Question for those of you with hearing damage - Page 2

Kreyzhorse · August 3, 2012, 06:54 PM

I'm a lefty but I believe I have less hearing in my right ear than my left ear. My right ear also rings much more often than my left.

I'd guess that my hearing loss is a combo of hunting / shooting and playing guitar (loudly of course).

Boatme98 · August 5, 2012, 11:11 PM

I'm the same age age as Creeper, and my problem is in both ears. It's not just the shooting, but years of working without ear protection.
Add high blood pressure and you wouldn't believe the sound.

hermannr · August 6, 2012, 12:08 AM

I have hearing loss in both ears, worse in the right...some may be from shooting without protection years ago (Army and Civilian), but I think most of it is from the jet engined power station used with the Pershing missile system.

I have two types/levels of background noise. One is the single ringing frequency that is accompineed by a blancking...kind of like an AGC works in an autio system...this sound comes and then slowly goes, usually of a very short diration, either ear...but when it does happen it is quite pronounced.

The other sounds I hear are weaker, but always present (unless blanked out by the "ringing"). They sound more like wind in the trees or chirping birds (bearings?) They are veriable in frequency and intensity, but always there.

Where we live it is extremely quiet (our kids say it is too quiet), but when I go to bed at night, that is when I hear the secondary sounds most pronounced. No, it isn't from wind or birds, plugging the ear does not make the sound go away,

Haven't been to an audiologist since I left the Army, but the problem was there when I left, but I do know it is getting worse as I have trouble hearing my wife, and others when they speak to me. (64 years old)

hivel37 · August 6, 2012, 11:07 AM

My ringing has gotten louder after a stroke left me deaf on the right side.

Living with tinnitus ain't no picnic, fellows. Hang in.

g.willikers · August 6, 2012, 11:23 AM

With all the noises of modern urban life, the noises in my ears are just some more background.
Lawn mowers, helicopters, dog barking, doors slamming, cars and motorcycles coming and going all hours, washing machines and dryers, tv, radio....it really isn't all that noticeable.

nicksixx402 · September 25, 2012, 08:55 PM

I wear in ears when I shoot but after for at least an hour, my girlfriend, tv, or radio sounds like a robot. (modulated) not all voice pitches do it. It's the strangest thing. I do have some hearing loss from being an audio engineer and loud concerts and playing in a loud ass band when I was younger and hated wearing ear plugs. Any one else experience this?

Onward Allusion · September 25, 2012, 10:13 PM

Strange, but I never realized that the side directly behind the gun experiences some type of noise cancellation. Yup, weak side (left) has worst ringing...

Peptobismol9 · September 26, 2012, 01:34 AM

I'm only 19 and have a 35% hearing loss in my right, and 40% in my left. It happens faster than you think. My strong side is my right side.
If there is background noise I can't make out words at all. I used to not wear hearing protection and fire alot of 30-06 and 7.62x39 without hearing protection. Now I always wear it and I shoot alot of lighter calibers like .22 Lr and Magnum, and a bit less of the louder stuff. It was a devastating reality check to get those test results.

geetarman · September 26, 2012, 08:04 AM

I am right handed but most of my hearing loss is on the left side.

In my 20's I bought a Ruger Blackhawk in .41mag.

I shot it out in the country next to a farmhouse that was on my left and I had no hearing protection at all.

That gun was unbelievably loud.

It cost me dearly.

CajunBass · September 26, 2012, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Was shooting the prime contribution to my loss? I don't know. Perhaps 20 years of riding street motorcycles without a helmet... didn't help.

Although I've hunted and shot most of my life, I took a roughly 20 year break from it when I got into tournament bass fishing. I hardly fired a shot during that time. What I did do was run high performance bass boats at fairly high speeds. Those outboard engines which are more or less unmuffled, AND more importantly the wind rushing over my ears, I believe did more damage to my hearing than shooting. Even back in the day, I did very little shooting without hearing protection. However I never considered the wind noise from the boat, or the racket from the soft top Jeeps I prefered during that time period.

Both ears ring about the same.

Wildthang · September 26, 2012, 08:54 AM

So answer me this, do you huys hear the crickets?

geetarman · September 26, 2012, 09:03 AM

I do not hear crickets. . .real or in my ears. I hear a constant pitch. I have often wondered if a tone generator of the proper pitch and 180 out of phase with the sound I hear would cancel it out.

I can't say it really bothers me. It is just something that is always there.

warbirdlover · September 26, 2012, 09:09 AM

No crickets!!

