I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet • Hacker News Board

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#251

Post by andyjohnson0 » Sat, Mar 31, 2018, 9:44 PM UTC

polack wrote: post #203

lttlrck wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It may recover with time. When I was a teen I dismantled a shotgun cartridge and removed the shot and paper charge (lots of tiny paper discs). I stuffed them down the thick end of a car telescopic antenna cut to about 4” with the end folded over. I threw in a couple of pieces of lead shot, tamped it down with a piece of paper, stuck the tube under a rock and set up a paper target 6” away. I was optimistic. Then, with…

When I was doing my military service another conscript fired his rifle down into the ground as we where standing close together without any hearing protection on. Seconds later our captain orders us to put the hearing protection on and leads us down to a completely dark cellar with beds in it. We then had to lay there for 48 hours in complete silence with noice canceling ear protection on with only breaks for toilet…

Do soldiers wear hearing protection in live combat conditions? Seems like they'd quickly end-up with severe hearing damage if they didn't.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#252

Post by polack » Sat, Mar 31, 2018, 9:55 PM UTC

andyjohnson0 wrote: post #251

polack wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was doing my military service another conscript fired his rifle down into the ground as we where standing close together without any hearing protection on. Seconds later our captain orders us to put the hearing protection on and leads us down to a completely dark cellar with beds in it. We then had to lay there for 48 hours in complete silence with noice canceling ear protection on with only breaks for toilet…

Do soldiers wear hearing protection in live combat conditions? Seems like they'd quickly end-up with severe hearing damage if they didn't.

Yes, modern soldiers wear “comtac” hearing protection with integrated microphones that pick up speech but block out the noise. So you can still communicate decent by shouting even though there is heavy fire going on around you.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#253

Post by zrobotics » Sat, Mar 31, 2018, 10:02 PM UTC

macintux wrote: post #83

I very recently thought I might have permanently damaged my eyesight. I was working from a library, and stood to start closing up for the day. As I started to close my laptop, the screen (hi, glossy MacBook Pro) directly reflected the sun behind me. For the next 15-20 minutes a significant portion of my vision in both eyes was wavy. I could still safely drive home, thankfully, but it was a severe distraction. While I…

You described similar symptoms to 'arc flash' (brief exposure to welding arcs). While its obviously best to avoid this, a decent first-aid measure is to set a 15-30 min timer and keep your eyes closed. That can help, and while it isn't always an option (driving/etc) it can help.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#254

Post by sneak » Sat, Mar 31, 2018, 10:03 PM UTC

JohnJamesRambo wrote: post #229

nate_meurer wrote: post #228

A little PSA: there is some evidence that magnesium can help prevent/cure acute noise-induced hearing loss. Google returns several reputable studies. Also: earplugs, earplugs, earplugs. I keep foam earplugs on me at all times. I have some in my fifth pants pocket, I keep some in a pill container on my keyring, some in my backpack, in my car, etc. I cut them in half; the half size fits easier and takes up less space,…

This is one of the weirder things I’ve ever read here and I read a lot of strange behaviors here. You wear earplugs full time man, that’s not normal, you are missing out on unimpeded hearing due to a fear of hearing loss that likely is not based on science. Normal level sounds don’t degrade hearing as far as I know and loud sounds aren’t that common, certainly not enough to warrant wearing earplugs full time. https:/…

Ehh, wearing earplugs is luxurious. It’s damn peaceful going about life with the volume turned down a bit, even if it poses no direct threat to one’s hearing.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#255

Post by microcolonel » Sat, Mar 31, 2018, 10:06 PM UTC

jackaroe78 wrote: post #211

timonovici wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, I just took a shotgun cartridge (the one used for hunting, but the old kind, made completely out of brass), flipped in with the primer up, and hit it with a hammer. Good thing my father stored those ones without the lead. The bang and flash made dizzy, and as I heard my father coming from backyard, I took cartridge to hide it - it was freaking hot, burned my hand as well.

