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Hearing Loss: Come introduce yourself and connect with others
Hearing Loss | Last Active: 1 day ago | Replies (1534)Comment receiving replies
I am Karen Bramlett. I want to know if any one has experienced this. I have good hearing, but a week ago I was standing standing next to a friend who accidently discharged a firearm. It was unexpected so no hearing protection. My Rt ear was a couple feet away. In an instant I couldn’t hear. Gradually I could hear but am also hearing sounds like grinding, train horn, echos, my voice inside my head. Everyday sounds are very loud as well. Haven’t seen a doctor yet, it seems to be slowly getting better, but am concerned.
Replies to "I am Karen Bramlett. I want to know if any one has experienced this. I have..."
I know what this can be like. You are in the healing process. It may take some weeks to stabilize. Most or all will not be permanent. I’m so sorry this happened. It is very scary to have this unknown factor to think about. I would let your doctor know about it now in case they would like to see you
Extreme noise is often a factor in causing hearing loss and tinnitus. In fact, tinnitus is one of the most common health issues listed by veterans returning from combat zones. The extreme noise is the causative factor. That kind of damage can also be caused by a single incident like gunfire or other explosive sounds. I'm glad to hear that as time passed your hearing improved, but sorry to know you have tinnitus that remains. Hopefully that will improve too, but it may not.
Tinnitus is very common. In most cases it's accompanied by hearing loss, but not always. There is no cure, but there is research being done. Research does point out that noise is the most common cause whether it's a burst of noise like you experienced or noise that you're exposed to over a duration of time such as working in a noisy environment.
Have you seen an ENT specialist or an audiologist?
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in reply to@bram7747 How interesting that you posted this comment, because I was just thinking a few days ago about an incident that happened to me as a kid. I had found an old rifle while out having fun with my friends, and I got this idea that I would put caps in the gun and "pretend" to fire it. Well, fire it I did, and from that moment I began having severe ringing in my left ear, hearing all kinds of strange sounds, which continue to this day. My left ear was severely damaged to the point now that a hearing aid would be of no use to me, so I only wear one on my right ear. Over time the noises I would often hear abated, but I struggled to sleep as a kid, always thinking I was hearing loud trucks and trains, even though we lived in a quiet neighborhood. I had thought about posting this experience, but was afraid to do so out of vanity, for lack of a better word.
Good luck. I still hear an occasional weird "noise" and sometimes this noise keeps me up at night, like tonight.
Have you seen a good audiologist yet? The "good" ones can be very helpful.
Best of luck.