Unilateral Tinnitus After Shooting without Hearing Protection

[Sherif]

Hello,

Background:
I am a 27-year-old male with a good career and a beautiful wife. I don't use headphones often and usually don't listen to music at high volumes. I used to wear my AirPods to sleep while listening to podcasts at a very moderate volume. I am moderately overweight and have high blood pressure that I am still trying to control.

Incident:
28 days ago (May 5th), I foolishly went to an outdoor gun range with friends. I was given earplugs, but unfortunately, they slipped multiple times, and I shot multiple rounds without hearing protection. Sadly, nobody advised me that this was unwise. We shot pistols, shotguns, and semi-automatic guns. This was my first time shooting.

After the shooting, my ears were muffled, and I could barely hear. I had temporary tinnitus for about an hour after the shooting, but it went away. For the next three days, I noticed I could barely hear high frequencies (like microwave beeps), but after three days, this started to recover, and I was 100% normal after one week. I even went to a grocery store and a restaurant and didn't feel any discomfort.

Symptoms:
18 days ago (10 days after the shooting range), I started hearing a very mild ringing in my right ear that became louder after a day. I also started feeling sensitive to sounds (some sounds were piercing through my head). It was my birthday, and a lot was going on, so I didn't bother much. Two days later, the sound became very obtrusive, and I started googling, which triggered panic. It was the weekend, so I scheduled an appointment with an ENT right after the weekend. During the weekend, my blood pressure was 190/95 (up from its average of 145-150/85-90).

At the ENT, I had a hearing test, which showed a mild loss in the right ear at the 4 kHz and 6 kHz frequencies (30 dB).

14 days after the shooting range, and 4 days since the symptoms started, I received my first Dexamethasone shot directly into the ear. I received a total of three shots over a week (8 days to be exact). I didn't get oral steroids because I was already too anxious and unstable. It's been four days since my third shot.

Over this week, I was in a state of super panic. I couldn't calm down, and I only slept when I had no energy left. I cried, wept, and was angry and depressed. My wife was supportive, but I am not sure how long I can continue to drain her beautiful soul.

I have since started limiting myself to reading success stories and listening to podcasts about people who recovered.

I cannot deny that there has been a slight improvement since my symptoms started over two weeks ago. In the first few days, the ringing was loud, but I noticed that in quiet places, the ringing started decreasing to more of a buzzing sound. The improvement happened with how fast I could reach this buzzing state. However, two days ago, all improvements rescinded, and it now feels as bad as the first two weeks.

Here are a few things I noticed about my tinnitus and me in general:

1. It's reactive; specific sounds will flare up and increase the tone in my head. It goes from buzzing to ringing from the simplest exposure to specific sounds (especially running water).
2. I don't think I have hyperacusis as described by others. It's not painful, but louder noises increase my tinnitus, causing huge discomfort (though I wouldn't call it pain per se).
3. White noise increases my tinnitus but can mask it. However, I prefer to sit in a quiet room where it decreases to a baseline electrical buzzing that I can tolerate more. Then I try to sleep while listening to podcasts.
4. On the second day of the symptoms, I remember yawning, and the ringing stopped for five minutes! I haven't been able to recreate this again.
5. I have a swollen wisdom tooth on the left side that has been swelling since the symptoms started. This swelling has come and gone before in my life. Not sure if it's relevant, but the swelling often increases when the tinnitus increases (though this could be a coincidence due to the associated panic).
6. I used to clench my teeth when stressed. One month before the symptoms, my jaw sometimes hurt from clenching, but I became mindful of this and was able to recover.
7. When I wake up in the middle of the night, my brain probably filters out the ringing, but the moment I move, it starts ringing again.
8. When I plug my ears with my fingers and move my jaw, I can feel some rattling/roughness in the right ear. I can't describe the sound, but it feels like it's not "well-oiled." My ENT said this could be due to my brain amplifying all noises from my right ear, but I don't believe this because I can physically feel differences.
9. The biggest spike I had occurred while I was sleeping. I woke up to the biggest spike, and I was in a quiet room.

