Hyperacusis, As I See It

Those seem similar to ordinary Peltor Optime III earmuffs and those earmuffs will not fully block the noise at an airport platform, if you have hyperacusis. I can tell from personal experience

 

I know, but if they endure 150 dB daily, they must be good. I think it's custom made for military, but I will research more.

 

To me it does not seem possible they can block 150 dB, since the sound would go through by bone conduction anyway.

 

It seems that the helmets (not necessarily the one in my photo) protect from bone conduction. That's why they are helmets and not just earmuffs.

Google tells that on the deck it is between 130-150 dB.

https://www.google.com/search?q=fighter+jet+plane+decibels

 

This is very informative. Thank you.

I looked up a private tinnitus clinic in my area, they say the same on their website about avoiding sounds and earplugs. I just got a second noise generator because feel one wasn't enough.

 

Well, that didn't age well.

Acoustic Trauma Increases Ribbon Number and Size in Outer Hair Cells of the Mouse Cochlea

CBT and TRT for tinnitus/hyperacusis treatment is the same as sending a patient with root canal infection to a psychiatrist instead, or advising him to bite down on a peanut for a few hours daily with that painful tooth.

Prof. McNaughton: tinnitus = pain.

 

I had a lot of relief when I first had TRT 27 years ago. My tinnitus reduced to a level that I could hardly hear most of the time. I had very severe hyperacusis with pain, which was completely cured after two years of wearing white noise generators. It has remained this way to this day.

Unfortunately, I had a second noise trauma in 2008, which resulted in my tinnitus changing to variable tinnitus. I had another 2 years of TRT with counseling and wearing white noise generators. It took 4 years in total to habituate for the second time. My tinnitus is still variable, from complete silence to mild, moderate, severe, and very severe.

I have explained this at length in my thread: My Experience with Tinnitus. I used tiex tinnitus machine for 11 years and it helped a lot. It stopped working a year ago. My tinnitus has remained variable and manageable. When required, I take Clonazepam to calm it down for 1 on 2 days.

My tinnitus began to increase in February 2024. Since I have had tinnitus a long time, I know it extremely well. Everything I tried wouldn't calm it down, so I had to take Clonazepam, which reduced the severity temporarily. Because the tiex machine stopped working, I ordered the Cleanhearing Sono device - this is the updated version of the tiex machine. I will be writing my experience with it at a later date.

Michael

 

This thread is about hyperacusis. Please read the paper. If OHCs (the amplifier) have nociceptors, then these can cause an uncomfortable feeling and pain. Mrs. Megan Wood told me there is other research claiming IHCs get more ribbons with age, so you get a double-whammy effect. This research isn't in the books of today's ENTs.

I'm not a doctor, but if these findings are correct, it makes no sense to torture your ears with more sound when you have hyperacusis.

I improve by giving my ears as much rest as possible and drinking a glass of wine (or 2 or 3...) in the evening so I can sleep well.

 

Sorry to hear this.

Do you know what caused this?

Is it perhaps a spike?

 

Indeed, my experience living with severe hyperacusis enabled me to start this thread.

Doctors play their part in helping to treat people with tinnitus and hyperacusis; they know about the anatomy of the ear. However, most (but not all) know very little about tinnitus or hyperacusis. To fully understand these conditions, one has to live with them. I believe to know about tinnitus and the way it can affect a person's mental and emotional well-being, one should have at least 3, preferably 5, years of living with tinnitus and have experience of it being mild, moderate, and severe. Tinnitus cannot be learned from a book or at medical school.

I wish you well,
Michael

Thank you for your kind words @Jupiterman.

My tinnitus does not spike. As you know, I have variable tinnitus. It can be silent, mild, moderate, severe and can reach very severe levels. It has been this way for many years and I'm used to it. However, something strange happened in February, the tinnitus kept increasing and wouldn't calm down. I took Clonazepam which usually reduces the tinnitus over 12 hours to a more manageable level or complete silence. I knew something was wrong because the Clonazepam wasn't having the same effect as usual. I have been taking it only when needed for 1 or 2 days for the last 11 years.

The tinnitus was as loud as I first experienced it back in 2008 after my second noise trauma. It was horrendous! I had stopped using the tiex machine last year because it developed a fault. I carried on and noticed no change in my tinnitus. The tinnitus is still giving me problems but I can manage it up to a point, then I need to take Clonazepam. I have started using Cleanhearing Sono device. It is a completely different machine from the tiex, although it is made by the same person that developed the tiex device.

