Hyperacusis, As I See It

You have reactive tinnitus.

 

If you snooped around my post history for whatever reason, then you would've seen that I did in fact go to an audiologist who verified that I had noxacusis. I have about as much faith in audiologists and ENTs as you do in researchers. Happy to hear that you think striving to know more about the condition and potential cures is negative thinking, I hear this from TRT advocates a lot. I don't think my symptoms are much worse than they really are, I think they are exactly as bad as they really are; I live with this condition on a daily basis. Very interesting reductionist viewpoint though. So you're doubting my entire experience with the condition because my results don't conform to your ideas of what should happen? Cool.

You can believe whatever you want dude, it's not my job to convince you I have hyperacusis. But your reply says more about you than it does me.

Please don't comment further because you're just making me cringe.

All the best,
Weab00

 

Just wondering when I do go out & need to protect my ears, what do you recommend eg. Foam earplugs or...?

 

@Michael Leigh Just curious, but is it possible for tinnitus to develop into something else, due to improper due of masking devices?

As when my tinnitus started the ENT I initially saw wasn't very helpful so I purchased a device I was assured would mask my tinnitus, which it did, for a time, but in the last 6 months I've been noticing a pulsing noise which I first thought was my power supply gone wrong, but the noise on this seems to be changing just about daily, and has me worried. One day it rings and the next day it's a hissing noise as well as seeming to be responding to something I'm not aware of at times...

 

@Tessie

It is likely that your tinnitus and oversensitivity to sound will reduce and go completely away in time. I say this because you've said your tinnitus was caused by a sudden acoustic shock? If you hadn't experienced tinnitus before and not a regular user of headphones/earbuds, then I'm confident this will happen. If you previously experienced tinnitus and it went away and you were a regular user of headphones/earbuds then it's still likely your tinnitus will improve over time and reduce to a very low level where you hardly notice it. It could also go completely away.

In order for the above to happen I'm going to give you some advice and hope you follow it. I understand the way tinnitus and oversensitivity to sound (hyperacusis) in the early weeks and months can affect a person's mental and emotional wellbeing. This is the reason I have advised that you talk to your doctor if you're feeling stressed, as medication can help relax you. I also understand the need for advice, help and emotional support one can get from corresponding with people at tinnitus forums - as people on the outside that have no experience of tinnitus just don't understand or even want to know!

There are a few things you must try and guard yourself against in tinnitus forums and at other social media platforms otherwise, you might get drawn in by negative thinking people that diagnose themselves and others into thinking, their tinnitus and hyperacusis is so severe, they will never improve and no treatment will help. I am very serious about this. A few of these people have encroached on my thread. They are interlopers and have nothing positive or inspirational to say to anyone other than promote their doom and gloom.

I wrote hyperacusis as I see it, and other articles that are accessible on my "started threads" to help people and show them a way forward, by adopting a more positive mindset. This can be achieved but not if one chooses to wallow in self pity and say how life has dealt them a raw deal. Life is problematic and everyone has problems. Therefore, please
click on the links below and read my posts. If possible print them, place in a folder and read often to help reinforce positive thinking.

Try not to become too dependant on using earplugs as I've mentioned in my post: Hyperacusis, As I see it, as there is a risk of lowering the loudness threshold of your auditory system which, will make your ears more sensitive to sound. Using earplugs judiciously can be helpful but work towards weaning yourself off them and not become dependant. Use noise reducing earplugs and not foam type. Noise reducing plugs have in-built filters. This will reduce the external sound by wont block out all the sound as foam plugs do. Noise reducing plugs between 18 decibels to 25db attenuation should suffice. They are available at Amazon and ebay.

All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/what-is-trt-and-when-should-it-be-started.19024/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/what-happens-in-trt-sessions.18195/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/from-darkness-into-light.22234/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/can-tinnitus-counselling-help.22366/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/medications-and-tinnitus.12365/

 

There is no such thing as reactive tinnitus other than in a person's mind.

 

HI @Michael01

It is important to know what caused your tinnitus in order to find the best way of treating it. If ENT tests show no underlying medical problem within your auditory system causing it, and it's not related to hearing loss, stress, TMJ, medication or pulsatile tinnitus. Then it's possible it's noise induced as this is the most common.

I do not recommend anyone use masking devices also known as White noise generators, to treat their tinnitus by themselves because the tinnitus could be made worse, if they don't know how to use them correctly. It is best to be under the care of an Audiologist that specialises in the treatment and management of tinnitus.

