Is Hyperacusis Permanent?

So I get the notion that hypercasusis is curable. It takes time though.

Mine keeps doing this thing where it goes away. Then it comes back. That may be related to sitting in silence and doing work. (Not exact silence. I have a ceiling fan going and sometimes a video.). I'm not listening to anything loud enough to hurt me.

Can hypercasusis just come back after it goes away? Or even be permanent?

(I don't think what I have is permanent. I just want to know if anyone has had permanent hypercasusis.)

 

I am wondering this as well. It would be awful to have H forever

 

HI @Taylorslay

You are doing just fine and have made very good improvement in a short space of time. Try to relax and your hyperacusis will improve more in the coming days, weeks and months ahead. I believe it will be completely cured as mine has for 18 years but it takes time. Carry on using sound enrichment at night and try not to use earplugs too often or keeping away from normal everyday sounds. I had a second noise trauma in 2008 that resulted in my tinnitus becoming worse but my hyperacusis did not return. I advise you not to ever use headphones again and be careful of overly loud sounds. Do this I I don't think you'll have anything to worry about.

Take care
Michael

 

Yes, hyperacusis can be permanent.

 

Please give me some examples of some people on this forum.

But it seems to be from what I've read even with people with severe hypercasusis can be cured. It just takes a good while sometimes.

 

Hyperacusis can become permanent but in a lot of cases the reason is because the hyperacusis has not be treated. Hyperacusis like tinnitus comes in different levels of severity. Some people require the wearing of white noise generators used as part of TRT to treat the hypercusis. White noise generators look like hearing aids. They constantly supply "white noise" at low level to the ears and auditory system. They are worn for up to 10hrs a day. Over time the auditory system is desensitised so it is no longer hypersensitive to sound. I had this treatment and my hyperacusis was cured in 2 years.

Hyperacusis can also get better naturally without using white noise generators. If a person uses earplugs too often because they are afraid of everyday normal sounds the auditory system will remain hypersensitive.

Michael

 

I can't prove that any specific person has permanent hyperacusis that cannot be treated under any circumstance.

What we know for sure is that there is a figure between 10 and 20% of people with hyperacusis and ear pain who do not respond meaningfully to treatment. This statistic can be seen in clinics across the board, as well as in TRT-centric scientific study.

10-20% is not a small number. That is a staggeringly high failure rate.

 

And it might even be higher than 10 to 20 percent. There is a long thread on TTalk about a large TRT study that may have results forthcoming, and if so, shed some light when released:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...training-therapy-where-are-the-results.13016/

In the meantime, a couple excerpts from a website with a great deal of information about hyperacusis:

“An independent 2010 study of TRT for tinnitus patients by Ariizumi et al showed that 38% of patients found sound generators intolerable or ineffective after one month of use.”

Ariizumi Y, Hatanaka A, Kitamura K. Clinical prognostic factors for tinnitus retraining therapy with a sound generator in tinnitus patients. J Med Dent Sci 2010:57:45-53.

“Category 4 consists of patients who have tinnitus and/or hyperacusis and exhibit prolonged worsening of their symptoms as a result of sound exposure. This is the most difficult category of patients to treat, and the success rate is lower than in the other four categories”

-Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (2007) by Pawel Jastreboff and Jonathan Hazell

http://hyperacusisfocus.org/research/soundtherapy/

 

Is there any specific reason why my hypercasusis keeps coming and going?

 

My problem seeking treatment is that I'm 17 legally I'm still a minor and under the restrictions of my parents here in the United States. My family thinks I'm nuts. They genuinely think I have a mental problem. They keep telling me that my symptoms are anxiety. To that statement I agree partially. Anxiety did make my symptoms T and H seem a lot worse. But I'm no longer anxious. I'm more nuetral and understanding about the whole situation. However, my family still thinks I'm crazy. They won't allow me any treatment. Not to mention they are particularly loud people. They talk loud, they yell a lot. They aren't graceful in their movements. So I'm essentially stuck. All I can really do is listen to some background noise and hope for the best. Which I believe my H will go away completely in time. It's not that severe. But I don't like how it keeps fluctuating. I guess in a sense that worries me. Because it not only fluctuates but it spikes my T. My T was much louder (than it is now) for about 2 weeks. I began to get use to it towards the end of my spike. Then my T went down and so did my H.

It's really weird. I've grown use to it. And I guess accept it? But still don't want either H or T.

