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Frankie Raffaele

Best double-up hearing protection combo?

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36 minutes ago, 124gr9mm said:

How long ago did this happen?

If you had a (successful) hearing test and the Dr (not nurse) saw no tear in the eardrum then I'm not really sure what you're looking for.

 

It happened last wednesday, so yesterday was 1 week. I guess if this ENT today says the same thing that the Dr. said yesterday - that it's actually normal for it to still have ringing/dullness and that it will go away and that there's no permanent damage - I will be satisfied and just have to wait until it goes away.

I know I'm really bugging out over this but it is very important to me as I am an audio engineer and listening to loud music and having to analyze/hear it clearly is a daily part of the job. Luckily I'm off work for another month and a half because I'm finishing up my last semester in college and completing an internship, but if I had to go to work right now it'd be a problem. Snare drums, hi-hats, etc. (higher frequency sounds) don't get picked up as well by my left ear at the moment. Even running the shower sounds funny and becomes slightly louder depending on whether I'm facing it or not.

Didn't mention that in the original post because I know how many people will call out my stupidity being that my ears are a vital part of my career. If the doctor was right, however, I have nothing to worry about - just wait til it goes away and freakin' quadruple up on ear protection from now on! lol

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On 2/14/2018 at 0:01 AM, 9thMarines said:

 Why "Holy Cow".      83 going on 35.    Our toys keep us young.     Besides, you never know what an "old fart" is carrying in the big ass trunk of that Crown Victoria!!!.     

Haha, I like you.  And you're right by me.  My wife grew up in Livingston.

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1 hour ago, Frankie Raffaele said:

that it's actually normal for it to still have ringing/dullness and that it will go away and that there's no permanent damage

While the current severity of your hearing loss may not be permanent, the damage (to some extent) is.  Hearing loss is cumulative and irreversible.  You can permanently loose it all at once or a little at a time.  With single layer earpro on all the time on the firing line, we loose a tiny bit of hearing every trip to the range.  While you may temporarily loose all your hearing for hours, or even days, it will never be 100% when it returns.

The generally accepted sound level for hearing loss starts at 85db.  Normal speech is around 60db, a typical 20" push lawn mower puts out about 80db and a back pack leaf blower puts out around 115db.  A 22lr rifle spits out 140db and a 30-06 will hammer your eardrums at 165 db.

Pro grade ear muffs reduce levels (on average) by 30db, and plugs underneath add an additional 30 or so db reduction.  -60 db is pretty impressive, it can completely muffle out the noise of a nagging wife,  but is still inadequate for 100% protection when firing a .308 that cranks out 163db or even .223/5.56 round that claps out 160db.  Doubled up, you are still experiencing a 100 db or more hit to the drums.

There is no question that double protection is essential to preserving as much hearing as possible.  Especially if you are in the habit of popping off a hundred rounds or more a week.

 

 

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On 2/13/2018 at 1:18 PM, Frankie Raffaele said:

How about these since they are a little less bulky? Will this, along with foam ear plugs, provide adequate protection?

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B06VWM97KK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2L0ZJ7LC1E2CT&psc=1

Those plus 32NRR foamies were what I used when I was still willing to RO open guns indoors. 

As fro the ringing, look up tinitus. I've got a bit of it from concerts, but I can still ace the hearing test. It does not preclude being able to detect high frequencies, especially if you had exceptionally good hearing in the high range to start. They only care about a certain range, and what and how much they care about depends on your age. For example, a certtain amount of hearing loss is expected in the left ear due to driving with open windows. They may ignore some of that if you are say... 50, unless they consider it abnormal or debilitating. 

Not sure what you mean by you sounding like talk on a broken radio to yourself, but I hear myself just fine. I also don't have severe tinitus though so can't speak for that. 

Also, doctors have to see an insane number of patients. If something is bugging you speak up and be specific. Ask the question "Hey doc, how can my hearing test be fine when I clearly have issues hearing the high frequencies I'm used to in one ear?" They aren't going to lead you to water and make you drink it. They are relying on you to bitch about what is bugging you. 

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7 minutes ago, raz-0 said:

Also, doctors have to see an insane number of patients. If something is bugging you speak up and be specific.

Also the doctors that work for the large conglomerates are limited in how much time they can spend with each patient. Trying a doctor that is in a standalone or small group practice might be better.

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Just saw the second ENT. he said there's really no way to know. As of now theres a 10 decibel difference in the 4000's range between my left and right ears. As an audio engineer I know 10 decibels is a lot. I didn't do damage to my eardrum but he says theres no way to tell if I damaged the fine hairs in my cochlea, which I'm assuming I did since that's probably why hearing myself talk loud sounds like a broken radio. All i can do is wait a few weeks and see if it goes away. Wish me luck guys

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18 hours ago, Zeke said:

Joke

oh! lol i get it, sorry

 

anyways fellas, the ringing seems to have gone down very slightly, i'm a week and a half in. maybe even the dullness has gotten slightly better too. The first few days I was stupidly testing music at different volumes in my car to see how much it takes to irritate it - not doing that anymore seems to have made a little bit of a difference. Plus im taking lipo-flavinoid and ginkgo baloba.

Also I had a bit of a cough when this first happened and I think coughing makes the ringing louder.

