Shooting Range Hearing Loss with Tinnitus — 4th Day — Options?

Hi all, I found this forum and hoping maybe someone here could help me out. I really would appreciate any input this is a horrible situation.

I went to an indoor shooting range with some friends, everyone including myself wore range supplied earplugs we all shot the same guns for about 30 minutes. I walked out deaf in my right ear...could not hear at all. My ability to hear out of that ear got significantly better Day2 and by Day3 I felt I could hear out of that ear OK but I still had some really scary distorted pitch hearing and certain sounds/music/peoples voices sound like a blown speaker to me at times, I also had loud tinnitus so I went to the ER they told me just go home and wait you will be fine.

Upon my research I found this was not the best answer so today Day4 I went to an ENT who prescribed be prednisone 60mg tapering for 7 days. They did an audiogram and said I had hearing loss but did not specify an amount. He said normal hearing may or may not return but the prednisone was my only option but certainly not a guarantee. I've never had any hearing issues in my life before and have only shot a gun before a few times. I work from home in a silent office and do not expose myself to loud sounds that often and I am on 31.

I can't believe this has happened to me.

I have good insurance and can go anywhere I made an appointment at Mayo ENT but soonest available was not till Friday (Day6).

I want to fix this, is there anything I can do now? Any treatment I can demand besides just the Prednisone?

 

If your tinnitus problem is something new you really have a chance to improve over time. But it can take a long time, really. Some people get relief in a few days, others in months and for others it takes years.

There is no scientifically proven treatment for tinnitus. But there are some things on the way, such as neuromodulation. We have to wait.

 

Check out
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-many-recover-3-studies.21441/
If I remember correctly, in one of the studies I quoted on the first page, 70% of the soldiers with T due to being exposed to gunshot had recovered. All of them had HBOT therapy. (It is not clear whether or not HBOT had contributed to their recovery.)

Also, check out
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

 

You got the Prednisone, lucky you. No one would give me it. There's really nothing else to do but live the rest of your life with messed up ears. Don't ever forget they're messed up, even if the tinnitus goes away. Take care of the hearing you have left.

 

Sometimes IT ear injections of dexamethasone are recommended after inner ear noise damage.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4926553/

 

7 days of prednisone is what I was prescribed. Today is my 5th day of taking it and I’m starting to notice some difference in hearing quality. Wondering if others were prescribed any longer than the 7 days or if that was the max. I’ve read about all the bad sides of prednisone so really wouldn’t want to take it too much longer but just curious.

 

According to Mass. Eye and Ear the recommended dose for SSNHL (idiopathic) is 14 days: "Duration of therapy varies from site to site around the United States, but a typical treatment would be prednisone 60 mg/day for 14 days, followed by a five-day taper (50 mg, 40 mg, 30 mg, 20, mg, 10 mg). This oral treatment regimen was designed to strike a balance between giving enough prednisone to achieve benefit but without producing an unacceptably high level of side effects." (https://www.masseyeandear.org/for-p...ation/diseases-and-conditions/sudden-deafness)
Does that apply to acoustic trauma as well? Who knows. Also, I'm sure there are lots of conflicting opinions about this. Just thought I'd mention this, cause you asked.

 

John,

Any update? I suffered from acute acoustic trauma myself a week ago (self-inflicted, accident, stupid; no ear protection, single .380 pistol blast in a somewhat enclosed space). It was only one shot, but I guess pistols can be worse than rifles in many aspects -- and one can be all it takes. Tried to "wait it out" for several days, but no improvement. Called GP right after New Years (bad timing for trying to go into crisis mode! - tons of blasts the night before all around, all offices closed), he prescribed 20mg for 5 days - but also suggested visiting an ENT. Went to ENT yesterday, he prescribed 60mg (20mg 3x day) for 5 days, then taper to 2x for 5 days, then taper down to 1 for 5 days (assuming it didn't go away on its own, at which point I should taper off immediately).

I left feeling very optimistic and so grateful, but then read a bunch of reports where the prednisone - even if started in the first week - didn't eliminate the tinnitus. About to punch back off the boards to help get my mind off of it (the anxiety about possible permanency/obsession only seems to make it worse), but would be very appreciative if you could share your experience over the last week or two.

Thanks,
HD

 

Just curious if the OP eventually won the battle with tinnitus? I had a similar event just over two months ago. Man this stuff is pure hell.

 

Hi @hopedeferred

I am on the same boat. Single small firecracker popped near my ear. 5 months with T. Did you recover?