I accept that I made a mistake and hope to fully recover. But if I can't, I hope the volume will decrease to the point that I can continue with my life!

Thank you.

 

[MindOverMatter]

Sorry to hear about your incident, @Sherif.

I just want to shoot in that hyperacusis doesn't need to be physical pain. These are usually the worst cases of hyperacusis. You can still have loudness hyperacusis; to me (and in my experience), reactive tinnitus is a subset of hyperacusis.

No matter the terminology, you can certainly get better. It's early for you. It might not fade away completely, but you will most likely reach a stage where you/your brain can zoom it out (aka habituate).

 

[Muggumbo]

Read over some of the success stories on Tinnitus Talk. You might be waiting a long time, but it's not uncommon for tinnitus to improve.

 

[Sherif]

Read over some of the success stories on Tinnitus Talk. You might be waiting a long time, but it's not uncommon for tinnitus to improve.

Thanks. I am almost three weeks in and still haven't been able to cope. I am reading most of the success stories, and they have helped me tremendously, but not having any control over the healing process is just tormenting; I don't have any idea when this will improve.

 

[Muggumbo]

Thanks. I am almost three weeks in and still haven't been able to cope. I am reading most of the success stories, and they have helped me tremendously, but not having any control over the healing process is just tormenting; I don't have any idea when this will improve.

Yep, I was in the same place, and sometimes I still am. My healing process has been non-linear. Some days it feels like my tinnitus is on its way out just to come back. Overall, it's a lot better than it was months ago.

In the meantime, protect your ears and stay healthy. Even with hearing protection, I'd avoid loud places for the time being.

 

[Sherif]

I had my second hearing test today. The mild 30 dB hearing loss at 4 kHz and 8 kHz remains unchanged.

This is after two weeks and three steroid injections from the first hearing test (and one month from the acoustic trauma).

The doctor Injected a fourth Injection and put me on oral prednisone for the next three weeks.

 

[billie48]

Welcome to Tinnitus Talk. Acoustic trauma usually requires months to get better, as the unstable ears will heal slowly. Forum members have often said healing may take 6 to 18 months. So be patient. Hyperacusis doesn't have to have a pain sensation. It is quite common to have it after suffering acoustic trauma, and it may take up to a year to fade for many people. I had it twice, and it faded within the year it started. So don't rush anything. Let the body heal slowly. Try to protect the ears from loud sounds, and avoid loud venues. Try to be calm and positive that all will be well within a year or two to avoid triggering the limbic system, which can worsen things. Mask the ringing if you need to.

Take care. God Bless your recovery.

 

[adrian rojas]

I might look into Treble Health myself. A fellow guy on r/guns mentioned that it healed him to the point where he no longer hears his tinnitus. I've been going over Ben Thompson's (Treble Health) videos on YouTube, and they are really knowledgeable about tinnitus.

I've had mine for about seven weeks now. It was extremely loud, and the ringing was unbearable. After being put on an 11-day dose of Prednisone, followed by a week of Methylprednisolone, it now just sounds like static and hissing. Sometimes it chirps, but it fluctuates.

I see what you mean, man. Give it time; it could go away.

I feel like I take two steps forward and three steps back, but I know eventually it will get better, go away, or we will simply adapt to it. I hear it in quiet rooms now. I used to hear it over everything, and it was terrible. I still have spikes here and there. As a matter of fact, yesterday the hissing was loud when I was trying to sleep. I put on my A/C unit, and it somewhat drowned it out so I could finally go to sleep. I still have popping in my ear like crazy when I swallow and such.

I went to an ENT, and they said I have perfect hearing, no hearing loss, and my eardrum looks fine.

Hang in there, brother. I'm trying to stay strong too. I'm only 23 and plan on getting married to my beautiful girlfriend soon. Just taking it one day at a time and trying not to let it overtake my life. It's definitely a change, but we learn from our mistakes.

 

[Sherif]

Update: One day after a Dexamethasone steroid injection and oral Prednisone, I had a good day. The volume was noticeably lower than before, and reactivity was better. This was the best "good" day to date 20 days since the onset of my tinnitus. I hope this is a permanent improvement and a new baseline.

