ENT Said I'm Too Young to Have Hyperacusis and That It's Just Anxiety

So I finally got in to see an ENT yesterday. What a waste! He ordered an MRI to rule out anything serious, did a few checks, then said I'm fine and to learn to live with it. Also said I can't have hyperacusis because I'm too young (I'm 33), that only older people get it due to age-related cochlear damage. He said it's just anxiety and not actually hyperacusis. How is this possible?

I'm pretty certain I have hyperacusis. Sure it's not as bad as others, but my ears hurt when I hear certain sounds. Plus my tinnitus seems to almost react to certain sounds as well and tends to try and compete with whatever I'm trying to listen to. I'm confused though... am I just imagining this sensitivity to noise? Is it just my anxiety as the ENT says?

 

Fuck your ENT, they’re inept. You can’t be too young and it’s not anxiety, that’s the same crap they’ve said forever.

 

Lady, I'm pretty sure you'll just ignore me but as someone who lost my life to this disease and can't even whisper without pain I'll say it anyway.

1 - Your doctor know nothing, you should never go back to him again.

2 - He does only know nothing but he's advising you knowing nothing.

If you really have hyperacusis an MRI is going to CRIPPLE you, it did me and others.

3 - Hyperacusis has nothing to do with positivity or negativity.


Doctors can't help you, I'm sorry, I've been there.

I lost my life because I was stupid, doctors don't know anything, ok?

I know you're in despair but your best shot is to sit down, protect your ears (core) and wait.

I know you hope a doctor will cure or give you the answers but they won't, they're going to make you do loud exams and say absurd things like yours did.

 

HI @Ultraviolet87.

A lot of ENT doctors are not well informed about tinnitus and hyperacusis when these conditions are caused by exposure to loud noise, because this isn't their area of expertise. Be assured most are skilled physicians that practice medicine with the: Ear, Nose, Throat and there are many health conditions that can affect these organs.

When a person is first seen at ENT because they are affected by tinnitus, the doctor primarily is looking for underlying medical conditions within the auditory system that is causing it. Please click on the link below and read my article: Tinnitus, A Personal View. It explains what happens when a patient is seen at ENT, tests and some of the treatments for tinnitus. Please read: Hyperacusis, As I See It.

In the case of hyperacusis which you suspect having and I agree with you after reading in your post. This usually results from exposure to loud noise and a person develops tinnitus and sometimes hyperacusis, oversensitivity to sound. Treatment for hyperacusis that has been caused by exposure to loud noise, is normally treated by Audiology. The patient will see either a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist that specialises in tinnitus and hyperacusis management. Treatment can involve: counselling, sound therapy, relaxation techniques, medication and a combination of the four.

Noise induced tinnitus is often caused by the use of headphones, earbuds and the wearing of a headset. If you regularly use these devices even at low volume, then this is the cause of your tinnitus and hyperacusis. Other forms of loud noise exposure can cause tinnitus and hyperacusis too. They are mentioned in my articles in the links below. Please take your time and read them.

I advise that you don't use any form of headphones or earbuds even at low volume.

All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/acquiring-a-positive-mindset.23969/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-the-negative-mindset.23705/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-habituation-process.20767/

 

There is no such thing as being “too young” for a health issue to pop up. Clogged arteries due to cholesterol/fat from a poor diet - maybe. All of our bodies and systems are unique and some of us are unfortunately more prone to damage/inflammation than others.

I was 25 when my hyperacusis started. There are people as young as 16-17 with tinnitus & hyperacusis, perhaps even younger.

Your ENT is wrong.

 

That's a big issue in the invisible illness community. That a physician thinks you can somehow be "too young" to have a condition. The reality is that this shit doesn't discriminate.

Your ENT is incompetent, considering he ordered an MRI when you have noise sensitivity.

 

I’ve lost a lot of faith in doctors as a result of my experiences. Not just ENTs but neurologists, rheumatologists, etc. One has to wonder about the culture inside the medical schools that give these people their licenses. If they are so horrible with our group of conditions, what else are they messing up on a daily basis? They all think MRIs are safe when clearly they’re not. What other “routine” procedures are actually dangerous? Not to say I’m going to start rubbing essential oils on my chakras or stop going to the dentist.

 

I won't ignore you, I am listening. And I'm so sorry you went through all this. It's horrible when we're often subjected to, what can only equate to, medical negligence. These doctors have no idea what the hell they're doing. They're often saying the wrong things, or just flat out dismissing your concerns as nothing but anxiety, then ordering the wrong tests and treatments, and people's tinnitus just worsens because of it. Yay!

