Hearing damage from gun fire?

[ErinKC]

My family went to a Memorial Day bbq yesterday at a friends house on a farm. They have a huge property and do trap shooting. I thought they’d be done when we got there but at one point when my husband, daughter and I were down the hill fishing with some other kids they started again. We were a good distance away so they yelled down we were good just not to come back up until they finished since we didn’t have ear protection.

At the time it felt really loud but once it was done my ears felt fine. Then on the drive home about an hour later I noticed they felt full and poppy. Now, we were driving up and down hills which makes my ears poppy and I have a messed up left ear that often ends up with fluid in it feeling full pretty easily. But it started to make me worried about the loud noise. My daughter and husband say their ears feel fine. For me it’s the next day now and still having the fullness. It’s only in the one ear now - the problem ear - so I’m trying to tell myself it’s just from allergies and the hilly drive and my overthinking. But I am having a lot of anxiety that I damaged my ears and maybe my daughters even if she doesn’t feel anything.

They don’t seem to be ringing any more than usual - I always have some buzzing in silence - but no tinnitus that I notice on a daily basis.

I’m in an anxiety state right now - I know my anxiety is heightened and it’s looking for things. But should I go have my ear looked at or just try to stop thinking about it?

[nomorepanic]

I would stop thinking about it.

You really can't do that much damage to your ears like this.

[.Poppy.]

Noise related hearing loss is typically caused due to damage to the little hairs in your inner ear. To cause permanent damage to those hairs, you would have to be exposed to loud noises for a long period of time (regular trap shooting without protection) or potentially be present at a really loud event (really really loud - like an explosion).

In other words - you will be fine; I would guess that your ear issues are more likely due to the drive than the noise as from that distance you would be plenty safe.

[spectrum123]

I used to regularly go to F1 grand prix during the V10 era. The following two days after people had to speak up if they wanted me to hear them. After the two days hearing went back to normal. Did this for years and have had no long lasting effects.

Also used to come home waterproofed due to the coating of oil the cars gave you!

[Pamplemousse]

In a similar vein, Mrs. PM went to a Stiff Little Fingers concert in around 1980, and she and her mate got right up into the speakers.

For four days afterwards all she could hear was EEEEEEEEEEEEEE....

Hearing came back though :)

[kyllikki]

This is a Very American worry.

(Sign me up for sitting with spectrum123 instead, even if the turbo hybrid era has killed the really good vrr-eoowww sound!)

You're fine.