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Wow, you’re in rough shape !

A friend of mine deals with Tinnitus. It’s a living hell. My parents are both deaf from loud music in the 70s. My father has some crazy, $5000 hearing system and my mother just deals with it.

I swore to never go through that. I’m 36 and I have perfect hearing (Off the charts). That said, I often do activities that are ear damaging (Driving a convertible, loud muscle cars, jeeps with the tops off, and shooting every chance I get)

I carry around several styles of ear plugs on me at all times. I drive my car with ear plugs, and I’m frequently seen outdoors with earplugs in, even when the occasion doesn’t really call for it.

I get my earplugs at a local motorcycle shop. I have learned that they are rated for specific frequencies depending on their material. I frequently use the “Skull plugs” at the range, and the “booger” style plugs on the road.

I’ve also become familiar with their fit and resistance, and I keep my left one in, and my right one out (Or vice versa, depending on what hand is free). If I’m shooting in the woods where the gun fire is predictable, I’ll reach up real quick and push one in further to close the canal. When the shooting stops, I rub my lobe and the ear plug frees up enough to hear. I have never used an electronic muff at the range though.

Often times a walk-in medical clinic will clean out my ears with a deep procedure (It’s painful as hell) I go through that about once a year. I will weekly clean my ears with a drugstore soak, and I’ll swab my ears throughout the day about 3 times. I also have 8 ear piercings, so I clean those out frequently throughout the day as well.

All of this is because my parents have this loss of hearing, and it’s a pain in the ass - truly. People talk to them with malice (I lost my hearing once due to an infection - And yes, people treat you like shit when you can’t hear). All of these have taught me to be vigilant with my hearing.

Until nerve death occurs in the timpanic membrane, all of this hearing damage IS (likely) undoable. You can heal and regain a lot of that sensitivity back.

am I reading your post correctly??? I wonder.

sound like you treat your parents like $hit also...sad

and any ENT will tell you not to put anything in your ears other than your elbow!!! and I bet one day you also will be deaf..so enjoy your life...

p.s. wish your parents knew about cochlear implants..they really are wonderful for those of us who lived in a silent world..WE HEAR YOU NOW...becareful what you say...it can come back to bite you in the butt...

I'm a retired air traffic controller, 30 years of mostly having an ear piece stuck in one of my ears usually for 2 hours at a time, with a fifteen minute break before another two hours in position.
After I retired out of the military, the Veterans Association told me that the "stick in your ear" speakers are the worst for causing hearing damage.
Get the ones that cover the outside of your ear, or cup your ear and seal to the side of the head, for no damage to the ear canal's hearing hairs.
Tinnitus is no joke. It's a constant ringing in your ears, very similar to the beeping tones you hear during the military's hearing test, and at different pitches, depending on the nerves damaged.

Don't be like me and learn AFTER the damage is done.
Get hearing protection now, and keep it out of your ear canal.