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@Tryn2BHopeful Drats. Maybe try smaller doses? I've read that smaller doses can actually be more effective.

Have you tried melatonin? Maybe played around with various doses? It brings down the volume of my tinnitus, & I've read that it's anti-inflammatory!

@samatx If this is in your apartment, can you place something over the speaker to decrease the level of sound?

The only difference is that now that I've experienced my injury, I have the knowledge to reduce the chances of that happening (i.e., using hearing protection as appropriate, eating/taking supplements to promote hearing health), whereas most of the general population does not take a second to...

Oh, & as for the whole fear of permanently worsening... I remind myself that nothing is certain. For anyone. Ever. My tinnitus or hyperacusis could increase in severity the next day just as someone else's could begin.

Reasoning like that helps me :) And reminding myself that I'm already doing a lot more to protect my hearing than the average person (I view this as an advantage that my injury has given me). Hope that helps!

So I think you know what I'm saying ;) It's simply not realistic to expect yourself to never be exposed to loud (even really loud) sounds. And living a life where you prioritized minimizing loud sounds to the extreme (i.e., wearing heavy ear protection all the time & never leaving your home)...

Even if you stayed home all the time with maximum protection, there are still those kitchen sounds that can easily go into the 100 dB range, & the shower which will amplify low frequencies if you wear earplugs by up to 30 dB, etc.

Essentially, exposure to loud sound is inevitable. Remaining in a 70 dB & under (or even 80 dB & under) bubble is pretty much impossible, even if you went everywhere with earplugs & earmuffs (think of an emergency vehicle with its siren on passing by...).

There are simply tons of regular sounds that we as human beings are exposed to on a daily basis that are objectively 'loud.' Of course, it's a good idea to use protection when these these higher dB sound levels are prolonged, but unless we walk around wearing hearing protection all the time...

In combination with this (but not in the moment), I also remind myself that exposure to loud noises is normal. Of course, if I could have it my way, I'd opt to never have anything be over 70 dB, haha. But that is simply not realistic... even running water for most reasons will be well over that...

I do my best not to give the noise any more attention in the moment because I believe that this will only increase the level of threat in my brain & escalate the situation. The only other thing I might do is take some NAC to help allay my fear of further damage, & remind myself of the daily...

Got that info from a YouTube video that I can point you to if you do end up getting a prescription :) Re: accidental loud noise exposures... I empathize with you - they suck! Haha. What I do in the moment is tell myself that I'm okay, & I'm going to be okay, and quickly turn my attention to...

Initially, I went the traditional route by getting it at a compounding pharmacy, but I quickly realized how expensive this would be longer-term with my plan to slowly increase my dosage. So next time I asked my neuro to prescribe me a number of 50 mg tablets instead (much much cheaper). I mix...

Oh, that's great that you've noticed positive changes with a similar regimen! That means we're on to something ;) LDN is low-dose naltrexone. I got it prescribed by my neurologist, but maybe a family doctor would be open to prescribing it as well.

If you're unsure whether something like SCDS is causing your symptoms, then it could be worth it to get a CT scan of the temporal bone to rule it out. I am actually thinking of doing that myself, though I doubt I have it based on the symptoms. But it could be something worth pursuing if you feel...

I really do believe that in the vast majority of loudness hyperacusis cases (where there is no physical cause to the hyperacusis, like SCDS or something like that), stress plays a significant role in perpetuating/increasing symptoms.

The other big piece is to talk to yourself reassuringly as you expose. Tell yourself that you are okay, that the level of sound you are listening to is not hurting your ears. And if you hear a louder sound, talk to yourself reassuringly as well.

Ugh, I know how frustrating it can be :/ With loudness hyperacusis, my experience is that slowly reintroducing increasing levels of sound helps. The key is to start really slowly & not to overdo it when you are really severe, because, as you pointed out, otherwise you will slide backwards.

Howard Leight Laser Lite work well for me & interestingly, I also find them A LOT more effective than Mack's ear plugs. They also have a green version that's apparently even slimmer. Maybe worth a shot!

Anyways, that was a mouthful but I hope you find something in there that's helpful. You're definitely not alone in this fear, & typing this actually helped me as well ;) Best of luck to you! P.S. I've also noticed that the more I read/engage in T-related spaces, the more my fear increases. So I...

Finally, I find it helpful to remind myself of stories where people have gone on to live their normal lives after getting tinnitus & have actually experienced major improvement or had it go away. I'm not advocating for not protecting adequately, but I do believe in neuroplasticity, & I think...

And even when it comes to worsening, there are so many factors that could come into play. We each have our own history with regards to past & present noise & medication exposure, medical issues, stress levels, diet, exercise, etc. So it isn't really a fair comparison.

I also agree with MindOverMatter in that I think it's important not to use this forum (& other online T forums, chatspaces, etc.) as a basis for concluding that everyone seems to worsen over time. Most people who obtain T do not register on sites like this, & for most people who do register &...

So, ultimately, I think it's about learning from our experience, while not allowing it to paralyze us. Yes, we can stay indoors & try to keep our risk to an absolute minimum forever, but what kind of life would that be?

For many of us, obtaining T & related challenges has drawn our attention to hearing health. And this is an advantage we have over the general public! Now, when we go out, we can protect our hearing as appropriate, whereas most other people never think to do this.

