Experiences with hearing loss.

[TRX]

The problem with getting hearing aids is that sounds in some frequencies are already loud past the point of pain.

 

[Sistema1927]

A good HA technician is going to adjust them for the frequencies showing loss.

 

[jcwit]

I have worn hearing aids for 10 years now I think.

I am at the point when sitting on my porch I can not hear the crickets in the evening which is OK as they are maddening.

But with that said the aids correck that without making the bass "call it low notes" are not any louder then without aids.

True hearing aids do not make all noise louder across the spectrum.

 

[Jesse H]

I'm only 38 and have slight tinnitus in my right ear. It's noticeable mostly at night when things are quiet around the house, or if I'm listening for it. Years of loud motorcycles, convertible wind noise and yard equipment caused mine.

It just takes one loud noise to cause hearing damage. I recently got into the suppressor game and am now wishing I did earlier.

A couple weeks ago I was confirming POA POI shift with a suppressor and cranked off a couple rounds from a 11.5" upper without the can. Without the can it's obnoxiously loud with the silencerco brake. Just that alone, even with Peltor earmuffs, caused my right ear to ring.

 

[acdodd]

The problem with getting hearing aids is that sounds in some frequencies are already loud past the point of pain.

Hearing aids are custom adjusted to amplify the different frequencies as needed.
My hearing aids were connected to a computer via Bluetooth and the Audiologist could see exactly how to adjust them.
When I remove my hearing aids it's almost like going deaf.
The things I cannot hear is astounding.
Constant tinnitus in both ears.
Protect your hearing at all times.
Once lost that's it.

 

[Red Wind]

My hearing aid specialist has me bring both my aids in every 3 months. She hooks them up to the computer and makes any adjustments that are needed. Checks out the the mold tubes for any obstructions.

This comes free for the life of the aids (or my life ) as part of the sales agreement. There are some very fine people working in the HA industry.

 

[Sovblocgunfan]

Acdodd, do the aids cancel out the tinnitus?

 

[acdodd]

Acdodd, do the aids cancel out the tinnitus?

No.
Tinnitus is for the rest of your life.
It can't be cured or even reduced.
You can mask it some with noise but it's still there.
After awhile you just learn to ignore it and live with it.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

But then again, other people have told me that they shoot unprotected all the time on a regular basis with no ill effects.

They're lying, or simply haven't noticed the damage they're causing yet, as it's just not possible to accomplish this. They're certainly being foolish, and will regret it later. Nobody I know enjoys his loss of hearing later in life, or his tinnitus.

 

[Sistema1927]

I don't notice my Tinnitus, which is pretty much continuous, until I think about it, which is every time that I see this thread. Thanks guys.

 

[Cannibul]

I shot NRA indoor smallbore for several years. That was back in the '70s and we didn't wear hearing protection. I also hunted all season long for upland game, waterfowl and rabbits from 12-18, again no hearing protection.

At 18 I joined the USMC. There was a small amount of hearing loss but it was not enough to keep me out.

In the Marines we always wore hearing protection. However being a 0351 and being around Dragon and TOW missile firings I developed a high frequency hearing loss and severe tinnitus.

The hearing loss bothers my wife more than it bothers me but the tinnitus can drive me nuts at times.

 

[HetchHetchy]

Not sure what frequency/age - but someone over 55 not hearing 15Kz and above is fairly common.

I have shot occasionally in my youth .22LR and .410, no protection. But since then, it's been plugs and muffs. Doing OK, for a rock fan. Seriously, I'm not so bad, but sometimes when I mow, even with a Honda, my ears ring. I'm going to start wearing plugs at least when I mow/edge.

I definitely wear ear plugs when I mow/edge. Even if it wasn't a hearing protection measure, it's just more pleasurable to not be exposed to the noise.

 

[Red Wind]

Semper Fi!, Cannibul . Welcome to THR.

 

[acdodd]

I shot NRA indoor smallbore for several years. That was back in the '70s and we didn't wear hearing protection. I also hunted all season long for upland game, waterfowl and rabbits from 12-18, again no hearing protection.

