Is Hyperacusis Permanent?

4 years and still going with H.

 

Have you had any treatment @stacey with a Hearing therapist?

 

5 years here.

 

No there aren't too many of those in my area, mainly audiologist and they don't do much.

 

It's awful

 

Sorry to hear that @stacey as I feel white noise generators would help you.
Take care
Michael

 

There is research into this and we have a data mining project already conducted on tinnitus talk that has shown the way people talk about their condition improves with time.

Of course there are exceptions, that's just life.

It is very unfortunate but I think we can agree that if many people got worse and this became a real problem we would have a lot more activism and pushing for research to cures. As it is the level of activism among people with tinnitus and hyperacusis is extremely poor.

 

I had H for 8 months after I developed tinnitus, and it is now almost disappeared. I used white noise low volume throught pillow speaker for 4 days and after a while my H became lower.
So I guess it is curable and not permament.

 

Hyperacusis can be cured but maybe not in all instances. I had it very severe and it has been cured now for 18 years. It comes in different levels of severity and some people may need specialist treatment as in wearing white noise generators and having counselling. Curing hyperacusis can take up to 2 years. Some types of hyperacusis may not be curable. In some cases a person might not be able to get the specialist treatment as I've described, or a person might have an underlying medical problem within the auditory system that is causing the hyperacusis and is not a result of exposure to loud noise.

Michael

 

I dont know. It takes energy to push for a cure, energy that I myself and many others who are way worse then me dont have. I cant say that I have done anything to push towards finding a cure or raising more awareness.

I hope you are right about most people moving on though. But I do wiew it as realistic that many T suffers out are leading normal lifes, but inside are devastated and hurting very much. Myself included.

 

It's great that you got better Michael but with all due respect, please stop using the word cure instead of treated. You are not actually cured unless the problem is unable to return, you are treated. Hyperacusis can't be cured but it can be treated to various degrees sometimes but the mechanisms aren't understood so no one knows why or how really.

 

It is for all intents and purposes cured if it hasn't come back in 18 years.

 

A person with cancer can also be "cancer free" for 18 years but no doctor would ever say they are "cured" of cancer. There are very few things in this world that are curable.

 

@lapidus

My tinnitus and hyperacusis was treated for two years using TRT. This involved wearing white noise generators and having regular counselling sessions with a hearing therapist. At the end of treatment my tinnitus reduced to a very low level and my hyperacusis was completely cured. When I say cured I mean completely gone leaving no sensitivity within my auditory system.

In 2008 I suffered a second noise trauma that I have mentioned a few times in this forum. The hyperacusis did not return and has remained this way till this day. Unlike you I will be respectful towards you, which is more than you have shown me. I left school many years ago and do not regard you as my teacher, standing at the chalkboard highlighting the word cured in Bold three times. Please be assured I can see quite well and understand the difference between cured and treated.

In your world hyperacusis may not be fully understood but I understand it quite well in mine. Therefore, I shall continue to express my opinion based on my personal experience with this condition and will continue to say hyperacusis can be cured but not in all cases. Respectfully, I ask that you keep a wide berth from me and reserve your disapprovals, for when siding with my adversaries by ticking “Agree” as you’ve always done and we shall get along just fine.

I wish you well.
Michael

 

A slight point of confusion that could arise is that hyperacusis can be confused with misophonia, the former being an over sensitivity to some sounds, the latter being a DISLIKE of some sounds

 

I would say that when cancer comes back after 18 years it is a different cancer, and not the end of a remission of the old cancer.

 

In the H groups in FB, there are many members who have had H for more than five years. Maybe it's not permament but it's pretty much chronic in such cases.

 

Yeah, and? A cure for cancer would still mean that you can't get any type of cancer again (and you can most definitely get the same type of cancer again even after 18 years). Do you mean that if Michael got H again, it wouldn't be the same type of H? Not sure I'm following.

 

I would say that my hyperacusis has gone but it's left a misophonia. Maybe because it's stayed embedded in my mind that some sounds are bad.

But just like this forum, the people who join these groups and have had it for years are usually the thin end of the wedge. They disproportionally represent the group that struggle with it or have it to a degree where it affects quality of life.

 

@Steve She asked whether H is permanent or not, and not how many people have permanent H.

@Taylorslay, late last year, I messaged a lot of inactive members of the H groups on FB to ask if they got better and if yes, what they did. I was at a bad place and wanted reassurance. Not all responded but many did. Most of them did get better but still have H at some degree, though not enough to stay active in support forums. So they may have it milder than when they first got it, but it still hasn't gone away.

 

As ATEOS often points out, the T community is lethargic and this obviously goes for us who suffers with H too. But I somewhat understand it, you become lethargic after a while with this condition. But at least me and some other people on this forum donate money to the Hyperacusis Research Organisation. I mean, what else can a simple layman like me do? And I try to get more people to donate so that's my "activism" I guess. Speaking of which, Hyperacusis Research itself is an example of activism and pushing for research. It was founded in 2011 by Bryan Pollard who is an H sufferer (albeit mild I think) and during the few years they've existed they have accomplished quite a lot actually. So it's growing.

