Concert-Induced Dysacusis and Hyperacusis: Losing Hope After One Night Out, Please Be Kind to Me

[Coconut]

Hello,

This is my first time posting here. I've been reading posts on this site and on Reddit for a while, and I finally feel the need to share my story.

About eight months ago, I developed dysacusis and hyperacusis after attending my first-ever concert. The cruel irony is that I went on the recommendation of my therapist. I've been struggling with severe depression and isolation, and she thought it would be good for me to see an artist I enjoy, socialize, and hopefully make some friends.

The concert was much louder than I ever imagined. I already had tinnitus from TMJ, so I was very conscious of my ears and felt anxious the entire 3.5 hours. I didn't leave, though. I felt stuck because I'd paid a lot for the ticket, and everyone else seemed to be having a great time except me. I just wanted it to be over, clinging to the faint hope that I might still make a friend.

In the end, I didn't enjoy it, and I didn't make any friends. When I got home, my body went into a total state of fight or flight—shaking, dizzy, and nauseous. I became obsessed with testing my hearing, trying to see if everything still sounded the same.

A few days later, the real problems began. I became sensitive to sound, and everything started to sound distorted. My pre-existing TMJ-related tinnitus was awful, but I always held on to the hope that fixing my jaw would bring me silence again. This new condition feels like pure hell on top of that. It has stripped away any hope of auditory normalcy. Even if my TMJ is treated, I could still have noise-induced tinnitus, and it would do nothing for the sensitivity and distortions.

I'm only 21, and I feel utterly crushed. It seems like I will never get my life back or enjoy anything again.

The little enjoyment I had in life has been wiped away. I used to love showers for the heat and the soothing sound of the water, like rain or ocean waves. It would even mask my tinnitus. Now, the water sounds like coins hitting the floor. TV and music are echoey, metallic, and warbly, like wiping a window. Even brushing my hand through my hair sounds like scraping a fork on a plate. I'm sensitive to the ambient noise of kitchen appliances, electronics, and voices, which are also distorted.

I feel so upset and hurt. All I wanted was a sense of normalcy, and that desire ended up taking what little I had left. Nothing is enjoyable. I'm more isolated than ever, and I live in fear that this will be the rest of my life. I don't want to just cope or manage; I want it to go away. I hate my life, and I feel trapped in my own body.

 

[slc]

I'm so sorry to hear about your experience. I have had tinnitus for about thirteen years. I also had severe hyperacusis when the tinnitus began, and almost all of it resolved within about a year. I share that for context.

Over the past thirteen years, I have had at least two major noise exposures, including a very loud fire alarm that lasted about five minutes. After both events, I noticed odd distortion in my hearing and a spike in my tinnitus that lasted for at least six months.

My tinnitus is different now than it was then, but I'm happy to say things did calm down. I have days that I would rate a three on a scale of one to ten, and occasional days that go as high as seven.

My main point is that after a severe exposure like yours, combined with high stress, your nervous system is already activated. That is when things can go haywire. I think there is a real possibility that both hyperacusis and tinnitus can improve.

I understand how easy it is to lose hope, especially when facing this at a young age.

I would look for ways to calm the nervous system: warm baths with Epsom salts, walks in the woods when the weather allows, and a massage if you can afford it. If not, self-massage helps. I use vata oil from Ayurveda, which is essentially organic sesame oil infused with herbs. I work it into my scalp before a shower, and also into my neck, shoulders, and behind my ears on the bony area called the mastoid process. Then I take a hot shower and wash it off. It is soothing.

One step at a time, and welcome to the forum.