Tinnitus Update For Muzzlebrake Shooters

[LynnJr]

A little while back we had a thread about muzzlebrakes and the subject of hearing loss came up as it always does.
I use both foam plugs and muffs when shooting the big boomers and my left ear was down to 40% of my right ear and lots of ringing.
Finally got to talk with audiology about hearing aids and the doctor noticed i was wearing a shirt with a rifle logo on it and enquired if i was a shooter.
Long story short i went in for a CT scan and the bone above my ear canal which thins with aging has broken causing vertigo and the ringing.
Nobody knows what caused it with certainty but the concussion is a suspect.
For those with ringing ears ask your audiologist about SCSD on your next visit and see what they think. The surgery cures 80% or has that as its sucess rate.
I will let you know after deer seasom is over how it turns out either way.

[RandyD]

Thanks for the post. I have some vertigo. It lasts no more than 30 seconds in the morning. I am going to ask for the same diagnostic test.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I just got the Audiology Exam on Monday because my Right ear is nearly dead.

70% loss on the Low Frequencies and going down to Zero from 2000hz and above. Left ear is 10% loss up to 2000hz and then drops off to 50% at 8000hz. so it is just fine.

I got my head clocked on the roll bar of my Jeep when I rolled it 4 1/2 times in 2001. I have had Tinnitus since that day in my right ear and the reason is that the little bones in my ear were knocked out of kilter.

There is an operation that could repair those bones or if they are ruined there is even a Prosthetic they can use, HOWEVER The operations will never return the ear to anything close to full efficiency, and that is the good news, the bad news is the Operations may not do anything.

The good news is that the VA has really good Hearing Aides! and I will be looking at them for my right ear later this month.

I have to tell you, being deaf in one ear is not all that bad.

I sleep mostly on my left side so my left ear is in the pillow and I can't hear anything unless it is really loud. When driving I don't have to listen to my Wife Bitch either, and believe me, that is a blessing ! There are other advantages as well.

When shooting if my right ear plug comes out I don't notice it.

I will be getting one of the "Behind The Ear Rechargeable Hearing Aids." And will only be wearing it when I need to, because I can hear most everything that I actually want to hear without anything, so the hearing aid will only be for watching TV adn when we go out. I can hear my radio in my car just fine so I don't need it for driving. I also asked about the inside the ear invisible units ? Teh big problem with them other than the cost, which is ridiculous, is they get lost really easy. I lose stuff a lot and a $3000 item that is about the size of a Peanut probably would make it onto the "lost list" pretty quickly.

So that's what I found out this week about my hearing loss.

I also found out that since I worked on the Flight Lines around Jets back during the Vietnam War that I am eligible for a Disability Claim. I also worked on some of teh C130 Sprayers that were used for dispensing Agent Orange AKA Paraquat! That one is worth more than the hearing loss!

Randy

[Dvrjon]

I will be getting one of the "Behind The Ear Rechargeable Hearing Aids." And will only be wearing it when I need to, because I can hear most everything that I actually want to hear without anything, so the hearing aid will only be for watching TV adn when we go out. I can hear my radio in my car just fine so I don't need it for driving. I also asked about the inside the ear invisible units ? Teh big problem with them other than the cost, which is ridiculous, is they get lost really easy. I lose stuff a lot and a $3000 item that is about the size of a Peanut probably would make it onto the "lost list" pretty quickly.

So that's what I found out this week about my hearing loss.

I also found out that since I worked on the Flight Lines around Jets back during the Vietnam War that I am eligible for a Disability Claim. I also worked on some of teh C130 Sprayers that were used for dispensing Agent Orange AKA Paraquat! That one is worth more than the hearing loss!

Randy

If there is a "best" part of the Agent Orange issue it is that you don't have to prove disability...it's a presumptive condition.

On your future hearing aids. Use them all of the time (except sleeping). Without them you lose a bunch of ambient noise which keeps your mind working. I've had them for about 6 years (age 70, now) and the difference is annoying...the wife was right when she bitched that I was deaf...that's annoying!

[LynnJr]

Randy
The SCSD is not the bones inside the ear it is the bone above the ear canal or above the bones you are talking about.
I actually very much dislike the constant ringing and actually asked if they could purposely destroy my left ear to get rid of it figuring no hearing was better than the constant ringing.
The doctor said destroying the left ear wouldnt stop the ringing at all and if the ringing was actually there then he would hear it as well.
I dont have meniers(sp) and i dont have the little broken internal bones like you have.
Lifting something heavy or kids bouncing a ball or driving up and down a mountain can change the pressure enough that i get vertigo.
Like yourself i wont get the hearing loss that is already there back but if the ringing and vertigo stops i will consider that a win.
Getting old isnt for sissies and explaining why your parked alongside the freeway at 3 AM puking and unable to standup straight to the highway patrol with a hunting rifle in the passenger seat and a cooler isnt as easy to explain as one might think.
I was told the hearing aids are refundable so you can test them out for a month then take your prescription to Costco and get them for $1250. They didnt say if that was each or the pair. It might be worth looking into.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Lynn: the only time my Balance is affected is when it is Pitch Black Dark.