Even though I'm booked in for this MRI in January, I've been researching a lot and reading other people's accounts, this MRI he ordered just isn't worth the risk. I don't want my tinnitus to worsen, and definitely don't want my hyperacusis to get worse too!

 

Hi Michael.

Thanks for you reply. Even though I expected the ENT to be of little help, I was still a bit shocked and taken aback by his dismissive attitude when it came to my concerns about the noise sensitivity I was experiencing. I told him I was even sensitive to cars driving past if the window open, not that my ears hurt a lot because of them, but they just seemed incredibly loud and made me wince and uncomfortable. Even the TV on at 40-45 dB (or lower), if the pitch was off, it would seem way too loud, that I was always asking my husband to turn it down. Unloading dishes from the dishwasher, the kitchen tap running, the pitch of my husband's voice, the fan running in our room, are all now amplified. These are just everyday sounds and it's making me uncomfortable, but he just dismissed all of this as nothing but my over-anxious mind playing tricks on me!

He said I should just mask it, as that's all I can really do about it. I tried to explain that masking only makes my tinnitus worse, it reacts to it. I can't handle white noise, nor thunder/running water sounds, even the new "whisper quiet" fan in our room at night, on the silent mode, aggravates my tinnitus. I honestly don't like masking, so I rarely ever use it. It makes my tinnitus louder and I just hear it over and above whatever I'm trying to mask it with. It's very frustrating. I'd rather sit in a silent room and hear my tinnitus than have to listen to white noise masking... so how is a good treatment option for me?


I told him how it all began, that back in June of this year I fell asleep with headphones in. Sure they weren't on a high volume, maybe a 4/10, but they were in my ears for a couple hours before I woke up and took them out. He said headphone use doesn't cause tinnitus, that even 8 hours at a moderate to low volume is fine - no damage. What an idiot! My tinnitus is obviously the result of noise-related trauma, what else could it be? So it's just a coincidence that I wake up with tinnitus the night after I accidentally fell asleep with them in? Sigh.

I've avoided using headphones like the plague since my onset of intrusive tinnitus. I think in the beginning I used them twice, the over the ear ones, only because I was desperate for some masking and I was really not in a good place mentally. I'm still not in a good place mentally, but at least I've avoided any type of headphone use. I think years of headphone use abuse and going to concerts and clubs is why I'm in this mess. Falling asleep with them in just took me over the edge and now I've had intrusive tinnitus for almost 6 months straight. I do think I've had some form of tinnitus since at least 2006, but I never knew that what I was hearing was tinnitus, I just thought it was "the sound of silence". It's only when I got intrusive tinnitus this year did I realise that the noise I was hearing before falling asleep was actually tinnitus.

Anyways, I kind of feel it's here to stay. I'm hoping I habituate to it soon but this reactive tinnitus/hyperacusis is making it feel like an uphill battle. At times I'm really struggling to cope, I've been quite suicidal, depressed, and anxious since this all started. I'm hoping it gets better, that it gets easier to deal with, but it's honestly hard to imagine what the future looks like. My life's been a bit of a blur for the last 6 months since my onset. I feel I've been living day-to-day, waking up each morning thinking if today will be a good day or a bad day. It's difficult to imagine what a normal life will look like now.

 

Be really careful with an MRI scan if you've got noxacusis, its crazy that doctors issue these out to us especially as you mentioned it was noise induced and so you already can be pretty sure what you've got and why you've got it. Otherwise the only reason I can think of for putting yourself through an MRI is if it could be something more ominous.

Be careful with whatever hearing tests you get offered going forward as well. I've had 2 full sets of tests one year apart, except for the second Loudness Discomfort Level test (which caused me a massive setback the first time round). The Tympanometry test I had the second time round actually triggered noxacusis in my good ear! Sadly I think these tests are worth doing at least once (carefully) just to get yourself diagnosed. I hate them, they are something from the dark ages to be honest and most of them are unnecessary and wont show up anything of use but I think there's no choice but to 'play the good little patient' in order to get an official diagnosis. Maybe it doesn't matter too much though yet because I don't think its very widely covered, but in the future it could be needed for disability etc. One day this condition will be recognized as a real disability (I hope).

 

Your ENT should not be practicing medicine.

It's bad enough hyperacusis is unknown and doubted as is, but young people run the risk of being treated like loons by doctors because it's so rare for them to be unhealthy. News flash. 30 year olds can still get cancer. 25 year olds can still get heart attacks. Apples to oranges yes but the same rules apply here. Ridiculous.

