My Severe Hyperacusis To-Do List

There is no such thing as "Reactive tinnitus" This term was made-up in tinnitus forums and has now become commonly used. Your tinnitus is indeed reacting to sound, but it is Hyperacusis, that it is reacting to due to oversensitivity of your auditory system. Pain is not always felt with hyperacusis because it comes in different levels of severity. In most cases this over sensitivity is due to a noise trauma. People will tell you there is such a thing as Reactive Tinnitus butI assure you there isn't. Read my post: Hyperacusis, As I see it, and try some self help. The link is below.

Michael


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

 

No the TMj doesn't cause hearing issues. It's a common claim by neuro muscular dentists but both the TMJ and ENTs and mayo said this was incorrect.

 

Ok it could be depression or self confidence, self esteeem etc. Anxiety seemed nicer...

 

Or it could be none of the above. I think you may be confusing the meaning of feedback loops in biology.

Regarding feedback loops and tinnitus:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100623123338.htm

Here is actually a good concise write up I found about maladaptive feedback loops:

https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/23152/how-does-the-brain-avoid-feedback-loops

Concentrating on a sound, pain, etc. can make it worse, though. That's where things get a little nebulous.

 

Pretty sure I'm using it correctly. Don't think so narrow and it apply it the mind + body connection. It is very commonly used as a broader term for how actions or behaviors reinforce negative behaviors.

 

I'm kind of lost.. So what was the cause of the hearing issues? Which medical tests did you do?

 

I didn't have issues with my hearing. I had isssues with Eustachian tube dysfunction, tinnitus, and hyperacusis. But not hearing! All was caused most likely by TMJ.

 

You said "Facial pain is almost all anxiety based.". That seems to pretty narrow sighted to me. Maybe it is for you, but that doesn't mean that it's anxiety based for everyone.

 

No the world's leading doctor (literally) on facial pain did. To not believe him is a little arrogant of you...

 

Okay, but I am curious. Did they literally say it was always caused by anxiety / negative emotions, or did they say a maladaptive feedback loop?

 

Not always...but almost always. And the pain itself is not caused by internal derangement of the joints. He explained anxiety in term of maladaptive emotional regulation and how these can form feedback loops where anxiety creates anxiety or anxiety creates pain once in this loop. What gives? Why the fifth degree?

 

@Red stay strong! I am glad to see you have made a list of things to do. It shows you are being productive and taking steps to get better.

The one thing i am confused about is why you have to stay goodbye to your friends? I think you should inform them of your situation and I am sure they will be understanding and supportive. You can always keep your current friends and make new ones.

 

Because my friends are internet friends. I cannot rely on being able to type forever due to chronic pain. And I don't know when I'll be able to voice chat again.


Anyway here's an update on how I'm doing:

1. Not on LoA but working on my ADA forms.

2. Manual ear cleaning was a success!
...And I got to enjoy 1 day of it before my left reclogged over night.
Honestly I'm unsure right now if my clogs and fluttering are from ETD or just hyperacusis being crap.
I think most would say the latter but I did have a cold before all this and still have some congestion.

3. My tinnitus is a lot better. It's still not really stable but it's at least close to my original baseline. The reactivity has improved.

4. My pre-existing visual snow has worsened and at this point I consider it more bothersome than tinnitus. It doesn't matter what the lighting conditions are--it's there. It's on the tv, it's on my phone, it's outside and inside. It's all grainy now. (As opposed to just walls being grainy as it was before) I feel like it ends up lining all edges in an aura which is extremely annoying. I don't have an increase in floaters which I've had for over a decade. (Just 1 or 2 in bright areas or on the sky that don't always show up.) And hopefully it stays that way.

5. Hyperacusis...I don't know if this has improved or not. Sometimes I feel simultaneously worse and better. My opinion is loudness and pain are very much separate. And either the former has improved or I've just overall gotten less mopey and anxious about noise. So I'm at intermittent dull pain in the right with trigemminal nerve pain that hangs out in the temple and fluttering at sound in my left. (Usually flutters in response to high rises and falls in frequencies from what I can tell, a sensation that sound isn't just heard but touched) I'm still unsure about how it will impact my chronic pain overall.

 

Red,

I am sorry to hear about 4 & 5. I wish I could help you but I don't know much about 4. Many people say using white noise machines at night when they sleep helps them with H. I'm sorry if I am repeating something you have heard, but I thought I would mention it if you didn't hear it yet.

I am so happy to hear about 2 & 3. That is great news! Please be careful when removing ear wax yourself as you don't want to damage your inner ear or ear drum.

Can you use voice chat at a low volume through speakers? That's what I currently do so I don't have to use headsets.

It seems overall your ears are improving slowly, which is a good sign! Try to stay optimistic!

Jack

 

I've already been using this technique. The last time I tried it was 2-3 weeks ago. I was in pain pretty much the whole time. Well after today I need to bounce back again after hearing a somewhat close ambulance 100-200 ft away but I've been managing to listen to the tv on low which has been good. My computer speakers are cheap so I may invest in something that makes voices sound more natural.

 

I don't think my hyperacusis is severe. I don't know. I have seen people talk about their symptoms and mine doesn't seem as bad. My ear pain is intermittent. I just get distressed because I assume I have TTTS in both ears and it exacerbates my existing facial pain. I am able to go outside, though I prefer to stay in the safety of the car. My visual snow bothers me but that also seems worse for others.

I just...I keep telling myself other people have it way worse. I am trying to reassure myself I can live with this. I still just am so depressed even though I am better than others symptom wise.

I think what would be best for me is some kind of pain management....but I also fear pain management is for people who are really bad pain wise.
And that I anything I will do is risky...

I am constantly in a state of stagnation and never sure what to do.