If I can't see anything I have to put my arms out as curb feelers to walk strait. I drift from side to side,,, and back and forth. This usually happens when I shut the bathroom lights off with the door closed. Luckily it is narrow and I can feel my way out. Once I can see, I'm good to go.

The test they did to me to figure out the bones were knocked out was,,, He took a Tuning Fork, toonced it, and then stuck the butt end on my skull just above the bridge of my nose. Then asked me which ear I heard it in.. Right Ear loud and clear was the answer, and he said the bones were most likely fused, or completely knocked out of kilter.

I've been living with the tinnitus for 21 years now and I don't even notice it unless I think about it. It is ringing right now!

Randy

[Fjold]

Lynn, thanks for the information. I have severe hearing loss and tinnitus in my right ear. I'm left handed so mine was also probably due to muzzle blast. I'm moving next month to a really rural area in Kentucky so I'll have to find a new EN&T / Audiologist to look at that.

[Dvrjon]

[LynnJr]

Holy smokes great catch Dvrjon.
Yes go to a ear nose and throat specialist and a audiologist to get the prescription and just have Costco fill it.
I was not even aware Costco offered the diagnostic service.

[Dvrjon]

Holy smokes great catch Dvrjon.
Yes go to a ear nose and throat specialist and a audiologist to get the prescription and just have Costco fill it.
I was not even aware Costco offered the diagnostic service.

[morrcarr67]

I used to work full time as a truck transporter. Which means I would get in a truck and drive it somewhere else. I get out and go find another truck to drive.

Several years ago I was moving a bunch of UPS trucks out of California due to CARB regulations. I did both tractors and package cars. After doing 3 package cars in a row to TX I developed tinnitus in my right ear.

I was getting dizzy and bad headaches from the ringing and went to the doctor for it. They told me that this condition is irreversible and would be with me for the rest of my life.

I now take 18 pills a day, most of which are to help me cope with the tinnitus. One of those pills is Lipo Flavonoid. When I first started to take it, it really worked well. The ring was pretty much gone. Then I got a job driving local and the company had old tractors that brought the ringing back and now it just keeps it at low level. I would recommend that anyone else with tinnitus at least try it.

Well thanks to moving those trucks, not only do I have tinnitus but I also have nerve damage in my right ear. The nerve damage is what has caused my hearing loss. I now have severe hearing loss in my right ear and need to wear a hearing aid.

I too went to Costco for my hearing aid. I went with the Resound GN, now Jabra GN. They did the same thing and let me walk around the warehouse with it. What a difference. I would recommend that anyone in need of a hearing aid to check out Costco.



Sent from my BE2026 using Tapatalk

[morrcarr67]

I forgot to mention that I still do some transporting from time to time. I found a great way to block out the noise of the truck, listen to music on the drive and have a headset for talking to my wife when she calls.

I picked up a BEATS neckband earbud set up. I can go the whole day, most of the time on a single charge. That is if I don't talk on the phone too much. I'm guessing using the mic draws more power and I seem to run short of 12 hours that I would usually need.

They sound great and help with both the tinnitus and the headaches. Both are much lower at the end of the day. I would wear these more often but with them in you really can't hear stuff going on around you. Which can be good and bad.

[kendog4570]

Been using Costco hearing aids for almost 15 years. On my 4th pair. 3 year warranty and an additional 1 year if you pay for them with the Costco credit card. These days it is Citibank. Used to be American Express. All hearing aids take a beating and I have used these warranties to get new replacements with each of the 4 different models. Most of my hearing loss is hereditary and as I get older, my uncorrected hearing gets worse and worse, so each new pair costs a little more than the last but still well under what I would pay a Dr.
Each set has all sorts of new improved whizz bang features and settings, but at the end of the day you'll find out that you mostly want on, off, high, low. One really cool feature with the latest is bluetooth to an Iphone.I do use that a lot.


The main reason I use Costco is I pay out of pocket and they are far cheaper than an Audiologist. Couldn't tell you if the Dr supplied devices are any better. Might be, probably not. Besides, at 66, I've heard enough.



Don't get them wet....

[Fjold]

I still have really good hearing in my left ear and I don't miss much. It's the tinnitus in my right ear that bothers me.

[sigstroker]

I've had tinnitus since I was about 10 years old and I know exactly what caused it. Too much pistol shooting, but the final straw was when I shot in an space enclosed by a rock wall on 3 sides. No hearing protection. I didn't know such a thing existed.

The weird thing is, I can hear high frequencies like a dog. I could hear the computer monitors when they were crt's. When my hearing was tested they thought it was weird what frequencies I could hear.

BTW, you don't want vertigo if you can avoid it.