Uh oh...hearing difficulty.

[Land_Owner]

I shot a Tom turkey Saturday morning while deer hunting.  I was not wearing protective ear muffs - as I ordinarily do at the range - but do not do on stand.  At the instant of the shot, my right ear drum collapsed (maybe) and ordinary sound went numb (not deaf) in that ear. 

Now, there is the tinnitus ringing (in both ears as before) and a constant "stuffy feeling" in the right ear as if there is cotton in there.  When I yawn, there is a distinct ringing as an old wall phone.  The wall phone ringing passes as soon as I stop yawning.

Could I have broken one of the slender bones in the inner ear?   Of what I am really afraid, is that this is probably with me for the rest of my life.

Do you wear hearing protection in the deer stand?

[ironglows]

Wish I could help you wityh that, but my hearing loss was minor at first, barely noticeable, but came on strongly in the LAST 2-3 Years. 
  I clearly remember when the first loss occurred.  I was a young soldier (tanker) an done day I was dismounted and standing between the main gun tube muzzles of two tanks..when they both fired at once.  Took my hat off, and removed the hearing of high pitched sounds, such as those old, squeaky alarm watches...never could hear those.
     Unlike a shotgun, there was great pressure involved there, since the blast deflectors direct much of the blast to either side.  I tend to blame the blast more than the sound.

  I went to youtube to find a blast deflector, and came upon this video. The tank shown is a WW2 M4 Sherman 76mm gun tube.  I was at Ft Knox, KY, ....training in the M47 Patton tank w/90mm gun tube.  I wasn't as close as that refrigerator, but about half way between two that were about 20 yards apart.  I doubt your shotgun would come up with that much blast..  Actual demo starts at about the 6 min mark.
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxHwGrz9uKI

[Land_Owner]

Need to add, there is now a "hollow" (and dead) sound to everything in the right ear and "no balance" in stereo sound, as before.  Blocking the left ear (the "good one") I hear very quietly and with no volume compared to the left when unblocked.  It was definitely sound (very-VERY LOUD) and not over pressure.  I have infrequently shot the rifle with hearing unprotected when HUNTING for decades.  This is a "failure" of something internal to the ear I think.

IG, I "feel" your pain and am sure those twin tanks'll do it every time - with sound and over pressure.

[ironglows]

  I am hoping your loss is temporary.  There could be wax blockage or a temporary flattening of the little "hairs", which sense hearing pitches.
  Here is a video explaining much about hearing, go to about the 24 min mark to understand the hairs I was talking about;
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP6v39jABUU
 

[Land_Owner]

When you come down in an air plane and your ear does not equalize...it's like that, but hurts - a little - and was all of a sudden at the shot.  I keep thinking it will go away, but deep down, I worry it is here to stay.

[ironglows]

Another video;  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8hltCAK4mI
 
  Hope your ear comes back to normal soon..  I said a short prayer for your ear..

[Dee]

I've had that ringing hollow sound numerous times back in my SWAT, and police range instructor days. Nuthin like someone pulling the pin on a flashbang and not calling it first.
It sometimes lasted several days.

I always described the "hollow sound" more as a "metallic sound" in my hearing that sometimes lasted several days, then one morning you wake up, and its gone.

Of course a little hearing is lost after each instance.

[Doublebass73]

I had the same thing happen to me after hearing a 5.56 at the range without hearing protection. Luckily mine came back after about a day but I've also had tinnitus since I was 19.

Like Dee said you lose a little hearing with each shot. It wasn't that blast that hurt your hearing it was that blast plus every other blast in your life because hearing loss is cumulative.

Now I hunt with electronic muffs always. They can be a little uncomfortable when it's warm out wearing them all day but I'd rather keep the hearing I have left. When it's cold out the muffs are great, your ears will never get cold wearing those. It's nice to be able to blast away at ducks without worrying about my hearing too.

Give it some time, things will probably improve. The more I keep my ears away from loud noises the better my ringing stays.

[ironglows]

  Dee is correct, a bit of hearing is usually lost whenever we have such an incident.  Those "hairs" I spoke about, break off and cut their effectiveness, but most of the time it is a gradual weakening over time and numerous events.
  I am probably fortunate that we were shooting long range at the time, and the gun tubes were elevated well above my head.
  But then, my shooting sports over my 84 years, + 30 years blacksmithing, likely didn't help much !

[Land_Owner]

I have been giving this considerable thought today. Tropical storm ETA ruined my day's deer hunt.  I am using a different bullet, which is a Winchester – Nosler "Combined Technology" Partition with a FLAT base. IDK how old these "new" bullets are. Probably 20 years. Bought them on GBO Classified.

Current production Nosler Partitions have a beveled base allowing, in my unscientific thinking, for hot gases and sound to pass conically FORWARD of the bullet as it leaves the muzzle. With today's Partition the smaller diameter flat portion of the base reflects less sound rearward and therefore less pressure backward toward the shooter.

The flat base Partition shocks the shooter in both sound AND pressure. I WILL start using ear muffs - good ones.  The little hearing I have left is precious to me.

[Argent 88]

Over the counter Lipo-Flavonoid is good for that.

[oldandslow]

Now that all the doctors on here have given their advice I will add on. Clean the wax out of your ear. If that is no help go see a real doctor.

[Dee]

Now that all the doctors on here have given their advice I will add on. Clean the wax out of your ear. If that is no help go see a real doctor.

Excuse me sir, I have offered no medical advice here, only personal experiences with temporary ear afflictions.
Had I offered medical advice, I would have expected to get paid. But I don't accept Medicare.