It is early days and hope to give an update on the Sono at some time in the future.

Thanks once again, take care.

Michael

 

Two years of pain hyperacusis (noxacusis)?! Cured with noise generators. Funny, people with noxacusis say you can't cure it with sound therapy. Makes people worse, in fact.

 

Whether one wants to call it noxacusis, hyperacusis, reactive tinnitus or pain hyperacusis, in my opinion it all amounts to the same thing. Most people that are affected with these conditions have noise-induced tinnitus.

I do not believe in the word "can't" when it's used to describe hyperacusis or oversensitivity to sound as untreatable because this is negative thinking. I agree, treating hyperacusis can be difficult but it is possible when done correctly. The symptoms can be completely cured, as in my case or significantly reduced. This will often require regularly counselling with an audiologist that specializes in treating tinnitus and hyperacusis and wearing white noise generators, to help desensitize the auditory system. This treatment is not a quick fix and can take up to 2 years or more.

I have corresponded with a few audiologists that work with tinnitus and hyperacusis patients. One in particular, said all her patients that follow her treatment programme have been cured of hyperacusis.

When I had severe hyperacusis 27 years ago with pain, which people now call noxacusis, to give more gravitas and severity to their suffering, it was torture. I had to politely ask people to lower their voice during conversation because my ears were in so much pain.

Michael

 

Non-lethal damage can heal, obviously.

There is no proof TRT improves healing. It probably even slows down the healing process.

 

These aren't all the same. In fact, I have hyperacusis that makes something like ruffling a chip bag sound very loud from internal amplification, but I've never had noxacusis, pain, or reactive tinnitus.

The best thing is to protect your ears from loud noise and be patient, and it might get better in a couple years. Some people have reported white noise generators / TRT making their tinnitus worse.

→ Here's a thread on Tinnitus Talk about a study showing the ineffectiveness of TRT.

 

With respect, I am not here to duel with you. I have said my piece and wish you well.

Good day,
Michael

 

Hi @Michael Leigh, sorry to hear of your tinnitus becoming a little more troublesome! I hope this is a temporary thing and reverts back to your normality at the very least.

I see you mentioned a few times about your hyperacusis causing pain, but I’ve not yet seen you describe the type of pain you felt, duration and triggers, etc. Is that something you’d be willing to share?

 

Thank you for your kind words @Hardwell.

As you know, I have variable tinnitus. It can be pretty severe at times but I have habituated to this for many years. In February, it increased to levels that I last experienced in 2008 when my noise-induced tinnitus changed to variable tinnitus after a second noise trauma. It took four years to habituate. Please read my thread: My Experience with Tinnitus.

I am using the Cleanhearing Sono device and hope to give an update on my experience with it by late May or June.

I no longer experience hyperacusis, nor does my tinnitus spike. As I have mentioned many times, tinnitus spikes usually affect people who have noise-induced tinnitus. The underlying problem is having an oversensitive auditory system often caused by noise trauma. This oversensitivity to sound can manifest itself in a variety of ways much like tinnitus. It can be mild, moderate, severe, and can be extremely debilitating for some people. I once helped to counsel a woman whose hyperacusis was so severe that rain falling on her conservatory roof, which was made of glass, brought her to tears. Fortunately, with time, she did improve with the help of wearing sound generators and having counselling with an audiologist who specialized in tinnitus and hyperacusis management.

The severe hyperacusis that I experienced 27 years ago is something that I hope I never have to endure again. Coupled with severe unrelenting tinnitus, I believe this experience helped make me become a stronger, more positive-thinking person and enabled me to help people who are suffering from tinnitus and hyperacusis.

My hyperacusis would often feel like thousands of sharp needles being stabbed into my ears. It would go right through my head and down into my face, which felt aflame with a burning sensation. It would cause my tinnitus to spike for days. I regularly had to ask people to please lower their voices as my ears were in so much pain when they spoke. I had to run out of the kitchen whenever plates and cutlery were being washed in the sink.

Everywhere that I went, I wore foam earplugs because my ears were so sensitive to sound. Back then, I didn't know this probably wasn't the best thing to do. My noise trauma was so severe that my whole head felt completely numb. I could hear, but it felt like my head was deep underwater. It was so incredibly frightening that I never told any member of my family what I was going through. They knew about the tinnitus and my hypersensitivity to sound (hyperacusis) but not about the numbness in my head.

