Documenting My Journey With Noxacusis (Pain Hyperacusis)

Hello all,

I have become very passionate about this condition. Partly because most health professionals do not know how to treat hyperacusis, especially noxacusis. There is no model for it. No specific medication to it. If the numbers are correct, only 6,000 people in the United States have hyperacusis. Which means only 150,000 people in the world have hyperacusis.

What does this mean? That finding a doctor who knows what we are going through is like looking for a needle in the haystack. Many people in this community have wasted hundreds, if not thousands of dollars going to various specialists who don't know much about hyperacusis. I must have spent at least $5,000 within the last year seeing different ENTs, audiologists, neurologists, primary care doctors, etc.

And what was the best advice I ever got from them? Inhale Vick's VapoRub to soothe your sinuses (which actually helps me a little lol).

The point is -- hyperacusis needs to have more awareness surrounding it. Many of us are extremely isolated, depressed, and even suicidal. I completely empathize with this state of mind. Luckily, I am not nearly as severe as others (although my LDLs are below 30). I am still able to pray, meditate deeply, do yoga, lift weights, read books, study philosophy, eat healthy, drive in double protection, and more. But I understand that some of us are so severe that they cannot do a lot of those things.

Since I am very passionate about this condition, I am going to be documenting my journey on this thread. I will try to give updates every 2-4 weeks about how I'm doing. I feel that I have now found a routine to follow that may allow for healing. This includes being in double protection 24/7 and isolating 15 hours a day in my room, as well as some of what I listed above about yoga and meditation.

I have linked a post to my full hyperacusis story below.

But on this thread specifically, I will be posting pictures of myself and my journey, in order to hopefully put a face on this condition. Future and current sufferers, as well as doctors and even philanthropists, need to see that we are real people, not just some screen name on the internet.

I understand there is some research and funding for tinnitus and hyperacusis. But I seriously doubt that it's enough. People need relief now. Or at least within the next few years. Many noxacusis sufferers cannot even flush a toilet without pain.

Additionally, the world is getting increasingly louder. There is very little awareness behind how easily the ears can be damaged. People are blasting their ears at full volume through headphones then going to a really loud nightclub shortly after with zero idea that this could cause damage. Luckily, the ears are extremely durable for most people. Until they're not.

There are new sufferers everyday that will be ruined by this condition. In my opinion, this is a humanitarian crisis. Hyperacusis took everything from me. My job, income, girlfriend, surfing, everything. And it will take more from many other people. So hopefully we can bring more awareness to the medical and philanthropist community in order to help bring relief for sufferers.



For pictures and full hyperacusis story, see below.

Love,
Justin Andreas

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1) Me and my half lab/half pitbull Mammoth. I'm wearing double protection here. Luckily, he never barks in my room. But sometimes he barks outside of my room, which can cause my tinnitus to react.



2) I have gotten into deep meditation. My friend introduced me to Buddhism, which has helped me cope with suffering. Also meditation has helped me calm myself down in regards to my situation. Especially staying calm toward my tinnitus, which is like a 5/10 most days. I also started taping my mouth, forcing myself to breathe through my nose. This especially helps for sleep.


3) I have a standing desk in my room. It helps me maintain a good posture throughout the day, considering I'm in my room nearly 24/7. I also have a red light in my room, which is said to help with sleep and other things, especially when I'm taking in a lot of blue light throughout the day on the computer.



4) My neighborhood is pretty dang quiet, luckily. If I'm in double protection, I mostly can't hear any loud banging, car alarms, or airplanes that are outside.



5) Wim Hof is a huge inspiration to me. He advocates for taking cold showers everyday to activate our vascular system. Sadly, I stopped taking showers, even with double protection, since it hurts. But I actually have a community pool next to my house which is really quiet. I quietly get into the pool almost everyday to get cold for a few minutes, which seems to help me stay strong.



6) I have been working on my back for a few months. I have a shit ton of knots in my neck and back that may be contributing to my hyperacusis. I have a hook cane, double lacrosse ball, and more on my bed for self-massaging and physical therapy. Also my meditation cushion is amazing as well.



7) My dog Mammoth might be the only thing that is actually keeping me alive. ❤️



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Full hyperacusis story: My View on Pain Hyperacusis (Noxacusis) After a Year of Living with It

 

Much love brother.

