Tinnitus After Shooting a Rifle at the Range — It's Been Over 25 Years Now

My tinnitus began suddenly after sighting in a rifle at the range. I was using foam ear plugs for hearing protection and when I removed them after sighting in, the tinnitus started immediately and has never abated.

I worked in heavy industrial environments that had mandatory hearing protection requirements for 40 years, listened to loud music, both recorded and at live events, so I have significant hearing loss at certain frequencies also.

When it first occurred, I did some research and read that if earwax got pushed against the eardrum that could be a cause. I cleaned my ears thoroughly and it did not change. I went to my family doctor for an exam and was told there was nothing physically obvious to cause the condition and would probably just have to live with it.
I have been fortunate that the condition has not caused me any real problems like lost sleep, depression or anxiety to date. It's something that I have become accustomed to and am only really aware of it when there is no background noise.

I found this site during a search for tinnitus related to COVID-19, both the infection and the vaccine. I have not contracted the virus or had the vaccination and I'm not sure if I want to be vaccinated as I have read reports that people that got vaccinated developed tinnitus afterward. I also have read that the virus itself has caused tinnitus and in some people, like the CEO of Texas Roadhouse, Kent Taylor, it was so severe he took his own life.

I am pleasantly surprised to have found this forum to be able to exchange information and to research information about the affliction.

 

Hey JHR, sorry to hear about your condition.

I developed tinnitus 50 years ago and I don't remember a time without it. Suddenly going deaf in one ear led to my brain tumor diagnosis, with extreme tinnitus as just one of the symptoms on top of the tinnitus I already had. I used to shoot a lot in college; pistols, rifles, shotguns, often without ear protection because my tinnitus didn't get any worse than it already was, so I didn't sweat it. I had COVID-19 last year and didn't notice any tinnitus increase after recovery. I don't hear much of anything above about 1 kHz in my good ear.

The Kent Taylor story is a sad one and it seems to reflect a lot of what I've been reading in these posts. I've had tinnitus my whole life, so it's never been new to me that I remember. It's gotten worse, sure, but I've just been able to shrug it off as, "Hmph, how about that; more tinnitus." It's never been NOT with me.

And I think that's the difference. If it's new, it's a lot worse on most people, no matter its prevalence.