Gunny456 said:

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Been there and done that. If you have that much hearing loss you need to get hearing aids. Not only to help you hear better but to prevent cognitive decline. There is solid evidence that severe hearing loss greatly increases the risk of dementia.
The hearing aid business is one of the largest scams in our country. Why?
Because 90% of the companies sell amplifiers instead of hearing devices.


The hearing aids that have the true technology to produce the very high frequencies that most of us have lost are expensive. Phonak and Starkey are generally recognized as the leaders in this technology with Phonak having the most advanced technology for high frequency loss.
Caution that all Phonaks are not equal as they build an "economy" line that is sold at Costco. They are in not even close to the upper line technology that is available through professional doctors of audiology.


That brings up another important point. There are "audiologists" on every street corner selling hearing aids. They are not MD Doctors of Audiology….huge difference in knowledge and abilities.
Many folks make the mistake of buying cheap hearing aids and then feel like they don't really help them or hate how they sound and then stop wearing them and say " I tried getting hearing aids and they didn't help me."

To truly have your hearing properly tested you must go to a audiology facility that gives an extensive hearing test in a purposed designed totally sound proof room. The test will not only consist of frequencies and tone testing but will also check sound conductivity of your mastoid bone, and identify the frequency of your tinnitus, word recognition, and white noise introduction with tone testing.
With the above test data the doctor of audiology can then program your hearing aids specifically for your hearing loss profile.
This programming is done with specialized equipment with the individual hearing aids.
Only high end technology advanced hearing aids can take the full advantage of that technology.
The top end technology Phonaks or Starkey cost around $4000 -$5500.


I went the going abroad approach. They can be bought for about a little more than 1/2 that…..but you have expenses of flights, hotels, etc.
The other issue is that buying a hearing aid is not a one and done event. To obtain the best hearing possible a yearly extensive hearing test should be performed annually and the aids reprogrammed for those data.
Many audiologists state side will not program foreign purchased aids and they will not warranty them if problems arise.
(I learned all this the hard way).

Everyone should get an extensive hearing test whether you think you have hearing loss or not. By doing at least one extensive accurate test you will establish a base line for the future if you ever experience sudden hearing loss or general loss of hearing.

The advancement in hearing aid technology changes about as fast as computer technology.
The new hearing aids I got two months ago are unbelievable as to the natural sound producing qualities as compared to my five year old set.
One thing I will caution you guys with.
If you do indeed go to get hearing aids….spend the $$$$ to get the best.
This is truly an example of you get what you pay for.

Also realize that the high technology aids will make you able to hear frequencies that you may not have been hearing for many years.
Your brain will need some time to adjust to hearing those frequencies again. If you have tinnitus…..initially the new aids will make your tinnitus go nuts for a few days. But hang in there as you will habituate to the new sounds and you will notice after a week or so your tinnitus will start subsiding.

Hope this helps someone….i have had quite a journey with hearing and tinnitus over the last 25 years.

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Gunny456 said:

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No thanks needed my friend. But much obliged. Hang in there. I have my bad days and good days with my tinnitus.
I know that stress, my blood pressure, amount of salt and caffeine intake greatly can affect it.

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HillCountry15 said:

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I've never fired a gun with a suppressor on it, so I'm genuinely curious about this. This question came from the youth rifle thread a few days ago

Other than the noise reduction, what is the benefit of deer hunting suppressed? I can understand hog hunting or even coyote hunting, when you possibly have multiple targets and want to get as many as possible before they all flee from the noise, but I don't see the added benefit when it comes to deer hunting.

In my limited experience deer hunting, everything I've killed has only needed one shot (hill country low fence hunting for me).

Is it simply because it makes the shot more quiet?

Real answers expected, and OB answers preferred.

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FatZilla said:

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HillCountry15 said:

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I've never fired a gun with a suppressor on it, so I'm genuinely curious about this. This question came from the youth rifle thread a few days ago

Other than the noise reduction, what is the benefit of deer hunting suppressed? I can understand hog hunting or even coyote hunting, when you possibly have multiple targets and want to get as many as possible before they all flee from the noise, but I don't see the added benefit when it comes to deer hunting.

In my limited experience deer hunting, everything I've killed has only needed one shot (hill country low fence hunting for me).

Is it simply because it makes the shot more quiet?

Real answers expected, and OB answers preferred.

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Ever fired a 30cal rifle while sitting in a wooden box echo chamber? Anything at all to reduce that noise is welcome lol

Damn ears will be ringing for a long time while hog hunting without one and a sounder pulls up for you to send as many rounds as possible at them.

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Gunny456 said:

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Yes sir. My point exactly. Anything louder than 85 decibels can potentially cause damage. All my hunting rifles are suppressed….. but I still wear hearing protection when shooting supersonic loads on centerfire cartridges. Glad you got to the right doctor.

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Gunny456 said:

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Sounds like we are brothers here. Just about every word you just posted is my exact words.
Both my ears ring constantly. Loud enough to wake me up at night sometimes. Hearing aids help but can't wear hearing aids all night.
I have had it for well over 25 years.

My Otologist says my hearing, even with me being a fanatic on protecting it, will still decline as I age as the damage is cumulative as Bender stated.
The continued loss of hearing is going to make the tinnitus increase.
Right now, thank our God, my hearing has stabilized over the last two annual appointments.
He said the best thing we can do to preserve hearing, besides wearing protection, is to have good blood flow to the ear and brain by doing daily cardio exercises.
Stay strong my friend.