The doctor referred me to HBOT. Should I try it? It has been 30 days since the acoustic trauma and 20 days since the tinnitus started.

 

[BenChen]

Update: One day after a Dexamethasone steroid injection and oral Prednisone, I had a good day. The volume was noticeably lower than before, and reactivity was better. This was the best "good" day to date 20 days since the onset of my tinnitus. I hope this is a permanent improvement and a new baseline.

The doctor referred me to HBOT. Should I try it? It has been 30 days since the acoustic trauma and 20 days since the tinnitus started.

You should definitely try it. HBOT is good for an acoustic trauma. It can do no harm anyway.

 

[tiniturk]

As far as I know, HBOT is only effective if you do it within the first 3 days after onset. It can never hurt to try, tho.

 

[Sherif]

One week after starting Prednisone, 25 days since the onset, and 36 days since the incident:

I'm not sure how I'm doing. I had a good 5 days, but then it worsened a bit. I used to wake up to quiet, but today I woke up to a tone instead of a buzz, and it was in the center of my brain instead of only on the right side. I wasn't even sure if I had new tinnitus in my left ear. However, a few hours after waking up, it eventually went back to a slightly louder buzzing on the right side only. Additionally, my right ear has become more sensitive and is experiencing sound distortions again. I haven't gone out for 10 days and have been keeping surrounding sounds to a minimum.

The hope I had over the past 5 days is starting to diminish. I don't want to live my life like this. I can't imagine how habituation will be. Will I ever be able to enjoy anything in my life with this noise in my head?

 

[MindOverMatter]

Nobody asked for this @Sherif, and nobody chose to get tinnitus and/or hyperacusis. However, life doesn't always turn out according to plan—or how we would like it to. Things out of our control occur, and life changes. But now is not forever. You are still early in, and a lot will change in the next few months—usually for the better.

It can still fade away, but your life is not ruined if it doesn't. You can still enjoy it once you've learned to adapt and live with whatever obstacles remain.

 

[Sherif]

Update:

Yesterday, I couldn't sleep. The buzzing in my right ear is getting louder and more intrusive, and sounds feel distorted. It also sometimes feels like it's coming from the middle of my brain. But the worst thing is that now I can hear buzzing in my left ear, although it's quieter than my right ear. It's been almost a month since the onset and 40 days since the incident.

 

[Sherif]

I desperately need support. Someone, please tell me that it will get better.

After experiencing a few better days since starting oral steroids, the last five days have been progressively worse. I now have tinnitus in the middle of my head and left ear, although it's quieter than in my right ear. The tinnitus fluctuates in tone and volume throughout the day. I'm unsure if it was worse three weeks ago, but it's currently about 7/10.

I haven't left my home for a month except for doctor appointments, and I'm starting to feel depressed.

I've read many success stories, but I realize that not many involve people shooting as many guns without hearing protection as I did. Yes, some people describe even worse symptoms, and it's only been a month since my onset (40 days since the shooting incident). Based on the success stories, there's still hope that I might end up with a mild case. However, the constant noise in my head exacerbates my anxiety.

 

[Utdmad89]

I desperately need support. Someone, please tell me that it will get better.

After experiencing a few better days since starting oral steroids, the last five days have been progressively worse. I now have tinnitus in the middle of my head and left ear, although it's quieter than in my right ear. The tinnitus fluctuates in tone and volume throughout the day. I'm unsure if it was worse three weeks ago, but it's currently about 7/10.

I haven't left my home for a month except for doctor appointments, and I'm starting to feel depressed.

I've read many success stories, but I realize that not many involve people shooting as many guns without hearing protection as I did. Yes, some people describe even worse symptoms, and it's only been a month since my onset (40 days since the shooting incident). Based on the success stories, there's still hope that I might end up with a mild case. However, the constant noise in my head exacerbates my anxiety.

Time and patience are all we have at this moment. Try to stay calm, and use distractions. Protect against further damage.

