Success Story: Tinnitus from High-Powered Rifle Exposure

[jg1254]

Hello, Tinnitus Talk!

I wanted to post here and not be one of those people who leave after improving. I figured I would do my part since this forum really helped me when I was going through this experience.

On October 16, 2024, I was exposed to about 100 rounds of .308 caliber rifle fire at an indoor range. At the time, I used foam earplugs, not double protection, but I am not sure if I wore them correctly. Afterward, I immediately noticed bilateral tinnitus at about six out of ten in both ears, though I did not experience any obvious hearing loss or threshold shift. I had never dealt with tinnitus before, but since I was in the military, I am sure I had prior exposure to loud noise because I was regularly around rifle fire.

When I realized it was not going away after about a week, I started to panic. Falling asleep at night became difficult. However, over the next four months, it gradually improved, although I did not notice significant progress in the first three months. There were many days when I wondered if I would have to live with this for the rest of my life and other days when I was completely convinced that I would.

Personally, I think what helped me the most, anecdotally of course, and I am also a medical doctor, was wearing earplugs nearly all the time outside my house. I bought earplugs from Amazon and wore them while driving, flying, at bars, restaurants, and essentially everywhere unless the environment was noticeably quiet like a library. If I was at work and it would have been too strange to wear them, I removed them but put them back in afterward. I genuinely believe this is similar to healing a broken bone or recovering from surgery because it gives the hair cells time to rest and undergo proper wound healing. I am not sure why this concept has not been studied more in the literature.

I did not take any supplements. I also made a point to sleep a lot, sometimes ten hours a night, because I felt that one, it provided quiet time for my ears and two, it was good for overall healing.

When I went to my primary care doctor, they confirmed that my eardrums were not ruptured. I asked for steroids, but they did not prescribe any. I did not see an ENT, get an audiogram, or do any injections.

Initially, my tinnitus was a persistent six out of ten. Now, at around month four, it has faded so much that sometimes I cannot hear it at all, even when I purposely try to notice it. I plan to continue wearing earplugs until it disappears completely, but I do not intend to return to the forum. Reading others' experiences here was helpful for me because it gave me people to relate to, but I can see how it might cause anxiety for others.

As for shooting guns, I am unsure if I will go back to it. I am weighing the risks versus the benefits, and I do not think this hobby is important enough to risk damaging my hearing again. If I do return to shooting, it will be with a silencer, at an outdoor range, using both earmuffs and earplugs. But honestly, I am probably just not going to do it again.

Good luck, everyone. I hope my experience is helpful. Personally, I highly recommend rigorously using earplugs after any noise related injury.

 

[Jupiterman]

This poster has never posted before.

Sorry but I cannot read this story.

I cannot take it seriously.

 

[FellowSufferer]

Hello, Tinnitus Talk!

I wanted to post here and not be one of those people who leave after improving. I figured I would do my part since this forum really helped me when I was going through this experience.

On October 16, 2024, I was exposed to about 100 rounds of .308 caliber rifle fire at an indoor range. At the time, I used foam earplugs, not double protection, but I am not sure if I wore them correctly. Afterward, I immediately noticed bilateral tinnitus at about six out of ten in both ears, though I did not experience any obvious hearing loss or threshold shift. I had never dealt with tinnitus before, but since I was in the military, I am sure I had prior exposure to loud noise because I was regularly around rifle fire.

When I realized it was not going away after about a week, I started to panic. Falling asleep at night became difficult. However, over the next four months, it gradually improved, although I did not notice significant progress in the first three months. There were many days when I wondered if I would have to live with this for the rest of my life and other days when I was completely convinced that I would.

Personally, I think what helped me the most, anecdotally of course, and I am also a medical doctor, was wearing earplugs nearly all the time outside my house. I bought earplugs from Amazon and wore them while driving, flying, at bars, restaurants, and essentially everywhere unless the environment was noticeably quiet like a library. If I was at work and it would have been too strange to wear them, I removed them but put them back in afterward. I genuinely believe this is similar to healing a broken bone or recovering from surgery because it gives the hair cells time to rest and undergo proper wound healing. I am not sure why this concept has not been studied more in the literature.

