Last week I went to the range to get some data on the 300M range. I turned out the guy shooting next to me was a very friendly guy with tons and tons of precision shooting knowledge, so we ended up talking for two hours or so about a variety of topics. Since we were the only ones at that distance, I removed my left ear plug while we were talking to hear him better. By the time we finished, it was getting dark, and I wanted to at least shoot off a few rounds before picking up my target. I didn't put on my ear muffs because I figured I would be ok with just earplugs for 5 or 10 rounds of .223.
When I pulled the trigger, it felt like my ear exploded. I stupidly forgot to put back in my left earplug. I immediately experienced a loud ringing in my left ear, which faded in a minute or so. What didn't fade is a continuous high pitched ringing in my head, which has been there 24 hours a day for the last 6 days. My hearing in my left ear is probably a little worse than it was (still feels slightly muffled and high pitched noises don't sound quite right), but this ringing is absolutely miserable. I've barely slept the last week.
Has anyone every done something stupid like this? Any experiences to share? I know the ringing is a form of Tinnitus... what I don't know is whether it will ever go away. I desperately hope it will, because I haven't had a moment's peace since it happened. Any advice or similar experiences would be appreciated.
When I pulled the trigger, it felt like my ear exploded. I stupidly forgot to put back in my left earplug. I immediately experienced a loud ringing in my left ear, which faded in a minute or so. What didn't fade is a continuous high pitched ringing in my head, which has been there 24 hours a day for the last 6 days. My hearing in my left ear is probably a little worse than it was (still feels slightly muffled and high pitched noises don't sound quite right), but this ringing is absolutely miserable. I've barely slept the last week.
Has anyone every done something stupid like this? Any experiences to share? I know the ringing is a form of Tinnitus... what I don't know is whether it will ever go away. I desperately hope it will, because I haven't had a moment's peace since it happened. Any advice or similar experiences would be appreciated.