Am I the Only One for Whom Every Sound Environment Is Just Too Loud to Be In?

I'm going to go out on a limb here and ask a simple question :

Is there anyone on here that has had their sound tolerance like ( LDL's ) drop so low that they can not drive a car, or even leave their house even with ear protection, such as ear plugs and or gun muffs, because EVERY and ANY sound environment is just too loud to be in ?

I'm really wondering about this ??? and would like to know if there is anyone but me on the planet with this problem ? I have a very hard time believing that I'm the only one in the world.


Any comments would be very appreciated


Thank You in advance


Louie
Quietatnight

 

I'm sorry that you're going through this . I believe there are others in similar situations. How long have you been experiencing this?

 

I believe you are suffering from "Hyperacusis." I have it also but not nearly as bad as you do. Here are some medical definitions of the condition:

http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Hyperacusis

There is also a forum section; Hyperacusis and Ear Pain:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/forums/support.55/

 

Chelles responded to you and I concur. Our situations are a little different.

You have a deaf person with a cochlear implant responding to you . But I can use my partner as a real example and I don't believe hyperacusis includes sensitivity to normal volume noise due to an implant as part of any definition I've seen. But the effects appear very similar.

My partner and I have been together for >20 yrs. She is extremely sensitive to normal sounds. She has always slept with earplugs. I have to be careful as to how I modulate my voice or eating or anything I do can stress her out.

With an implant, while there's volume control, I now hear sounds I've never heard. This was the one thing/truth about the possible results we both knew could put me over another edge. It did. I can't understand voices but I hear my pets eating, my dog walking on hardwood floors, wind, birds and other noises. I can "unplug" the implant but that immediately comes with a marked increase in tinnitus (which makes me even more bonkers).

All I can tell you is I do understand as much as I can without knowing specifics in your situation and I'm sorry. I watch what my partner goes through and see the impact on her (her hearing is normal). You're far from alone - I've seen people use that word on this fabulous forum and had to look it up and the light bulb immediately went off in my head.

You're in a safe place here. Best of luck to you.

 

Chelles

I have had tinnitus and minor hyperacusis for about 30 years, And I was able to live ok. But this new development that just happned about a month ago is an entirely different story. I never knew it could get this bad. My tinnitus increased just a little, but my hyperacusis went through the roof, I'm still in shock. I live alone and I can't even leave my home now even if I wanted to drive I would have to wear ear plugs and gun muffs over them untill this crazy thing settles down. I sure hope that it will. What a mess.

Thank You for responding, and your kind words.


Louie
Quietatnight

 

@quietatnight I, too, have had to quit driving because of H. It is difficult for me to be in any loud environments, so I basically avoid places. I had T for 11 months, and tried Neuromonics as a treatment. It made my tinnitus worse and gave me severe hyperacusis. High-pitched sounds are painful to my ears. Mine came on suddenly too, and it is a shock. I understand what you are going through. My heart goes out to you!

 

One almost certain thing about severe hyperacusis is that is usually improves. You may always have some form of it but it won't be as bad as it is today. Hyperacusis is usually the result of some change in your life or change in your hearing. It takes time for the brain to sort it all out and calm down. I have always had some form of it my whole life, mostly mild. Then a few years ago, it became severe. It was very difficult to deal with but I made it through and it has been mild ever since. It takes some time but you will get through it. The thing is not to overprotect your ears even though that may be the logical thing to do. Here is good info on it: http://www.entnet.org/content/hyperacusis-increased-sensitivity-everyday-sounds

 

Erik

Thank You for responding, and the kind words of encouragement. I'm hoping that it will settle down as well. I have always had a mild case like you had for about 30 years, but when it increased a month ago like it did, well it's very alarming. I never thought it could get this bad. And the depression that has set in with it is just so hard to take. I guess all I can do is sit and wait till it get's better.

Thank You again


Louie
Quietatnight

 

No, @quietatnight , you are not alone. I'm vegetating in the same world as you. Every normal ambient sound makes my T explode. Plastic bags, paper bags, tap water, shower, brushing teeth, cutlery, dishes -- end of world!

I haven't been to the big shopping mall for a while, but when I was there the last time, first month of T, it felt like war. Freaking war! It felt like bombs were falling down literally everywhere! Pure painful hell.
Although I have to say, it got a tiny little bit better than it was initially in the first 2 months. Probably due to eating cookies. I call them mouthbombs. It does hurt.

I still do not get how nature be so fu*ked up. Hearing loss is already pretty bad, but this.. WTF !!!

 

I've had it almost 2 years. It had ups and downs.

Now I am just bad.

Does that mean it will continue to get bad? I don't know. I sadly felt "okish" and I *guess* overdid it with noise exposure. ...who knew, apparently over protecting is a bad thing( no it isn't)

I let my guard down twice and hello, complete worsening, T in left ear, spiked H, burning, relentless earpain..ccouldn't leave my bed for a week, suicidal thoughts...

H is hell...now tonight, no music?!!

please spare me aliens (must be aliens doing this right?)..this is really just too much.

hope I recover! and you too. x

 

hey man I have been going through the same thing as you with the H I to have been noticing how much more difficult it is to drive or just leave in general but you have to re expose your self little by little to sound what I found sort of helps is to start with the TV just increase the volume a little each time like for me I started out at volume 10 and am now up to 14 dosent seem like a lot but its improvement anyway hope that helps

 

Ninyu

I'm sorry that your having such a bad time, but I understand how you feel. I was just wondering as to how you ended up this way ? Did something happen to you and it started over night ? or did it take a long time and many events to get to where you are now ? Also are you able to still drive a car ?