I met a herbalist who knew about noise-induced tinnitus. I explained about my use of headphones. Told her about the severe hyperacusis, tinnitus, and numbness throughout the whole of my head. She said I had suffered a huge noise trauma and mentioned it had been coming on for some time. Looking back she was one hundred percent correct. I remember in bed at night, when it was very quiet; I could hear ringing but thought nothing of it; by the morning, it was gone because it was being masked by daily sounds in the environment.

The herbalist said the auditory system consists mainly of nerves, and I had effectively blown a fuse! She said this also caused the numbness in my head. Her advice was to start taking magnesium tablets, which would help to repair the nerves in the auditory system over time - these are not the same nerves or hairs that are attached to the cochlea. I was also advised to take Ginkgo biloba.

When I was seen at ENT, the doctor said the herbalist's advice was very good. He also advises all his tinnitus patients to take magnesium tablets and Ginkgo biloba.

Take care,
Michael

 

It sounds as if you had an amazing experience randomly finding the right medical people. I wish we all had such success.

I've seen a number of so-called experts, and not one has mentioned nerves, magnesium, Ginkgo biloba, etc...

It's a shame we do not have a list of the names of the amazing 1% of medical people who do indeed help, rather than the 99% of people who gaslight or don't know—or a list of the names of consultants who know how to do TRT 'correctly'.

If this does work when it's done correctly, it seems very strange that we want to keep the names of such consultants hidden whilst those suffering continue to stumble around aimlessly repeatedly finding the 99% of gaslighters or those who perform these 'treatments' wrong.

Sorry to hear of your worsening. No one deserves to have that happen.

 

Thank you for your kind words @DeanD. My tinnitus is problematic at the moment, but I am able to cope, as long as it's not too severe, as it was in February when it reached excruciating levels. I am taking things easy and using the Cleanhearing Sono device, and I hope to provide information on my experience with it at a later date. I had been using the tiex device continuously for 11 years, but it stopped working last year. I believe it helped to keep my tinnitus under control. That is all I want to say at the moment.

You make a valid point @DeanD, for it does help to have the right people to turn to when one is in distress with tinnitus and hyperacusis. My audiologist was born with tinnitus and found her to be a very understanding and considerate person. I felt totally at ease having regular counselling with her for two years as part of TRT. Sadly some people are not as fortunate to find the right medical people. However, it should be noted that ENT doctors treat underlying medical problems within the auditory system that cause tinnitus, but they do not treat tinnitus.

I believe most ENT doctors care about their tinnitus patients. They play an important role in helping to diagnose what the underlying cause of tinnitus is in the auditory system, and there are many. When no medical cause is found, as in noise-induced tinnitus, the patient should be referred to Audiology, as this is the usual practice in the UK. Here, they will usually see an audiologist/hearing therapist who specializes in tinnitus and hyperacusis management. Most (but not all) of these health professionals were either born with tinnitus or acquired it at some time in their lives. As I have previously mentioned, tinnitus cannot be learnt from a book or at medical school to any great depth. One has to live with tinnitus and preferably have experience of it being mild, moderate, and severe. This knowledge is particularly important as it can help with counseling a patient who is suffering from tinnitus.

One should also be aware that whatever tinnitus and hyperacusis treatment they are receiving, they also have to try and help themselves. Counseling cannot do all the work. I have explained this in my threads: Tinnitus and the Negative Mindset, Acquiring a Positive Mindset, The Habituation Process, and How to Habituate to Tinnitus.

All the best,
Michael

 

I have been through the NHS system twice. My experience is different. ENTs hear 'tinnitus' and are not particularly caring. They simply carry out tests to look for an underlying condition, which, of course, is all they can do.

Never was I then referred to audiology. Times have changed.

Ten years ago, I was slightly dehydrated after nil by mouth after 24 hours, and the hospital rushed me to a bed and put me on a drip for 4 days.

Last year, I was severely malnourished and dehydrated, and I was told by the hospital it's only been 7 days, and we had pulled people alive out of the rubble after 10 days. Go home; we don't want you here.

Different time, different experience.

NHS is broken.

It would be interesting, though, for everyone to discuss the merits of keeping medical consultants' names hidden.

After all, the internet world thrives on reviews, word of mouth and recommendations.

