and I was standing just under a metal barn when I shot the gun. Needless to say, it echoed. So I was mostly deaf in one ear for a while.

Your hearing will probably return to normal after a few more days.

[mrsa1]

Originally Posted by texaswoodworker

The only time I have ever had a hearing problem due to shooting happened the first time I shot my 30-06. I was using a very powerful (loud) round (hornady sst) and I was standing just under a metal barn when I shot the gun. Needless to say, it echoed. So I was mostly death in one ear for a while.

Your hearing will probably return to normal after a few more days.

how long were you deaf?

i know im recovering, just not too happy about how slowly its happening, really dont care as long as i recover at some point. swelling can take weeks to go away, so hopefully no more than a couple weeks.

[danf_fl]

Take it as a lesson learned.
No protection (ear, or eye), no shooting.

Go to an American Legion meeting or VFW meeting and see how many of the older guys have hearing aids.

When I was young and dumb, I shot one round of skeet without plugs. Now I have lost a range of my hearing (the only good part is that the range is of the wife's voice).

[LONGHAIR]

Ear-plugs....Glasses.....

[willshoum]

Originally Posted by mrsa1

So last sunday, I went shooting and yes, i forgot to bring hearing protection and i stupidly decided to shoot anyways. I fired maybe 30 something shots of 762x54, and after that my hearing gradually came back in the next hour or so.
anyway, after it came back, i noticed that any time i talked, somebody else talked at a normal level, there was a good bit of distortion, parts of words made a buzzy raspy sound, almost like a blown speaker and its only in my right ear.

now i still have it, but it has calmed down. the first two days following, it was bad, i could hardly stand listening to other people, talking was to the point where i couldnt stand to do it unless it was a few short sentences, and it seems to be slowly getting better. like every 2 days theres a noticeable difference, day to day its hard to notice much difference.
anyway, now its saturday the next week and its still going on, but i can usually talk at a normal level without hearing it much, i get little bits of it when i talk, and when others talk it doesnt happen unless they're louder than normal, and even then its not as severe. i also have a feeling of fullness in the ear, i wouldnt call it pain, but its not comfortable.

i went to an EMT 3 days after, he basically said i could have damaged the hair cells in my inner ear, and you never know if it will come back, he put me on 40mg prednisone per day for 5 days and said to check back next week sometime.

now, i also talked to two marines on thursday, the one i mostly talked to said he was in the marines for 2 years and hardly ever wore ear protection. even said he lost his hearing completely for 2 days. i described what im experiencing to him and he said hes had the same thing a few times. same with the other guy. according to him its your hair cells in your inner ear laying down flat and they cant pick up sound correctly, and it takes time for them to come back to their normal position, usually around a week. which honestly is the only answer ive heard that makes sense. everything ive read about online about noise induced hearing loss talks about a noticeable decrease in hearing ability overall, or over a certain range, and as far as i can tell my ear hears just as well as my left and i have no trouble hearing any range of sounds. so it really does not sound like a symptom of hearing loss that ive heard of. (though im sure i suffered some)

ive read about swelling in the inner ear causing distorted sounds, so im wondering if its not the hair cells lying down, if it might be that. and i still feel the fullness, its definitely getting better, so hopefully the sound goes away with the fullness/swelling.

but anyway, just wondering if anyone has any experience with this or advice? i sure learned not shoot without ear pro again, its just not worth it at all. if i had to live with what i was experiencing those first two days for the rest of my life i would have gone insane.

condoms and ear plugs are a must in any mans war... Would someone please answer the damn phone......Ringing in the ears at an old age is unforgiving. It's hard to describe, esp. when you want to get some sleep.....

[AcidFlashGordon]

Originally Posted by willshoum

Would someone please answer the damn phone......Ringing in the ears at an old age is unforgiving. It's hard to describe, esp. when you want to get some sleep.....

At old age? I've had Tinnitus since I was a child.

[trip286]

Don't do that anymore. 4 years marine infantry, all of it carrying a SAW except for a short time at a school in virginia. Hearing loss sucks. I always used hear pro on the range, but in combat it's a different story.

[freefall]

I once shot a weasel in my cabin. I used a .44 mag with bird shot so I wouldn't make a hole in the floor. No one else heard that shot because I heard it ALL. I heard it ringing for the next 4 days. Lesson learned, DO NOT shoot in the house without ear protection. Unless, of course, it's an emergency.