Distorted Hearing, High Pitched Tones Amplified, My Own Speaking Uncomfortable

Hello to all on this great forum.

This is my first post. I've had tinnitus since nearly 6 months now. It is no better so far. Maybe it was stress related, maybe because of noise trauma (I was on very loud concert one week prior to onset of my tinnitus, the only one in years....). Two months before that during flight I experienced very painful ear fullness which lasted even some hour after landing. I also have moderate hearing loss at 8 kHz (-40) in my left ear. My tinnitus is very high pitched and fluctuates daily from like a dentist drilling, buzzing, cicada, hiss... sometimes all of them. Sometimes it feels like all my head vibrates. I would label it on 6-8 out of 10. Many times I hear it over the car driving, speaking, tv, radio, it’s almost impossible to mask it. I sleep without masking therefore. Few times in that 6 months period I had days with tinnitus level only 2 to 3, but it only lasted one day and the next day it went to top again.

I think I also have hyperacusis. Some sounds like dishes, phone ringing, cutlery, are very uncomfortable to me. But some voices, like other peoples speaking, especially high tones somehow resonate in my ears and are a bit painful too. I need to tell them over and over to lower their speech down. It doesn’t necessary depend so much on how loud the voice is but more what kind of voice it is.

What I didn’t read here about (or maybe I just didn’t come across to) is the fact that even my own voice makes me problems, especially the words with sh, ch, j, … (like fish, chocolate, journal etc.). Those sounds vibrate and cause very high discomfort (a bit of pain too, but not too much) in my ear, nose, sinuses, but only in my left ear, nose. Is that hyperacusis too?

Besides that all my hearing is somehow changed, like all the sounds are somehow glassy, or like if I have a tinny, broken speaker in my ears which produces such changed voices. The more there is background noise, the more distorted hearing is and the more the music or speech is very high frequency and somehow metallic (for example in a car – it is almost impossible to listen to music in a car). Beside that it seems that sounds on high frequencies are more amplified so I sometimes hear only those high pitched tones (e.g. I hear birds very very loud, or in music some instruments are heard more loudly than others)….


This problems started one month after tinnitus and since then the things didn’t improve (except maybe cutlery and dishes are not annoying so much anymore, and keyboard typing doesn't bother me right now, but all other things are the same or sometimes even worse than at beginning). I went to only one opera night concert since then, but it was outside in a park and I sat far away with concert plugs in (labeled 25 dB). I just don’t know why things doesn’t improve with time as i read here happened in most cases. I can’t avoid all noises in my everyday’s activities, but I don’t think they are too loud. I don’t go to clubs, cinemas... I don’t use earphones at all, almost never did. But I wonder anyway if maybe car driving to work on highway (30 min each way) is too much? Or staying some 5 mins on a very busy street waiting for green light to cross the road is too much (I work in a building next to very busy road, but have windows closed because of all that noise outside, inside is therefore just around 45-50 dB).

I tried pink noise but just can’t tolerate it. It seems like my tinnitus goes up a lot or maybe I just hear it more…. I live alone, but I have radio on all the time (very moderate level). At work is much harder, I am alone in my office, not allowed to listen to music (government job), only with papers and phones. Very hard on my tinnitus as I hear it all the time, the work is not very interesting, but I have 5 years left to retire so no chance to change it…

I hope I explained it clearly enough, English is not my native language.

I would like to hear if someone else also have or had such problems, how long did it take for you to get better. Are all above explained problems signs of hyperacusis or also something else. What shall I do to promote healing…

I would appreciate any advice a lot. It’s getting hard as I see no improvement at all.

 

Yes, that's another symptom of hyperacusis, your own voice being perceived very loud and reverberating.

All you said are symptoms of hyperacusis.

 

Thanks. What to do to promote healing? I can't avoid talking obviously even if that causes me the most uncomfort.

