Author Topic: Who has damaged their ears? (Read 3308 times)

Hairtrigger · « **on:** April 08, 2007, 03:18:57 PM »

I have been following the ear protection discussion in the handgun forum here.
This has gotten me to thinking....
Who else has their ears damaged?
My ears ring constantly, I really notice it when I am in a quiet environment. I blame farm tractors when I was a kid, working in a factory without ear protection until the early 1990's and also shooting.
Anyone else?

flintlock · « **Reply #1 on:** April 08, 2007, 03:32:17 PM »

Yep, me too, grew up working on chain saws, logging skidders, tractors etc...Started when I was 13, by the time I was 16 I could rebuild a John Deere 4020, but it cost me quite a bit of my hearing, I have "crickets" with me all the time...

Throw in going to see The Rolling Stones, Santana, Three Dog Night, Crosby Stills Nash and Young
and a few others, guess I should just be glad to still be here!!!

quickdtoo · « **Reply #2 on:** April 08, 2007, 03:33:20 PM »

Yup, too much shooting, running chain saws and other equipment without hearing protection.

Tim

manofthe45 · « **Reply #3 on:** April 08, 2007, 06:43:07 PM »

Me too. Didn't believe in hearing protection. I do now. It does help with the wife though.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #4 on:** April 09, 2007, 01:15:26 AM »

Constant ringing - Yep, that about covers it for me. Got mine from using Dad's 16 oz hammer, full rolls of caps, and the concrete curb for smashing them against when I was a kid. Didn't seem like such a big deal then. Up close and personal to the big BANG. Time after time after time. Didn't know that I was inflicting such damage. Invincibility of Youth I guess. Was "Checked In" to the Coast Guard and found to have had a loss in some of the high range. Was "Checked Out" of the Coast Guard in four years with additional losses. That didn't help matters any. Now know it is all irreversible and am getting harder of hearing as I get older.

Savage .250 · « **Reply #5 on:** April 09, 2007, 02:11:48 AM »

And all this time i thought the faint ringing in my ears was normal.

Jet engine noise...........enemy #1. In my case anyway.

stimpylu32 · « **Reply #6 on:** April 09, 2007, 02:27:01 AM »

Ya me too , lots of years working maint. in steel stamping plants got the low range and injection molding plastic's plants got the high end , back in the late 70s and all through the 80s , anyone that wanted hearing pro. was considered a sissy or a trouble maker ,

Now their is a whole bunch of people that are paying the price for that kind of thinking . Just wished i would have paid att. when i was able to hear whay they were saying .

stimpy

OLDHandgunner · « **Reply #7 on:** April 09, 2007, 04:25:51 AM »

SAY WHAT!! Blame my 357 Mag & my stupidity 40 yrs ago. Thousand's of 357 mag rounds with no ear protection.
Hind-sight is 20-20. If we only knew what we were doing to our ears.

All I can do now is to protect my kids & grandkids from doing the same.

corbanzo · « **Reply #8 on:** April 10, 2007, 09:43:28 AM »

I learned my lessons pretty young, growing up doing a lot of work with chainsaws. Since it wasnt a sharp crack like firearms (which I have almost always used ear protection) it wasnt as noticeable. But then after a long day, when someone gives you a strange look, and you ask what is going on, then realize they asked you a question you didnt hear.... its about time to start using protection.

Luckily I havent had any permanent damage, but I am always reminded of the times when I could of prevented the temporary hearing loss.

quickdtoo · « **Reply #9 on:** April 10, 2007, 09:52:24 AM »

Most hearing loss isn't temporary, once it's lost, it's gone forever.

Tim

http://www.keepandbeararms.com/information/XcIBViewItem.asp?id=2052

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/abouthlp/noisemeter_html/hp110.html

ncsurveyor · « **Reply #10 on:** April 10, 2007, 09:53:42 AM »

Between the Field Artillery and a fairly bad ear infection a year ago, I'm losing some.

Luckily or unluckily, it seems to be restricted to sounds in the human voice range. I can still hear a gobbler, fine.

Other than that, its: "What? What? Huh?"

Land_Owner · « **Reply #11 on:** April 10, 2007, 11:29:55 AM »

Yikes! From quickdtoo's 2nd link, I should be using hearing protection while operating my tractor!

It SUCKS to listen to the ringing...and it NEVER goes away.

OLDHandgunner · « **Reply #12 on:** April 11, 2007, 03:04:03 AM »

Land Owner

Yes you should. I mow lawns & brush hog for a living. Always have packets of the best ear plugs on all the equipment. Buy them by the box. Always make my help wear them too.

oldandslow · « **Reply #13 on:** April 11, 2007, 05:17:42 AM »

Ever hear the story about the two oldtimers sitting around chewing the fat? One says "Boy, since I got my hearing aid I can hear as good as I used too". The other asks him "What kind is it"? He replies "It's 10:30".

Oldtimer · « **Reply #14 on:** April 11, 2007, 07:07:35 PM »

A friend who is a musician tells me that there is a hearing aid that can eliminate the ringing. They find out what range the ringing is in and the hearing aid then sends an inverse tone to cancel out the ringing. The trouble is, his ear doctor told him, that when you take the thing out, the ringing seems worse than before, because you have had a break from it. So, it seems you are darned if you do and darned if you don't.