This is a struggle of mine as well, & here is what I tell myself: Nobody is guaranteed anything. There are so many things that could happen to us or anyone else when we step out the door (& even indoors!). But do we generally allow these fears to cause us to live as hermits? No, we don't. We...

I still struggle a lot with the loudness, but it's not as catastrophic as it used to be (i.e., touching paper used to cause my ears to burn & even having sheets rub against me was too loud).

Is it just too loud for you or do you also get pain? For the record, I was really severe initially too. Definitely couldn't use a shower head... I would only bathe & even then used ear plugs. But over time, I tried to expose myself more & more, and the loudness abated.

This is especially so as peripheral sensitization can easily lead to central sensitization if it persists, so it can be hard after some time to differentiate what is what. I also believe that for many people, dysfunction of the TT muscle is involved in nox, & the brain controls the functioning...

Whereas if I allow myself to take in as much normal sound as possible, my tolerance seems to increase slowly overall. 5. Almost forgot this one, but listening to podcasts & YouTube videos related to pain science! I don't doubt that for the majority of us nox begins with a real injury, but since...

4. At the same time, I noticed that it is important for me to expose myself to as much non-harmful sound as possible, & to try to push/test my limits regularly. I've noticed that if I use my ear plugs too much, my tolerance does seem to get worse. Things sound louder, my startle reaction is...

3. Avoiding/wearing ear plugs in any situation which causes me pain/significant discomfort. For example, for a long time I noticed that my ear would feel full & painful after washing my hair, & it didn't get better no matter how often I did this. Eventually, I started wearing foam ear plugs when...

A few things which help me: 1. Fresh ginger tea (drink regularly throughout the day mixed with chamomile) 2. LDN (helps tone down burning in face, not sure how effective with burning in ear)

Anyways, I know a lot of that is likely repetitive for you, but it's what's helped me so I thought I may as well put it out there! Best of luck to you, and don't give up!

6. Exposing myself to as much sound as possible on a daily basis without agitating my symptoms (too much). I do push/test my limits, but try not to overdo it & if I feel any pain/significant discomfort coming on, I rest my ears until the symptoms subside. I've found that some discomfort when...

4. Taking LDN to help with inflammation (helps with pain as well). 5. Quickly calming myself down after hearing a loud noise (e.g., dish falling into sink, car honking) & distracting myself from what happened rather than doting on it.

3. Trying to generally ingest anti-inflammatory things - e.g., ginger tea, turmeric latte, melatonin, & anti-inflammatory foods. I believe a key problem with noxacusis is inflammation, which sets off peripheral sensitization, which then can lead to central sensitization.

Around the house, I have silicone earplugs hanging loosely in my ears at all times. This doesn't really provide any protection but it helps me feel more relaxed. 2. Drinking chamomile tea with fresh ginger tea throughout the day. The ginger is great for inflammation & the chamomile helps relax...

1. Protecting from anything that causes me pain/significant discomfort & generally avoiding loud activities as much as possible. I try to keep things under 70dB. I wear foam earplugs when out in public (this is mostly just going on walks, but I live in a big city) & even when washing my hair...

Oy, as someone struggling with severe H myself, I definitely feel you. What seems to make a positive difference in my case is a combo of the following... maybe it'll help in your case too?

Oh, and lovely new photo btw! I admire how well you're still able to take care of yourself despite the tinnitus!

Thank you! And right back at ya ;)

Heya! Just wondering how the DNRS is coming along for you? I'm on a similar journey & know that it can be up and down...

Thanks! I still have tons of challenges (my H & T led to other serious problems), but my H has improved & I have discovered some material that inspires/motivates me, so I'm definitely grateful for that :) We're going to beat these conditions, right?

@Ngo13 I sincerely hope it is merely a 'not yet quite healing' thing or a central sensitization thing! Have you consumed any content on central sensitization? I'm currently quite enjoying Alan Gordon's podcast 'Tell Me About Your Pain.' The free Curable educational lectures are helpful as well.

@Ngo13 I think the LDN is definitely worth a try when the time is right for you, especially given its relatively minimal side effect profile. It definitely doesn't take away the sensation fully for me, but it reduces it & makes it more of a numbness rather than a burning.

@Ngo13 Yes, I'm pretty sure I have TTTS, though thankfully I don't feel it as much anymore. I agree with your TTTS & resulting inflammation hypothesis... if only it were easier to stem, right?!

@Ngo13 I definitely think my facial pain is stemming from the trigeminal nerve too. It's interesting you mention the jaw, because I've been having some serious problems with my jaw since after my acoustic trauma. I know that TMJD can in and of itself lead to trigeminal issues as well, so there...

@Ngo13 Thanks so much for sharing. These conditions are so poorly understood by the medical community, so it's good to have others with similar symptoms to swap info with about what does/doesn't work :) Sorry to hear that you're currently going through a flare, but the frequency reduction...

LDN helps, but still doesn't make it go away. Not sure what's going on since I no longer really experience pain in my ear, & my middle ear muscles aren't constantly tense.

I wonder, do you still ever get the burning face pain? And if so, what helps you with it? Is it the NAC & the ALA? If so, what dosages? Or have you been taking TN meds? Don't mean to bombard you with questions, but I've been struggling with this symptom on my entire face for a very long time now...