To answer your question: It is quite possible for the tinnitus to develop into something else for reason's I've mentioned above. The ear is a delicate organ and one has to be careful when treating tinnitus. Try and see an Audiologist that can help you.

Best of luck.
Michael

PS: Tinnitus shouldn't be masked or covered up with another sound as this can make it more intrusive. When using white noise generators, set the white noise slightly below the tinnitus so it is not masked.

 

Hi, in terms of being in the early stages of tinnitus as a result of acoustic shock:

1. I'd be careful about any kind of white noise sound exposure through headphones and white noise generators at this stage. Your ears are going to be very sensitive and there is a danger that your tinnitus could worsen through this treatment. Better to have sound low level sound through a sound machine or app.

2. May well be worth considering a steroid such as prednisolone. There's quite a lot of evidence that taken early enough after an acoustic shock this can sometimes prevent tinnitus becoming permanent.

 

Place him on ignore. He ruins the mental health of people on this forum. He gets his jollies by taking scared, new people and throwing the bad cases under the bus for the purpose of self-aggrandizement. He tells suicidal people that they "don't want it enough" and are "too negative". Really twisted stuff.

 

It's an ego stroke. All 7,500 of his messages are the same 5 reworded posts. And he'll give you a funny emote and question if you have tinnitus or hyperacusis if you disagree with him, since somehow he's the authoritative source on the condition even more so than researchers. You're right that he'll tell you you're not getting better because you're a "negative thinker." Truly a man child.

 

You and your cohorts are all negative thinkers that's the reason you'll never improve.....

 

Thank you for proving my point, you are extremely obtuse.

 

And you are extremely disrespectful.

 

You were the one invalidating my experience. And frankly it's insulting to say that "my cohorts and I" aren't improving because of negative thinking; @Zugzug has a rare autoimmune demyelinating disease. @Juan has gotten hearing loss from hyperacusis. We are all trying our best, as the ear pain happens regardless of our state of mind, so to imply that we aren't improving because of negativity is ignorant at best and extremely disrespectful at worst.

You clearly missed the irony of my comment, which I find even funnier. I also recall you reacting with a funny emote to a suicidal person. I've come to realize you are a very superficial person who parades himself for helping out noobs and dismisses the bad cases.

 

You have no experience. You've had noise induced tinnitus for all of 5 mins with a little oversensitivity to sound. All of a sudden you're an expert and self diagnose like the rest of your negative thinking friends. You know nothing about tinnitus or hyperacusis. I'm about done playing games with you children so take care, it was nice having a laugh once again....

 

Why do you think I only have a slight sensitivity to sound? Are you intimidated by people who disagree with your doctrine? I'm really not sure what leads you to make such vast assumptions about my life over an internet forum. Read my post, I went to an audiologist so this is not self-diagnosis. You keep calling people you disagree with hypochondriacs. You seem relatively nice to new timers but are extremely nasty to suicidal sufferers for some reason, and I really can't figure out why.

There must be something terribly wrong in your life to spread such vitriol to people in pain, and I hope you can get past whatever that is.

Glad to hear you think this is a "game"; am I talking to Michael Leigh or a brick wall?

 

It's quite sad that you are having the same problems and making the same points that I made a long time ago. What Leigh doesn't understand, clearly, is that being in a suicidal state lowers one's self-esteem. I know some may not think it's a big deal to click "funny" on someone's post about suffering. Like, it's just an internet forum, right? Yeah, back when I was healthy I would view it the same way.

When you are extremely disabled, you genuinely feel like a burden to everyone in your life, you can't work so you can't provide anything, you constantly inconvenience everyone -- even if they don't complain. You feel like a worthless piece of shitty biological meat just holding people back. So yeah, when you log onto a support forum and someone thinks it's funny that you have no control over your disability, it's pretty hurtful. I'm not ashamed to admit that.

He will never understand, which is why I placed him on ignore. I am revisiting a Leigh post for the first time in a while. I suggest that you place him on ignore and be done with it. The forum experience really is better with his content hidden. I do, however, feel bad for the people who are going to injure themselves from his advice.

 

This will be my last correspondence with you on this topic.

I have helped many people with noise induced tinnitus and hyperacusis and continue to do so. Not just in this forum but others. I don't wish to blow my own trumpet but have received favourable comments for what I do. I do this not for self gratification, praise or ego. Purely to help others as I was once helped many years ago. When I meet people like you and others of your ilk, I will treat you with the contempt that you deserve for you have no manners or respect.