 

Street Spirit


I was wondering about how you got your H, was it one noise exposure event that set it off ? or years of them ? It sounds like you having a tough time and I'm sorry. I don't know about "aliens" I guess anything is possible I'm beginning to agree with you. I'm still trying to figure out what set mine off, I will probably never know. I just hope that you have some better days soon.

 

I don't know..I suspect tmjd...or injury from motorbike accident.

aliens is just my little joke because H is so bizarre!

Thank you. I am having a difficult time. I hope you get better very soon.

 

Lynn33

I have been reading a lot of post on the H problem, and I'm yet to find anyone with the same sympthom's that I have . And I just don't understand it. I have headaches, and dizzyness along with random ear pains ( that aren't even related to sounds ) and of course everything is just way too Loud. Do you have these problems ? I feel all alone on this, not that I care I just don't get it ? I just can't find any thing that's the same every person seem's to be very different. Maybe that's just the norm with this thing. Have you gotten any better since you got H ? People keep telling me that they have. What do you think if I may ask ?

 

Why is everyone going on about how bad h is? Do something, get some keppra lol

 

Hey you, it just happened.

One night I went to bed, lying flat in bed I was thinking about stuff.. after about ~10 minutes I suddenly got a strange feeling in my left ear. It felt like pressure. Then some noise. At first I thought it's probably just pressure in the middle ear. So I opened the eustachian tubes to no avail.
The noise became louder and louder, my ear felt clogged and something seemed to be draining against my eardrum (liquid?), my hearing decreased dramatically. Not long after my whole ear had become numb.

Three days later I was completely deaf on my left ear. Soon I got the musical ear syndrome (MES). I heard all kind of music and sound effect like guitars, laughing people, squeaking frogs, and so on.
~10 days later my hearing came slowly back, but severe debilitating reactive T +H remained and plenty offline frequencies.

My T is probably due to a leakage of the cochlea. There might had been a rupture of the oval or round window of the cochlea. If that was the case, leakage of perilymph liquid, an emergency operation or total rest, lying in bed head higher than heart (~ 30°) and move as lil as possible till the micro rupture healed by itself, for at least two weeks had been due! Unfortunately, the incompetent whitecoats did not take my case serious. I had to do all the research myself. In retrospective, I probably could have saved myself if I had had the knowledge I have now.

 

That's a very sad story and I'm sorry that this happened to you. Life can be so unfair at times. I think I may have some kind of form of MES. I have been using a couple of bedside maskers for many years to help me sleep. Well after my last accustic trauma event about 6 weeks ago, I noticed that I can still hear the one masker ( it was like being by a water fall with birds and nature stuff ) my brain must have memorized it because I can hear it in the background even though it's not on. It's very strange I would think that it will go away after a few months but who would have thought.

Anyway, I don't quiet understand something in your last massage, are you saying that you did have the "emergency operation" ? Or did you mean that it was just one of the things that you could have done. And you decided to just lay in bed and take it easy ? Either way I guess its great that your hearing came back.

I agree with you on these doctors most of them are useless. I feel like you do, If I would have know what I do today I would not be where I am today. It's a shame for both of us.


You take care, and write when ever you need to talk.


Louie

 

@quietatnight, Thank you.

Sounds like you have some MES. When my left ear was completely deaf and I was listening with my right ear to monotonous sounds for hours my left ear would copy the sound and I could hear it playing on in silence. Pretty strange thing. I told it some ENTs and they gave me the crazy look.

In your case it might resolve after some time. You do have hearing loss, right?

Louie, the doctors should have done the ER operation no my ear. Or at least told me about it etc. But they didn't tell anything. Useless doctors!

 

Quietatnight... are you taking meds? Wat are they?

 

Ruban

Yes. I have been taking Klonopin and Seroquel for many years, they are the only thing keeping me alive these days. What can I say.

Than You for asking

 

Ninyu

Yes I had a mild hearing loss only in one ear in the 4K range before my last acccustic trauma about 6 weeks ago, But now I'm pretty sure that it is much worse since then. I'm supposed to go in next week I will find out then I'm sure.

It's too bad that then doctor did not do the operation.

 

I

I don't know keppra but I doubt that there are any mirical drugs that cure hyperacusis, though it would be great if there was. But anyway part of H is psychological too at least mine is because I have suffered from sound torture for years now so even small sounds make me go crazy with stress, I can only handle sounds which I can control and just raising my bar for painful sounds wouldn't help against the mental damage this awful condition has caused me.

 

@dannyboy until the actual box will say for Hyperacusis,most people wont believe you or at least try a safe profile KV modulator like Keppra drug off label. Yet they down benzos like candy...go figure.

Really? So what have you been reading on tinnitus forums for the last 10 years?- success stories?

 

No reason to be rude (I know, that T makes you angry )

He wrote that he could live quite well with T for 30 Years. Why was he supposed to be immersed in online forums when he was able to handle it ?
I had (have) a tonal "normal to severe" Tinnitus for 8 years and after few months I stopped looking for online tinnitus material.
I knew it could get a lot worse but not that it could get as bad as the T that I develeoped 20 months ago. Now I have one of the worst unbearable T possible and im reading TT daily because it's a good site

 

I know, not trying to be rude, just T and H piss me off, and dont like to see old friends get worse.
I have know the OP from the old Yuku forum, where we used to post quite a lot....so my eyes just bugged out a bit as he is no newbie, he must of read some horror posts lol.

 

I think I'd rather take keppra than a benzo...Seriously, benzo bad for tinnitus keppra good. Lol.

 

Ah, alright then

 

Not everyone can get Keppra Danny.

 

I know and I'm sad that that's the case. I couldn't get it either, so had to go and find people who could obtain it for me.