 

@Taylorslay

Your hyperacusis isn't coming and going although it may appear this way. Your auditory system is going through a process and trying to repair itself and this takes time. The onset of your tinntus and hyperacusis started less than two months ago and therefore, you are in the very early stages of these conditions or to be more precise "noise trauma". It is my belief that you have made considerable improvement within a very short period of time and you don’t realize it because of your lack of experience and this is understandable, since it’s the first time you have had this condition and perhaps been to a tinnitus forum.

Tinnitus by itself can take many months sometimes up to two years for a person to fully habituate. You also have hyperacusis that often accompanies tinnitus when a person has suffered a noise trauma to their auditory system. This can also take the same length of time to hopefully be completely cured but there is no guarantee, as the two members above have rightly said.

Your body is going through a healing process. Not only that but your psychological state “mental thinking” has also been affected by the tinnitus and hyperacusis and this also takes time to heal. In particular to think more positively about life and what you are going through. Tinnitus and hyperacusis often affects a person emotionally. I have written many posts about this and they are on my “started threads”. Again, I think you have made good improvement in this area within a short period of time.

By constantly asking questions about hyperacusis you are not helping yourself and I will tell you the reasons. The answers that you have been given by the two members above that refer to studies and website links where you can go to for information on failure rates for people that have not recovered from hyperacusis isn’t good for you as this reinforces negative thinking. The data given I’m not disagreeing with, what I’m saying these figures are not good for someone with tinnitus or hyperacusis to read that wants to get better and carry on with their life. Statements such as 10-20% being a staggeringly high failure rate if you’re not careful does more harm than good to your psychological state.

This is the reason Professor Pawel Jastreboff developer of TRT, advises people that are having this treatment not to visit tinnitus forums because of the negativity that is purported and I fully agree with him. A number of people in this forum have contacted me saying they are having TRT or CBT and I have advised them not to mention it in this forum because of the negative bias that is generated about these treatments. People are quick to post website links to inform people these treatments do not work. Believe me Taylor it is not helping you.

You need to keep a positive mindset. Reading data on failure rates with tinnitus and hyperacusis or reading negative posts can have a detrimental affect on your recovery. People like @fishbone @glynis @Billie @Kolisar @Pleasure_Paulie @PaulBe @Samantha R @Santiago Biagi @Bobbie7 @DebInAustralia are just a few of the many people in this forum that I believe have a positive outlook on tinnitus and life. Tinnitus and hyperacusis are difficult enough to handle without putting extra pressure on yourself. You are young and that is in your favour and making good progress. I would advise that you see a herbalist and ask advice on taking magnesium minerals as it is believed to help repair "nerves " The auditory pathways mostly consist of nerves and I took magnesium capsules on the advice of a herbalist for over a year and believed it helped me. It might be helpful to also see a Hearing Therapist that is trained in the treatment and management of tinnitus and hyperacusis for counselling.

Wishing you all the best
Michael

 

My H largely went away after adipose derived stem cells...

 

@Taylorslay ,

Michael is correct. This will not help, and searching the internet will only in crease your anxiety. Statistics like the 10%-20% failure rate Michael mentioned in his last response can be disheartening, especially in the wording itself, which is subtle but makes a difference, That number would seem far more positive is stated "The success rate is between 80%-90%". Same data, different presentation. You also have to consider that people are far more likely to complain than to praise. You are quite young, so I am guessing that if you have had a job (and you are young, so if you have not yet, that is not a bad thing) you probably have either worked in retail or in food service. If you have (and I am sure others on this forum will back me up here) how often have you seen or heard of a customer complaining about something or someone, now compare that to how often you have seen or heard of customer praising something of someone. I am going to guess that, if you have ever witnessed a customer asking to speak to the manager to tell him/her how great a job someone did, or hoe pleased they were with the product or service, those instances will be overshadowed at least ten to one, if not 100 to 1 by negative comments or feedback. People who are content are just that, content, and usually feel no need to express that because things went the way they expected.

This holds true for internet postings on most subjects. If someone feels like something is wrong, bad, poor quality, etc.. they are far more motivated to complain, loudly, publicly, and as often as they can because they are (let's assume only good intentions for this discussion) are trying to address a problem. You need to consider the 100:1 ratio of negative to positive feedback/postings, etc.. when processing any information you come across on the internet.

Even in this forum (which is filled with many helpful people) has a high ratio of negative posts, but that is to be expected as we all joined because we, or someone we care about, is suffering with tinnitus and associated afflictions (such as hyperacusis). We, especially when we first join, are usually frightened, depressed, often suicidal, and desperate, and that will come out in the messages, specifically because we were/are seeking help.

