hearing lost in my left ear

[rsk1139]

I've been going to local car races for about 50 years and I've probably been to about 800 race events. For the first 30 years I never wore ear protection. About 20 years ago my job required all employees to take a hearing test. The company nurse gave me a hearing test and said my hearing wasn't so good in the left ear. She told me to go to the company Doctor. The Doctor asked if I shoot a gun and I told him I never shot a gun. I then told him I go to the car races and the car noise goes into my left ear. He said that was the problem and that I'll never be a concert pianist. I said Doc you don't have to worry because I don't know how to play the piano. This is a true story.

[Goggles Pisano]

You should make your wife sit to your left. 

[fastbackss]

As I approached a milestone birthday I said "starting THEN I am going to ardently use ear protection" as I was starting to notice a decrease in hearing of one ear.

Then...the other ear went.  It got way worse, seemingly overnight.

Went to doctor and they did a hearing test.  It wasn't the nerve, but fluid had actually built up in the ear and was causing the eardrum to not work properly.  It was close to being permanent loss.  There is some minor loss still but most has come back. 

So - be careful with it folks...

[rsk1139]

I would say Oswego Speedway under the front grandstand roof was the loudest track noise I can remember.

[phredo]

I would say Oswego Speedway under the front grandstand roof was the loudest track noise I can remember.

Agreed.  The front stretch grandstands at Oswego are the only place I wear any sort of ear protection.

[Goggles Pisano]

Oswego is bad.  I also went to the Formula 1 race in downtown Detroit in the late eighties.  That was like inserting a drill into your ear.

[leadfoot4]

I would say Oswego Speedway under the front grandstand roof was the loudest track noise I can remember.

I agree!

I think the absolute loudest "noise" I ever heard was a 'Jefferson Airplane' concert in 1970, at the Rochester War Memorial Arena. I thought I was a big deal, because I scored 3rd row seats for the show. I could barely hear anything, right after the show, and my ears were ringing for 3-4 DAYS afterward. In retrospect, I think that standing at the end of an airport runway, with a jet taking off, would have been quieter!

But I'm sure that working around loud equipment at Kodak, for extended periods of time, didn't help either, and being in the pit area of several race tracks, over the years, didn't help, either. The strange thing is, my hearing is still quite good, except for the faint "buzzing" that goes on forever.....

[fastbackss]

Oswego is bad.  I also went to the Formula 1 race in downtown Detroit in the late eighties.  That was like inserting a drill into your ear.

Flemington grandstands used to be bad as well. 

Formula 1 was* so ear piercing - but yet amazing at the same time.  Had the pleasure of going to a race at Silverstone, back when it was the V10's.  We were sitting physically as far from pit road as you could get, which even in a straight line had to be roughly a mile.  When they pulled out of the pits it was loud enough that it felt like the cars were already in front of you.

*now people complain that they are too quiet and they are looking for ways to "inject" more sound.

[herm]

I never wore hearing protection while driving a stock car until it was to late. Now I am wearing hearing aids.

[Oilman]

Been to a lot of different races and tracks, not as many as rsk, however, more than my share.  Everything from Dirt Street stocks to Super Mods (helped Ray Sand at Oswego for years).  Stood next to Top Fuel Nitro cars in the pits.  Been to several NASCAR races and tracks and all without protection.  I guess I've been lucky as I only have a pretty good case of Tinitous and I am now 60.  3 years ago went to my first Bristol race and, of course, no protection.  MISTAKE!  Ears rang for almost 4 days after.  Oswego IS loud, not close to Bristol though.  Wear protection at Bristol now and will for Martinsville this year too.  My wife has lost most of her hearing and my mother in law is completely deaf.  My son in law lost most of his hearing in Iraq.  I guess I have been lucky.  It's too easy today to get proper ear protection and still be able to communicate when the track is not hot.  Encourage people to use it (especially kids!).  Don't wake up one day and say coulda, woulda, shoulda.  JMO