Tinnitus Onset After Going to Outdoor Shooting Range

[kyles]

Hi All,

My name is Kyle, and I am 27 years old. Here is my story with tinnitus. Please let me know your feedback or similar stories/experiences.

About a week ago and three days (9/4/2020), I went to an outdoor shooting range and had earplugs in shooting a 9mm handgun. There were about 15-20 other people there. After about an hour of being there, we left. Once I took my earplugs off, my right ear felt clogged up. The clogged feeling went away after two days, but I started to get a ringing in my right ear.

After four days of ringing, I went to an Audiologist, and she said I didn't have any hearing loss. She tested my inner ear hairs as well. She said it should go away after a couple of weeks.

I can't hear it during the day unless I cover both my ears or have it completely silent. At night time I can hear it, but it doesn't keep me up at night (I think it is more of a mild case).

During the first couple of days, I did get stressed-out and would panic about the sound, but after a week, I just ignored it, and it got better. It has been getting better, but I am still unsure if it will go away. I've seen other people say that there hearing tests were positive as well, but it never went away. I want to get more information to educate myself. I am still optimistic about it. Thanks!

Kyle

 

[Jack Straw]

If you can only hear it in silent rooms, consider this a learning experience. Going forward protect your hearing around sounds louder than 80 dB. If noise is extremely loud, ear plugs won't be able to protect against hearing damage so avoid those situations. Things can and will get a lot worse if you don't take this seriously and protect your hearing. Many people here hear their tinnitus 24/7 even in loudish environments.

That being said, tinnitus can reduce naturally over a two year period from what we have seen on here. Some people like to supplement curcumin even though benefits are still being researched. Please do your own research before taking supplements.

Best of luck and protect your hearing!

 

[Daniel Lion]

You are so freaking lucky, my tinnitus is awful.

Honestly, I'd stop shooting altogether. But... if you were to continue buy the best earmuffs and put them over your plugs.

What you had was an audiological warning sign, which means be super f..ing careful. I never got a warning sign.

If you were my son you wouldn't be given a choice. Sorry I have such strong feelings about this...

Daniel

 

[Juan]

If you are new to tinnitus it could go away, but your ears may become more sensitive to noise or more prone to tinnitus or hearing damage after this shooting range episode, so be careful with noise in the future, as its effects are cumulative.

 

[monkey124]

Sorry this has happened to you. Hope it will improve! How did the audiologist test your inner hair cells?

 

[kyles]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I am definitely not going back to a shooting range.

Lucy - she used a device that used different tones to check if the ear hairs were responsive. Everything came back ok. That being said, she told me if it keeps persisting to see an ENT doctor for a second opinion.

 

[Tom 2020]

On June 28, 2020, I suffered my acoustic trauma incident from a shotgun blast. I went to a shooting range, and I did not yet put my ear protection on, and the guy next to me shot his gun.

I experienced ringing in my left ear a few days after the incident. And in both my ears, there is still a subtle clogged feeling, like if you went on an elevator, and felt you had to unclog your ears. Sometimes when I take a shower, for an hour or so, they feel a bit less clogged. This clogged sensation began with the acoustic trauma.

I also have sensitivity to sound, which month my month is getting better, but slowly.

Thus, the ringing, the clogged feeling and sensitivity to sound keep getting slightly better week after week.

I now don't know if I can ever shoot again if I use earplugs and over the head ear protection. I feel like, since my ears are slowly getting better month by month, do I risk ruining my life if I want to shoot a few times a year with double protection?

I really feel that we should organize to pass a federal law that requires all children in school to have a full hour of required education on ear health. Most Americans do not understand that tinnitus is devastating and often can be avoided.

I now must use a noise machine that plays a fan sound, plus an app that plays cricket sounds, to not go crazy late at night. Isn't that really romantic? Ha. My life has been significantly impacted due to my stupid mistake. I want to think that I can help kids avoid my error, so that some good comes from my error.

On the bright side, for a number of us here, if we protect our ears, there is hope that our hearing will slowly, slowly get better. Life is not easy. But I keep thinking of our military veterans who suffer so much more. So, we must all be strong and try to organize to help kids learn from our challenges.

 

[kyles]

On June 28, 2020, I suffered my acoustic trauma incident from a shotgun blast. I went to a shooting range, and I did not yet put my ear protection on, and the guy next to me shot his gun.

