one pistol shot- ringing in ears

[pianoman9701]

Buddy, you might go see a doctor just to make sure the eardrum isn't ruptured or there isn't an infection. There may be more going on there than you think.

[elkboy]

Thanks everyone- I am headed to the general practitioner today, and hopefully get in with the ENT/audiologist soon.  Maybe I will have to focus more on my bowhunting!

[elkboy]

Might not be the gunshot after all. Left ear 100% wax blockage, right ear 95% wax blockage. They are going to flush the ears with a special compound. No wonder the world was going dull and muffled!

[pianoman9701]

I guess the medic was right! 

[elkboy]

You absolutely were right, Piano! The doc said this might help clear up the tinnitus, too. Fingers crossed.

[quadrafire]

Might not be the gunshot after all. Left ear 100% wax blockage, right ear 95% wax blockage. They are going to flush the ears with a special compound. No wonder the world was going dull and muffled!

Leave it in there and you won't need to wear additional hearing protection when shooting

[elkboy]

Haha, quadra, guess I will have tinnitus either way!

[Larry S.]

As others have said, if it's permanent, you'll get used to it. I got mine from 4500 rounds of 5"/38 cannon fire on a destroyer. It's a high pitched whistle that has been with me for 44 years now. It doesn't bother me unless I pay attention to it. Otherwise, I just don't notice it any more. I've tried many remedies, but none have worked for me. Still, it can be  successfully ignored and I can go for days without ever noticing it in the background. Still, wear ear protection ALWAYS when around any sort of loud noise - even lawn mowers and leaf blowers. Don't make it worse.

[elkboy]

Thanks for all the encouragement and information.  It is kind of appropriate this came up around Veteran's Day, since (as I recently read) about 50% of veterans have hearing loss, tinnitus, or both from their service.  So, Larry S., AWS, Piano, and others, thank you for your service.  I guess this is an opportunity to remind people of one more challenge common to veterans of our armed forces. 

[JDHasty]

 It isn't all bad if your married, at least you have one good excuse.


Men in my family go deaf as a post in mid to late 70s.  I have always said it was a defensive mechanism against a nagging old wife.  Got my butt stomped a few times for that remark when I was a young smart mouth.  Women in my family got them some nasty Irish tempers. They also got a Mickey mouth, and God put their volume control in backward, telling them to stop yelling in your ears only turns up the volume. 

[JDHasty]

I set off a large fire cracker in the basement when I was eight and still have the ringing, I will say that shooting trap and skeet for many years without ear protection, the shootem up in Vietnam and working construction may have reinforced the ringing but it has only been 62 yrs now , I guess in 20-30 yrs it will no longer be a problem.  It isn't all bad if your married, at least you have one good excuse.

My buddy did it with a whole box of roll caps on an anvil and a drilling hammer.  Damn near blew his eyes out of his head too.  His ears ring and he has no high frequency hearing.  He said he didn't know what happened to his hearing until I reminded him of that day. 

[elkboy]

It isn't all bad if your married, at least you have one good excuse.


Men in my family go deaf as a post in mid to late 70s.  I have always said it was a defensive mechanism against a nagging old wife.  Got my butt stomped a few times for that remark when I was a young smart mouth.  Women in my family got them some nasty Irish tempers. They also got a Mickey mouth, and God put their volume control in backward, telling them to stop yelling in your ears only turns up the volume.

I love this forum.  JD, I usually feel kind of down about not having been blessed with a wife yet, but you sure put a silver lining on it there!   

The wax is so bad that for the next three days I have to apply a "cerumenolytic" solution to break up the wax. On Friday they are going to try to wash it all out of both ears.  Can't wait.  I can hardly hear out of my left ear.   

[quadrafire]

Maybe try candeling. 
Google it. Ear candeling

[elkboy]

Well, in case any of you were wondering how boneheaded ol' Elkboy is doing, here's the news. After four days of ear drops, the doctor flushed an obscene amount of ear wax and associated materials from both of my eardrums and ear canals. The tinnitus, pain, pressure, and hearing loss are all gone. Pretty thankful to medical professionals and the Good Lord to live in world of sound again. What they figure happened is that the gunshot aggravated a situation that was on the edge of being a problem anyway. Going forward, though, I am going to wear the plug collar around my neck and pop the plugs in my ears for any shot in the field, muzzy, modern, or pistol. (And of course, on the range, it's quality muffs.)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  Thanks again for all the encouragement.

[pianoman9701]

Good to hear, friend, literally.  Try using some soap once in a while.