Gunshot Related Tinnitus Spike and Worsened Distorted Hearing (Dysacusis)

Well I’m back again!

As some of you know I suffered an acoustic trauma in 2007 from a 12-gauge shotgun with no ear protection. I was 21 at the time. I was left with permanent tinnitus, dysacusis (distorted hearing in right ear), and some strange pulsation high frequency tinnitus that can be stopped if I protrude my lower jaw. Anyway, went through the rigamaroo, depression, acceptance etc. Over the years I had struggles and successes, completed school and jobs, relationships etc. While the tinnitus has stayed for life and the distortion also, the dysacusis has good days and bad days often correlating to stress and weather. High pressure systems make the symptoms worse.

So, I work in an environment that requires weapons use as a part of the job. We had a range weekend and had to go shooting last weekend. I wore the ear plugs they gave us (3M). While shooting I noticed that although I had no temporary hearing threshold shift; my ears rang slightly after each shot. But extremely faintly, so I assumed this was from the physical kickback of the weapon. I never thought anything of it as my ear pro was correctly inserted and I felt safe. There was no pain, only faint rings after shots but I’ve had that happen before with other gun usage with ear pro. It was a stressful weekend also. Following the end of the weekend, I noticed that my tinnitus was roaring and the dysacusis (muffled/distorted hearing) is extremely bad. Basically feel like I did when this all first happened to me in 2007.

I’m not sure what to do now but I am bothered by it. The symptoms are bad, and I have more training coming in the future. My wife’s voice is distorted to me as are toilets flushing, dishes, etc. Tinnitus is roaring. I could potentially double up on ear pro but I still have symptoms from last weekend and I don’t know if those are stress related or noise induced.

Wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences. I’m just hoping that it all settles down again; I was doing so well in my life and things were going very well and I was habituated. There were many days that I forgot I even had tinnitus or dysacusis. Now it’s like I’m back to square one.

I hope everyone else is doing well.

 

@OptimusPrimed, sorry to read your story. 3M have knowingly made defective earplugs for decades. Google '3M ear pro lawsuit'.

 

Wow! These are the same symptoms I have been trying to live with for almost two years now.

1. Constant ringing.
2. Sound distortions - it's so distracting and disheartening - all day long.
3. I also have the really high pitched pulsating tinnitus that I can modulate with my jaw! My jaw clicks, so I'm thinking that jaw issues are to blame for that aspect. Does your jaw click?

If I could rid myself with at least one of these sounds I would be better able to cope, though I don't expect that to happen soon.

BTW I am 26 and my onset was also due to loud noise.

Not going to sugar coat it but the one thing that does often get better for me (though not always completely) is the sound distortions. Find a sound that you can tolerate and expose your ears to that at a low volume all day/night (sound machine, etc.) I feel like that helps my brain figure out the broad range of frequencies again. I find that this does help me, but who knows, could just be correlation/BS.

 

Hi, I'm so sorry this is happening to you again. I purchased ear muffs with the highest rating from Amazon for my husband who shoots every week. It makes me shutter to think he was using ear muffs that were worn out and had pieces falling out of the ear muff part. I believe he also wears foam plugs with the ear muffs on top. He usually goes to practice when no one else is there and it is outside with wearing double protection. Can you get in touch with your otologist or other doctor to discuss your situation? I recently had a hot mug blow up in my hands which made a loud pop sound. The otologist had me come in and get a hearing test. Praying things will calm down for you very soon.

twa

 

No my friend, no jaw clicking. Just irritating distortion, high pitched ringing and of course the tinnitus. The distortion is the most annoying symptom of it all. I’m hoping it settles down over the next while.

 

I can try but with COVID-19, it’s hard to receive medical service now. My experience is that healthcare care providers can’t really help with most hearing issues.

I’ll be doubling up next time!

 

I would get your hearing tested man. And in all honesty, if I were you I would not go shooting again. It’s a crappy thing to say but I just quit my job because I developed sound distortion and severe hyperacusis adding on to the normal tinnitus I had.

It’s my family business too that I dropped out of collage for to take over one day. I lost everything. But it’s not worth the ear problems getting worse. Trust me man, unless you are making $100k a year, find a quieter job, or don’t shoot anymore.