I lost most of my hearing from taking a drug (Indocin) that in 1% of the users destroys the little hairs in your inner ear. I had to take it for the ankylosing spondilitus (arthritus in the back) I had back then (quits when you hit 50ish) because there was no other drug on the market (back then) that could relieve the inflamation. It was like a miracle allowing me to again tie my shoes etc but the side affect has left me now with a severe hearing loss down into the speech area. I wear $5000+ hearing aids that help alot but the next step (down) is a cochlea implant.

So I just wear my hearing aids and turn them off for shooting. No better sound suppression then a couple ear molds fitted to your ear. I've never worn hearing protection hunting but always do at the range.

And it will be interesting in years to come seeing how many young deaf people there will be from listening to the pounding rap music in their cars. When they have the windows shut and I can hear (and feel!) that pounding a block away they are destroying their hearing.

geetarman · September 26, 2012, 09:57 AM

^^^^^^^I hear you

I play in a band in addition to shooting. I either play guitar or bass and when I play bass, my amp is right next to me.

I don't wear ears when I play but I do not play too loud either.

The thing that bothers me now would be playing next to a drummer playing conventional drums. The sound can be pretty brutal.

Played once with a trumpet player standing right behind me

THAT was loud.

Onward Allusion · September 26, 2012, 01:32 PM

I can still hear crickets...

One of the posts indicated that hearing loss can be caused by meds. Dang! I just looked up the list of meds that can cause tinnitus and I am taking TWO of 'em. Crap!!! Time to talk to the doc and get her to prescribe me something else!

I've always wondered why I started getting tinnitus 'cause I'm pretty good with hearing protection. I usually double up! Grrr... Well, thank goodness for this forum. Still learning something new every day.

Chuckusaret · September 26, 2012, 01:43 PM

I don't have a hearing problem, most people just don't talk loud enough, that is with the exception of my wife.

roberto mervicini · September 26, 2012, 02:24 PM

I am lefty, about 15 or 20 yrs back I had test my hear loss, 35% the left one and about 18 % the right one. At early age I shoot .22 and shootguns without protection, and according to the doctor this could made a lot of irreversible dammage. As I started shooting pistol and hi power rifle I always wear protection, and now double protection... except when hunting, but the dammage is done: both my hears ring all the time....

August 3, 2012, 06:54 PM	#26
Kreyzhorse Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2006 Location: NKY Posts: 12,463	I'm a lefty but I believe I have less hearing in my right ear than my left ear. My right ear also rings much more often than my left. I'd guess that my hearing loss is a combo of hunting / shooting and playing guitar (loudly of course). __________________ "He who laughs last, laughs dead." Homer Simpson

August 5, 2012, 11:11 PM	#27
Boatme98 Senior Member Join Date: April 5, 2008 Location: Mid Tennessee Posts: 357	I'm the same age age as Creeper, and my problem is in both ears. It's not just the shooting, but years of working without ear protection. Add high blood pressure and you wouldn't believe the sound. __________________ It's good to be the king.

August 6, 2012, 11:23 AM	#30
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	With all the noises of modern urban life, the noises in my ears are just some more background. Lawn mowers, helicopters, dog barking, doors slamming, cars and motorcycles coming and going all hours, washing machines and dryers, tv, radio....it really isn't all that noticeable. __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

September 25, 2012, 10:13 PM	#32
Onward Allusion Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2009 Location: Back in a Non-Free State Posts: 3,133	Strange, but I never realized that the side directly behind the gun experiences some type of noise cancellation. Yup, weak side (left) has worst ringing... __________________ Simple as ABC . . . Always Be Carrying

September 26, 2012, 01:34 AM	#33
Peptobismol9 Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2009 Posts: 137	I'm only 19 and have a 35% hearing loss in my right, and 40% in my left. It happens faster than you think. My strong side is my right side. If there is background noise I can't make out words at all. I used to not wear hearing protection and fire alot of 30-06 and 7.62x39 without hearing protection. Now I always wear it and I shoot alot of lighter calibers like .22 Lr and Magnum, and a bit less of the louder stuff. It was a devastating reality check to get those test results. Last edited by Peptobismol9; September 26, 2012 at 01:41 AM.

August 6, 2012, 12:08 AM	#28
hermannr Senior Member Join Date: March 24, 2011 Posts: 730	I have hearing loss in both ears, worse in the right...some may be from shooting without protection years ago (Army and Civilian), but I think most of it is from the jet engined power station used with the Pershing missile system. I have two types/levels of background noise. One is the single ringing frequency that is accompineed by a blancking...kind of like an AGC works in an autio system...this sound comes and then slowly goes, usually of a very short diration, either ear...but when it does happen it is quite pronounced. The other sounds I hear are weaker, but always present (unless blanked out by the "ringing"). They sound more like wind in the trees or chirping birds (bearings?) They are veriable in frequency and intensity, but always there. Where we live it is extremely quiet (our kids say it is too quiet), but when I go to bed at night, that is when I hear the secondary sounds most pronounced. No, it isn't from wind or birds, plugging the ear does not make the sound go away, Haven't been to an audiologist since I left the Army, but the problem was there when I left, but I do know it is getting worse as I have trouble hearing my wife, and others when they speak to me. (64 years old)

August 6, 2012, 11:07 AM	#29
hivel37 Senior Member Join Date: August 24, 2004 Location: Hill Country Posts: 522	My ringing has gotten louder after a stroke left me deaf on the right side. Living with tinnitus ain't no picnic, fellows. Hang in.

