I have a friend who spent all day yesterday driving in metal fence posts (without hearing protection) and now, has hurting/ringing ears (go figure!).
Anyone have any remedies for aching ears? I already recommended hearing protectors but he is such a redneck that refuses to do that.

Thanks guys!

Whiskey and a handful of Vicodin. He won't care.

Yeah, that would for sure help the pain, however wouldn't allow him to work! Lol

Seriously though- He fucked up his hearing permanently. Any hearing loss is permanent. The ringing should go away after a couple days. But that is not guaranteed. Many shooters have a low ringing in their ears for the rest of their life. The hearing in your ears doesn't grow back like skin.

He should have been wearing hear pro. He should have stopped after it started to hurt. His ears didn't just start to hurt when the last post was driven in.

Stupid should hurt, and it often does. Tell him to take an OTC pain reliever and give it a couple days. If it still pains him he should go to see the doc, but there really isn't much they can do for him.

Yes, he realizes that he should have had ear pro on. He does wear them while working, driving rivets all day, but thought being outside working it wouldn't be so bad.
I told him to apply some dry warmth to the ears will help soothe the pain, but it isn't a cure, just a temp relief.

Thank IKH

I now have some noticeable tinnitus in my right ear.

It came about when we were filming the 'Light's out' trailer and was caused by the 1919 I was firing without protection.  VERY loud with the BFA.  That was stupid, and I found some skin-tone plugs when we broke for lunch.  But the damage is done now.

It doesn't bother me that much during the day, but at night it can be very distracting...almost sounds like morse code some nights.

I have taken to wearing earplugs and using an app called 'white noise' when sleeping and that solves the problem very well.

He could try getting some hearing protection that will take a stereo input and then listen to the radio or his own tunes on his phone and that should help distract from the ringing.

As noted, there is no recovery from tinnitus, the hairs do not grow back.

My right ear buzzes with even the slightest loud noise. Sometimes it even happens if i'm talking loudly on the phone. Happened from just two shots out of a .45LC pistol and no hearing protection.

Motrin and time, but some of the loss is permanent. I've been to way too many (actually not enough) concerts, played guitar, drag raced and a few other things that are loud. If there is no back ground noise,  i hear hissing. My right ear is worse almost to the point i cant use it to talk on the phone. Certain pitches induce pain. I made my wife buy a new vacume because i couldn't  stand to be in the house with the old one with out ear muffs on Its been that way since the late 80s.  Take care of your hearing.

Ditto to the above concerning hearing loss and protecting it....It's a sad, but true, joke in the construction industry that you can tell how long someone's been in it if you ask what they do for a living and their first answer is 'Huh?' you know they've been at it a while....
...Whenever I conduct training on hearing protection I always ask folks if they've ever started up their truck in the morning and turned down the radio first thing because it's too loud.....and if so, did they think it was too loud the previous afternoon.....That's a sign that you've been exposed to too loud for too long as over night you regain a portion of your hearing, but some is lost...
...of course, with some folks, when I ask the question they answer 'Huh?'....

For the ringing get some cortizone-10 from the store and goop it on a q-tip and coat the inside ear daily for a few weeks or whatever is needed. Works like a charm IMO. I had bad ringing and now its gone.

I suffer from tinnitus due to a Glock 18 mishap. (After an all clear, dude dumped a 33 rounder while I had pulled my right muff open to hear instructor.  Indoors.  Loudest, most painful  BRRRRRRRRRTTT ever. Hells Bells.  Dude was literally right behind me)
Plus from shooting as a lad outdoors.
Plus a lifetime of listening to waaay too much metal, concerts, etc.
Plus Diving a lot in my early 20s and getting an occasional earpop.

Nothing really you can do.  You just accept it.  

However I DO double up on hearing protection whenever shooting and if I attend a concert, I always bring the best earplugs possible.

Seriously, I am OCD about that.  After a while your friend will go deaf. I'm at the eve of middle age and having to cup my "hearing ear" at times is no fun.

You can have a lot of redneck habits without being ignorant to your health.

Just my 2 pence