I had mild tinnitus and hyperacusis since I was 18 and I was completely habituated. The sound distortion and severe hyperacusis is a new hell that I somehow got from deadlifting too heavy in the gym. Not sure how or what happened.

Hopefully you will go back to normal, just don’t take any chances in the future. If you have to, make sure you double up with ear protection.

 

So sorry that happened to you. I have to agree with the last post... don't go back. No job or training or recreation activity is worth an escalation of symptoms for life. I hope things improve for you in the coming days, weeks, and months.

 

@OptimusPrimed, sorry to hear, all you can do is take this as another trauma that will likely improve over time, I think.

In the future, can you use earplugs and muffs? I never operate weapons or saws or stuff like that without doubling up.

Hearing a ring after each rifle report would freak me out; my sister, who also has permanent tinnitus, said that was happening to her when we were shooting some 9mm and I thought that was probably not good and possibly a sign she had her earplugs in wrong. She didn't seem bothered afterwards but also has extensive health issues and never complains about tinnitus because it's low on the list for her.

I am avoiding saying "change jobs" because that's a highly personal decision; if you are being required to shoot stuff that is just unreasonabley loud even with plugs and muffs, wwll, it woild take a lot more than $100k to get me to do that because of all the ways to make more money than that quietly touching computers. But I also realize money is not everything and lots of people do dangerous or loud things because they love them.

 

I'm not going to quit my job over it. As uncomfortable as it is, now quitting my job isn’t going to fix it.

My plugs were in correctly. I’ve sighted in rifles in the last and had similar faint ringing. I always thought it was from the concussion/kickback of the rifle. For all I know this could all be stress related but What I do know that is quite uncomfortable. The increased dysacusis and extremely loud ringing, 8 kHz. Electrical Chirping sounds. I’m just hoping that it all returns to baseline.

Quitting my job isn’t an option. I don’t shoot often with my job, only to qualify. I’ll be doubling up next time. It’s sad that there still aren’t any treatments for this kind of thing.

 

You did say your earplugs were 3M.

‘Hundreds of military veterans are expected to file lawsuits against the manufacturing company 3M, claiming it knowingly sold defective earplugs. These complaints come after the Justice Department settled a lawsuit with the company in July over allegations the company defrauded the government by selling earplugs with "dangerous design defects" to the military for "more than a decade." "It wasn't an omission. It wasn't something missed. It was deliberately lying to gain money and hurting our service members," Hendersen said.’​

 

Your symptoms sound quite similar to mine, although I sustained some hearing loss in my right ear as a result of unprotected gunfire.

Definitely double up next time, that's the best way to do it. I think that as long as you do not do this super often and be careful things will get better.

I agree, the distortion is the worst. Did yours get better over time? I have this in my right ear as well as reactive tinnitus.

 

After the first incident in 2007 the distortion did improve over the years, it was always there but would get worse when I was stressed or the weather was bad. The initial tinnitus also improved with time and the volume was way quieter than when it happened but this literally took years to happen. I had reactive distortion that would be worse if I exposed my ears to loud sounds.

Until last week things were going very well. I seem to have a higher frequency tinnitus in my gun ear now in addition to the older sounds and the distortion is back hard. The left ear has some slight tinnitus but I noticed that creeping in around Christmas time so I think that might just be natural hearing deterioration or whatever.

I did some thinking and I think It may have just been bone conduction through the skull that aggravated my gun side ear. The plugs I used are not involved in the lawsuit, and I trust them I have used them in the past before. So it was likely bone conduction. That or stress. I was also working around some chemicals that activate receptors in the auditory pathways. Today symptoms are slightly better, still there though. You all know the struggle.

I have near perfect audiograms but I have always been skeptical of them because when I first had the Acoustic trauma in 2007 I could "feel" like I wanted to pop my ear almost as if something was missing. I think I did lose some hair cells when that happened. Back then I was tested for hyperacusis and tested negative, so its just distorted hearing. Its more of an annoyance than anything but it makes it hard to hear people in busy environments. Since then I have been VERY protective of my hearing. I have no plans to stop shooting, I enjoy hunting and competitive shooting with ear defenders of course.