Thank you for sharing your journey.

 

You too, my friend.

 

I love your pitbull. Dogs can be better companions than many humans.

 

Every time I see him it makes life worth living.

 

I wish you the utmost luck on your journey towards recovery.

 

Thank you, sir.

 

Just wanted to add a few more pictures of my journey with noxacusis. Also to possibly warn current/future sufferers who may be mild or moderate right now.

1) I used to go to my local park with Mammoth to get some sunlight and do some grounding. But my tinnitus would react to birds or even moving traffic despite having muffs on. It's debatable to me whether or not this was preventing healing or possibly making me worse. So I stopped going and stay at home more now, just to be safe.



2) I've taken quite a few meds for noxacusis lol. I started with 50 mg of Clomipramine. Got all the way up to 200 mg with no relief to my tinnitus or hyperacusis. So I started taking Gabapentin. Got all the way up to 1,600 mg while still on the Clomipramine. Then I wanted to switch Gabapentin for Pregabalin (Lyrica). But I actually had a psychotic episode with mixing so many meds. I basically went into full blown serotonin syndrome for 72 hours. I couldn't sleep. Colors were super vivid. I underestimated how powerful pharma drugs could be. I am now only on 25 mg of Clomipramine, trying to get off it. I should be fully off it within a few days. Looking back, I can see now that "less is more" lol. I should have been more patient with Clomipramine, letting it build up in my system over many months, instead of adding Gabapentin and whatnot too soon. For now, I am going with a more holistic approach to my hyperacusis. That's why I'm getting off all meds.



3) This was taken a couple months before my noxacusis got worse. On the left is my friend Hunter. He died from a heroin overdose only a few weeks after this picture was taken. I am also a former heroin addict. I am now sober over 15 months. Me and Hunter had the same sobriety date. We got sober in Alcoholics Anonymous together. Sadly, he relapsed and it cost him his life. One reason why I love this picture is because I miss standing next to people while laughing, which I can no longer do because my noxacusis is much worse. Hard drugs definitely played a role in me getting tinnitus and hyperacusis, FYI.



4) I was dating her before I got noxacusis. What I wouldn't give to lay with her just one more time. She said she would wait for me to get better. But I think she's moved on. ❤️



5) This is me at a nightclub with super mild noxacusis in November of 2021. If you look closely, you'll see that I'm wearing earplugs. Looking back, it was incredibly stupid to continue going to extremely loud places, even with earplugs, when I had noxacusis. I didn't necessarily get worse right away from doing stuff like this. But most people with noxacusis would tell you to stay away from loud places, even with earplugs, until you either heal, or are very aware of how your hyperacusis reacts to certain environments.



6) I actually have two lab/pits. This one is Nyla. She's a girl. I draw upon her divine feminine to stay strong these days. She doesn't like to cuddle as much as Mammoth does. So I usually just pet her. She's actually quieter overall than Mammoth, though. Which is good for my ears. I love you, Nyla ❤️

 

Hi Justin. I’m Moni and I’m a month in to this recovery journey with hyperacusis and noxacusis. The noxacusis has gotten worse in the last month even with being mindful, staying housebound and almost constant protection. But alas, my LDL is about 30 dB with double protection on.

I was wondering what kind of headphones do you wear and if you have any experience with active headphones? I need better protection than what I currently have but I feel what works for loudness hyperacusis may not be effective for noxacusis, ya know?

My ears are so sensitive now that my ears ring when I move, and hurt after a few minutes. I can’t avoid going to the doctors.

If you have any insight I’d be so appreciative. This condition has taken away my life so very quickly and I’m just trying to do what I can to try and get better.

 

Sorry to hear that.

