Hyperacusis Success Story

Hi All!

I got T in February 2016 from an ear infection. freaked out and to be honest I still struggle (though it has gotten better) with that but let's focus on the positive today

Probably a month after getting T I got H or hearing sensitivity. I could hear my husbands computer from all the way across the house, the fridge buzzing pounded in my head from across the house. My daughters voice bothered me. Any high pitch noise felt like nails on a chalkboard. Things would sound glassy and EVERYTHING sounded insanely louder. At one point I could hear my feet on the carpet. To get away from my T I would (and still) go out to malls and out and about to do things. I get some exercise and walk around and when I had H I could hear the open and closing of the automatic doors screeching, I could hear the escalator squeaking. It was crazy. My ears were working like they were super powered. I was terrified. I took a week off work and was afraid to go out of the house. to cover my T I depended on music on my car yet I know exactly what level I could tolerate. I would go to Target and from across the store I would hear the BEEP of the price checkers and it would make me jump. It was around this time that we all had to get these PIN debit cards in the USA so all the registers would ask for these pins and it would make a loud beep and it just made me nuts.

The ear doctor that I went to said it was happening because I was so hyper aware of sound. He said that T often comes with H. Billy on here said H was a "paper dragon" and not to worry. I am an anxious person and I was so scared. Any high pitch noise hurt my ears and any noise that had any high pitch in it that I had never noticed before all of a sudden blasted that high pitch part to it (does that make sense?)

So this dr said that exposure was absolutely necessary. I went out and bought a big thing of ear plugs so that I had it just in case we went out and there was a band or something loud. He saw the big orange tub sticking out of my purse when I went to him and he said "AH!!! You are wearing ear plugs DO NOT DO THAT!!" I said no I couldn't tolerate them because of the T but I have them just in case and that was the truth. He pressed me to make sure to keep going out, not to avoid noise and that if the level on my car that I could tolerate was an 8, make it a 9..as long as none of these things would be dangerous for the average person. I forced myself to do it...and it worked. I didn't believe it would work but it did.

H is not something that bothers me anymore. I do notice that I hear things a teeny tiny bit louder than most after all this. I do still have a little more sensitivity to something very high pitch. But I do not notice the screeching of escalators, my daughters voice does not bother me, I don't hear my husbands computer from across the house.

I can absolutely get an increase of H when I am crazy focusing on my T. I follow the original directions from the doctor and it always goes away within a couple days.

I can't say that this always works for everyone. I know that H from a medical/physical condition is different from H stemming from psychological issues. However I have been told that H from an actual medical/physical condition is MUCH more rare. It did fascinate me in a way that we can actually train our brains to do this. It made me wonder what else we could do.

So if you just got T and you are struggling with H, chances are H will get better with time and NOT over protecting. Some on here disagree with that but it worked for me and other patients.

 

Did you use any sound therapy for when you couldn't go out into busy places? Did you make it a daily routine to go out to those places? I got mild H and I've been wondering what I can do to help the healing process. I live a pretty quite life. The only exposure I get daily would be driving and going to the gym. Other then that I listen to music (though speakers of course) and I use a sound machine throughout the day and night. I was wondering if that was enough to help desensitize my ears?

 

So basically to improve you just went out more ?
What did you change from the moment where the loud beeps annoyed you and you heard high pitch noise to today ?

 

Hi @Marie79 I hope that you continue to make improvement. I wrote a post this week about hyperacusis and how to treat it, since I once had it very severe. I have advised people not to over use earplugs and earmuffs as there is a risk of making the ears and auditory system more sensitive. Some people have taken this onboard and some do not believe. Here is the link if anyone wants to read and might find it helpful: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

 

No, noise damage is the most common cause of H.

 

Agree with you fully Lapidus.

 

Yes, or the most common "trigger."

Some have successfully treated their noise-induced hyperacusis, only to have it come back later, without any unusual sound exposure, for no discernible reason.

For some people, it appears that various triggers can activate, or re-activate, their central gain.

 

yes I use sound therapy at home. noise machines, music, crickets. For anyone though the best person to talk to would be a doctor. I can just give my experience and what my doctor told me regarding H.

 

My hyperacusis was very severe 20 years ago, so bad conversation with someone hurt. It was cured wearing white noise generators as part of TRT. When my tinnitus increased in 2008 due to noise exposure, my hyperacusis did not return and has still remaind silent. I advise you to continue using sound therapy Marie, especially at night...I still do.

 

Thanks for the useful information.I have a similar problem and you have just cheered me up.God Bless you.

 

Congrats to you @Marie79 for the positive post and that your H has faded. Many members have reported that the type of H that develops soon after loud T usually would fade over time. I think I told you that and you prove another example of H being a 'paper tiger/dragon'. It raised its ugly head at first but just faded out when we don't over-protect the ears. Well done. God bless.

 

Hi how long did it take for the H
to go away?

 

honestly it would get better in a few days of following my doctors advice about not overprotecting and not turning down volumes on things. It ALWAYS very routinely gets worse again when I am super obsessive and listening to my T all the time and monitoring it.

This is just my story. From what several doctors have told me actual H that is a medical disorder is rare. Mostly it is something we bring on by obsessing about noise or overprotecting our ears. I can't say what someone else has though. I can only say what I've been told and what has worked for me.

I don't want to upset anyone because I know there are people here that suffer greatly with H and probably a good many might have it medically or an actual physical condition.

 

I think I have H .. my T (noise induced)doesn’t bother me anymore it’s low in volume hoping it goes in due time.. but the reason I think I have H is because hollow sounds seem to be making my T ear sound like a broke speaker.. only in that ear but I’m not sure if it’s the same as y’all describe as H. I don’t have pain whenever it sounds like a broken speaker but on random times I will have some kind kind of ear pain in my T ear. Can anyone give me insight to what it may be??