It seems odd people are getting relief but want to hide the names of those who can help the unfortunate sufferers struggling and finding all the bad eggs and consultants not doing TRT right.

We seem to share everything on Tinnitus Talk, except this.

 

I see no merits in this personally, but I can perhaps understand why some people are reluctant. This is partly due to what you say about 99% of medical professionals being useless regarding our conditions.

If somebody has found the luxury of a physician who takes them seriously and provides them relief and mental respite, and after posting the name here, members suddenly drag that name through the mud, the original poster loses their faith in said physician. That is the only reason I can think of why some people would gatekeep.

 

The merit is sharing information that may provide help to the sufferers on here.

Aren't other sufferers on here entitled to the best shot with a recommended consultant rather than the typical gaslighting and lack of awareness with consultants many of us experience?

 

I don't get what people are hoping for. There is no cure, so what can a doctor do?

 

No, sorry. I meant that I see no merit in gatekeeping the information personally. I was just trying to summarise why I think others might.

 

I correspond with many people across the UK that have tinnitus. A lot of them have been referred to Audiology for tinnitus treatment and management. The NHS isn't perfect and does have its problems, but I have always received good treatment, and not just for tinnitus. Help does vary between Trusts.

TRT, CBT, and other forms of tinnitus management are still practiced at the hospital I attended 27 years ago when I first got tinnitus. I am still an out-patient there. Around 18 months ago, I was seen by two audiologists in the clinic and was fitted with two new Bluetooth white noise generators. The two healthcare professionals couldn't do enough for me. I was given a telephone number and email address to contact them should I have any problems, and they'll make an appointment to see me in the clinic without going through my GP.

You have the right to be referred to any NHS hospital that is willing to treat you. I suggest that you talk to your GP and explain how you feel. Politely ask if it's possible that you could be referred to another hospital for treatment. I advise that you don't mention any specific treatment; you are just asking for some help with your tinnitus.

Please read my thread: Keeping Things Simple with Tinnitus.

Best of luck,
Michael

 

What happened in February to increase the tinnitus, if you don't mind me asking?

 

I don't mind you asking about the increase in my tinnitus since February @Stayinghopeful. In fact, I thank you for inquiring. As mentioned in previous posts on this thread, I ordered the Cleanhearing Sono device because the increase in my tinnitus was so severe.

My tinnitus doesn't spike. After my second noise trauma in 2008, I developed what I call variable tinnitus. I define it as a more severe form of noise-induced tinnitus, which I have written about in my thread: Can I Habituate to Variable Tinnitus? It took me four years to habituate to it.

My tinnitus can be silent, mild, moderate, severe, and can reach very severe levels, requiring me to take Clonazepam for one or two days. The tinnitus will usually calm down over 12 to 24 hours to more tolerable levels. Sometimes, the tinnitus will reduce by itself without taking Clonazepam. When the tinnitus is severe for longer than two or three days, I usually take Clonazepam.

In February, the tinnitus increased to very severe levels, which I last experienced in 2008. Clonazepam had very little effect in reducing the severity. Using Cleanhearing Sono did reduce the intensity of the tinnitus over two weeks. It is advised to slowly introduce Cleanhearing Sono over four weeks to reach the recommended treatment time of 20 minutes in the morning and evening.

At week three, my tinnitus increased, so I contacted Cleanhearing, who advised me of certain measures to take, which I have previously mentioned. However, I haven't had much success with Sono. I haven't used it for 12 days.

Fortunately, my tinnitus has returned to the levels that I was used to prior to the increase in February. I don't know how long this will last. Cleanhearing Sono has extended my rental period free of charge. I am in two minds about whether to start using it again.

The manufacturers of Clearnhearing Sono developed the Tiex tinnitus device, which I regularly used for 11 years. I have written about my success with Tiex.

I have no idea why my tinnitus increased to such severe levels in February. I wasn't under stress or taking new medication and was sure I wasn't exposed to any overly loud sounds. I know my tinnitus extremely well so this is quite an enigma for me to unravel. I don't want to return the Cleanhearing Sono too quickly because there's no telling what might happen with my tinnitus. I did have some success with Sono but I feel this updated version of the Tiex machine might be too powerful for me, despite the frequency settings can be adjusted.

Like Tiex, when using Cleanhearing Sono, only a faint ticking sound can be heard through the headphones.

All the best,
Michael