Jeff423
US Veteran
Mine's like Cicadas, both ears, constant.
Flight deck, USS Saratoga, Yankee Station 1972.
Flight deck, USS Saratoga, Yankee Station 1972.
Ear noise
- Thread starter ancient-one
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ancient-one
US Veteran
No, I wasn't on a gun crew but shot a lot of guns before I started wearing hearing protection. Mine was partly from jet engines without hearing protection. They had us fitted for hearing protection about two months before I left the flight line for office work.
The thing that damaged my ears most was a test flight when I had a very bad cold with the ears and sinus stopped up. My crew was working swing shift and when we came on that day they were needing a fight engineer for a A-20 or a B-26 test flight, I don't remember which.
I first refused to go but the pilot promised no quick altitude changes. When we got through we were at about 10,000 ft. and instead of loosing altitude slowly he dropped quickly to 1,000 ft. My ears really hurt and my ears were damaged, especially my left one that is giving me the music now.
I had a few choice words for the AF pilot, got called into the office but when my boss heard my story, he went looking for the pilot. The pilot retired in MWC and would come to our retired guys monthly breakfast. I never spoke a word to him.
Rpg
Member
I'm lucky. I've avoided the tinnitus so many shooters acquire.
Back in the '50's and '60's, when I started shooting, hearing protection was unheard of.
I remember a few guys using cigarette butts or empty brass, but it didn't catch on.
In the years before hearing protection was generally practiced, I steered clear of handguns in 22mag and 357mag after firing a shot or two and experiencing tinnitus for a few days thereafter. I steered clear of indoor ranges after sighting in a 270 at an indoor range in 1963 and experiencing tinnitus for a couple days.
Since the mid '60's, I've always used hearing protection for everything except indoor 22 rifle competition and hunting. I've also steered clear of indoor ranges.
Back in the '50's and '60's, when I started shooting, hearing protection was unheard of.
I remember a few guys using cigarette butts or empty brass, but it didn't catch on.
In the years before hearing protection was generally practiced, I steered clear of handguns in 22mag and 357mag after firing a shot or two and experiencing tinnitus for a few days thereafter. I steered clear of indoor ranges after sighting in a 270 at an indoor range in 1963 and experiencing tinnitus for a couple days.
Since the mid '60's, I've always used hearing protection for everything except indoor 22 rifle competition and hunting. I've also steered clear of indoor ranges.
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I shot a LOT of trap when I was growing up. Bless him, Pop always insisted that I wear ear protection. When I was in radio, I only wore earphones when I was speaking, because I didn't want the sound being constantly pumped into my ears. I don't know if I have any hearing loss but I've avoided the problems that are being described here.
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m75rlg
US Veteran
Most of us in the Old Guard (that is the Coast Guard before they went to the Bender blues) ran boats, desel and gasoline, with no mufflers, no hearing protection and life jackets stowed below decks. Pretty normal on your exit physical to be marked down with hearing loss. We just assumed we were invincible back then.
Attachments
I have it bad in both ears, super high pitch surround sound 24/7.
BigBill
Absent Comrade
I was climbing down into the pit to listen to my race engine with open headers. It was music to my ears in my 20's, at 70yo I get a fuzzy noise now. I wish I could hear my engine again.
My hearing is so bad that I can't even hear the tinnitus anymore.
I've had it since I can't remember when. It varies from a high pitched whine to a tree full of cicadas to a jet helicopter winding up. At the moment, it's just a bush full of baby cicadas.
It's always there, but there are times I forget about it or don't notice it, but then I do. It's kind of like breathing or being aware of your tongue (some of you have never heard of the latter, but will now never forgive me) . . .
It's always there, but there are times I forget about it or don't notice it, but then I do. It's kind of like breathing or being aware of your tongue (some of you have never heard of the latter, but will now never forgive me) . . .
A high pitched buzzing noise in my right ear, been there so long I hardly notice it anymore.
Mostly happened when I took off my ear protection before unloading an old model Ruger Super Blackhawk. Put it on half cock to rotate the cylinder and the hammer fell on a live round, boy was that loud.
This must have happened alot, because not long after that Ruger began their "conversion of old model's to the new transfer bar system".
Mostly happened when I took off my ear protection before unloading an old model Ruger Super Blackhawk. Put it on half cock to rotate the cylinder and the hammer fell on a live round, boy was that loud.
This must have happened alot, because not long after that Ruger began their "conversion of old model's to the new transfer bar system".
Papa32129
Member
Here is my Tinnitus story
In my twenties, I visited my My First PCP '(primary care physician) .
I told him I had ringing in my ears.
He said that's tinnitus, that's caused by your HBP(high blood pressure).
My BP was 130/80. I was 21 yrs old. 5'10" 225 36" waist.
Twelve years later, still suffering with that crazy 130/80 BP. ???
I failed an employee Physical not for HBP. But for Hearing. I was deaf in one ear.
I was Dx(diagnosed) with an acoustic neuroma.
Tumor was large and creating a midline shift of my brain.
I had immediate Sx to remove the tumor.
My HBP to this day 130/80.
And the tinnitus rages on.
I think if I was referred to a ENT I might still have my hearing
Papa
In my twenties, I visited my My First PCP '(primary care physician) .
I told him I had ringing in my ears.
He said that's tinnitus, that's caused by your HBP(high blood pressure).