[oldandslow]

Sorry to lump you in but it was sarcasm of a sort and you're included. I can find no emojis on this website to indicate anything so everyone is stuck with what I write.

[ironglows]

Now that all the doctors on here have given their advice I will add on. Clean the wax out of your ear. If that is no help go see a real doctor.

Excuse me sir, I have offered no medical advice here, only personal experiences with temporary ear afflictions.
Had I offered medical advice, I would have expected to get paid. But I don't accept Medicare.

  Ditto!     

[Argent 88]

Dee, your starting to sound like a Dentist lol.

[Dee]

I've removed teeth in the past. It's not a stretch,  but the procedures weren't cheap, nor did I accept Medicare.

[Argent 88]

I've removed teeth in the past. It's not a stretch,  but the procedures weren't cheap, nor did I accept Medicare.

Doc Holiday was a dentist. But I don't think I would want him pulling my teeth.

[Ranger99]

Do you wear hearing protection in the deer stand?

Plugs
I forgot some a few years ago, and bought myself
the permanent ringing in both ears. I got the deer
and a lifelong problem at the same time.

[ironglows]

Sorry to lump you in but it was sarcasm of a sort and you're included. I can find no emojis on this website to indicate anything so everyone is stuck with what I write.

  O&S... I guess I missed your point also.  What I use to indicate sarcasm is the 'wink of the eye and a smile' as shown here.....     

[Land_Owner]

The "expectation of invincibility" (no Do Over), combined with the "Born On" date of components (reaching their maturity - some even still work), and voilà, I have become a good example of a bad example.  The "stuffiness" remains unchanged but has not affected my balance, nor caused any vertigo or nausea, so ear drum perforation does not seem likely.  Further investigation suggests a

ten second test by an audiologist called typanometry...[for conductive hearing loss to] show if there is too much movement in the eardrum and the bones on that side

conductive hearing loss...inner ear and auditory nerve are undamaged...can be temporary or permanent [due to] a traumatic break in the connection between the bones of the middle ear

This "self affliction" is likely a combination of sound induced cilia damage (tinnitus) as well as a right side dislocation.  Self correcting dislocation is being investigated.

[oldandslow]

Sorry to lump you in but it was sarcasm of a sort and you're included. I can find no emojis on this website to indicate anything so everyone is stuck with what I write.

  O&S... I guess I missed your point also.  What I use to indicate sarcasm is the 'wink of the eye and a smile' as shown here.....     

I can't find any of those on this website. Funny thing is if I'm on my ipad there they are but I seldom post from it. I find the keyboard annoying and avoid using it. Old and stuck in my ways I am.

[oldandslow]

What I want to know is the correct pronunciation of tinnitus. On TV the hearing aid hucksters either pronounce it "tinni-tus or "tin-nitus". Wish they would get together on this. Big winking smili here.

Here's hope for your self correcting search.

[Dee]

Sorry to lump you in but it was sarcasm of a sort and you're included. I can find no emojis on this website to indicate anything so everyone is stuck with what I write.

I to occasionally communicate using sarcasm, but believe that only the perceptive, of at least average intelligence, pickup on the sarcasm without assistance.

If someone requires sarcasm identification assistance, the moment is lost, and the effort is wasted on the sluggish.

And I never accept Medicare.

[oldandslow]

(And I never accept Medicare.)

Maybe you should start. I've seen quite a bit from medicare this year and it seems to pay the providers pretty well.

[Dee]

I just don't want to do the paperwork. I'm retired, and becoming lazy.

[Land_Owner]

THREAD DRIFT

To Spoon Feed and for clarity, I occasionally use these "tags" of my own making while posting SOME responses:

[SARCASM=ON]

If a reader FAILS to perceive the result, I am left to wonder if they have a single working brain cell functioning in their liberal head anymore. 
You can spoon feed some folks and they will STILL miss the message.
I suspect they DO NOT READ and if they do they DO NOT COMPREHEND.

[SARCASM=OFF]

Still Dee, I like your "perceptive, of at least average intelligence" turn of the phrase about those who understand sarcasm "without assistance" as well as "effort wasted on the sluggish".  Nicely penned.

[Dee]

Because you get it. 

[ironglows]

What I want to know is the correct pronunciation of tinnitus. On TV the hearing aid hucksters either pronounce it "tinni-tus or "tin-nitus". Wish they would get together on this. Big winking smili here.

Here's hope for your self correcting search.

  I heard a guy on the boob-tube explain it..not guaranteeing he was right..

  He said, "If you suffer from tin-night'-tus ...properly pronounced tina'-tus...then he went on to try selling something.

  Click here, then click onto the picture of the loudspeaker (megaphone).

  https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tinnitus

[oldandslow]

What I want to know is the correct pronunciation of tinnitus. On TV the hearing aid hucksters either pronounce it "tinni-tus or "tin-nitus". Wish they would get together on this. Big winking smili here.

Here's hope for your self correcting search.

  I heard a guy on the boob-tube explain it..not guaranteeing he was right..

  He said, "If you suffer from tin-night'-tus ...properly pronounced tina'-tus...then he went on to try selling something.

  Click here, then click onto the picture of the loudspeaker (megaphone).

  https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tinnitus

It depends on who is doing the pronouncing I suppose. More thread drift but I have had four squamous cell skin cancers removed in the last couple of years. The doctor pronounces it squee-mus.  One of my pet peeves is hearing our area's large town of Lubbock, TX pronounced Lub-ick by a lot of people now. It's Lub-uck, dammit, or always has been  up until fairly recently and there is no "i" in it. The pioneer that it's named for would have probably have beat up on someone that pronounced his name with an "i". Northern new mexicans pronounce pecan as pee-can which grates on my Texas ears.