 

If the exact same type of cancer returns it is called recurrence. It does not matter the length of time, it is not considered a new cancer but the return of the original.

The development of a different type of cancer is called second cancer. Some types of cancer - such as breast cancer - are more susceptible cancer returning in a different form. Even though it appears in a different form, it is still considered linked to the original cancer. For example, meaning that had the patient never had breast cancer, they would very likely never have developed uterine cancer.

Likewise if hyperacusis returns, it is probably more accurate to call it a recurrence. It is the old hyperacusis reoccurring, not an entirely new problem.

 

Another option would be that there are many people believing they have hyperacusis when they only have a bit of sound sensitivity. There are several degrees of severity for hyperacusis depending on what caused it.

As for activism, I dont think it is realistic to think hyperacusics can be successful in making the world a quieter place. In fact, many work regulations are designed to label really noisy workplaces as places where noise is within legal limits, no matter how loud it is. Same goes for construction, activism cannot make this activity quieter or better regulated, because there is no one interested, except a tiny group, in taking measures against noise from construction or recreational activities. There are not adequate policies for noise control, fines and enforcement.

 

I hesitated to reply because I do not want to purposely discourage anyone, but perhaps the truth is the only way to go even if it can be inadvertently discouraging. I have had hyperacusis for 22 years, mostly tolerable most of the time, fortunately. (It's when it is intolerable most of the time that someone is in serious trouble, but not when it is tolerable).From my experience exchanging with others over the years, it seems that in most cases it is permanent, BUT that it can be improved, that is for sure. Completely cure is rare, but it does happen as with Mike Leigh using the TRT method. I personally did not have the discipline to stick with the TRT method so I do not know if I could have completely cured myself, but some improvement would have been probable with the method according to reliable reports.

I am sorry to hear your family have not been taking you seriously.That is so mean! I would go crazy with rage!! Some people are such morons! Fortunately most people have taken me seriously both close to me and with every day contacts. Like at the optometrist this week, I ask them to turn off their TV sound while I was waiting for my check-up, and they did with no hassle. It does happen that some look at me strangely but they usually do what I ask , even with that frown which can be really hurtful. Nevertheless, even if most people have been cool, having to explain this condition regularly to so many people at clinics, to taxi drivers , in stores, etc.. is a drag.

Hang in there !

Marco

 

Mines quite tolerable and I personally am fine as long as I can function properly. It has gotten better and I'm hoping for it to get to the point its rarely noticeable. *Crosses fingers* But I think it'll be alright.

 

I believe you are making good progress @Taylorslay just take it easy and even if you get spike, which is possible but not definite, try not to make this bother you. The ear takes a while to adjust itself especially within the first 6 months from onset. You are doing fine.

All the best
Michael

 

I actually don't think people can lead normal lives with T and H. There are massive restrictions now on life since our ears are massively damaged. Just one wrong move and it can be worse, so we always have to live with caution and anxiety.

 

You are new to tinnitus and hyperacusis @dpdx and it is understandable the way that you feel. However, I advise that you try and not think so negatively and to achieve that you have to reinforce positive thinking to reduce the negativity that is within you regarding your life as it presently is and believe in yourself that your auditory system will improve with time. It does take time and you must be patient.

Life is problematic and all of us will go through problems. Focus and accentuate the positive things in your life and this will help you not to think so negatively. There is nothing wrong with feeling occasionally negative but if a person isn’t careful it can become all-consuming and it’s something that is not good for our mental well-being.
Believe me your ears are not massively damaged neither do you have to live your life with caution and anxiety unless you want to. I advise you again to read the member’s messages on the “positivity” thread in this forum and click on the links below and read my posts. You might think what is the point and I will tell you.

It comes back to what I said: life is problematic and all of us will go through problems. If you want to get better and release yourself from the shackles that are restricting your positive thinking then you have to be prepared to do some homework to achieve this. Print my posts in the links that I will provide below and do the same for some of the messages on the positivity threads that you like. Print them do not just read them on your phone or computer. Keep the documents close by in a folder and refer to them often particularly when you’re not feeling your best. They are a form of counselling and will help recondition your mind to think more positively and clearly. It doesn’t happen overnight but a lot can be achieved if you persist.

Michael
Remember: our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/is-positivity-important.23150/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-the-negative-mindset.23705/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/acquiring-a-positive-mindset.23969/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-ent-doctor-and-hearing-therapist.24047/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/inspiration.22894/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/can-tinnitus-counselling-help.22366/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-habituation-process.20767/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/a-change-of-lifestyle.20643/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/i-would-rather-be-happy-than-right.12084/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/from-darkness-into-light.22234/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-big-picture.19308/

 

Great to hear that! How was the therapy administered in your case? Did you have some sort of injections? Did it involve several sessions?
Thanks

 

facet joint injections and iv.

one session