I wanted to introduce myself and thank you for any advice. On June 28, 2020, I suffered from acoustic shock to my hearing (three blasts from a 12-gauge shotgun in an indoor shooting range by another shooter, who shot before I had a chance to put on my ear protection, which I should have worn before I walked into the room). One problem I have is getting over the stupidity of this. I am not sure how to deal with that, and if any of you have any suggestions. Getting over such a stupid mistake is very difficult.
The other thing I would like to know is this: I am six weeks out since the incident, and I would like to know from your experience how many weeks out is there still room for improvement with the clogged feeling and the ringing. I don't want false hope, but rather an honest assessment of how often can people have improvements after 6 weeks from a noise trauma.
I have gone to an ear doctor. I was on NAC from day 2, and then prednisone as of day 16 for 10 days. Now I am on steroid shots in my arm by the name of Kenalog.
In my case, I have three symptoms.
1. In my left ear is a clogged feeling, like when you are on an elevator. For parts of the day, it goes away. But other parts of the day, I feel the clogged feeling, and I can hear an echo of my own voice in my ear. Today, for example, the clogged feeling seems to have slightly improved, but it comes and goes.
2. In both ears, there is a ringing, but it is significantly louder in the right ear. The right ear also feels a stinging or numbness. At night, I can hear the ringing in my right ear quite clearly. During the day, it fades with the other noise of everyday life
3. Both ears are sensitive to sound, though that seems to have improved.
I am wondering if people here can share your experiences with improvement, and how many weeks out is there still hope for improvement. I also really wonder if you have suggestions on how to mentally get past such a stupid mistake, where 5 seconds of not thinking can cause a lifetime problem.
Thanks for any suggestions and advice.
Sincerely,
Tom
The other thing I would like to know is this: I am six weeks out since the incident, and I would like to know from your experience how many weeks out is there still room for improvement with the clogged feeling and the ringing. I don't want false hope, but rather an honest assessment of how often can people have improvements after 6 weeks from a noise trauma.
I have gone to an ear doctor. I was on NAC from day 2, and then prednisone as of day 16 for 10 days. Now I am on steroid shots in my arm by the name of Kenalog.
In my case, I have three symptoms.
1. In my left ear is a clogged feeling, like when you are on an elevator. For parts of the day, it goes away. But other parts of the day, I feel the clogged feeling, and I can hear an echo of my own voice in my ear. Today, for example, the clogged feeling seems to have slightly improved, but it comes and goes.
2. In both ears, there is a ringing, but it is significantly louder in the right ear. The right ear also feels a stinging or numbness. At night, I can hear the ringing in my right ear quite clearly. During the day, it fades with the other noise of everyday life
3. Both ears are sensitive to sound, though that seems to have improved.
I am wondering if people here can share your experiences with improvement, and how many weeks out is there still hope for improvement. I also really wonder if you have suggestions on how to mentally get past such a stupid mistake, where 5 seconds of not thinking can cause a lifetime problem.
Thanks for any suggestions and advice.
Sincerely,
Tom