Is it ok if I protect my left ear only (the one that causes me symptoms) in almost normal situations, which are potentionaly dangerous for me, like driving etc. ? If I plug in both ears, my tinnitus drives me crazy.

Not much people here talk about these symptoms of hyperacusis, so I am not sure if this is likely to go away with time and in what time in avarage.

Is hyperacusis a sign that my tinnitus is noise induced even if I was only on one concert in years one week prior to tinnitus and one month before onset of hyperacusis?

Sorry for so much questions, but I am a bit desperate as things don't seem to improve...

 

In order to get better, try to avoid loud noise but try to have some sound around at home. An old analogic radio is a good one, it is gentler on ears. Try to have a healthy diet that includes a lot on antioxidants, and make a little exercise (good for mood, endorphins etc). Also sunbathe (vitamin D).

For me it was better to plug both ears tan one, it seemed better in terms of pressure, but that can be very individual.

I think if you went to a very loud concert and then all this appears, your tinnitus and hyperacusis are clearly noise induced.

 

Good question!

No hyperacusis expert will say "no" or "yes".

Large surveys could give an indication on whether hyperacusis is more likely to occur in noise-induced tinnitus or in non-noise-induced tinnitus.

Such surveys were carried out at Tinnitus Talk.

 

That would be interesting to know.

What is also interesting is that my hyperacusis fluctuates regardless if I am less or more exposed to noise. Of course I am careful about noises, but lately it has increased and I have no idea why. There were no louder noises around me, just odinary as allways. That's why I worried what did I do wrong... What to do to prevent future worsening...

I also still can't understand why I got my T only 8 days after loud concert. Here I read that others get T imediately after exposure or next day...

So many questions... T and H are realy still very little researched and many questions are still opened.

Thanks for good advices. Do you have T too? I am asking that because for me plugging both ears is almost unbearable due to very loud T. Hope I am not doing additional damage with this.
Doctors here know nothing about T and H, they didn't even do hearing test to me. When I visited ENT, he just whispered few numbers and concluded my hearing is fine and sent me home. I did this test then privately with audiolog, but was that... no advices or whatever. I have moderate hearing loss in left ear.
The most useful information I get from this site.
I am thankful I have found it.

 

I had very severy hyperacusis that has evolved into a combo of hyperacusis, tinnitus and hearing loss. I have a lot of experience with hyperacusis. When T started it sometimes ramped up when I plugged my ears and other times it was ok. In my case the T is not so bad, the combination of hyperacusis and hearing loss is worse.

 

Juan,
I am so sorry to hear that. So you have it for longer period of time? H can be really hard to live with. And nobody understand it.
I never heard of anything like that before I got it too. I also know noone with that disease (or better said: symptoms?). Mild T yes, but H no.
My GP doctor, who has 1.500 pacients, never heard of it too. He looked so strangely to me when I told him about symptoms. I stil think that he tought it was psychological thing, even if I never took any pills for anxiety or depression or similar.

 

You act like hyperacusis is a diagnosis, when it's literally a loose term to describe several poorly/unclassified conditions. Hyperacusis has no proper definition.

"Hyperacusis" experts do not exist. However there are folks like Mr. Jastreboff who pretend to be experts

 

This is nothing more than your own opinion.

 

I experience the above like you. Almost 3 years already in this. No improvement. I wish I had answers.

 

Oh, I am so sorry for that. I thought that most with H improve with time, that was my impression after reading posts on this forum.

Did you try any treatements, TRT or anything else? Do you have T too? Was your H noise induced?

 

I guess you haven't taken a look at science journals on hyperacusis.

https://www.entandaudiologynews.com...iological-mechanisms-of-hyperacusis-an-update
1: Pain hyperacusis (noise induced pain)

2: Loudness hyperacusis (noises sounding abnormally loud)

3: middle ear and facial nerve problems all seem to occur after noise damage.

These are three or more different problems that all get called hyperacusis.

