Tinnitus Severity Poll

[carnaby]

I had tinnitus for 10 years at a pretty low level from playing in a band in confined spaces. The cymbals are a killer. I would only notice it at night though when the environment was very quiet. Anyway, I started shooting about two years ago, always with hearing protection. For some reason my tinnitus got noticeably worse about a year ago. It gets so bad that I notice it all the time no matter what I'm doing. Some days I don't notice it in a normal sound environment, but days like today and it's quite bothersome.

Argh! One thing is for sure, find a way to actually alleviate tinnitus (not like all the idiotic snake oil sold on the internet) and you will be rich.

 

[bill.l.johnson]

Have had it constant in both ears since 1965. Lost 30% of my hearing then and now it is about 70%. The tinnitus doesn't help either. I did get transfered from the infantry to transportation though. Have had VA issued hearing aids since 2000 They help to lessen the tinnitus but not eliminate it.
It is back at full volume when I take the aids out.

Put the hearing protection on. Mine was a one time percussion that knocked out the first 30%. But I'd like to be at 40% now with normal aging loss of hearing. Maybe would have if I had been wearing hearing protection.

:banghead:


Bill

 

[Nio]

I had bad Tinitus as a child. It wasn't caused by shooting.

Nio

 

[Sheldon J]

Strep Throat

Killed 40DB of my hearing and left me with a continous ring, 20 years ago.

 

[Erich]

Huh?

No, actually, I'm fortunate to have none. Then again, I use in-the-ear and over-the-ear protection at the outdoor range, so I've been pretty good about taking care of myself in the 20-odd years I've been shooting.

 

[1911 guy]

Guess I'm lucky.

My hearing loss is fairly mild, have no roblem hearing normal conversation as long as there isn't much background noise. Add in some noise and I'm always saying "What?" Drives my wife crazy. I don't hear the buzzing much except when it's quiet and then it's not horrible. Just a high pitched whine in the background.

 

[bpisler]

I've got a little in my right ear that i hardly
notice except when it quite out.

 

[thumper723]

Mine is mild, but gets aggrivated by ear infections. It's not bad, but I'm only 27.

Mostly from flying heliciopters, which I have been doing for the last ~11-12 years. A little is probably from racing motocross, and working as a welder off and on for a few years.

The biggest problem right now is, the radios in my helicopters suck, so I cannot wear earplugs, or I am constantly going *** did he say to my copilot if I do wear them.

 

[dracphelan]

I've been very protective of my hearing. It is so sensitive that I find what some people consider an enjoyable volume for music painful. This has prevented me from doing things that others have done to damage their hearing.

 

[gezzer]

Huh? what noise?

 

[davera]

Tinnitus

I have slight tinnitus not due to guns but working in large mainframe computer rooms (when they had such things) amongst all the whirring disk drives and fans and printers and AC.

 

[halfacop]

Killed 40DB of my hearing and left me with a continous ring, 20 years ago

Yup - I lost 80% in my right ear 20 years ago due to a bad case of Mono. Ringing ever since.

 

[Furncliff]

I'll be 62 tomorrow, I have had the crickets and ringing for about twenty years. I flew light planes in the 60's and 70's, before really good headphones were widely used, the engine noise was deafning especially in something like the Dehaviland Beaver (450 HP radial engine). Had a hearing test a week or two ago, I'll need to get aids since I can't hear anything above 1000Khz now. This is something that can sneak up on you. Protect your ears, tinnitis really sucks.

 

[rhubarb]

I clicked on "severe, sometimes worse than others."

It's like August heat in South Texas. It's always there, but thinking about it just makes it worse.

 

[Twycross]

None so far.

 

[Rich K]

I have the crickets all the time. After a busy shift on the ambulance, it gets alittle worse for a while, then settles down.

 

[PATH]

No tinnitus but with background noise it sometimes difficult to hear conversations sometimes.

 

[motorep]

Mine is severe. Constant ringing. My ENT Dr gave me a series of hearing tests last year. He went over the graph printouts with me- "have you had long term exposure to sudden, loud noises?" Well, yeah, shooting while I was growing up, and in the military some. No hearing protection. "Yep, that's this flat spot on the graph. How about long term exposure to loud, high frequency, noise?" You mean like working around running jet engines and ground power units? With no hearing protection..." Yep, thought so. That's this other big flat spot...."

 

[Tiny in Ohio]

I just had a hearing test last week, hi frequency hearing loss. Have had it as long as I can remember, hi pitched whine every minute of my life now. And at 36, the wife is tired of it already. Makes hearing with background noise very difficult at best. And I was told it will get worse with age.

 

[grampster]

Oh, gee, thanks for bringing it up. I tend to ignore it most of the time. But as soon at it gets quiet or someone starts talking about hearing problems, up jumps the devil.

 

[HSMITH]

I have it, comes and goes and really doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. Sometimes it is just a mild ringing, sometimes it is a painful wailing.

Most of my hearing loss came from time in the service, confined spaces with either no hearing protection or no communication, I picked communication and lost but that is what I needed to do in order to do my job.

I more or less got used to the ringing, unless it just one of those days where you would kick a nun for a sideways glance..... Then it can be REALLY irritating on top of whatever else got you all spooled up.

 

[Leonardo]

I had bad Tinitus as a child. It wasn't caused by shooting.

Nio

Me too. Unfortunately I started playing guitar and shooting.

 

[STW]

Mine was caused a brain tumor. I guess I should be thankful; if it wasn't for the tinnitus I wouldn't hear anything on the left side at all.

The worst I've heard of (no pun intended) is someone whose tinnitus was calculated as the equivalent of a running jet engine at ten feet.

 

[fredcwdoc]

I got it in my right ear from an ear infection about 10 years ago. I also lost 40% of my hearing in that ear from the infection. I found wearing a hearing aid put an end to the ringing but amped the background noise so bad I quit wearing it. I get used to the ringing and I don't notice it so much. The amped up background noise from the hearing aid drove me crazy.

Some people think taking Ginkgo Biloba helps. I have just learned to live with it.

 

[qlajlu]

I have had it for years. I don't know what the hearing loss percentage might be, but I have the ringing as a constant companion. Mine started as a young man from my love with guns and shooting whenever I could. No one ever mentioned hearing protection at that time. I learned about hearing protection in the Marine Corps but there were times in Vietnam that protection was unavailable. Charlie was a little less than helpful there.

Spent almost 30 years driving truck and with those screaming turbos and very little insulation on the fire wall, my hearing started suffering bad. I also had to have a window cracked for fresh air circulation and the wind noise was constant.

Then in February this year I was in a pretty bad car accident and the air bag deployed. That is an experience. I about choked to death on the smoke from the device that deploys the bag. Anyway, now I cannot hear the alarm on the microwave and most of the time I am unable to hear the doorbell. That is a problem since I live alone.