Slowhanddd · « **Reply #15 on:** April 15, 2007, 03:45:17 PM »

Too many years on the water well drilling rig with no hearing protection.Constant ringing.I tell my wife that it's so loud she should be able to hear it.I know that big buck this year heard it.The quieter it is around me the louder it is.Sucks big time.Wife tells me I have selective hearing.She's right.Slow

John Y Cannuck · « **Reply #16 on:** April 22, 2007, 02:33:59 PM »

It's not confined to south of the border. I've got ringing from hears of being a farm equipment mechanic, shooting, chainsaws etc.
Only sissys wear ear protection, but then, they can still hear.

quickdtoo · « **Reply #17 on:** April 22, 2007, 02:44:10 PM »

Yup, there are no deaf sissys!!

GRIMJIM · « **Reply #18 on:** April 22, 2007, 03:31:14 PM »

High levels from being a musician and standing too close to a 50 watt marshall stack, a 1600 watt ampeg bass amp, add to that 23 years in woodworking and I can definitely notice how bad my hearing is. Especially in noisy situations, I have a hard time focusing in on the person talking.

I don't think the bass amp did much as those are low frequencies and don't tear you up like the higher frequencies do.

quickdtoo · « **Reply #19 on:** April 22, 2007, 03:34:31 PM »

What higher frequencies, can't hear em any more!!

The wife can hear my watch alarm sounding off from the other room, I can't hear it on my own wrist!!

Tim

oldandslow · « **Reply #20 on:** April 23, 2007, 02:39:57 AM »

Ditto on the watch alarm. I quit wearing it so my wife wouldn't have to tell me it was on. I'm tired of listening to bacon frying. That's what the noise in my ears sounds like. Carrying on a conversation with background noise is impossible, I can not understand the words.

neald · « **Reply #21 on:** May 02, 2007, 10:27:21 AM »

It all sounds so familiar . After 25 years setting in a fire truck with the noise maker on top of cab and window rolled down. Now with the siren speakers out front and the cabs air conditioned the young guys will have a little less excuse for not hearing the wife when she says something.
huh, did you say something Hon?
Neal

wncchester · « **Reply #22 on:** May 02, 2007, 02:09:42 PM »

Yeah. Say what?

Did some competition rifle shooting in the mid 60s and have continued to shoot every since. Only started to wear muffs in the late 80s, much too late for my hearing, expecially the right one. I'm right handed so that ear took most of the beating while shooting hot .357 and .44 mag stuff, but the single worst, and only actually painful shot, was a single round in a .30 Carbine Ruger Blackhawk! It's near stone deaf now, and the left one isn't very good.

Did a lot of SCUBA in the 70s-80s. Woodworking. Chainsaws. None of that helped either.

Do insist that family and visitors to my small range use protection, all the time! That rule irritates one son-in-law but he sometimes irritates me too.

WolfBrother · « **Reply #23 on:** May 04, 2007, 07:32:44 AM »

There was a blurb on the local news about a new ring tone that teachers couldn't hear. It was the whine of a mosquito.

Think about it. When was the last time, in a quiet room, you could hear the mosquito?

wgr · « **Reply #24 on:** May 24, 2007, 06:17:56 PM »

to many shots out of a 105mm lost 65%in my right ear and 75%in the left. take care of it guys cant get it back. i sit in my truck and cant hear it run. bet most of u lost more in your left than right . thats becouse most are right had shooters that puts the left ear towards the bang

wgr · « **Reply #25 on:** May 24, 2007, 06:32:07 PM »

sorry thats right handed

corbanzo · « **Reply #26 on:** May 29, 2007, 03:15:52 PM »

Yeah, this weekend went out, and was only shooting the 9mm, forgot the earplugs told myself, "hey, its only the 9" yeah.... 200 rounds later... "what? huh? what was that honey?" people asked me what happened.... "well, im an idiot"

pretty much sums it up, dont forget the plugs.

alsaqr · « **Reply #27 on:** May 29, 2007, 03:34:25 PM »

Have spent over 40 years doing EOD work. Most of my hearing damage is attributed to very loud explosions. Have worn hearing protection for over 40 years while shooting. My ears no longer ring all the time.

no guns here · « **Reply #28 on:** June 12, 2007, 01:13:05 AM »

Wife just doesn't understand that I CAN'T hear her! Causes no end of arguments... Too much jet noise, too many guns as a kid without protection. I was doing an arms inventory today and the female NCO was getting frustrated because I had to keep having her repeat serial numbers to me. Funny how jet noise and gun fire make you lose the freq's that female voices are in... If there is ANY background noise I'm pretty much screwed for holding a conversation unless it's with a man. I don't even use a hammer or power saw any more with out plugs or muffs. If I'm indoors I double up with plugs and muffs. I sleep with a fan or humidifier on to mitigate the ringing so I can sleep through the night. Hearing loss and tinnitus sucks... It goes without saying that my kids don't get near to gun fire without hearing protection.

ngh

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #29 on:** June 12, 2007, 04:37:24 AM »

speak up ? yea me too , 35 years of construction work , 46 + years shooting , and 29 years of marriage !