[rickyc]

I did a terrible thing last night. I took my G-23 out in my back yard and fired off 5 or 6 rounds into the dirt berm to celebrate the 4th.

Unfortunately, I forgot my muffs and I had my hearing aids in. Now I am almost entirely deaf.

Does anyone have any encouragement? LEO's don't go around with muffs on and they aren't deaf after an engagement are they?

I used to do this every New Years without any problems. That was many years ago.

I'm hoping it will just wear off and go back to normal. I never considered myself hard of hearing but the hearing aids offered just a slight increase in the upper range so I could understand my wife better.

Please tell me it's just a bad dream that will pass!!!

Thanks - Rick

 

[AEcho]

Not real sure how hearing aids work, did you possibly damage them?

I've had a number of rifle rounds fired both by me and in close vicinity to my head by others without ear pro, hearing always came back, best I can tell anyway, sometimes it took several days. I do have hearing loss, mostly occupational, but it's all cumulative, so the gunshots didn't help. You did damage for sure, but probably not as bad as it seems.

LE don't run around in muffs and plugs, nor do they run around shooting. The majority never fire their weapon while out and about.

If you're gonna shoot to ring in the holidays, do it responsibly, you're part way there with the berm.

 

[lepoisson]

A few pops from a handgun shouldn't be enough to permanently deafen you. I fired a 45 one time and my earbuds weren't in all the way. My hearing sounded muffled for a day or two, then it went back to normal.

 

[bac1023]

:headscratch:

I'm not sure I quite understand. You didn't realize the situation after the first shot?

 

[Jim Watson]

You shot a short barreled pistol with hearing aids to amplify the blast?
Yes, your hearing is damaged, just like it sounds.
Will it get better by itself? Maybe, but you will not get it all back.
You should see your ENT or Audiologist, you may have damaged your eardrums, not just the nerves.

 

[R*E]

I did a terrible thing last night. I took my G-23 out in my back yard and fired off 5 or 6 rounds into the dirt berm to celebrate the 4th.

Unfortunately, I forgot my muffs and I had my hearing aids in. Now I am almost entirely deaf.

Does anyone have any encouragement? LEO's don't go around with muffs on and they aren't deaf after an engagement are they?

I used to do this every New Years without any problems. That was many years ago.

I'm hoping it will just wear off and go back to normal. I never considered myself hard of hearing but the hearing aids offered just a slight increase in the upper range so I could understand my wife better.

Please tell me it's just a bad dream that will pass!!!

Thanks - Rick

You realize that there's a cumulative affect, right?

And how drunk were you not to realize after the first shot that something wasn't right?

 

[plp]

I certainly hope the problem is just with the hearing aids, may have overloaded them to failure. I'd start with that, whatever you do get to your audiologist ASAP.

 

[rickyc]

I certainly hope the problem is just with the hearing aids, may have overloaded them to failure. I'd start with that, whatever you do get to your audiologist ASAP.

I was sober, I was using the Glock reset, I knew they were loud but didn't know I'd be deaf after. I don't care if it blew the hearing aids - I'm hoping for my normal hearing to return which was very good except for some highs.

I was asking for reassurance from someone who had a similar experience - unprotected ears with a few pistol shots that left them deafened - that kit will come back in a day or so.

 

[UtahIrishman]

I don't know if I can offer any reassurance as every case is different, but I've had momentary hearing loss after forgetting hearing protection at the range. It was just for about 30 seconds or so that my ears were exposed as I put hearing protection in quickly. I didn't have my hearing aids in though. My hearing wasn't very good for about an hour afterwards....but then it gradually recovered to where it normally is.

As far as your hearing aids are concerned they may or may not be OK. Some hearing aids are designed to shut down automatically when a certain decibel range is reached. Have them checked.

 

[nursetim]

Let me get this straight. You wear hearing aids? So it is safe to assume you have a hearing deficit? You shot a boomstick, with an amplifier mm away from your ear drums. Nope, I see no problem there. :ack::******:

 

[plp]

You do raise a good and valid subject here, though.

How many of us have hearing protection with our home defense gear? I have a set of muffs on the headboard should I have the time or presence of mind to remember them.

I also have some hearing loss, due to too many years in construction. As I said, get to the audiologist and get it checked out.

 

[fflincher]

You do raise a good and valid subject here, though.

How many of us have hearing protection with our home defense gear? I have a set of muffs on the headboard should I have the time or presence of mind to remember them.

I also have some hearing loss, due to too many years in construction. As I said, get to the audiologist and get it checked out.

Take out your artificial aids. If your ears "ring" without anything in the ear canal, yep, there's damage.

