[cdxx]

warning : whining post.

over thanksgiving i was supposed to go hunting with dad. my dad had shot a deer two days before , plus it snowed heavily, so instead, he set up some targets a quarter mile from their house. we shot some rounds with a .22 taurus revolver, then a .22 rifle with some thunderbird rounds and a 9x sight. finally, we had a chance to shoot some AK-47 with the 9x sight and his 12 gauge shotgun at 100-150 yards.

after that i left their house on a 5 hour drive back (sunday). i noticed that my left ear started ringing when i turned on the radio. it also felt plugged. i turned down the music, the ringing subsided. i arrived home, it was still plugged. i went to sleep and on monday morning i thought it started feeling better, though still plugged and loud high-pitched noises still bothered me. for the most part monday was fine.

today it got worse. there's currently constant ringing in my ear. it's faint, but it's annoying as hell. using the cell phone on that side is a nightmare. the plugged feeling is going away but still there. i don't think i'll have trouble sleeping but this is something i really want to just go away.

i looked online, it's most definitely acoustic trauma. in most instances the damage is there but the ringing should go away in 24-48 hours. it's been 50 hours since then, so i am getting worried.

if any good comes of this, let it be a lesson. wear ear protection when you shooting your shotgun.