Tinnitus (Whistling) and Fullness in Ears After Going to Indoors Shooting Range

Hi everyone, my sincere concern goes for people who have been suffering from ringing in ears, I can understand and know how annoying it can get. For people who don’t know this, take proper care of your ears.

About a month ago I went for indoor shooting, it was my first time. I did took all the precautions and wore earplugs but while I was shooting I could hear less and there was this ringing in my left ear. After coming out from there my hearing improved but the ringing continued. I thought it could be due to loud noise and it’ll go away by itself.

I can still hear whistling and fullness in both ears, I started experiencing whistling and fullness in my right ear too but the left ear has been ringing constantly. Sometimes it’s low and sometimes it gets loud. I don’t have any hearing loss though.

Personally I have never listened to music on loud volumes, never been to a concert, use earplugs while swimming, never use earbuds and I even talk on loudspeakers over the phone. Just one instance of negligence by not using earmuffs and doubling up my ear protection, and here I’m with constant ringing.

Met an ENT and got my hearing test which is in normal hearing range. He didn't prescribe any medicine or steroids and said it is due to Temporary Threshold Shift which should go away on its own but couldn't say how long. A very big lesson learned for life.

PROTECT YOUR EARS AT ALL COST.

 

Wish they had taught that in school.

 

I knew about hearing loss but I just thought you heard things less like my grandad.

Wish I had known about tinnitus, hyperacusis, diplacusis etc then as well. Guess you could call it ignorance on my part but who thinks to check out these things? I certainly didn't. Oh I wish I could turn back the time and give myself a good old talking too.

 

Learning how to properly insert a foam earplug goes a long way. Back when I did go to the range, I'd say 50%+ of the people wearing earplugs didn't have them properly inserted. Same with construction jobs, easily half were deep enough given the loudness of the work.

 

Crazy that it's not talked about more! Like you say, all these different symptoms that just lowers the quality of life in an unfathomable way until you actually experience it yourself. Maybe that's why it's not talked about? But I feel those of us that have hearing conditions and now how it can be have to educate people. If anyone wants to listen...

 

Looking at earplug reviews on Amazon also highlights this problem people have with properly inserting them.

Hell, if you even looking at some of the popular consumer earplugs like Eargasm, you'll see their very own product photos show them protruding out of the models' ears inappropriately.

 

I use yellow 3M foam earplugs in the morning as I have pesky pidgeons cooing at my window. I push them in as far as they will go.

 

I remember you teaching me good techniques (put between palms and rub until thin, etc) on how to properly insert foam earplugs. I’ve been doing it ever since lol, big difference. Just wanted to say thanks.

 

It’s been a month now. The volume has gone down a bit but it’s actually fluctuating a lot. I feel fullness and pressure in my ears. Sometimes I feel I’m getting better but the volume goes up by itself. I’m not sure what’s happening.

Any recommendation on how to cope with it?

 

Hey yea! You're welcome.

 

Hi @Scarface Tony - is the fluctuation in your tinnitus at all related to audio input? I personally get spiked in a lot of noise, and agree with all the talk about earplugs being the way to go to mitigate that if noise sensitivity is related to what you're going through.

I'm also curious about the distinction you made between whistling and ringing - when does one and when does the other happen?

I can relate to your struggle to cope, especially knowing that it was one little moment that could have long-term consequences. Personally, I got on a very low dose of Mirtazapine (7.5 mg - half of the lowest dose, so maybe it was simply a placebo) and that seemed to help me get through the first couple months post acoustic trauma. I actually just went off of it, so we'll see what happens.

At the recommendation of many in this community, I started taking NAC (500 mg/day) and I think that has had some positive impact on the ringing. Good luck and best wishes, I'm hoping this works its way through for you and you get to access normal hearing again!

 

The fluctuation is not at all related to audio input. It just gets louder in the evening and extremely loud at night for a few hours. Some days when I wake up it’s normal and gradually goes up during the day ,and some other days it’s loud when I wake up and goes to baseline during the day but again starts getting louder in the evening.

Whistling, like eeeeeeeee, is always there but the ringing comes and goes occasionally. Also there’s no whistling in my right ear, but sometimes my right ear joins the party too for a few hours and goes completely quiet.

It’s been a month and I must say it has actually got a little better compared to the first 2 weeks where it was extremely loud all the time. Now it fluctuates some days. I also have ear fullness and crackling sound in my ear when I lie down. It gets louder when I put my ear against my pillow to sleep.

 

I've experienced some of this migration from my left ear to my right as well, though gratefully, like yours, it eventually recedes.

As for the other symptoms, it sounds like a lot of randomness, which must be annoying. I'm hoping for you that with time, there continues to be a general settling without all the spikes.