I Can't Go to the Doctor Because I Can't Leave My Home

I’m 23 and I have been struggling leaving my home to go see doctors.

If I’m around 70+ decibels (which is everything) especially if it’s a low sound like an engine sound or motorcycle or certain vacuum cleaners... I can still hear it in my brain clear as day even when I’m not near that sound anymore.

It’s a frightening experience on top of my hyperacusis and super loud reactive tinnitus. Anytime I leave my home my reactive tinnitus gets to 80 decibels and if it’s really loud all the way to 90 decibels.

I just feel stuck because I literally haven’t even been able to take a single medication like steroids or low dose naltrexone since everything started because I have yet to find a doctor willing to prescribe it. And now I’m experiment visual snow and losing my vision and I don’t know what to do.

But I can’t keep going into doctors offices. I have relapses each time I go out. And 100 percent of the time they don’t take me seriously. I’ve even tried having a doctor come to my home but they don’t wanna prescribe anything because my case is too complicated.

I’m just stuck

I know low-dose naltrexone would help me or steroids because I know I have brain lesions. But they don’t want to help because I refuse to get into an MRI. Everyone knows if you have severe hyperacusis you cannot get into an MRI.

 

How do you know you have brain lesions?

I did not know that people with severe hyperacusis cannot get into an MRI. I had hyperacusis and tinnitus that reacted the same as your own. It was shocking how it could immediately elevate louder than any and every environment. I had four MRIs during that time. Adequate ear protection, quieter MRI machines, and controlling my anxiety were key.

Do you have a therapist? How are you coping with your anxiety?

How long have you had severe hyperacusis? Mine diminished over time. And for me, spending every moment of every day in my quiet house did not help it improve.

 

Layla, if you're struggling to leave your house to go see doctors, that suggests to me that you're struggling to leave your house for anything else. If so, as Tinker Bell mentioned, staying in the house too long is not a good way of acclimating to your tinnitus. Hopefully in time you will be able to get out if for nothing more than short periods at first and build from there. Protecting yourself from tinnitus is important but not to the point where it's affecting your ADLs. I agree, you are stuck, but with some work and a little patience, things can get better for you.
Mike

 

She doesn't. She's getting it from this thread.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...-damage-what-are-you-doing-to-treat-it.31361/

Getting into a mri might be the only way for doctors to take you seriously. Sadly, because these illnesses are invisible, showing up and asking for meds while refusing to do tests that sound pretty much necessary for you, doesn't look good.
Also, for eye floaters like yours, do you plan to visit an optometrist?

 

You make a right decision !

 

If you were her, what will you do with severe T & H ? Move into the noisy tube ?

 

Assuming you have brain lesions is a pretty big assumption. And unnecessary to assume when tests exist to prove or disprove your assumption. I have one, it’s been imagined multiple times. It’s not a cause nor a concern.

Regarding testing, an optometrist can see floaters and do additional imaging tests. Again, not a reason to assume the worse case scenario.

 

Yeah, probably better for her to continue to worry versus getting a definitive answer and possibly treating a detectable condition. I’m sure that anxiety is helping her tinnitus.

I did. It was not as noisy as I had feared. I wore essentially triple ear protection. Could barely hear the MRI technicians when they yelled asking if I was okay.

Of course, all of this is irrelevant if she does not actually need an MRI. She is assuming she needs one. It’s quite possible she does not. An optometrist should be her first stop for her vision concerns. There is a wide range of tests they can do before an MRI is even suggested.

 

I don't know. Of course, myself, I freeze when making these kinds of decisions, like a deer caught in the headlights. I never took prednisone, for example, because I was too afraid of the side effects.

It's hard to give advice when not in the other's shoes. In general, as if this was not the case, doctor bedside manner would be much better.

Doctor visits are a good idea, but not for steroids, for their own suggestions.

 

I specifically have tinnitus/hyperacusis/visual snow from a severe acoustic trauma. And I’ve met 4 other young people like me with the same symptoms all of us got it from noise. One already had tinnitus from bars but she got into an MRI and immediately developed severe reactive tinnitus. I do not want to chance it.

And it’s not a fear. I have scientific reasons to not want to get into an MRI.

 

I live in Chicago. One of the noisiest cities in the world. A lot of you live in the suburbs or smaller cities or even small towns. It’s NOT the same thing going outside in a city like Chicago. There’s constant construction, sirens, music bass from peoples cars. Once the vibrations from a guy drilling next to the car was too much and it triggered a seizure.

I’m still dealing with the fallout from that event.

 

And you do not necessarily need an MRI but you do need to see the appropriate doctors. An optometrist, a neurologist and a therapist are good places to start.

You had a seizure from noise or from the anxiety to the noise? You have seen a neurologist, yes? Seizures can indicate a variety of concerns. Was it verified a seizure or are you assuming you had a seizure? Panic attacks can sometimes mimic seizure symptoms. Again, an MRI is not always necessary for diagnosing conditions that cause seizures.

 

Would love to live in the suburbs but, nope, I live in one of the busiest areas in America. Construction, yep. Sirens, all sorts, including air raid sirens which can be heard at least once a day. Trains. International airport flight paths. Aggressive and inconsiderate drivers.

 

It sounds like NYC.
My sister lives in Flushing but I have not seen her in years
due to the environments you just mentioned.
It is really scary !

 

if you have trouble taking yourself to doctors offices due to parking and walking to the building entrance, what I do sometimes is take Uber instead so they drop me off right at the entrance and pick me up in the same manner. just make sure you tell them to mute their phone and stereo before getting in the car. Now I can avoid parking garages and street noise all together.

Also if you have an ENT that's aware of your tinnitus, ask them if they would sign off on a permeant handicap placard for your car. Once I explained to my ENT that one of the reasons why I couldn't go to a lot places was because of that critical moment of getting from my car to the building entrance. It made sense and got the approval right away. he wrote "debilitating tinnitus" on the form as the condition.