I experienced ringing in my left ear a few days after the incident. And in both my ears, there is still a subtle clogged feeling, like if you went on an elevator, and felt you had to unclog your ears. Sometimes when I take a shower, for an hour or so, they feel a bit less clogged. This clogged sensation began with the acoustic trauma.

I also have sensitivity to sound, which month my month is getting better, but slowly.

Thus, the ringing, the clogged feeling and sensitivity to sound keep getting slightly better week after week.

I now don't know if I can ever shoot again if I use earplugs and over the head ear protection. I feel like, since my ears are slowly getting better month by month, do I risk ruining my life if I want to shoot a few times a year with double protection?

I really feel that we should organize to pass a federal law that requires all children in school to have a full hour of required education on ear health. Most Americans do not understand that tinnitus is devastating and often can be avoided.

I now must use a noise machine that plays a fan sound, plus an app that plays cricket sounds, to not go crazy late at night. Isn't that really romantic? Ha. My life has been significantly impacted due to my stupid mistake. I want to think that I can help kids avoid my error, so that some good comes from my error.

On the bright side, for a number of us here, if we protect our ears, there is hope that our hearing will slowly, slowly get better. Life is not easy. But I keep thinking of our military veterans who suffer so much more. So, we must all be strong and try to organize to help kids learn from our challenges.

Tom - thanks for sharing your story, and I wish you the best on your journey to recovery.

I would consult your doctor on going back to a shooting range. My doctor told me to stay away from extremely loud noises/places for a while. My ears are more sensitive. I also had ear protection on and gave me more of a mild case. Your situation may be different.

I am definitely in on spreading the word. When I talk to people about what happened to me, they don't even know you can get something like Tinnitus.

To throw it out there. I am wearing earplugs almost everywhere I go now. I found these Earplugs that work for me and are hidden in your ear from other people. Do your research on your situation. Maybe you need stronger ones. But I like these a lot.

EarDial HiFi Earplugs
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P2NTVPA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Kyle

 

[monkey124]

Hi @kyles, that's really interesting regarding the hair cells being tested. Whereabouts are you based? I don't suppose you have any idea what the test was called? I am very interested. Thanks!

 

[kyles]

Hi @kyles, that's really interesting regarding the hair cells being tested. Whereabouts are you based? I don't suppose you have any idea what the test was called? I am very interested. Thanks!

Lucy - I am based in the Silicon Valley in Northern California. Unfortunately, I don't know the test name, but I can try and find out. I am sure most Audiologists understand what the test is, so asks for a hair cell test. I didn't know they had something like that either.

Kyle

 

[twa]

Hi All,

My name is Kyle, and I am 27 years old. Here is my story with tinnitus. Please let me know your feedback or similar stories/experiences.

About a week ago and three days (9/4/2020), I went to an outdoor shooting range and had earplugs in shooting a 9mm handgun. There were about 15-20 other people there. After about an hour of being there, we left. Once I took my earplugs off, my right ear felt clogged up. The clogged feeling went away after two days, but I started to get a ringing in my right ear.

After four days of ringing, I went to an Audiologist, and she said I didn't have any hearing loss. She tested my inner ear hairs as well. She said it should go away after a couple of weeks.

I can't hear it during the day unless I cover both my ears or have it completely silent. At night time I can hear it, but it doesn't keep me up at night (I think it is more of a mild case).

During the first couple of days, I did get stressed-out and would panic about the sound, but after a week, I just ignored it, and it got better. It has been getting better, but I am still unsure if it will go away. I've seen other people say that there hearing tests were positive as well, but it never went away. I want to get more information to educate myself. I am still optimistic about it. Thanks!

Kyle

How do they test the inner ear hair cells?

 

[twa]

On June 28, 2020, I suffered my acoustic trauma incident from a shotgun blast. I went to a shooting range, and I did not yet put my ear protection on, and the guy next to me shot his gun.

I experienced ringing in my left ear a few days after the incident. And in both my ears, there is still a subtle clogged feeling, like if you went on an elevator, and felt you had to unclog your ears. Sometimes when I take a shower, for an hour or so, they feel a bit less clogged. This clogged sensation began with the acoustic trauma.

I also have sensitivity to sound, which month my month is getting better, but slowly.