September 25, 2012, 08:55 PM	#31
nicksixx402 Junior Member Join Date: September 25, 2012 Location: Western Nebraska Posts: 1	I wear in ears when I shoot but after for at least an hour, my girlfriend, tv, or radio sounds like a robot. (modulated) not all voice pitches do it. It's the strangest thing. I do have some hearing loss from being an audio engineer and loud concerts and playing in a loud ass band when I was younger and hated wearing ear plugs. Any one else experience this?

September 26, 2012, 08:04 AM	#34
geetarman Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 3,157	I am right handed but most of my hearing loss is on the left side. In my 20's I bought a Ruger Blackhawk in .41mag. I shot it out in the country next to a farmhouse that was on my left and I had no hearing protection at all. That gun was unbelievably loud. It cost me dearly. __________________ Geetarman Carpe Cerveza

September 26, 2012, 08:54 AM	#36
Wildthang Member Join Date: September 26, 2012 Location: Northern Ohio Posts: 16	So answer me this, do you huys hear the crickets?

September 26, 2012, 09:03 AM	#37
geetarman Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 3,157	I do not hear crickets. . .real or in my ears. I hear a constant pitch. I have often wondered if a tone generator of the proper pitch and 180 out of phase with the sound I hear would cancel it out. I can't say it really bothers me. It is just something that is always there. __________________ Geetarman Carpe Cerveza

September 26, 2012, 09:09 AM	#38
warbirdlover Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2009 Location: central Wisconsin Posts: 2,324	No crickets!! I lost most of my hearing from taking a drug (Indocin) that in 1% of the users destroys the little hairs in your inner ear. I had to take it for the ankylosing spondilitus (arthritus in the back) I had back then (quits when you hit 50ish) because there was no other drug on the market (back then) that could relieve the inflamation. It was like a miracle allowing me to again tie my shoes etc but the side affect has left me now with a severe hearing loss down into the speech area. I wear $5000+ hearing aids that help alot but the next step (down) is a cochlea implant. So I just wear my hearing aids and turn them off for shooting. No better sound suppression then a couple ear molds fitted to your ear. I've never worn hearing protection hunting but always do at the range. And it will be interesting in years to come seeing how many young deaf people there will be from listening to the pounding rap music in their cars. When they have the windows shut and I can hear (and feel!) that pounding a block away they are destroying their hearing.

September 26, 2012, 09:57 AM	#39
geetarman Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 3,157	^^^^^^^I hear you I play in a band in addition to shooting. I either play guitar or bass and when I play bass, my amp is right next to me. I don't wear ears when I play but I do not play too loud either. The thing that bothers me now would be playing next to a drummer playing conventional drums. The sound can be pretty brutal. Played once with a trumpet player standing right behind me THAT was loud. __________________ Geetarman Carpe Cerveza

September 26, 2012, 01:32 PM	#40
Onward Allusion Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2009 Location: Back in a Non-Free State Posts: 3,133	I can still hear crickets... One of the posts indicated that hearing loss can be caused by meds. Dang! I just looked up the list of meds that can cause tinnitus and I am taking TWO of 'em. Crap!!! Time to talk to the doc and get her to prescribe me something else! I've always wondered why I started getting tinnitus 'cause I'm pretty good with hearing protection. I usually double up! Grrr... Well, thank goodness for this forum. Still learning something new every day. __________________ Simple as ABC . . . Always Be Carrying

September 26, 2012, 01:43 PM	#41
Chuckusaret Junior member Join Date: December 5, 2008 Location: Florida Posts: 708	I don't have a hearing problem, most people just don't talk loud enough, that is with the exception of my wife.

September 26, 2012, 02:24 PM	#42
roberto mervicini Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2007 Location: Laval, Quebec, Canada Posts: 151	I am lefty, about 15 or 20 yrs back I had test my hear loss, 35% the left one and about 18 % the right one. At early age I shoot .22 and shootguns without protection, and according to the doctor this could made a lot of irreversible dammage. As I started shooting pistol and hi power rifle I always wear protection, and now double protection... except when hunting, but the dammage is done: both my hears ring all the time....