I have nothing more to contribute than what has already been said.

 

HI @Ultraviolet87

I understand the way you feel towards the ENT. As I said a lot of them are not well informed about noise induced tinnitus and hyperacusis because this is not their area of expertise. However, some do know about noise induced tinnitus & hyperacusis and will recommend a referral to Audiology as mentioned in my previous post. If you have read my article: Tinnitus, A Personal View, you'll will see early on, I mention the behaviour of a well known ENT doctor in the UK, when he was giving a lecture on tinnitus. He was full of pomposity and believed he knew everything about tinnitus and said: everyone experiences it and it's something that can easily be ignored. Those that have a problem with it have allowed it to become one. I watched that VHS recording over twenty years ago.

When I write being medically qualified and having a string of qualifications and letters after one's name, doesn't necessarily make you an expert in noise induced tinnitus and hyperacusis, I know what I am talking about.

The way you feel at the moment is very similar to the way I felt 24 years ago after developing severe tinnitus and hyperacusis caused by headphones. Everything you have written about your oversensitivity to sound I have experienced and more believe me. Recovery will take time and if you follow my suggestions, hopefully it will make the process easier and permanent.

Never use headphones or earbuds again even at low volume and I am very serious about this. Your tinnitus will improve with time and it's likely, the hyperacusis will improve too to the point where it completely goes way. Please note, I am saying the hyperacusis is likely to improve and go away not definitely. Some people believe hyperacusis cannot improve or completely go away. This is not true because I am living proof. I have corresponded with people with severe hyperacusis and after treatment as I've mentioned below their hyperacusis has completely been cured. I had such severe hyperacusis when in conversation with anyone, I asked them to please lower their voice as my ears were in pain.

Problems can arise with noise induced tinnitus and hyperacusis when negativity starts to take hold and becomes reinforced. I am not talking about the negative feelings that naturally occurs with noise induced tinnitus and hyperacusis, which I have mentioned in many of my posts in the links given to you. It is the negative reinforcement from some people at tinnitus forums and reading their posts. Unfortunately this can be incredibly damaging to some and a person has to try and guard themselves against this and not be lured into a negative mindset.

If you are able to see an Audiologist that practices TRT or CBT and can prescribe white noise generators, I believe this treatment will help you. If you cannot get TRT as described in my articles on it, then see if you can get CBT or tinnitus counselling from an Audiologist that specialises in tinnitus and hyperacusis.

Severe hyperacusis needs to be treated and one of the best ways is desensitisation wearing of white noise generators. They must be worn correctly and introduced to the ear slowly to avoid irritation and making the hyperacusis worse. This can be achieved but patience is required. Counselling is recommended with this treatment.

If you are unable to see an Audiologist that specialises in noise induced tinnitus and hyperacusis, then try self help by following the advice in my post: Hyperacusis, As I see it. Use sound enrichment as I have described in the links I've posted to you, especially at night. Try engaging in the things that you like to do as this will improve positive thinking which is important. Consider having a word with your GP/doctor if you're feeling stressed as tinnitus and hyperacusis can cause this. Read my posts thoroughly and if possible more than once, to reinforce positive thinking.

I wish you well.
Michael

 

I got hyperacusis/recruitment and severe tinnitus at age 19.
It happens. And 13 years later, I'm still younger than you OP! So, no, not too young.

To the poster above, I'll add that hyperacusis does get better. It never went away completely for me but I resumed a 'normal' life with regular work, hobbies, social/dating/family interactions.

As to MRI, YMMV, but after 6 years of improvement/normal life return, I was able to tolerate MRI machines with sufficient protection.

 

I respond to you as I see you got it from an ear infection as well. What did you do to treat it? My hyperacusis suddenly got a little better from one day to another but I still feel my ear tightening up when I talk.

 

Young people can get noise-induced cochear damage, as anyone else.

 

They're just in it for the money...

 

That's a really bad idea, unless there is a reasonable suspicion based on clinical tests and your account of symptoms that can lead the doctor to think there can be something serious. So you have to first discuss symtoms and how all this happened, your hyperacusis...

An MRI is super loud and could give you a permanent setback, worsen your hearing, spike tinnitus and hyperacusis.

 

Well in that case, your doctor can't be an asshole because he's too old. Oh wait.

 

I was like 11 or something when I got tinnitus so your ENT is an idiot.

