Acoustic Trauma from Shooting Range

Hey guys. About 31 days ago I went to an outdoor shooting range with my family and a family friend. We shot for a few hours and I didn't notice anything off with my hearing until after I took my earplugs out. I’m assuming I didn’t put them in correctly.

My hearing was very muffled and I had ringing for the first week. I went to an ENT on day 4 and was prescribed Prednisone which didn’t seem to do anything. I had relatively bad hearing loss in my right ear. I went back to the ENT about 2 weeks later and my hearing improved greatly but still had some loss. He prescribed me another round of Prednisone; I can’t tell if it did anything.

The ringing might have gotten slightly better (like 10%) or if I’m just emotionally accepting it better. It’s fairly loud, I hear it inside stores and outside pretty well. Inside is horrible. The doctor says it usually goes away with time but not always. He said my hearing has improved quite a bit which should be a positive sign.

I’ve been struggling with sleeping anything more than 4-5 hours a night, not because of ringing I think, but because of my anxiety and stress.

What do you guys think? Any tips?

I’ve read it can take acoustic trauma months to years to heal.

I’m a 21-year-old male.

 

I'm sorry you had this happen to you. It seems like you've done everything right so far with the meds. The biggest thing with this condition is it takes time, lots and lots of time, to heal and get improvement.

For sleep, I recommend using low volume sound to help distract your mind from the ringing. I use the HVAC, a humidifier, and the ReSound app playing a mix of violet and white noise softly. I also use kids' Melatonin 1 mg almost every night. Magnesium glycinate also helps with relaxing your body. You'll find your brain can adjust and filter out the noise for sleep. I have tinnitus in both ears and sleep on my side with my louder ear on the pillow and sometimes realize I can barely hear my tinnitus... of course then it comes to my awareness and it's the same as always but your brain does adjust.

Otherwise just protect your ears from loud noises. I would avoid really loud events like weddings, bars and concerts for a long while so you can give your ears time to heal.

 

Thanks so much for the advice, it means a lot!

How long does recovery from an injury like this typically take? I’ve read that it can take up to a couple of years.

 

Most people who recover tend to to so within 2 years but for some it takes longer.

The longer you have had it, generally the less likely it is to get complete resolution.

Even if it doesn't completely go away, you should be able to adjust to it in time with habituation. A lot of people's tinnitus seems to get better or at least get easier to deal with in time.

 

Thanks so much for the support. I think it’s gotten a tiny bit better so far, hopefully it’ll continue to improve with time.

I’m starting HBOT on Monday. It’s $3000 for 20 sessions. A bit pricey, especially knowing that it could do nothing, but if there’s a chance it’ll help, I think it’s worth it.

 

In my 4th year now. Seems worse now. Am 69 years old. Wife likes going to church and it can be loud there.

 

I would wait on doing anything like HBOT. Save your money. Give it time. your ears are most likely going to be just fine but it may take several months. The fact they are showing slight improvement is a good sign.

 

Hi @Kevin Zeller.

I echo the advice that @Ngo13 has given you but I advise that you don't start HBOT at this early stage of noise-induced tinnitus, or any other type of treatment, unless it's counselling or prescribed medication from your GP/PCP or ENT doctor. The best treatment for this kind of tinnitus in the early stages is to do nothing. That means no form of treatment. There is a good reason for this which I have explained in my post: Tinnitus, A Personal View, which you will find on my started threads along with others that I recommend you read listed below.

• The Habituation Process,
• How to Habituate to Tinnitus,
• Will My Tinnitus Get Worse?
• Hyperacusis, As I See It.

I advise that you don't listen to any type of audio through headphones even at low volume, as you risk making the tinnitus worse. This includes earbuds, AirPods, headsets, noise cancelling and bone conduction headphones.

Use low level sound enrichment whenever possible and particularly at night, using a sound machine by the bedside. More about this is explained in my posts.

All the best,
Michael

 

I can relate to church being too loud. I always make sure to bring my earplugs.

 

I have hearing loss, hyperacusis, and loud tinnitus all from one big mistake: shooting guns without hearing protection.