Hyperacusis is homogeneous. It seems that no condition is the same for anybody. In other words, there's a HUGE spectrum of symptoms and even perceptions that people have on what to do to recover and also how they should go about even managing it on a daily basis. Additionally, you will read success stories that simply make no sense based on your own experience. And also based on the success story's history and trajectory. For example, the user @Marin almost seems to have recovered by a fluke. However, if you look at the lifestyle change she made, specifically in regards to using the carnivore diet, as well as doing a form of neural retraining therapy, it makes sense that she recovered in the sense that her body responded well to a drastic change in lifestyle. Of course -- her homeopathic medicine is also a big part of her story. However -- if you asked me -- I would say that the carnivore diet in particular brought down inflammation in her body, filled her with vital nutrients, protein, and fat, and also was presumably low histamine. I think that was her catalyst to recovering, IMO. Despite what people think about eating meat, there are tons of anecdotal accounts of carnivore resolving lifelong issues. Doctors like Shawn Baker wrote a book on it. Influencers like @carnivoremd2.0 on Instagram are huge proponents of an animal based diet. Also -- Marin says that her DNRS training was crucial to recovering as well. For me specifically, I use deep meditation as a form of DNRS. That's how I went from being mostly depressed when my noxacusis got worse. To mostly inspired today and optimistic that I will recover (although I do have my bad moments lol).

But in regards to carnivore -- I've been 90 percent carnivore for around a year and still got worse lol. But I was not being super careful about my protein/fat ratio. As well as making sure that my meat was low in histamine. Right now I am using a different approach with dieting, specifically fasting, which I'll probably post about in a few weeks with more pictures. Fasting is said to bring down inflammation in the body, allowing the body to rest from digestion, in order to focus on healing other things. In other words -- if your body is constantly focused on digesting food (which takes a huge amount of energy), how can it focus energy on healing our ears?

What I've found this last year in particular is that Western medicine is way too narrow minded. We have 100 different branches for 100 different things. If you have an ear problem, see an ENT. Brain problem, see a neurologist. Heart problem, see a cardiologist. However, every single organ, cell, and fiber of your body is dependent on each other. In other words -- if all your organs are inflamed from shitty food, a toxic environment, smoking, drinking, whatever it may be -- how can your body be in an optimal condition to heal from something like hyperacusis and tinnitus?

The point is -- many people think we just have an ear problem. I just don't think this is accurate. Eastern medicine focuses a lot on "energy states". Which is something that I've become more attuned to lately through meditation and fasting. I can see more clearly how my energy state affects me. Some days my energy is not good. I'm depressed. I'm pessimistic. Which is completely normal when you're suffering like we are. But the point is -- if you look at Marin's story and others who have recovered, it seems that they don't just hope that the ear heals, per se. They undergo a radical lifestyle change that puts their body and mind into a better condition to heal, therefore changing their energy state.

If you look at my pics, you'll see I have a standing desk, multiple contraptions to massage my back, a red light, a lot of sunlight coming through my window (which I use to tan when the angle is right)... also I take cold plunges in my local pool every morning (although the exposure to sound at the pool even with double protection might be aggravating my condition). It doesn't seem like any of this would help your ear. But -- again -- it's another way of changing my energy state. Plus I doubt anybody would say stuff like standing all day and getting moderate amounts of sun is bad for you.

Long story short -- my first instinct to realizing that I had to try silence nearly 24/7 to heal my condition was to eat fast food and play video games all day in my room lol. And also chain smoke cigarettes (my history with addiction is rough haha. today I have very few self-destructive habits though). As tempting as that sounds, I am like 99 percent sure I will either only heal a little, or never heal if I do something like that. Of course, I can play some video games here and there. And have some sweets. And maybe even a cigarette here and there. There has to be some kind of balance, you know? We are human. Also we're suffering immensely, so it makes sense to have some guilty pleasures here and there.

But -- I said this in the other thread -- at the end of the day, we all have to come to our own truth regarding this condition. One guy who recovered put it best on another thread -- "Whenever my ear felt achy, I would drop everything and go into silence for the rest of the day, or even a week." When I read stuff like that, I'm like ok. This dude got really in touch with his condition. He started really being mindful about what's triggering him. In other words, he was listening to his body and mind in detail.

Today I can see how many people are completely disconnected from their bodies, in life in general. If your spirit is telling you to lose weight and stop eating junk food, that's something that needs to be done for your overall mental health. Sadly -- many people are addicted to their guilty pleasures, which is causing extreme suffering.

But I totally empathize with those people. I was and still am very much vulnerable to going back to my old ways of drugs, fast food, and cigarettes. It's hard to unwind decades of shitty thinking in only a year.