Thus, the ringing, the clogged feeling and sensitivity to sound keep getting slightly better week after week.

I now don't know if I can ever shoot again if I use earplugs and over the head ear protection. I feel like, since my ears are slowly getting better month by month, do I risk ruining my life if I want to shoot a few times a year with double protection?

I really feel that we should organize to pass a federal law that requires all children in school to have a full hour of required education on ear health. Most Americans do not understand that tinnitus is devastating and often can be avoided.

I now must use a noise machine that plays a fan sound, plus an app that plays cricket sounds, to not go crazy late at night. Isn't that really romantic? Ha. My life has been significantly impacted due to my stupid mistake. I want to think that I can help kids avoid my error, so that some good comes from my error.

On the bright side, for a number of us here, if we protect our ears, there is hope that our hearing will slowly, slowly get better. Life is not easy. But I keep thinking of our military veterans who suffer so much more. So, we must all be strong and try to organize to help kids learn from our challenges.

Are you 6 months in? When did you start to see improvement? Are you young? Glad you are doing well!

 

[Jrblovsky]

You are lucky dude. I was exposed to ten shots from a Glock 40. Ruined my right ear. Buy shooting muffs. I have used push in plugs since I was a kid and never had problems but it only takes one time. My ear is permanently ruined.

 

[kyles]

Are you 6 months in? When did you start to see improvement? Are you young? Glad you are doing well!

It's been two months, and I am happy to report it's about 99% gone. I started to see the improvement of my tinnitus around 1.5 months. Mine was more of a mild case, but I will make sure not to be around loud noises for a while.

Regarding the ear hair tests, go to an audiologist and ask for an ear hair test. I am in the silicon valley, and maybe it is unique to the area, but I am sure it is a common test.

 

[kyles]

UPDATE:

After two months, I am happy to report that my Tinnitus is about 99 percent gone.

I ended up seeing an ENT (as a second opinion) a month after the incident (since it wasn't going away), and she said I've been around a lot of veterans and you should be ok. As a positive for everyone, she said most first time exposures to noise-inducing traumas go away in time (depending on the severity).

For first-timers, keep a positive outlook. Feel free to reach out with any questions.

 

[Ken219]

@kyles Glad to hear it is history. Just an FYI. Ear plugs aren't always inserted correctly. There are several formulary calculations how effective ear plugs are. Also research 3M knowingly manufacturing defective ear plugs. They say it was just the military but who knows the truth?

 

[n_li808]

@kyles glad your tinnitus went away! Gives me some hope. I'm pretty sure mine was from acoustic shock/trauma as well... but it's been 3 months :/

So what was the process of yours going away?? Did it gradually fade? What were the tones you were hearing from when you first got it till now? Did you have daily spikes?

Sorry lots of questions... I feel like my tones keep changing and I'm not sure what to think at this point...

 

[kyles]

@kyles Glad to hear it is history. Just an FYI. Earplugs aren't always inserted correctly. There are several formulary calculations how effective ear plugs are. Also research 3M knowingly manufacturing defective ear plugs. They say it was just the military but who knows the truth?

@Ken219, I agree! My cousin got a settlement from wearing defective earplugs in the military. Most military veterans have some tinnitus because of all the gun exposures they have over their careers. Even with ear protection, you can still get it. People need to be educated more on this subject matter.

 

[kyles]

@kyles glad your tinnitus went away! Gives me some hope. I'm pretty sure mine was from acoustic shock/trauma as well... but it's been 3 months :/

So what was the process of yours going away?? Did it gradually fade? What were the tones you were hearing from when you first got it till now? Did you have daily spikes?

Sorry lots of questions... I feel like my tones keep changing and I'm not sure what to think at this point...

@n_li808, sorry you are going thru this.

Was this your first exposure?

It was a constant ringing sound for about a month and a half. Then I saw the ENT. She told me to stop thinking about it. It's harder said than done, but that really helped. It slowly started to fade. At this point, I only have a very slight white noise sound in a very quiet room. Most people have that anyway but don't pay attention to it.

What I would do is buy a white noise maker. It helped me out tremendously to sleep and not pay attention to it. You can get a cheap one on amazon. Secondly, I would get a hearing test to see if you have lost any hearing. When I found out I didn't have any hearing loss, my doctors knew it should go away in time. If you lose hearing, you will most likely have it for the rest of your life.