My experiment was on a .22 round, and when they say it's a rimfire type cartridge I can tell ya they're not kidding. Not sure how I survived childhood, but I grew up to be a productive & well rounded member of society. More or less

> ...but I grew up to be a productive & well rounded member of society. More or less

It's almost as though play, of the sort which could end your life, is a natural part of growing up (perhaps especially for boys). Then again, I don't really remember doing any very stupid things as an adolescent, probably due to spending more time in nature, trying not to die by falling, drowning, hypothermia, or impalement.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#256

Post by zrobotics » Sat, Mar 31, 2018, 10:10 PM UTC

gowld wrote: post #97

lotsofpulp wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fixing a toilet is dead simple, as are most household tasks. Either you'd have to be very rich to not have it be worth 1 hour of your time, since a plumber will surely be $100 at least, or you can't be bothered to watch a couple short videos on youtube.

Handyman is more like $50, and it's insurance against permanent hearing damage, breathing fiberglass, etc.

If you somehow manage to develop silicosis from fiberglass whilst trying to fix a toilet, then you are definitely someone who shouldn't be attempting any sort of hands-on repair.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#257

Post by Bromskloss » Sat, Mar 31, 2018, 10:13 PM UTC

polack wrote: post #252

andyjohnson0 wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do soldiers wear hearing protection in live combat conditions? Seems like they'd quickly end-up with severe hearing damage if they didn't.

Yes, modern soldiers wear “comtac” hearing protection with integrated microphones that pick up speech but block out the noise. So you can still communicate decent by shouting even though there is heavy fire going on around you.

What about before such things were available? Did everyone get damaged hearing the first day?

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#258

Post by Someone » Sat, Mar 31, 2018, 10:14 PM UTC

hh3k0 wrote: post #184

phkahler wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A friends daughter got a brain injury from a car-pedestrian accident. He learned a lot, and told me his take away: If you hit your head and have any concern about it, take Ibuprofen to prevent swelling/inflamation and drive to Ann Arbor (we're in Michigan but that's over an hour away). The first part made sense, the second he said that town and UofM are known for treating that kind of thing. He has them in such high…

Hm -- the website of Mayo Clinic says that you should avoid Ibuprofen if you might have a concussion, as they may increase the risk of bleeding. "Avoid other pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and aspirin, as these medications may increase the risk of bleeding." See: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/concussion/di...

One of the challenges in first aid treatment for stroke is “is it ischemic or hemorrhagic?”. The symptoms are similar, but the treatments almost the reverse of each other. Do you want to increase clotting to stop the bleeding, or decrease clotting to keep an existing brain clot small?

Sometimes (for example if it would take hours to bring the patient to a MRI/CT machine) an educated guess as to the answer is the optimal strategy.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#259

Post by hollander » Sat, Mar 31, 2018, 10:19 PM UTC

mrob wrote: post #102

Another possible source of unexpected extremely loud noises: cleaning things with compressed air. If you blow it through a small orifice of the right dimensions then it can act as a whistle. The energy will be concentrated at one frequency, and compressed air generally blows a lot harder than lung power. I first heard of this from a Youtube video, possibly from one of AvE's, although it could have been from somebody…

Buses with air brakes can cause very loud sudden noises. If they pass right beside you, you can only hope it won't cause any damage.

Re: I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet

#260

Post by weinzierl » Sat, Mar 31, 2018, 10:21 PM UTC

komali2 wrote: post #200

ficklepickle wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I took all the powder out, wrapped it in tinfoil, and put it in the fireplace. I was impatient, and sprayed it with cooking oil spray. The instant I closed the door again, boom. Makes me cringe to think I was only 7 or 8 years old. Shortly after that, a retired cop saw us throwing rifle bullets down cement stairs with rocks taped to the primers, trying to set them off. He very calmly and sternly told us how dangerous…

The other obvious question I think is why all of y'all had access to live ammunition at eight years old.

I grew up in a country with very strict gun control (Germany) and did almost the same thing that timonovici did. We used to collect blanks in the woods, thrown away by NATO troops during maneuvers. I don't remember what I was expecting, but I too remember the bang being so loud to make me dizzy - I think I wasn't sure for a few moments if I was dead or alive.

Just a few days ago I wrote a comment [1] about a boy who used to live a few kilometers from my house when we were children and lost half of his hand doing experiments in his parents basement.

I think fire and exothermic reactions in general are much too interesting for children to not find a way to experiment with them at one time or another, but parents should take care that children don't do it alone and that they do it in a safe way.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16698251