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theJonatron said:

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I got a can for the range on one of my carbines.

Fast forward 5 years, I'm looking to get a can to put on my shotgun.

A suppressor makes shooting, even for a bolt action or single shot deer rifle, more enjoyable.

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Texarkanaag69 said:

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A couple of years ago, after my wife had tired of the word "what," I was working on a lesson I was preparing when I noticed a rather abrupt loss of hearing in one ear. I went to an ENT who wanted to get an MRI to see if there was something going on he couldn't see from other tests. Came back negative. The ENT had a group of "audiologists" one of whom put me in a sound proof box and did some tests. I'd never had one before so I didn't know what to expect. She came back with a chart showing her findings and called it a profound loss and recommended the very top level aid on the market. I was not impressed but didn't have any experience to judge it against. I made an appointment with a Doctor of Audiology and it was a totally different experience. She gave the option of several aids and spoke to the benefits and limits of all. I wound up going with the Starkey and it ran a little north of $6,000. She later made adjustments after the "honeymoon" was over. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. If I have a problem I call and she addresses it. She's a hunter and recommended a set of Peltor ear muffs. I use them over my hearing aids or else remove the aids and wear them. She said even shooting a .22LR requires protection. I have shot many centerfire rifles and various shotguns without protection and I paid for it. (The price above covered services beyond the price of the aids themselves.)

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Gunny456 said:

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This happened to me 22 years ago. Was heading home to the ranch after being gone from home for 51 days straight.
As I turned on the FM road about 20 miles from home when both my ears suddenly felt closed up. Much like when your ears need clearing in an airplane. Only thing was they didn't need clearing… they both just dropped about 1/2 my hearing.
I got home and I took a Benadryl thinking maybe it was sinus related. I went to bed early. When I woke up it was better so I went to work in my office. Everything seemed much better till it happened again…only this time worse.
Called my family doc and he set me up with a ENT in SA. ENT ran a hearing test and confirmed my hearing loss… but he really didn't have a base line to go on.
He gave me a nasal spray and said he just thought it was a sinus infection.
I went to a different one the next day…same treatment protocol.
The next I made a call to Dr. Wesley Krueger. A Otologist/Neurologist that had hunted with us at the ranch.
He got me in quickly and ran an MRI to see if I had a brain tumor. I didn't. He diagnosed me of having "Sudden Sensoneural Hearing Loss". He then put tubes in my ears with a drip of steroids. In three days I got some hearing back. Not all but some. A week later the slight tinnitus I had had since a teenager became very loud. Crazy loud. Like commit suicide loud. He prescribed some nerve medicines. It helped some. I went 20 days with about 1-2 hours of fitfull sleep per night.
I was wearing out. Then my balance went to hell and I got severe vertigo. He tested me for Meniers disease. Negative on that. With his guidance I finally got a little better. Took me six months to get back to some semblance of normal. Tinnitus never subsided…I just learned to cope and habituate to it. My hearing stayed at about 40-45% gone….as it is today.
I will tell you that 1 in 20 regular ENT's really know how to effectively treat SSNHL. They are general guys that specialize in ear nose throat and sinus issues.
I can recommend that if this ever happens to anyone search out a ENT group that has a true Otologist on staff. There aren't many of them. An Otologist specializes almost entirely on ear and balance and neurology of such.
Get help quickly as txag92 says. But find an ENT specialist in Otology.
I'm thankful I found Dr Krueger that day. We have become very good friends since.

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Gunny456 said:

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This happened to me 22 years ago. Was heading home to the ranch after being gone from home for 51 days straight.
As I turned on the FM road about 20 miles from home when both my ears suddenly felt closed up. Much like when your ears need clearing in an airplane. Only thing was they didn't need clearing… they both just dropped about 1/2 my hearing.
I got home and I took a Benadryl thinking maybe it was sinus related. I went to bed early. When I woke up it was better so I went to work in my office. Everything seemed much better till it happened again…only this time worse.
Called my family doc and he set me up with a ENT in SA. ENT ran a hearing test and confirmed my hearing loss… but he really didn't have a base line to go on.
He gave me a nasal spray and said he just thought it was a sinus infection.
I went to a different one the next day…same treatment protocol.
The next I made a call to Dr. Wesley Krueger. A Otologist/Neurologist that had hunted with us at the ranch.
He got me in quickly and ran an MRI to see if I had a brain tumor. I didn't. He diagnosed me of having "Sudden Sensoneural Hearing Loss". He then put tubes in my ears with a drip of steroids. In three days I got some hearing back. Not all but some. A week later the slight tinnitus I had had since a teenager became very loud. Crazy loud. Like commit suicide loud. He prescribed some nerve medicines. It helped some. I went 20 days with about 1-2 hours of fitfull sleep per night.
I was wearing out. Then my balance went to hell and I got severe vertigo. He tested me for Meniers disease. Negative on that. With his guidance I finally got a little better. Took me six months to get back to some semblance of normal. Tinnitus never subsided…I just learned to cope and habituate to it. My hearing stayed at about 40-45% gone….as it is today.
I will tell you that 1 in 20 regular ENT's really know how to effectively treat SSNHL. They are general guys that specialize in ear nose throat and sinus issues.
I can recommend that if this ever happens to anyone search out a ENT group that has a true Otologist on staff. There aren't many of them. An Otologist specializes almost entirely on ear and balance and neurology of such.
Get help quickly as txag92 says. But find an ENT specialist in Otology.
I'm thankful I found Dr Krueger that day. We have become very good friends since.

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