But yeah -- I think you get the point. If you believe that your noxacusis or loudness hypeacusis is being caused by massive inflammation in the ear and the body, your #1 priority is to bring down that inflammation as much as you can. Even massaging and icing my back everyday at least brings down that portion of inflammation, even if it might not be impacting my hyperacusis directly (I have a curvature in my spine that has given me a shit ton of knots that I'm working on).

But what I would really look at for most people -- is that 90 percent of our food system is toxic. I really do think that many people need to look at that first when approaching inflammation. Seed oils, preservatives, hidden chemicals, hidden sugars like aspartame -- it really messes with your hormones, neurotransmitters, and ultimately your mental and physical health. I only eat from home now. I use butter, tallow, or olive oil to cook. Also I try to be mindful about how much protein, carbs, and fat I'm getting. I don't measure it out but I just listen to my body. Is it asking for more protein to have more strength to heal? Does it want carbs for energy? Does it want fat to feel more sated? Or maybe my diet isn't actually good right now because I need less histamine to bring down inflammation. I might go back to strict carnivore at some point, to be honest lol.

Simply put -- whether it's hyperacusis or any disease or injury -- I now believe that most people need a radical lifestyle transformation to overcome it. Even a professional athlete, backed by millions of dollars, uproots EVERYTHING to heal from a serious injury like a torn ACL. If you watch how they recover, it's militant, methodical, you know? But I don't think people need millions of dollars like that to recover from things. The body knows how to heal, when put in the right position, and that doesn't require millions.

In regards to getting worse despite going into silence -- I believe I've shed some light on possibly why -- but a lot of this is trial and error. It's very difficult to try things, get hopeful about them, then fail, which is what happened to me when I took all those pharma drugs lol. I was like 90 percent confident that Clomipramine would heal me. But it didn't after 3 months of taking it.

But in the back of my mind, I'm somewhat okay with this injury taking 2 or even 3 years to heal. If it takes that long, it means that I failed a lot, I think. Which is totally fine. If I still am this severe in a few years from now? Lol. I'm not sure how I'll cope.

I hope that helps.

For my earmuffs and earplugs, I use lightweight 3M Peltors and Mack's foam earplugs. Obviously I insert the foam ones first, then put on the Peltors. Some days I think too much protection is preventing healing. As if it's "suffocating" my ear.

But like I said -- a lot of this is trial and error. Hopefully the routine I have now will work lol.

• Peltors
• Mack's

 

Also someone told me today saying I should use the Peltor X5A since they block out sound more (I'm currently using the X3As). Here's the X5As:

3M Peltor X5A

Also he suggested to use gel cups so that it doesn't grind on my jaw as much:

3M PELTOR Camelback Gel Sealing Rings HY80

Here's a picture below showing how to setup the gel cups with the Peltors.

I just ordered both those things lol upon his suggestion.

I knew there was a reason why I started this thread!!!

 

Hello, everybody. I was going to wait to post stuff like this. But I figured since I'm already on this journey, I should share it with people.

I am specifically using intensive fasting as a potential healing method for hyperacusis and tinnitus.



Please be advised that dry fasting is an extreme method. It can be dangerous for people, especially if you go past the 48 hour mark with no food or water.

Thank you. See the picture below.

 

Why nobody should do dry fasting: https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2020-02-13/dry-fasting-benefits-dangers

Experts seem to agree. Be careful. Liam Stops Tinnitus touts dry fasting and he is a charlatan of the worst kind.

 

It is extremely dangerous.

But at the same time --

People with the strongest opinions of things have never even tried it.

 

@D'Angelo, I'm leery of 3M ear protectors. They have been caught manufacturing defective products before.

 

So do you have any other alternatives to recommend?

 

if you order through Amazon, you can easily return them if they are defective (although you would have to go to a store to return them near you, which might not be possible if you have severe hyperacusis).

 

Just a quick update everybody.

I've been paying more attention to how my tinnitus reacts. I strongly believe that my tinnitus is related to my noxacusis. In other words -- if one heals, so does the other. Usually when I wake up, my tinnitus is a 4/10. But after even an hour or so of moving around, it's a 6/10, plus the multiple tones become more aggressive.