At 18 I joined the USMC. There was a small amount of hearing loss but it was not enough to keep me out.

In the Marines we always wore hearing protection. However being a 0351 and being around Dragon and TOW missile firings I developed a high frequency hearing loss and severe tinnitus.

The hearing loss bothers my wife more than it bothers me but the tinnitus can drive me nuts at times.

I hope you have contacted the VA.
Service connected hearing loss is a covered disability.
Tinnitus is an automatic 10% disability with a monthly check of around $128.

 

[Red Wind]

I have contacted the VA multiple times over the decades. Not only do they say it can't be proven that the hearing loss was service related, they tell me I make too much money to be illegible in any case .And in the 1960's, the Army issued hearing protection was a bad joke. Cigarette filters were a better choice.

Good luck to Cannibul or any other Vet, dealing with that miserable bureaucratic malaise. Fortunately ,Social Security has given me 100% disability since 2003.

I have paid out of pocket for my hearing aids since 1987.
VA just does not care. At least not for me.

 

[Cannibul]

I'm rated at 90% by the VA but paid at the 100% rate. Part of that is the tinnitus.

Red Wing, VA compensation is in NO WAY tied to how much money you make. Medical care for non-service connected veterans is.

The VA is giving hearing aids to all Veterans at this time. Perhaps you should contact the DAV and have them walk you through it.

 

[sonicmaster577]

Most medium calibers up to .308 I can shoot without affecting hearing, but motion of the bullet is to watch for can induce from one rapid succession a light headed passing out feeling for the remainder of the depending on the caliber day, or extreme tenseness depending on the type of powder, and air pressure. Sound however is not the cause. There is no ear ringing. Hence the no rapid fire rules

 

[Red Wind]

Red Wing, VA compensation is in NO WAY tied to how much money you make. Medical care for non-service connected veterans is.

I'm sorry, but it is. I have the VA documents to prove it. I could write a book on the VA. I will not be back to see them again. And I don't want to discuss them any more on this forum. They make me quite angry. I don't want to inflict that on innocent people.

I do appreciate your remarks. But it would be a complete waste of time for myself and the DAV, with whom I have been contributing to for years.

10-7.

 

[WestKentucky]

I'm 31. I have constant ringing in my left ear, but so far nothing in my right. I attribute this to my stance, and my idiotic refusal to wear protection as a teenager. It wasn't macho...now if my wife sits to my left she has to type out a text if she doesn't want to yell at me. Example, this morning at church someone nearby passed gas and it was pretty bad. She was asking if it was me. She tried 3 times to get me to understand what she said and I just didn't get it til she typed it out on her phone. What I have is referred to as shooters pattern loss, and that is due to high pressure noises coming in on my left side more so than the right due to shooting stance. The fact that I shoot a lot of peppy 357s certainly has not been good for me. It could be worse, but it certainly should not be as bad as it is. I'm thankful that from all my hobbies that I'm not totally deaf, and am relatively injury free aside from a few concussions from high school soccer and a couple good four wheeler wrecks. Moral of the story, don't me like me. OP I feel for ya and I hope your condition is temporary. Sometimes those small sonic booms as you force air out from between objects does do damage. If that's the case then good luck on learning to live with it. It's frustrating and troublesome, at least yours is right ear...try going to a drive-up window at McDonald's with your left ear screwed up..

 

[JohnKSa]

I'm sorry, but it is. I have the VA documents to prove it. I could write a book on the VA.

It most certainly is not. VA disability pensions are subject to an income limit but VA disability compensation is definitely not.

If someone at the VA really did give you paperwork telling you that you can't get disability compensation due to your income then you have everything you need to get them in a lot of trouble.

Additional information.

http://statesidelegal.org/veteran-s-disability-compensation-and-disability-pension

 

[Cannibul]

JohnKSa is correct.

VA disability is NOT MEANS TESTED. I know a Vietnam Vet who makes right around $750,000 a year and he's receiving $1888.48 per month in disability from the VA. He's rated 90% and he's married.