 

It was just a routine MRI request, the doctor said if I wanted to I can get it done just to rule anything out, that it's good to have for reference too, so I can compare scans in the future. I explained my hyperacusis symptoms and he just ignored it; he said I can't have it, "I'm too young". I also said I believed my tinnitus started due to abusing headphones when younger, that me falling asleep with them in earlier this year just took me over the edge and I've been plagued with intrusive tinnitus since that night. He also ignored this, claiming I can't get tinnitus from falling asleep with headphones in. Even 8 hours at a moderate volume is perfectly fine and doesn't cause any hearing damage whatsoever!

He noted that I may have very mild, high frequency hearing loss in my right ear, aside from this I don't have other symptoms that would warrant an MRI. Honestly, the more I think about it, the worse he looks. It's incredibly irresponsible of him to order an MRI considering my complaints about hyperacusis, and just my general distress over having tinnitus and the loudness of it. I guess he thinks it's all just anxiety-related and not real... so what the hell, send her to get diagnostics done at 110 decibels. *eye roll*

 

ENT are just useless for noise related hearing problems; this cannot be fixed. Ordering an MRI to rule out things like an acoustic neuroma or unlikely neurological issues that may affect 0,05% of the population is plain irresponsible and could make further damage.

There you have the answer and the obvious cause: noise. If this was caused by some other thing your tinnitus would change with movements, or progress. For instance, if tinnitus was caused by a very obvious jaw problem it would change in pitch or spike when you open or move your jaw, and go back to baseline afterwards, it would be altered by movements.

 

Your ENT Is an idiot. I experienced full hyperacusis after my damage. Most sounds settled but I still experience it for some sounds. I was 22 when I got tinnitus.

 

I'm rather sure the ENT is thinking of recruitment, because yes, that's usually age related.

But something about this still seems super weird, what, they're not educated about hyperacusis?

Odd. But no, you're right, the ENT is wrong about this, of course you can have hyperacusis.

 

My ENT told me the only way I could get hyperacusis from loud noise was if I was standing next to a bomb when it went off. He just dismissed everything I had to say, and couldn't wait to show me the door.

I would have a few things to say to him if I was to see him now, but given the time when most of us see an ENT is when we are vulnerable, under-informed ourselves and desperate for answers, we tend to accept such shoddy treatment.

If they would just be honest and say they don't know what causes it, or how to treat it, but give us a list of audiology departments and counselling services, I would respect them more.

 

I agree with this last paragraph. I saw an ENT and I wish that he had given me some treatment options with an audiologist and/or a counselor instead of just telling me that he had no treatment to offer.

I have wondered if anxiety (possibly from the pandemic) has put me in a “fight or flight” mode that brought the hyperacusis and tinnitus to the surface. I did play live music for decades without hearing protection but I do not understand why these issues did not occur prior to 55 years old.

 

I'm 57 and my major crunch points came first in 2007 and then in 2019, on both occasions clearly triggered by loud music leading to pain and a burning sensation in my inner ear (right ear - 2007, left ear - 2019). You can read more in my first post under the "Introduce Yourself" forum.

I guess we are just "lucky" we had 40 or so years before things went south, when you hear about the folks in their 20s or teens who are sadly affected.

I often used to wish I had become a professional musician instead of settling for being an also-ran in the IT industry. I console myself with the thought that, if I had become a musician, my hearing would probably have become fried much quicker. And I would be much poorer, unless I had happened to become the keyboard player for Deacon Blue or Paolo Nutini (I'm in Scotland and I know people who have connections with those bands...)

 

I read your “introduce yourself” post. Have you experienced any hyperacusis?

 

Yes, hyperacusis developed some weeks after my main tinnitus onset in 2019. It has receded slightly but at its worst I couldn't leave the house without keeping earplugs firmly inserted at all times, or even take part in normal conversations without my right ear feeling uncomfortable. I still have to be careful and have recently been able to attend some small concerts after nearly two years, but I did experience a small tinnitus spike so I won't be going to rock concerts any time soon.

 

My tinnitus seems reactive (which some people think is the same thing as hyperacusis). It is frustrating because exposure to normal, everyday sounds is supposed to gradually improve the issue but seems to make mine worse.

 

It is not your imagination. I’ve been dealt the anxiety card too often. I’m so sorry you had to experience this well too often complaint from seeing a specialist. Book an appointment with an audiologist when you can for clarification of your symptoms.

And get this, I went to emerge once and had me see a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist told me he used to be an ENT in India and was familiar with tinnitus. When I told him how disturbing the noise was he put his hand up cutting me off telling me I would get use to it...! What the hell?