Tinnitus Since I Can Think, Perfect Hearing, Hyperacusis, Hypersensitivity

Dear all,

I want to introduce myself here and describe my tinnitus. Furthermore I do happen to be in tinnitus research and know things, for some time. Yet, the choice of the research topic was rather accidental. I do not suffer much from my tinnitus, even given that it is present all the time and quiet loud (MML around 65 dB).

My tinnitus is there since I can think. When falling asleep as a kid, I always thought that I hear neural noise from the brain, adjacent regions to the ear/auditory cortex, and that it is normal. I was always very sensitive to (loud) sounds and sensitive in general. I've received a late diagnosis of Autism Spectrum disorder recently, in my mid 30ies. Hearing is extraordinary at this age, almost linear up to 16 kHz ("baby ears" according to the ENT audiologist). The tinnitus resides at the upper limit of my hearing, so 14-16 kHz and is rather "coarse" in nature, like a fractal noise or granular tone, still very "pure tone-ish". It's bilateral or better described like a halo in/around the back of my head. It does limit my speech perception when it is intrusive or the environment very noisy. So rather functionally than emotionally disabling (guess I'm just lucky or distracted by my other sufferings, like chronic pain...).

For the time I remain in tinnitus research, I try to further meaningful stuff like better inclusion of the community with some ongoing papers and projects with our treasured @Hazel, @Markku, and @Steve (back in the days). To close, I totally get the frustration with research and the still missing cure or treatment options while, on the other hand, I regret the sometimes generalised negativity towards researchers.

I hope that the situation for all of us may change soon. Thanks for keeping this awesome community alive and supporting us in research, as participants and collaborators.

P.S.: I'm not a big fan of personal data on the interwebs, personally and as a member of the ChaosComputerClub. Please respect my privacy if possible - let's keep all communication on the topic - happy to help!

 

Welcome from another autist with tinnitus