Pensions are means tested, you also have to be a war time Vet and no longer be able to work, be over 65 and as a single Vet make less than $12,868 per year.

I've been dealing with this system for 36 years and there's a ton of bad information out there. The benefits side is not a very user friendly system either. If you mistakenly apply for a PENSION when you should have applied for COMPENSATION they will deny the pension and not say another word.

If you have a decision that says you are denied COMPENSATION due to income then that a big mistake on their part.

Medical care for non-service connected Veterans is based on income. Everyone is slotted into a Priority Group. If you're not service connected and have a high income your chances of being treated at a VA facility are zero.

There's two sides to the VA coin.

The Benefits side and the Medical side. Those two sides rarely talk to each other. To receive care and compensation one needs to file a claim with the benefits side and have proof of the claim.

For tinnitus and hearing loss it's pretty easy. If you were in combat, or in certain Military Occupational Specialties the hearing loss and tinnitus is pretty much a slam dunk.

I knew a gentleman who was a U2 pilot. He had three cockpit depressurizations. Each time it ruptured his ear drums. After the third event it was decided he could no longer fly the U2. He retired after 24 years of service. He had been retired over 30 years when I met him. Took him down to the DAV and had him file a claim. He received 10% for tinnitus, 20% for hearing loss and an additional 30% for knee problems related to have ejected from a plane.

There's no time limit on claims. All you need is proof.

I've helped close to 50 Veterans get compensation. Many of them didn't even realize it was possible. I've hunted down medics and Corpsmen from Vietnam to get statements on injuries.

As a side note there's a new list of presumptive conditions for Veterans who were stationed at Camp Lejuene for 30 days or more from 8-1-53 to 12-31-53. This relates to health care. So far it's not a presumptive list for compensation. I'm guessing that will soon change.

 

[Red Wind]

Alright. Thank you both very much ,John KSa and Cannibul. I will have another go at them.

 

[bassdogs]

I'm rated at 90% by the VA but paid at the 100% rate. Part of that is the tinnitus.

Red Wing, VA compensation is in NO WAY tied to how much money you make. Medical care for non-service connected veterans is.

The VA is giving hearing aids to all Veterans at this time. Perhaps you should contact the DAV and have them walk you through it.

Was denigned by theVA last year when I was tested for hearing loss. They confirmed the moderate to severe hearing loss but said there experts felt it was "less than likely " that my hearing loss was service related. I served in the Signal Corp during the Vietnam conflict and was submitted to hours of shrill morse code training during AIT. The instructor told us that 50% of us would be deaf by age 50. Sorry Charlie but no help from the VA. Ended up getting the aids myself at a cost of $5000. Results have been great but resent that the VA would not consider my case.

 

[CoalTrain49]

And many of us grew up in an age of ignorance/hard rock/fireworks/jet blasts and shooting sports. Tinnitus is pretty common among 60 somethings, but usually creeps in over time.

All I can suggest is to protect what you have left. Electronic muffs are my constant companions when I'm outdoors or in noisy environments.

This is it in a nutshell. I've had my hearing tested 3 times. The last time was to acquire hearing aids. I lost some of my hearing working on the flight line in the Navy. The rest I lost working in heavy construction for 30 years and being and avid hunter and shooter. It goes incrementally and at about 60 it was at a point where I couldn't hear most conversations with any background noise.

I tried to get VA to pay for hearing aids (I'm a vet) for 3 years and finally gave up. A 3K set of hearing aids has me more or less back to normal. My wife was responsible for me getting back in the game and I have her to thank for that.

Get some hearing aids and get on with your life.

 

[Red Wind]

And to add, I mentioned your comments to my daughter who accompanied me the last 2 times, and she will assist me again.We have tried for compensation only ,never a pension. Perhaps this time there will be a different result.
We will get the DAV involved as you suggested.

If there is, I will have you two gentlemen to thank for pushing me forwards into another effort!

Certainly not in the league of the guy making $750K ,but I have been fortunate to have 2 Government pensions and Social Security. But like him, if I am entitled to the compensation, it should be paid.