Gun Range with Earmuffs: Hearing Loss

[xajattara]

I had an incident 9 days ago. I went to a gun range and shot firearms for the first time. I was provided with over-the-ear protection.

Clearly, the protection was inadequate because as soon as I took the earmuffs off, my right ear felt wrong. I thought it would improve and go away on its own, assuming it was TTS.

The days that followed were awful. I had ringing, pressure, fear, and anxiety. I went to a walk-in clinic two days later, and the doctor was very unhelpful and did not take me seriously. I ended up getting an audiology test at a private clinic last Friday, and the results were not great. The audiologist referred me to an ENT. When I asked whether my hearing could return to normal, he said maybe, but statistically it was unlikely.

I cannot tell if it is wishful thinking, but I feel like my right ear is starting to sound more like my left the more I rest. I have not used headphones since the incident. My car rides are silent. I use AirPods only when I blow dry my hair.

I know I cannot change what happened, but I am terrified and devastated. I am only 25 years old, and this incident happened at a work event. I would never have gone to a gun range on my own.

I really need support and advice from others who have been through something similar. I have read some peer-reviewed studies showing that TTS can last a few weeks, beyond the usual 72 hours. I also know from speaking with my audiologist that recovery is still possible. The research does not always capture it, because people who get better often do not return for follow-up. I have also seen posts on Reddit, and now here, from people who healed on their own without medical intervention and never show up in the statistics.

 

[Sonia554]

I had an incident 9 days ago. I went to a gun range and shot firearms for the first time. I was provided with over-the-ear protection.

Clearly, the protection was inadequate because as soon as I took the earmuffs off, my right ear felt wrong. I thought it would improve and go away on its own, assuming it was TTS.

The days that followed were awful. I had ringing, pressure, fear, and anxiety. I went to a walk-in clinic two days later, and the doctor was very unhelpful and did not take me seriously. I ended up getting an audiology test at a private clinic last Friday, and the results were not great. The audiologist referred me to an ENT. When I asked whether my hearing could return to normal, he said maybe, but statistically it was unlikely.

I cannot tell if it is wishful thinking, but I feel like my right ear is starting to sound more like my left the more I rest. I have not used headphones since the incident. My car rides are silent. I use AirPods only when I blow dry my hair.

I know I cannot change what happened, but I am terrified and devastated. I am only 25 years old, and this incident happened at a work event. I would never have gone to a gun range on my own.

I really need support and advice from others who have been through something similar. I have read some peer-reviewed studies showing that TTS can last a few weeks, beyond the usual 72 hours. I also know from speaking with my audiologist that recovery is still possible. The research does not always capture it, because people who get better often do not return for follow-up. I have also seen posts on Reddit, and now here, from people who healed on their own without medical intervention and never show up in the statistics.

When someone tells you something is "statistically unlikely", please ignore them, especially an ENT. They are not great at advising on tinnitus. In fact, they are downright awful and offer outdated advice, if any at all. Mine shrugged his shoulders when I asked him if I could recover. I didn't start seeing major improvement until around month 6, but I have improved steadily since. I have not been back to an ENT.

There was a military study done on soldiers with acoustic trauma from gunshots, cannon fire and machine gun fire. The vast majority of them were resolved before they were discharged. You CAN make a significant or full recovery. Here's the link to the original post that shared the study.

I would recommend not blow-drying your hair and using AirPods at the same time, though. I would suggest not blow-drying your hair at all, actually. You likely won't cause additional damage, but you can irritate an already sensitive auditory system. You want to calm your system through gentle sound.

It sounds like you had detectable hearing loss on your audiology report? Did your doctor prescribe steroids? Steroids can help you recover your hearing, but recovery is also possible without them. The key is to avoid further exposure to loud or irritating sounds for a while. If you have detectable hearing loss or hearing distortion, recovery can take longer, but it is still very possible.