Hyperacusis Left and Right

[Reinier]

I noticed something that disturbed me.
I thought that the right ear where my hearing damage shows in the audiogram also is the ear that causes my hyperacusis.
Today I was in a noisy environment and decided to protect my right ear and listen with my "healthy" left ear.
Now I find that the noise that entered my left ear also has disturbed my right ear.
Could it be that the process that regulates the amplification of the cochlea (outer hair cells) on my right ear are also responding to noise entering the other ear? I believe so.

Earlier I noticed that when I protect my right ear and a sharp sound (plate or cup) enters my left ear I hear something uncomfortable in my right ear. Sometimes audible, sometimes a feeling.

I just want to say that if you think about protecting only one ear this could not be enough.
Now I have distortion in both ears. I hope this soon will abate.

 

[LeQuack]

I think it's normal to some degree. Our ears are not 100% separated I think. Even if I plug one ear my reactive tinnitus will still go up in that ear if I hear noise on the other one.

 

[Lorac]

@Reinier,
I became profoundly deaf in my left ear suddenly in 2013. A week after onset, I noticed a distorted reaction to sound in my deaf ear while talking with the phone held to my hearing ear. ENT told me that there is a place in our brains where hearing is shared between ears. For about a year, I wore an earplug in my good ear to help control the reactive noise in my deaf ear but that also reduced my ability to hear over all. Nowadays, I only plug my good ear in loud environments.

 

[Reinier]

I became profoundly deaf in my left ear suddenly in 2013. A week after onset, I noticed a distorted reaction to sound in my deaf ear while talking with the phone held to my hearing ear.

@LeQuack and @Lorac, thank you both. I am learning all the time.
@Lorac do you know what has happened with your left ear? Must have been a night mare. Perhaps still is? Are you still adjusting?

 

[japongus]

I noticed something that disturbed me.
I thought that the right ear where my hearing damage shows in the audiogram also is the ear that causes my hyperacusis.
Today I was in a noisy environment and decided to protect my right ear and listen with my "healthy" left ear.
Now I find that the noise that entered my left ear also has disturbed my right ear.
Could it be that the process that regulates the amplification of the cochlea (outer hair cells) on my right ear are also responding to noise entering the other ear? I believe so.

Earlier I noticed that when I protect my right ear and a sharp sound (plate or cup) enters my left ear I hear something uncomfortable in my right ear. Sometimes audible, sometimes a feeling.

I just want to say that if you think about protecting only one ear this could not be enough.
Now I have distortion in both ears. I hope this soon will abate.

It could also be a middle ear myoclonus that has created a tensed up muscle state that is so loud (if you have ''tinnitus'') it's stopping sound from going past it.

The ears also have this thing called the stapedial reflex that when its provoked in one ear it maybe affects both ears. I don't know the specifics but its something like that.

 

[PaulBe]

The ears also have this thing called the stapedial reflex that when its provoked in one ear it maybe affects both ears. I don't know the specifics but its something like that.

That's true. You may be affected in one ear only, but these muscles operate autonomically and thus will trigger in both ears. What occurs here is one of the much-overlooked effects of H/T. It is the resetting of the normal middle ear muscle and nerve triggers which creates a positive feedback loop i.e. the worse the perception of sound, the more the muscles become primed to react, worsening the sound and the pain which reinforces the response etc etc,. This is where the choice becomes one of the TRT model or the surgical model. Good luck with one, and good luck finding someone who will do the other.

 

[Lorac]

Hi @Reinier,
The cause of my hearing loss is unknown but yes, it was a nightmare.
I think I know what you mean by that reaction to "sharp" sound. I used to try not to let my utensils touch my plate when eating. I would get a weird sensation in my deaf ear like something falling into a well. That is one of the sounds that I've been able to habituate though. It still happens every time I eat but I don't pay attention to it. Still hoping to habituate some other sounds and feelings.
It's not a nightmare anymore...not so scary, just reality.