 

I have bad tinnitus. I still am not sure about the exact cause. I know what you mean. I also have read posts at the forum. Most people's T or H indeed improve over time. Mine hasn't and I am sad. Every day I am sad...

 

Yeah, a long long time.. I think been a bit deafened is better in quality of life terms than extreme hyperacusis when sound goes literally through your head and produces sharp stabbing pain and pressure that lasts for weeks sometimes.

However, in order to communicate with other having hearing loss makes things complicated.

If you want to have a hint about what caused your hyperacusis (unless it is very obvious like some particular loud sound or event) you will need to do a doctor tour to get some answers, starting with ENT, neurologist or neuro-otologist, jaw specialist, vascular surgeon, etc and get image scans.

Even if you do all this the cause can still be hidden. Let me explain this: you may know a certain loud sound was the origin of all the problems that came after, but still after medical examination and image scans no damage is apparent, there is no obvious answer, so basically no answer about what part of your body is damaged. So doctors just will say this is a functional problem. Your hearing does not work well, simple as that.

 

Oh, I feel with you. I really do.
I somehow still hope it gets better, but it has been 6 months now and I must say things have not improved even a bit by now. I don't want to lose my hope, but I know that the ones that improve with time, have some signs with time, like T or/and H slowely becomes less intrussive etc. Mine has not and that doesn't seem to be a good sign....

 

@vermillion do you mind me asking if your onset of worsening distortion and reactive tinnitus was noise induced? I’m immensely struggling myself...

 

To be honest, I am not sure. There are various possible scenarios.
I am so sorry that you also have to deal with this.

 

So noise was only a single factor amongst many? Were you also taking medications or suffered barotrauma of some sort?

and thank you (hug). I do believe treatment for us is in the horizon. At least, that’s what I hold onto...when I got down to the piano it hurts to hear the distorted keys. And it seems like the 2-3 keys that are distorted line right up where my frequency damage is

Also if you ever want to talk feel free to PM me. You are not alone in this. Not at all.

 

I think my case sums up as follows:

-Onset due to noise trauma: big bang sound from a percussion. That period I was also on fluconazole so that probably had to do something in combination or on its own. I can't be sure.
-First worsening on its own.
-Worsening (maybe) from a controversial drug regimen that a neuro prescribed me. I stayed on this protocol for about 1.5 week
-By that time as the months were passing things kept worsening and the dysacusis appeared and gradually started to react with more frequencies.

I live in a noisy city. That might be a factor as well.

 

And thank you for that. That would be great. I am really fragile the last months.

 

Hi, I think I have similar symptoms to you. I have distortions, very high pitched tinnitus which causes a tickle feeling or nails on a chalkboard. My tinnitus cycles day to day in terms of the sounds, strangely - when it lands on a day where I have that feeling in my ears, like constant screeching, I want to jump off my balcony.

My distortions are pretty constant and I am on week 7. Some days I feel like it's not as bad due to the cycle, but most days I really fear for myself.

I honestly would prefer pain to this feeling. If a surgeon could just remove the nerves I'd agree in an instant.

 

Mine never subsided!

 

I think I'm walking in your footsteps in that regard.

 

I wish that won't be the case for you. I mean that.

 

Do you hear your distortions almost constantly every second of the day? Like it’s hard to tune out?

 

Yes, to the point it has sometimes blended in terms of what is tinnitus vs. what is distortion. On my worst days the wind distorts with squeaks, which is pretty horrifying. Other things that distort for me: any air movement e.g. computer fan, A/C, etc..., running water (sink, toilet, shower), the sound airplanes make when flying overhead (sounds like squeaks), the sound of driving my car (tires on the road), certain voices in podcasts, my own deep breathing sometimes has shimmery squeak noises, especially when I take a deep breath, and many more things.

 

It’s annoying for sure. Voices for me can get that weird beep or squeak along with it too, especially when the radio is on.

 

Hey, @HootOwl, @LanaK, did your distortion ever improve?

 

Not so far, no...