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55 years of shooting, almost 40 years running air tools, countless trips to the dragstrip, and 50 years of rock and roll. ad a welding spark that burnt thru my left ear drum and I can't hear diddly these days.
 
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I have had a hearing compression problem my whole life but the brunt of the hearing loss came in 95. I lost 90% of my left ear comprehension and 60% in the right from a viral infection (they say). Anyone have equilibrium problems with loud noises? I do. Not fun trying to sleep with jet engines in your ears.
 
I remember the days......back in elementary school......when the nurse and hearing specialist would come and give free hearing tests. All part of an effort to catch those with early learning disabilities. Yes......it was FREE. My guess is that the medical device company had something to do with this. Anyway.....the conversation went......

Specialist : "Hey, hey.....it appears that you've lost some of your hearing. Do you think that you need a Beltone Hearing Aid?"

Friend of mine : "Huh?"

Specialist : "Do you think that you need a Beltone Hearing Aid? (while speaking louder)"

Friend of Mine : "What?"

Specialist : "Do you think that you need a Beltone Hearing Aid? (this time even louder than before and a bit slower)

Friend of Mine : "Nah.....I no need that."

Aloha, Mark
 
New member here, long time shooter though. Years of Dirt bikes, jetskis and shooting has taken a toll on hearing. I wear hearing protection, but curious if any of you have had further hearing loss while still wearing plugs/muffs etc. Tips, tricks appreciated. Anyone else ever had a ruptured ear drum from shooting?.
Cheers!.
Best tip would be to keep wearing ear pro and don't shoot without it, not eve 22LR. Never ruptured an ear drum but I came damned close last deer season. I normally never notice the sound when shooting at an animal. Now my 30-06 does have a muzzle brake so it is a wee bit loud. Took a shot last year. One shot and it felt like someone drove a dagger into my ear, just about sent me to my knees. I will now be taking ear plugs in the woods and hope the animal doesn't bolt as I'm cramming orange foam in my ears. Never had a problem with ringing before. Now my right ear screams at me every single day.
 
I'm still one of the younger ones.

i double up. Custom in ear plugs and over the ear as well. I also wear the in ears with filters when I fly (helicopter pilot) under my headset and use the plugs at concerts. I want my hearing to last.

Seeing my dad's deterioration of hearing starting at 45 was eye opening. He's had a long career of loud things and I don't need to go through what he is. He's 55 and now has a cochlear implant for one ear and is considering getting it in his other. It scares him, and that takes a lot.
 
Lots of shooting but always wore plugs or muffs but a lot of yrs running very loud equipment that sounded like a jet engine taking off and shook the concrete a little. I gradually lost quite a bit from work as noted on the yearly testing and the last audiologist I went to said hearing aids wouldnt help. Left ear is a high pitch ring and worse loss then the right but the right has a dull low noise like a semi is idling outside. I just wear muffs now as plugs can give me an ear infection sometimes.

The best thing you can do is just put condoms over your ears, that way you wont end up getting hearing aids.
 
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Just throwin it out there... when it comes to serious relationships... being partially deaf has more upsides than down. ✌️
 
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Just throwin it out there... when it comes to serious relationships... being partially deaf has more upsides then down. ✌️
My mom always said my dad had "selective hearing" but he did have hearing loss from being an aircraft mechanic while he was in the Navy, Marines and Airforce (Korea era before, during and after). She had some also from her time in the Navy.
 
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I've tinnitus and hearing loss, a lifetime of shooting, music and motorcycles. These days I wear ear plugs and muffs when shooting.

I should be using hearing aids but I'm too stubborn for that. I'm settling for just trying to not let the problem get much worse.
 
But wait... there are hundreds if not thousands of cures for Tinnitus. Just watch one of the never ending videos on social media until they want a bunch of money for something that doesn't work.
 
I had a Park Manager try to order me around while I was doing the monthly water tests. She wanted me to stop what I was doing go wake up one of her park rangers on his day off and go dig post holes. I refused, and when I got back to the office and had to explain myself I told the are supervisor why and that she hit that ex-wife tone and I couldn't hear a word she said. He just nodded his head and told me not to worry about it. That's the last I ever heard about that.
 
I have had a hearing compression problem my whole life but the brunt of the hearing loss came in 95. I lost 90% of my left ear comprehension and 60% in the right from a viral infection (they say). Anyone have equilibrium problems with loud noises? I do. Not fun trying to sleep with jet engines in your ears.
Thanks for the note, my right ear has loss due to an infection also. Hearing loss sucks to deal with. Especially when it affects doing fun things like shooting.
 
Thank you everyone!. It sounds like I am not alone in this hearing loss issue. at age 46 now, I am not going to even mess with more loss. I ordered electronic/shooting muffs last night. I am not sure how many here are LEO, but how do cops go through discharges while on duty and not suffer ruptured ear drums?. It is not like they have time to put on "ears" when they are in a life or death situation. ?.
 
Thank you everyone!. It sounds like I am not alone in this hearing loss issue. at age 46 now, I am not going to even mess with more loss. I ordered electronic/shooting muffs last night. I am not sure how many here are LEO, but how do cops go through discharges while on duty and not suffer ruptured ear drums?. It is not like they have time to put on "ears" when they are in a life or death situation. ?.
I can't speak for LEO, but you don't automatically suffer ruptured eardrums from nearby gunfire. You very well may experience permanent hearing loss, severe or minor, but you need some pretty severe pressure to rupture an eardrum. I've experienced a rifle being fired right next to me indoors. I wasn't happy about it, and definitely took some permanent damage, but I still have intact eardrums.
 
lots of pistols don't bother me at all. 9mm,38 spcl, .380. I bought a .327 federal mag hoping it didn't bark as hard as the .357 mag, well it does! magnum pistols will make my ears ring pretty hard. I don't have much problem with rifles these days.
 

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