Now I am finished with you so goodbye.
Michael

 

Be honest, you love the "fame" it gets you and repeatedly brag about how many posts and upvotes you've received.
Let me know when you care to address any of my actual points instead of flinging ad hominem around. Wonder how many more "final replies" you're going to keep posting.

 

Agreed. However, I can't place him on ignore. I feel like I have an obligation to newcomers to call him out on his bullshit every once in a while. He on the other hand, has obviously placed me on ignore since he couldn't provide any actual arguments besides his usual ad hominem strategy.

 

Thank you, I've taken the prednisolone. I have an app, play low levels.
Cheers

 

Stop feeding the troll. You will never be able to convince him otherwise. Michael Leigh's logic is:

-If you listen to him, you're his friend, because he's the expert.
-He will not be called an expert. He's just sharing his personal experience.
-If his personal experience doesn't apply to you or 100% of the population, you're just being negative.
-If you had TRT and didn't get better, it wasn't TRT.
-If you point out your different views, you're being impolite and rude.
-If you haven't had tinnitus as long as him, you're a rookie.
-Don't look into research. Science is wrong. The scientists don't have tinnitus. Those that do, haven't got it as long as him. So they, too, are rookies. And negative.

But who else will fight off the cohorts of negative people if he wouldn't?

The fact that he's on here after so long, day and night, should speak for itself.
Habituated.
Yep.

 

You really hit the nail right on the head. This guy has a god complex. He’s a TRT shill.

 

I laughed my damn ass off.

So true! That's Michael Leigh in a nutshell.

 

Oh, my, god.
Thank you for that, at first I thought Michael was just an egocentric arrogant ignorant.

But after seeing him mocking suicidal people, saying severe hyperacusis sufferers' symptoms are a "little sensitization" and things following this level of psychopathy, I truly believe this dude is a cancer to the tinnitus community.

Glad to see Michael getting the bad exposure he deserves.

 

If they ever cure tinnitus, Michael will need a lot of therapy.

 

Nobody:
Michael Leigh:
What in Pawel Jastreboff's name did you just say about me, you little twat? I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in tinnitus retraining therapy, and I've been involved in numerous secret raids on TinnitusTalk, and I have over 24 years of experience with the condition. I am trained in advertising white noise generators and I'm the top shill on the entire tinnitus talk website. You are nothing to me but just another hypochondriac. I will destroy your argument with precision the likes of which has never been seen before on this site, mark my words. You think you can get away with saying that shit to me over the Internet? Think again, (laugh emote). As we speak I am contacting the admins and your IP is being traced right now so you better prepare for the storm, negative thinker. The storm that wipes out your pathetic little condition you've had for 5 minutes. You're dead, kid. I can be in any thread, anytime, and I can dodge your questions in over 700 different ways, and that's just if you disagree with me. Not only am I extensively trained in shilling TRT, but I have access to the entire arsenal of the British Tinnitus Assoscation and I will use it to its full extent to wipe your miserable ears off the face of this board, you little shit. If only you could have known what unholy retribution your little disrespectful disagreement was about to bring down upon you, maybe you would have held your tongue. But you couldn't, you didn't, and now you're paying the price, you goddamn idiot. I will bring the wrath of cognitive behavior therapy down on you and you will drown in it. You and your negative-thinking cohorts are dead.
Good day, kiddo

 

I've got nothing against TRT, just like I've got nothing against a sugar pill if it helps somebody out psychologically... but TRT can make things worse for a few people, therefore they need to acknowledge this fact and put a warning label on TRT.

Unfortunately TRT "experts" do put the blame on the patient if things don't go right, or they put the blame on the person who administered it in some rare cases (i.e. it wasn't done right lol) .

God forbid you put the blame on TRT... and that is what annoys me about these people, and not the fact that they spend their entire lives on tinnitus forums.

And God forbid you say that TRT is a placebo treatment lol. However, according to recent studies, it has been shown that TRT is no more effective than placebo.

 

@Bartoli

I found your comments humorous Bartoli like other members on this thread. Whether this was your intention I'm unsure but humorous all the same and well done. You had the decency to keep it clean and refrained from using expletives and vulgarity, which would have spoilt it and that I respect. Alas, the same cannot be said for another member whose post was littered with profanity and clearly has no class.

Michael