Is your hearing going?

[ollie1016]

I am in my very late teens, and am having a bit of trouble hearing sometimes.

 

I try to attend every single fireworks show, what ever time of year. I put on a small show for a few people 2/3 weeks back. For the finale I had 5 X 100g ground salutes. The audience was 65m away( I measured this) and I was 20m away. My ears were ringing for a good few hours after and now I thought nothing of it. Then I thought 'sh*t' ' I might have damaged my hearing'. I did have a full face shield, helmet, gloves, leather jacket and jeans on when firing.

 

Think it's plausible I might have damaged my hearing a bit?

 

Please comment and tell us of your experiences!

[nater]

Yes, it is possible and likely that you damaged your hearing. Hearing protection is a must, whatever you loose you will never get back.

 

When I was in high school and college, and friend and I promoted concerts. Usually they were punk and hardcore bands from our school and a local college, but we also booked smaller touring bands. Crowds were usually 500 or so, so a good sound system was still needed. Anyway it was never "cool" to wear ear plugs. My ears have bled from the loud noise and that is when the hearing damage started.

 

For a few summers in college, I worked at an amusement park as a lifeguard. When not on duty on the beach, I was also trained to work on a roller coaster. Those trains all day are pretty loud and added more nails to the coffin.

 

I worked for a while as a medic in a tire factory, another loud environment. Earplugs were mandatory in the plant, but I often had to remove them so I could properly assess someone before we got to the canteen in the plant for more treatment. Working with power tools, fire truck pumps, sirens and aircraft in close proximity have done my ears in. I have to take annual hearing tests, and despite the damage that is already done, I have been able to prevent it from getting worse.

 

Then there's pyro on top of all that. I ALWAYS wear hearing protection, often I wear foam ear plugs under ear muffs if I'm handlighting a lot. I have found that if I am lighting 5" and 6" shells, the lift is loud enough that my ears ring with one form of protection and I need two to keep the pain away.

Edited September 24, 2013 by nater

[mabuse00]

You wont realise at once that you lost something. But I will accumulate. It's maybe a few percent for every such incident.

 

whatever you loose you will never get back.

That's the most important point. Some time after the ringing is gone your hearing will be normal. But your threshold level will be a little higher every time.

[mikeee]

Loud stereo music and rock concerts will take its toll on your hearing.

I have had problems my entire life with ear problems starting at a young age.

Ruptured my ear drums several times scuba diving on several occasions.

This year had a large rocket cato on takeoff and still have a hole in my ear drum from that one.

You might want to see an ear doctor you might just have a build up of ear wax.

I have had that problem before, if I spend a lot of time outside working and playing.

[Arthur]

NOW is a very good time to care for your ears. See your doctor/nurse see whether wax build up is a problem -get it sorted.

 

Wear ear defenders when shooting fireworks

 

Remember that it's total noise dose that kills your hearing so turn the earbuds right DOWN . We are making a generation of kids who have lost their hearing by the age of 20 because of their use of personal stereos

[ollie1016]

I'll arrange a doctors appointment to get my ears checked out. Fortunately I understand how direct loud music can effect your hearing. I worked in a club this summer, and the first few shifts, I'd get back to the staff room and my ears would be sore! I resolved the problem by using the yellow foam in ear protection, and learnt how to lip read.

[mabuse00]

If you experience an acoustic trauma - and I think that's what applies here - it's important to see a doctor immediately.

Ideally not the next day.

There is some kind of treatment with blood thinners and cortison infusion, that can help minimizing the permanent damage (at least that's what we where told in the Bundeswehr). Thing is, this treatment can only be effecient when it's done shortly after the incident.

 

If you havent seen the doctor now, forget about it and protect yourself next time.

[hindsight]

Ollie. You have recieved good information here on this topic. Herr Doktor Mabuse ist korrekt. Hearing loss from high decibel exposure is cumulative, and the likelihood of recovering your previous acoustic acuity is low. And a visit to an ENT doctor and audiologist may be in order. An early sign of hearing loss, which many of us seniors experience, is the inability to discern speech in conversation, especially in the presence of background noise--we have to ask people to repeat themselves. Other signs are the perception that the treble needs to be turned up on music sources, being told that we speak too loudly (or too softly), and ignoring our spouses instructions (strike the last one). Exposure to the discharge of combat munitions, over-amplified music, power tools and machinery have all taken their toll on our hearing. Too late did I realize that those little foam plugs that you put in your ears are inadequate. Invest in a good set of ear muff hearing protection, if you can.