I just want the sensitivity to go away! hearing myself talk at a certain volume or if someone is talking too loud makes it buzz in that ear. Not painful just annoying. i guess that will go away as it heals - i think it's gotten a little less sensitive in the last few days

 

sucks, I just picked up a P99 and I'm about to grab a Stag Retro 15 on sale but I won't be going to the range for a few months :(

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11 hours ago, Frankie Raffaele said:

oh! lol i get it, sorry

 

anyways fellas, the ringing seems to have gone down very slightly, i'm a week and a half in. maybe even the dullness has gotten slightly better too. The first few days I was stupidly testing music at different volumes in my car to see how much it takes to irritate it - not doing that anymore seems to have made a little bit of a difference. Plus im taking lipo-flavinoid and ginkgo baloba.

Also I had a bit of a cough when this first happened and I think coughing makes the ringing louder.

I just want the sensitivity to go away! hearing myself talk at a certain volume or if someone is talking too loud makes it buzz in that ear. Not painful just annoying. i guess that will go away as it heals - i think it's gotten a little less sensitive in the last few days

 

sucks, I just picked up a P99 and I'm about to grab a Stag Retro 15 on sale but I won't be going to the range for a few months :(

I couldn't hear you, say again?

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On 2/17/2018 at 0:14 PM, Frankie Raffaele said:

oh! lol i get it, sorry

 

anyways fellas, the ringing seems to have gone down very slightly, i'm a week and a half in. maybe even the dullness has gotten slightly better too. The first few days I was stupidly testing music at different volumes in my car to see how much it takes to irritate it - not doing that anymore seems to have made a little bit of a difference. Plus im taking lipo-flavinoid and ginkgo baloba.

Also I had a bit of a cough when this first happened and I think coughing makes the ringing louder.

I just want the sensitivity to go away! hearing myself talk at a certain volume or if someone is talking too loud makes it buzz in that ear. Not painful just annoying. i guess that will go away as it heals - i think it's gotten a little less sensitive in the last few days

 

sucks, I just picked up a P99 and I'm about to grab a Stag Retro 15 on sale but I won't be going to the range for a few months :(

Glad there's some improvement.

Honestly I think the best thing for you would be to keep things as quiet as possible.

Outside of work keep everything as soft as possible.  Turn off the radio in the car, no TV or music at home, etc.  Hell, wear some earmuffs when you get home from work and just read books for a week or two.

Be as aggressive as possible keeping things quiet.

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Hey fellas,

Making improvements everyday, the ringing and sensitivity has gone down. I'm not being particularly careful about loud noises cause I need my ear to get re-trained and stop being sensitive to it. Seems to be getting better! I'm gauging how much "better" i get by how much louder I can make the music in my car before it starts to irritate me. For instance, after the incident I had to keep the volume on like 14 but now I can put it up to 32 for most songs and not be bothered. I'm trying not to push my luck though.

Now more importantly, I wanna get back to the range in 3 or 4 more weeks, but I'm obviously concerned about doing more damage. This should heal up fine but I'm sure my ear is more vulnerable than it was before, so with that, if i double up hearing protection, is it safe for me to step foot inside an indoor range again?

I got the orange Howard Leight foam plugs, and i bought these muffs: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06VWM97KK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I feel like wearing both of those should provide adequate protection in the future but indoors is indoors and I just got my hands on a PTR which I imagine would be loud as hell. Not to mention my mossberg which I haven't even gotten to shoot yet!

 

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Just wait, even if the symptoms do continue to go away, there is a very good chance you will have periods of ringing and hearing loss. After a similar issue, my right ear years later still cuts in and out every coupled days for a few seconds, sounds get low and ringing starts again. Most hearing damage like this is permanent to a degree. 

I will add in some extra advice, get shooting glasses for ear muffs. They are wire thin and otherwise require ear muffs to even stay on lacking an ear loop. Smith makes some nice ones, a bit pricey but worth it. 

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I'd probably give it a few more weeks before going to an indoor range just to be safe. Even doubled up, it can still be loud at an indoor range, especially if anyone's shooting a shotgun or something with a muzzle brake. Heck, I've doubled up at Range 14 on at least one occasion. It all depends on what the guy next to you is shooting.

15 hours ago, JackDaWack said:

I will add in some extra advice, get shooting glasses for ear muffs. They are wire thin and otherwise require ear muffs to even stay on lacking an ear loop. Smith makes some nice ones, a bit pricey but worth it. 

ESS Crossbow Suppressor is a great option as well, which is what I have. My earmuffs seal very nicely while wearing them.

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Meh, to be honest I think i'll just become a member at OBRPC since that's the only place with an outdoor range near me. Probably not smart to go indoors, at least for a while.

Only thing is, to become a member they have to watch you shoot 50 rounds at the indoor range. Maybe if I explain my situation they'll let me do the shooting exam at the outdoor range.

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Hey, if anyone's interested here's a solid update!

My tinnitus has decreased significantly and i can only hear the ringing if i focus on it in a quiet room. It's completely tolerable and I am extraordinarily grateful for that!

Went back to the range for the first time today and I let all my new firearms see their debut. I shot 9mm, 5.56, 12 gauge and .308 rounds at a packed indoor range with double hearing protection and my tinnitus was not affected at all. I know the .308 was loud for sure, cause the guy and gal next to me looked disgusted and jumped every time I set it off :wub:

So, I know this is an old post but I am just very happy that I can safely get back to the range with all my new gadgets, and hopefully for anyone who had/has the same question I did - is it safe to go back to the range after noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus (gunshot noise specifically) - the answer is probably yes! just double up on earpro :)

Now I feel safe saving up for a shiny S&W .460 XVR :D hopefully the sound doesn't pop fillings out of my teeth lol

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