Sadly, that is common. I have found that, unless someone has experienced tinnitus, and I will assume hyperacusis, they generally cannot sympathize or understand just how debilitating it is. This is because they have no frame of reference. I was asked once "What is is like to be an identical twin?", I responded "What is it like to not be one?". I could not answer that question asked to me because that is all I have known, I have never experienced not being a twin. Your family cannot understand "What is it like having tinnitus and hyperacusis" because they have never experienced it. And, because they have absolutely no concept of what you are experiencing, they think you are "nuts".

And, most people do not try to understand (I have had one person try, I do not normally refer to my own posts, but so not repeat that here, this is that story "A Friend Trying to Understand") . There are a couple websites listed there (https://www.soundrelief.com/tinnitus/sounds-tinnitus/ , http://www.szynalski.com/tone-generator/ ) that I was able to use to create a reasonable facsimile of my tinnitus, perhaps you may be able to do the same for yours and help them understand part of what you are experiencing. I do not suffer from hyperacusis so, unfortunately, I have no ideas on how to help your family understand that.

The good news in that on your next birthday, you will be free from that restriction and may be able to get the treatment you need, although I hope that they will be able to understand what you are experiencing ling before that so you do not have to wait.

Sorry for the long response, I hope something in the small novel above helps. If nothing else, hang in there, it will get better and it will get easier, it will take some time, but it will get better. And, we are here to help you through this. We know you are not "nuts", and we understand what you are going through.

Take care and please keep us updated on your progress.

 

Great post @Kolisar I never looked at the statistics the way you have mentioned. It looks totally different and more positive your way. @Taylorslay you have your whole life ahead of you. The last thing you need is to be hampered by negativity when you're doing so well. You may or may not get a little hiccup during your habituation process, but don't let that deter you from keeping focused and believing that you will continue to improve.

Michael

 

@DebInAustralia

That is great news!

I am looking into Celltex of Houston, Texas to consider trying adipose stem cells for H.

http://celltexbank.com/how-it-works/

 

That's great, Deb! May I ask if you had stem cells for your hearing problems or was it for something else and the H going away a "lucky side effect"?

 

@Taylorslay I can chip in and tell you that I have bad hyperacusis more than once in my journey but around a year or more ago mine pretty much went.

Now I can actually be in a restaurant, as I was a few weeks back, very close to the person throwing cutlery into the trays and not feel homicidal rage towards them.

I still have a kind of misophonia thing where I don't like the sound but I don't get the hyperacusis and I can stay where I am.

 

@Talorslay

High stress and anxiety can maintain hyperacusis as the body goes into "survival mode" and "on alert". This means sounds are amplified x 10 or more.

 

I try not to feel stressed or anxious. I'm much better managing it in comparison to when I first developed T and H.

I have no doubt I'll get better. But you guys are right. I best not question it.

Thank everyone on this forum. You've all honestly been a game changer when it comes to understanding and dealing with H and T.

I do have a whole life ahead of me. I gotta stay positive.

Thank you

 

I guess this forum is full of people with permanent hyperacusis or permanent tinnitus. We wouldnt be here if we didnt have any hearing problems!

 

Technically no. It's full of people who have tinnitus and hyperacusis. Whether it's permanent or not is another question entirely.

The past user group who no longer post are likely littered with people who no longer have it.

 

What's the "past user group"?

 

The users who have registered with Tinnitus Talk, posted, then left the forum / stopped posting.

 

They moved on! Great that means that life can resume to normal

 

Absolutely. There are plenty of studies to show this. There are never any guarantees in life but the odds are firmly on your side.

 

One day we will be the past user group...
hopefully

 

How do we know that though? thrutht is......we don't know.

They could have left the forum because they got better OR they ended up in such a bad state that they did not have the energy to seek out support on a online forum. I don't see people leaving this place as an overall positive thing, for all we know these people could be sat in the worst state right this minute, drinking or drugging their pain and sorrow away.

 

Maybe Steve is in touch with some of them and he can tell us what really happened to them.

 

I doubt he is in contact with all of the people who left this site after a few months, which is probably many many people. Some of them got better i'm sure, but on the other hand I have no doubt that some of them didn't.

 

I have severe hyperacusis again with my new tinnitus, but my severe hyperacusis from first onset went away in 1.5 years in a matter of two weeks. Actually it started to resolve in days.

How this may have happened was from having almost constant rain. I would stand under covered porches and listen to the rain. The rain could be heard inside the house as well. I don't know, but maybe it was from the sound of rain coming from all directions.

Waiting for the rain again as we may get our first seasonal rain today. I also think that I will setup more than one sound unit playing rain in my house.