I did not take any supplements. I also made a point to sleep a lot, sometimes ten hours a night, because I felt that one, it provided quiet time for my ears and two, it was good for overall healing.

When I went to my primary care doctor, they confirmed that my eardrums were not ruptured. I asked for steroids, but they did not prescribe any. I did not see an ENT, get an audiogram, or do any injections.

Initially, my tinnitus was a persistent six out of ten. Now, at around month four, it has faded so much that sometimes I cannot hear it at all, even when I purposely try to notice it. I plan to continue wearing earplugs until it disappears completely, but I do not intend to return to the forum. Reading others' experiences here was helpful for me because it gave me people to relate to, but I can see how it might cause anxiety for others.

As for shooting guns, I am unsure if I will go back to it. I am weighing the risks versus the benefits, and I do not think this hobby is important enough to risk damaging my hearing again. If I do return to shooting, it will be with a silencer, at an outdoor range, using both earmuffs and earplugs. But honestly, I am probably just not going to do it again.

Good luck, everyone. I hope my experience is helpful. Personally, I highly recommend rigorously using earplugs after any noise related injury.

I'm glad to hear that you're recovering, but I recommend using earplugs less often. Overprotecting your ears in environments that aren't very loud can lead to increased sensitivity to sound, known as hyperacusis. For many people, hyperacusis is actually worse than tinnitus because even normal sounds, like traffic, can cause stabbing pain.

 

[jg1254]

I'm glad to hear that you're recovering, but I recommend using earplugs less often. Overprotecting your ears in environments that aren't very loud can lead to increased sensitivity to sound, known as hyperacusis. For many people, hyperacusis is actually worse than tinnitus because even normal sounds, like traffic, can cause stabbing pain.

Completely gone now.

 

[FellowSufferer]

Completely gone now.

Great to hear that, man! Mine has also improved recently.

 

[Mark F.]

@FellowSufferer, how much improvement have you gotten?

 

[FellowSufferer]

@FellowSufferer, how much improvement have you gotten?

There has been maybe a 25 percent drop in volume since the start of the year, which is pretty good. It had stayed at pretty much the exact same level from when I first got it in February 2022 until December.

 

[Mark F.]

There has been maybe a 25 percent drop in volume since the start of the year, which is pretty good. It had stayed at pretty much the exact same level from when I first got it in February 2022 until December.

Good for you! I'm glad it has improved. You are still very young, and there is a chance it may fade away completely over time. Keep protecting your ears!

 

[eightmonthreport]

Hello,

Just to provide another data point, I also experienced a sudden increase in my tinnitus after being exposed to gunfire in October 2024—about 10 shots from a 30-06 rifle without any hearing protection. Prior to that, my tinnitus had been very quiet and barely audible.

Immediately after the event, I developed a moderate case of hyperacusis. I even had to wear earplugs in the shower at first. My tinnitus was also loud enough to be heard over the television at medium volume.

Based on online research, I quickly scheduled an appointment with an ENT doctor after the symptoms did not subside within three days.

Fortunately, my hearing loss was limited to very high frequencies, and I had not ruptured the eardrum. I requested steroids, but they were not prescribed.

The hyperacusis subsided after about two months, except for a limited range of high frequencies.

I do not believe the volume of my tinnitus has decreased, but after roughly eight months, I have habituated well. I only notice it when I am indoors and not engaged in any specific activity. At night, I can hear it over the sound machine, but it does not bother me.

In case this is helpful, my tinnitus consists of two or three different tones that are quite high—around 11 kHz—and resemble the sound of a running faucet. At first, they were pure tones, but after about two months, they changed to something closer to a faucet-like noise.

I share this not only to provide a reference for others who may go through a similar type of ear trauma, but also to encourage new tinnitus sufferers. Even if the volume does not decrease, your quality of life can stabilize, and you may come to see your tinnitus as only a minor inconvenience, as I now do.

Wishing peace to all future readers who may be suffering,
–AA

 

[Yu.3]

I also use earplugs on many occasions, but I'm afraid this habit makes my ears more sensitive to sounds.