This suggests to me that my tinnitus is being aggravated by inflammation. Maybe even small vibrations from sound or movement are causing it to get worse in short periods of time.

Here are some more pictures:

1) Some days this condition can be devastating. Spending 15 hours a day alone in your room with double protection? Can't even have a conversation with your family? Horrible.



2) I actually spent $1,000 on botox lol. Like 2 months ago. They shot it into my jaw and the muscles right above my ear. I didn't think this would do anything. But I said fuck it -- may as well try. I received zero relief from this lol.



3) I found this picture from when I had mild noxacusis. If you look closely, you'll see my earplugs in. Once again -- I cannot emphasize how stupid it was for me to go places that required ear plugs. Not only did the occlusion effect cause my voice to be louder in my head, but it's just dumb. Maybe if I had not done stuff like this, my noxacusis would be somewhat healed today.



4) Yoga is great overall. However, the intense breathing seems to "vibrate" into my ears somehow. If I didn't have to wear protection when doing yoga, I probably wouldn't be bothered at all by my breath.



5) Buddhist books like this one have really, really helped me. Buddhism states that suffering is inevitable. It's a mark of existence. So no matter how much I think I'm suffering, someone else is suffering even worse than I am. And even if I think my suffering is harrowing (which it is), the truth is -- that I was going to suffer from something either way. So this particular form of suffering is simply what I must overcome.



6) As stated above, I am incorporating dry fasting into my healing journey. Most people simply do not understand that their bodies are holding onto decades of toxins. Our cells are maligned. Our gastrointestinal tract is filled with rotten sludge. When was the last time you did an enema? Dry fasting is teaching me a lot about detoxing the body, which presumably will help bring down inflammation, which should help the ears heal. This picture shows me 20 hours into a 60 hour dry fast. Once again -- dry fasting is extremely dangerous. I am only doing this as a last resort, since everything else has failed me and my ears. Water fasting is much better for beginners. I have a lot of experience fasting though so I know the ups and downs. ❤️❤️❤️

 

Hello all!

Today I am starting my epic 7-day dry fast to see if it helps my tinnitus and hyperacusis!

There is literally nowhere else to turn. Western medicine has failed me. I've seen countless doctors and "specialists". They don't know what is going on with my ears. Nobody even mentioned that there could be something going on with the middle ear muscles.

How many thousands have you spent on ENTs? How many times did you risk your ears to go see a doctor, only to get there and realize that it would just be another fruitless visit?

Until there is a cure, there is nothing left to do but pursue Eastern medicine. They say fasting is the oldest cure. I guess we'll see.

As they say: "People with the strongest opinions about things haven't even tried it." Funny enough. I've been taking advice from people my whole life about things they haven't even tried.

I am actually not even confident that I can complete a 7-day dry fast, right now. My mental health has been shit lately. Spending 15 hours a day in total isolation with earmuffs on? No thanks!

Here's some pics!

1) This is me right now. I weigh 192 lbs. I expect to weigh around 170 after 7 days.



2) A coach named Trevor (see @fastingwithtrevor on Instagram) suggested to do the "Lugol's Iodine Protocol" for tinnitus. It's meant to supply the thyroid with much needed iodine and also flush out the lymphatic system. The reason why I liked his suggestion? He says to go OVERBOARD with the iodine. In other words, how many supplements have you taken, just using the "recommended amounts"? If a supplement really works, shouldn't it be fine to oversupplement it?



3) One of my favorite accounts on Instagram is @carnivoreaurelius. If I had been taking advice from people like him my whole life, I probably wouldn't have tinnitus or hyperacusis today. In other words -- why did I spend decades eating shit food, chasing money, womanizing, and more? When I could just be spending a lot of time in the sun and connecting with nature and real, God-given food. Of course -- life is a balance. It's totally ok to chase things. But just to show you how delusional I've been -- I actually thought the sun was bad for me LOL (in moderate amounts). Yeah. The source of all life. Bad for me. I wonder who convinced me of that?