My BP was 130/80. I was 21 yrs old. 5'10" 225 36" waist.
Twelve years later, still suffering with that crazy 130/80 BP. ???
I failed an employee Physical not for HBP. But for Hearing. I was deaf in one ear.
I was Dx(diagnosed) with an acoustic neuroma.
Tumor was large and creating a midline shift of my brain.
I had immediate Sx to remove the tumor.
My HBP to this day 130/80.
And the tinnitus rages on.
I think if I was referred to a ENT I might still have my hearing
Papa
My tinnitus is aggravating, but at least it comes in stereo. I believe I owe it to Large amps and PAs at a close range, headphones at an unacceptable volume, stereo surround sound at an even more unacceptable volume, and Ten Years After. Of course, our cars always had the latest & greatest stereo systems, also. (Not like these 4-wheel boom boxes that rattle their license plates off.)
opoefc
US Veteran
My tinnitus was traced to heavy gunfire in Korean war ( Artillery gunner and Army didn't issue ear plugs ) and my GI medical records showed I was treated for it ( fortunately) and VA gave me a small pension as 20% disabled. If you think your military service exposed you to loud gunfire and your ears rang, get a test at the VA. Worst case is you get free hearing aids, if no pension. Ed
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I always wore ear protection with guns, but not with the band when I was younger.
And I was running two Marshall heads and two 4x12 cabinets, and that stuff was cranked. The day after one gig, I had a telegraph going in my right ear. Got to the very edge of tinnitus and backed off, started wearing earplugs; no apparent permanent damage.
And I was running two Marshall heads and two 4x12 cabinets, and that stuff was cranked. The day after one gig, I had a telegraph going in my right ear. Got to the very edge of tinnitus and backed off, started wearing earplugs; no apparent permanent damage.
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hemiram
Member
I went to a lot of drag races and back then, wearing hearing protection was felt to be a "girly thing". I somehow made it through those years and still had good hearing, but that started to change after the ear infection from hell I had about 25 years ago. I hadn't had one for like 15+ years. I went to the "Urgent Care" in town and the doctor gave me a script for an antibiotic. It got worse, much worse. Went to see my family doctor, who shook his head and said, "He gave you the wrong antibiotic for an ear infection!". Great. It was pretty bad at that point, it hurt like hell, and my hearing in my right ear was pretty much gone. I got the new meds, and they took the steam out of the infection, but as soon as those pills were gone, the infection came roaring back, and the left ear joined in. I had stuff coming out of both ears and ended up at an ENT and he said I had one of the worst infections he had seen in a very long time. A shot of some insanely expensive antibiotic and two different ones in pill form finally got rid of it. My hearing in both ears came back fine, and he was shocked that I could still hear 20KHZ with my right ear, and the left wasn't as good, but it was still better than the average 40 year old man.
But the infection scarred my eustation tube on my right ear, and as time went by, I had to "pop" my ear more and more often, or I lost all my high end hearing. Along with that, I had Cicada sounding buzzing, which started on NY day. I woke up hearing "them" and wondered what was going on. Later I added whistles and hissing. Not loud enough to really bother me, my having to constantly pop my ears was the main hassle. Finally, it got to the point where popping them only lasted about a minute or so, so I finally went to the ENT, a different office, and after testing, "You have a very odd hearing loss!", and I had a choice of living with it, getting a tube put into my eardrum, or getting a hearing aid. I ended up getting the tube, and the only positive is my tinnitus was much reduced, the Cicadas are totally gone, the whistles are few and the hiss is now almost hard to hear. Along with the Cicadas being gone, so is most of my hearing. The tube will be falling out soon, and I don't know what I'm going to do.
But the infection scarred my eustation tube on my right ear, and as time went by, I had to "pop" my ear more and more often, or I lost all my high end hearing. Along with that, I had Cicada sounding buzzing, which started on NY day. I woke up hearing "them" and wondered what was going on. Later I added whistles and hissing. Not loud enough to really bother me, my having to constantly pop my ears was the main hassle. Finally, it got to the point where popping them only lasted about a minute or so, so I finally went to the ENT, a different office, and after testing, "You have a very odd hearing loss!", and I had a choice of living with it, getting a tube put into my eardrum, or getting a hearing aid. I ended up getting the tube, and the only positive is my tinnitus was much reduced, the Cicadas are totally gone, the whistles are few and the hiss is now almost hard to hear. Along with the Cicadas being gone, so is most of my hearing. The tube will be falling out soon, and I don't know what I'm going to do.
OLDSTER
Member
I have the Tinitis issue. WAY too much indoor handgun shooting over many years.
Mine is from a combination of high speed threading in a machine shop as a young mand and one afternoon of shooting a 22 caliber revolver, indoors, without proper hearing protection...it's only a 22, right?
My ears have been ringing for 45 years...i can ignore it most times...of course I have about 35% hearing loss in both ears...if there was only one thing in the past I could change, that would be it.
Robert
My ears have been ringing for 45 years...i can ignore it most times...of course I have about 35% hearing loss in both ears...if there was only one thing in the past I could change, that would be it.
Robert
Too many guns and loud engines as a kid. Had to cheat on my hearing test to get in the service. I could not hear the tones in the earphones, but I could hear the guy next to me clicking away. Failed twice, 3rd time I just clicked when the guy next to me did.
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