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Can my Tinnitus get worse?

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HI, I have had Tinnitus for so long I dont know when.
Lately I practice shooting at the indoor range.
My routine is to put top quality electronic muffs over my ’s. If someone is firing a really noisy firearm I will use plugs/ muffs combo.
My ? is can it get worse, or I am at the no changes possible stage?
Comments?
Much obliged, Max

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I can not speak for you or anyone else, I have had tinnitus since Thanksgiving of 1975, over the years my tinnitus got worse but i learned to compartmentalize my tinnitus so I don’t notice it as long as i am busy, and i am wearing my hearing aids. I don’t use any type of tinnitus masking as it just made my tinnitus worse and more noticeable. When I take my aids off then i notice my tinnitus and the longer I have my aids off the worse my tinnitus is.

I would say that your tinnitus could always get worse, but it may not. You can’t predict. But being careful of your hearing is definitely the best way. Apart from tinnitus, your cochlears are likely a bit delicate too and firearms are renowned for causing un-reversible hearing damage. So taking a lot of trouble to keep the noise out is the best way to protect what hearing you have currently, whether it’s perfect or terrible.

I find the more I think of my tinnitus the worse it gets.

So it’s a stress meter for me. I tried getting my Phonak Pardise P90s set up to mask it. The cover-up was more noticable than the tinnitus. So I had it taken off immediately.

I used to try other remedies. An instructor who does chair yoga suggested she could help me. I never followed up…there was a charge. She was a volunteer at the hospital when I was attending a program there.

For me tinnitus can at times be a real pain. I enjoy soft easy listening, music. Which offsets the tinnitus, so that I don’t hear it as much. My Ponto has brought my love and enjoyment of music back and it helps me to just relax and calm my soul for a while. I once thought I would never hear quality sounds again. Ponto for me has been a blessing to my ear. I can still recall the blasting sounds and remembering remarking to a friend a few years after the ear damage from the explosions. I told him I felt like I had an electrical motor in my head, and I could hear my brain motor running. Back then I did not know what tinnitus was. I took up SCUBA diving thinking they would make the sound stop. Save your time and money it won’t stop even 30 to 90 feet below you still hear your brain running. “smile” “tinnitus” for me the best medicine is just soft music. Which is the best for me right now, no horns, or brass instruments.

YES, you just must avoid loud noise, but if you can’t then you must protect what hearing you have left. Talk with a Doctor as they can make you your own hearing protectors to cut down on loud sounds. You will have one for the right and one for the left ear. It helps cut down on the sound, but I want to take away what tinnitus you have and YES, the tinnitus can get worse if you don’t do anything to help protect what hearing you have left.

Edited
@Dogman635 said:

YES, you just must avoid loud noise,

Those with hearing loss have to make accommodations in life. Not all activities are available to us. It’s the same for folks with other conditions. For example, if running marathons sets off atrial fibrillation in someone, it’s a good idea to stop running marathons. for those with asthma, standing around a smoky campfire is counter-indicated. And so on.

Shooting guns at a range for folks with hearing loss? Maybe it’s time to take up another, less noisy activity.

In my life I’ve found that having to give up beloved activities because of health concerns or mere aging has led me to discover new activities that I love as much as the ones I left behind. Life is infinite! Go exploring.

p.s. recently the tinnitus in my right ear became worse. This was a surprise. I’m still hoping it may return to the old, normal levels. Meanwhile, after about a month, I’ve tuned it out for the most part. Just like before.

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