I can't promise it will go away, but if you don't have any hearing loss, it was your first time to a loud exposure, and are younger, you should feel optimistic.

 

[n_li808]

@kyles yes this is my first time with tinnitus after a loud exposure... it was from a very loud car alarm that played indoor. Although I used to go clubbing a lot but never encountered tinnitus.

I also have no hearing loss and I'm age 29.

As for masking at night I sometimes play nature sounds, but if I don't, I have no problem going to sleep luckily.

I feel like it has faded a little, to like a hissy/buzzy noise but if I enter a restaurant and come out the high pitch is back and then fades again... these spikes are not cool. If I didn't have them I would say it has faded. But it fluctuates due to noise.

 

[Ken219]

@Ken219, I agree! My cousin got a settlement from wearing defective earplugs in the military. Most military veterans have some tinnitus because of all the gun exposures they have over their careers. Even with ear protection, you can still get it. People need to be educated more on this subject matter.

The sad part is 3M knowingly manufactured defective ear plugs! And no one went to jail. If it wasn't for a whistleblower 3M could still and may still knowingly manufacture defective equipment. It could go beyond ear plugs?

 

[atx353]

@kyles Thank you for sharing your experience. Mine was actually very similar to yours but over a longer period of time. I am hoping it will go away too. Went to the ENT, and there was only minimal hearing loss in the 6hz range, but still well within normal.

 

[atx353]

@n_li808, sorry you are going thru this.

Was this your first exposure?

It was a constant ringing sound for about a month and a half. Then I saw the ENT. She told me to stop thinking about it. It's harder said than done, but that really helped. It slowly started to fade. At this point, I only have a very slight white noise sound in a very quiet room. Most people have that anyway but don't pay attention to it.

What I would do is buy a white noise maker. It helped me out tremendously to sleep and not pay attention to it. You can get a cheap one on amazon. Secondly, I would get a hearing test to see if you have lost any hearing. When I found out I didn't have any hearing loss, my doctors knew it should go away in time. If you lose hearing, you will most likely have it for the rest of your life.

I can't promise it will go away, but if you don't have any hearing loss, it was your first time to a loud exposure, and are younger, you should feel optimistic.

Kyle @kyles,

Thank you for sharing your experience. Having shared a similar onset as you, I am currently at 4.5 months with tinnitus. It may be slightly less loud, but still there. I was hoping to have a similar outcome as you. Are you still tinnitus free? Did you have hyperacusis following your initial trauma?

Thank you, and glad you're doing well.

 

[kyles]

Kyle @kyles,

Thank you for sharing your experience. Having shared a similar onset as you, I am currently at 4.5 months with tinnitus. It may be slightly less loud, but still there. I was hoping to have a similar outcome as you. Are you still tinnitus free? Did you have hyperacusis following your initial trauma?

Thank you, and glad you're doing well.

Hi @atx353 ,

I am still tinnitus-free.

My ears are more sensitive tough, and every once in a while, the tinnitus will start up again with loud noise exposures. It will go away within minutes, but I protect it very well now.

The way it started was my right ear clogged up after going to an indoor/outdoor shooting range. Then after about two days, the tinnitus started, and the clogged ear went away. This didn't entirely go away for about 3.5 months.

I hope yours is getting better.

Kyle

 

[defender]

If you are new to tinnitus it could go away, but your ears may become more sensitive to noise or more prone to tinnitus or hearing damage after this shooting range episode, so be careful with noise in the future, as its effects are cumulative.

Juan, do you mean that acoustic traumas are cumulative?

 

[Juan]

Juan, do you mean that acoustic traumas are cumulative?

Yes, usually accoustic traumas happen as a result of being exposed to a sound that is loud enough to be risky, but that was tolerated before. The most obvious examples are amplified music (concert, disco, pubs etc), using loud tools or power tools, noise at work etc.

The sound is actually making damage, but it is cumulative and when people notice it's too late. It's like the straw that broke the camel's back.

 

[KBombRN]

Thank you so much for following up! I was following your entire thread. I have a very similar story to yours but doesn't involve a gun.

When you say tinnitus free, do you mean like no sign of tinnitus whatsoever other than the transient tinnitus?