4) One of the hardest parts about the modern world is how many toxins we are exposed to. People simply do not understand just how difficult it is to thrive in good health today. We have normalized many things, such as eating ourselves to death. Big Food, Big Pharma, and Big Government have robbed us of our will power to say NO. And to put a strong effort each and everyday to heal our bodies. Some people can still thrive despite all the toxicity that they ingest everyday. But for myself, as much talent that I believe I was born with, I had ZERO chance to thrive, without becoming more aware of just how much toxicity I was dealing with. Hopefully if I recover from hyperacusis and tinnitus, I can live a cleaner, healthier, more self-aware life.

 

Hey all!

I just broke my 7 day dry fast!!! With sparkling water! It tastes like a MONSTER ENERGY DRINK! (I used to drink Monsters of all kinds, until they fucked my gut up LOL).

Anyway -- so far no noticeable changes to my hyperacusis or tinnitus from dry fasting (although my tinnitus seems a bit better more "steady". Maybe my LDLs went up slightly as well).

However -- the effect mentally and physically from fasting is profound. I lost 30 pounds in 7 days. If you view your body as a garbage truck that collects a bunch of shit throughout the months/years, and suddenly you lose 25 percent of that mass through a fast, then you presumably shed a lot of that toxicity that you're carrying around. In other words -- if you have excess weight, it's probably unhealthy since toxins are stored in your fat cells, thereby making it more difficult to heal ears that are very tedious when injured.

I personally don't have a weight problem but you can bet that I've been carrying around a garbage truck of toxins in my body for decades. Fasting has helped alleviate that. For example, I just had a die off in my body. My lymph nodes were swollen. Also I got rashes. Some people would say this is bad. It's not true. Your body purges bacterial/viral things in that way. In other words -- you have to get sick before you can get better.

Moving forward, I am going to refeed my body the next 2 weeks. Then go on a 9 day dry fast. Some people say that post-fast will stimulate a lot of healing as well. During dry fasting, you generate stem cells. So when you refeed the body post-fast, you are stimulating those stem cells to promote healing. Hopefully I see some relief from my hyperacusis and tinnitus in the coming weeks.



Here are some pictures:



2) During my dry fast, I rubbed lemons/oranges on my face for the vitamin C and also to keep cool.



3) This is me down about 25 pounds on day 6 of the dry fast. Some would say I look "unhealthy". Yes. That may be true. Fasting is an extreme stressor. But -- to evolve, organisms need to be stressed. This is how we develop skills. "Hormetic stressors" are what they call productive stress on an organism.



4) I went to the beach in 40 degree weather at 6:45AM on day 5. Looking back, this might not be a good idea during a deep dry fast. The body needs rest to focus on healing, not being exposed to extreme temperatures when my body temperature is already fluctuating from a lack of food/water. But still -- it was a badass experience to lay on the beach in that sensitized state.



Love you everybody!!!

 

Hey all.

Just wanted to give an update.

I am about 6 days post-fast. I broke my fast on February 16th. Needless to say, I feel amazing. When you deprive the body of food and water for that long (which allows deep healing), then you come back to food and water, everyday is like a kid at a candy store, even though you're not eating junk food. I've been focusing mainly on smoothies, fruit, some solids like meat and cheese, and A LOT of water.

So far, my noxacusis and tinnitus haven't budged much. However, I've had a massive spiritual awakening from dry fasting. I've found out a lot about what I'm capable of. I've grown closer to my Higher Power. However, I know there is still a lot of suffering ahead. I do feel that dry fasting will eventually heal my noxacusis and lessen my tinnitus. You can literally feel the autophagy occurring when you're deep into a fast. It might take me multiple dry fasts of seven days or more. But I do feel that the healing is coming.

But I do want to say something -- a lot of people in general are just negative towards fasting. Maybe it's because the idea provokes a deep sense of insecurity since most people have not stopped eating and drinking since the day they were born. If you were addicted to something, chained to something for that long -- wouldn't you have a negative outlook toward someone that is abstaining from that? I empathize with this outlook though. I've had MAJOR issues with food throughout my life. It damn near killed me.

The point is -- I understand it's hard to see that something like dry fasting can help your ear problems. But -- the truth is -- that fasting can help a lot in general. Will it heal your ears? Maybe. Maybe not. But it will certainly give you a change of perspective on life. A change of self-esteem. Even if that perspective is not permanent. Long story short -- I feel way better today as a result of dry fasting, even though my noxacusis isn't healed yet.