The "ringing" is different from normal background noise (seashell effect). "Ringing" is the dying cry of hearing nerves. They don't grow back.

Condolences.

 

[Lt Scott 14]

If you have "some loss", never will get better. After the scenario, maybe the shock of the noise may lessen, but mine were toast. Devices will help you lead a productive life, but again, gone. Go get checked.
Loud construction, gunfire, etc all add up. Sorry.

 

[MLittle]

I can't believe how insensitive some folks are on this string. I mean really......! No one's perfect and I've done plenty of boneheaded things in my years (68). Yes, I do have hearing loss and most of us that shoot will also becoming more evident as we reach advance ages.

For one, I'm going to be a little more positive...... I have forgotten a few times to wear ear protection and shot a pistol. I didn't keep shooting, but stopped and applied ear protection. However, my hearing immediately thereafter did suffer. My ears rang and sounded muffled for a few days. My experience was that it did come back. It's hard to gage whether or not it returned to where it was before the shot, but it does recover.....just takes time.

I think you'll be alright. It may be a good idea to have the hearing aids checked out AFTER your hearing returns to somewhat normal since they may have been damaged.

I wish you the best and hope your hearing returns quickly.

 

[garya1961]

If you have real hearing aids not just the cheap sound amplifiers you see in the back of magazines they should limit the sound to a safe level. I have fired my G22 with mine in and although it was loud it wasn't enough to cause damage. I fired a complete mag once with them in but had my muffs on.

 

[FLIPPER 348]

I used to do this every New Years without any problems.


Thanks - Rick

Oh, there were problems!

 

[sns3guppy]

Insensitive? Reassurance? This isn't subjective. Sounds like you only want to hear what you want to hear from others here.

Your hearing may return. It may not. I've had experiences in which I couldn't hear for days following exposure to gunfire, but I did hear again. I also have hearing loss, and have a constant ringing all the time.

The most common disability for troops returning from combat? Hearing loss. Expose your ears to loud noises, hearing loss ensues. If you already have hearing loss, you'll have more hearing loss.

Go get in a gunfight, you may not notice the noise. You may not notice the hearing loss after, but it's there, and it's cumulative. My hearing will never come back. Exposure to guns, firearms, loud aircraft engines...there are frequency ranges that are entirely unavailable to me. I'll never hear them again.

Your questions are best directed to a medical professional while you're tested for hearing loss, not to a bunch of unknowns on an internet board. Seek professional counsel.

I once had exposure to quite a bit of gunfire in an underground tunnel area. It was confined, and it was loud. I had hearing protection. I had earplugs and muffs on, and when I was out of that environment and in the open, everything sounded like it came through a fan; little choppy bits of sound. It took three days before I could understand someone speak again. Today, I hear parts of conversation, but not all of it. Others hear phones, doorbells, alarms; often I don't.

What are you missing now? Get with a professional and find out.

I find it nearly incomprehensible that you indicate that from time to time you've begun shooting and failed to realize that you're not wearing hearing protection. If you're getting ready to shoot and you're not in a stress situation, you should have alarm bells going off in your head telling you that you're not wearing eye protection and hearing protection. There should be no question. If this happens to you more than once, that you're surprised that you "forgot" to put on your hearing protection, then it may be time to make sure you're with a shooting buddy who can help you remember, and it may be time to distance yourself from your firearms. What else are you failing to remember?

Go see a doctor. Don't seek solace here. Get real help.

 

[Caver 60]

Get it checked as advised above. I have hearing loss, but not enough to require aids yet.

I have almost 5,000 hours as a military jet pilot. I've fired at least a 100 K rounds of centerfire ammo plus thousands of rounds of 22. Most (but not all) of it with hearing protection.

One day out in Texas I fired four or five shots from a 357 magnum using full house loads without hearing protection. There was a rock bluff in the immediate background that reflected the noise back to me. Ears rang for quite awhile after that.

But I can still hear fairly well, all things considered.

 

[pcool69]

Every modern hearing aid compresses loud noise. My first hearing aid in 1989 had that technology built in. In many cases, your audiologist can program the amount of compression.

I always wear my hearing aides when I shoot because they offer more protectection than most regular hearing protection.

It is highly unlikely that your loss from shooting a few rounds is permanent. Schedule an appointment with your audiologist if your hearing does not return to "normal" in a day or two.

 

[Bruce M]

A few times I have been exposed to gun fire without hearing protection and once to a fairly noticeable explosion. After a nights rest it was no longer noticeable but I do not wear hearing aids. I hope your current loss is not permanent. My experience probably does not help but after a night's sleep if I still had an issue I would be headed to the doctor.