 

[Muggumbo]

I desperately need support. Someone, please tell me that it will get better.

After experiencing a few better days since starting oral steroids, the last five days have been progressively worse. I now have tinnitus in the middle of my head and left ear, although it's quieter than in my right ear. The tinnitus fluctuates in tone and volume throughout the day. I'm unsure if it was worse three weeks ago, but it's currently about 7/10.

I haven't left my home for a month except for doctor appointments, and I'm starting to feel depressed.

I've read many success stories, but I realize that not many involve people shooting as many guns without hearing protection as I did. Yes, some people describe even worse symptoms, and it's only been a month since my onset (40 days since the shooting incident). Based on the success stories, there's still hope that I might end up with a mild case. However, the constant noise in my head exacerbates my anxiety.

Mine got worse before it got better, if it helps you feel any better.

 

[Sherif]

Mine got worse before it got better, if it helps you feel any better.

Thank you. I hope yours keeps getting better and better.

 

[MindOverMatter]

the constant noise in my head exacerbates my anxiety.

This is often the reason tinnitus either gets or feels worse. The isolated sound in your ears/head might not be worse, but your perception of it will get worse and worse in the acute state you are in now. It's a vicious circle.

You have to remember that you are in a state of shock, and your auditory system and brain are not used to it. "Healing" likely won't happen before the acute phase is over.

I am afraid there are no quick fixes to this. However, that certainly doesn't mean there isn't hope down the road. Most people do get better with time.

 

[RunningMan]

Here are a couple of threads started six months ago by some members who posted about similar experiences with shooting guns. There was some improvement in the early going. Hopefully, it will be mild enough to habituate to in the long term. Good luck, and protect your hearing to prevent further trauma.

→ Tinnitus and Hyperacusis a Day After Shooting a .357 Magnum Revolver with Hearing Protection

→ Moderate Hearing Loss, Tinnitus and Hyperacusis from Shooting Guns (AR-15, AK-47, Shotgun, Pistol)

 

[Sherif]

Hey! I am feeling better overall. Reactivity has improved, the muffling is gone, and the distortion is mostly absent. Tinnitus is still present, but I'm unsure if it's quieter or if I'm getting better at ignoring it because my reactivity has improved, and I don't spike as easily. I'm waiting to stabilize more before posting an update. I don't want to jinx it.

I haven't had tinnitus in my left ear for the past week, a new symptom that appeared only two weeks ago. I feel like I've regressed a bit today, but I am calmer and accepting this so I don't fall into a negative feedback loop. Frankly, I may have tried to restore my lifestyle a bit too aggressively with things like coffee, unhealthy food, having more sex, and listening to the radio in my car (previously, it was only podcasts).

Since developing tinnitus, I have aggressively changed my lifestyle to a healthier one over the past two months. However, I can't say I can consistently maintain it. It will be a long journey of figuring out what triggers me and what doesn't.

I have experienced it getting quieter and a little bit of habituation. Hopefully, both will work together to restore my life 100%.

I will not revisit the forum until I am stable and can share a more detailed (hopefully positive) update. As many success stories previously mentioned, it seems that it only gets better when you stop counting the days and stop checking forums.

And yeah... Doctors should stop being too confident about hearing loss, dead hair cells, and the brain compensating with tinnitus theory. The things I have experienced, like the shifting between my good ear and bad ear, the mental health effects, the blood pressure effects, the diet effects—so many factors—make me 100% believe science knows nothing about what causes tinnitus onset and has hardly done enough research about it. This makes me hopeful that we don't know if it's permanent or not. Nobody knows. So, there is no way forward but to keep experimenting with your lifestyle until you change the right parameters for your specific causes of tinnitus.

 

[MatthewR]

Hey, man. I went through a SEVERE episode of tinnitus, hearing loss, and noise sensitivity because of gunfire. At first, I dropped about 60 dB. Now, I'm at about 25 dB loss in high frequencies. I still have a bit of noise sensitivity and hearing loss, but that's gotten better, thank God! Don't lose hope, man; get in shape and keep pushing. You will be fine. Live a healthy lifestyle. I still have tinnitus, hearing loss, and hyperacusis, but most of my days nowadays are very comfortable. For the first four months, I was apprehensive and depressed.

 

[Furetto]

Hey! I am feeling better overall. Reactivity has improved, the muffling is gone, and the distortion is mostly absent. Tinnitus is still present, but I'm unsure if it's quieter or if I'm getting better at ignoring it because my reactivity has improved, and I don't spike as easily. I'm waiting to stabilize more before posting an update. I don't want to jinx it.

It is always wonderful to read posts of people who, in the beginning, were panicking and going through hell (don't get me wrong), but then after some months of every time reading, "Hey, it's not that bad anymore, I'm mostly fine now."

The journey is often non-linear, but overall, most people go back to normal again. I am sure that in a few more months we will read your report and you will say that you are perfectly fine now and went back to your usual life.

I'm looking forward to that, my friend.

 

[2049v]

I have experienced it getting quieter and a little bit of habituation. Hopefully, both will work together to restore my life 100%

Did your hearing improve after getting the injections and Prednisone?

 

[Tim Moore]

Hey, man. I went through a SEVERE episode of tinnitus, hearing loss, and noise sensitivity because of gunfire. At first, I dropped about 60 dB. Now, I'm at about 25 dB loss in high frequencies. I still have a bit of noise sensitivity and hearing loss, but that's gotten better, thank God! Don't lose hope, man; get in shape and keep pushing. You will be fine. Live a healthy lifestyle. I still have tinnitus, hearing loss, and hyperacusis, but most of my days nowadays are very comfortable. For the first four months, I was apprehensive and depressed.

That's great to hear! I'm currently four weeks into dealing with an acoustic trauma and hoping for the best. Did you take anything to help with anxiety, depression, or sleep issues during the initial stages? That's what I'm struggling with right now. However, all the comments about medications have made me hesitant to take anything.

 

[MatthewR]

That's great to hear! I'm currently four weeks into dealing with an acoustic trauma and hoping for the best. Did you take anything to help with anxiety, depression, or sleep issues during the initial stages? That's what I'm struggling with right now. However, all the comments about medications have made me hesitant to take anything.

Personally, I didn't take any medication—just a lot of struggle and prayer through it all. I am much better now, still not 100%, but I'm amazed at how far I've come. Keep your head up; I assure you, it gets better.

 

[Mark F.]

Personally, I didn't take any medication—just a lot of struggle and prayer through it all. I am much better now, still not 100%, but I'm amazed at how far I've come. Keep your head up; I assure you, it gets better.

I'm really happy to see you posting encouraging comments, Matthew! I've wondered how you've been doing. It sounds like you're in a much better state of mind compared to earlier in the year. Keep taking care of yourself!

 

[Tim Moore]

Personally, I didn't take any medication—just a lot of struggle and prayer through it all. I am much better now, still not 100%, but I'm amazed at how far I've come. Keep your head up; I assure you, it gets better.

Thank you for your message—I needed some positivity today! I'm in week 7 after attending a very loud concert, and I'm praying that my tinnitus will improve over time, or at least that I'll be able to cope with it better. I started CBT last Friday and am hoping it helps.

I'm also wondering if the sounds I'm playing at night are affecting my tinnitus the next day. Last night, I played cricket sounds, and my sound sensitivity seems high today. The previous two nights, I used violet noise, and I don't think I was as sensitive on those days. Argh, I can't tell!

 

[2049v]

Thank you for your message—I needed some positivity today! I'm in week 7 after attending a very loud concert, and I'm praying that my tinnitus will improve over time, or at least that I'll be able to cope with it better. I started CBT last Friday and am hoping it helps.

I'm also wondering if the sounds I'm playing at night are affecting my tinnitus the next day. Last night, I played cricket sounds, and my sound sensitivity seems high today. The previous two nights, I used violet noise, and I don't think I was as sensitive on those days. Argh, I can't tell!

Did the injections help you?

 

[Tim Moore]

Did the injections help you?

The steroid injections didn't help me, unfortunately.