Sharing My Story: Tinnitus & Hyperacusis Still Present — My 3-Month Update

I think it is about time to share my tinnitus & hyperacusis story, I´ve had tinnitus and hyperacusis for about 3 months after being exposed to loud music for a couple of weeks using headphones as I am a DJ and because of lockdown I was practicing more often and might got a bit too excited. It started on and off 2 secs of high pitched ringing several times a day for like 2 weeks following a kind of vertigo and then one night when I went to bed it was just there siting in the background, so quiet but I still noticed it.

I went through the same process of most people, going to doctors, trying to understand what I was experiencing, so went to the GP and he ordered me an audiology test which came back "normal" although it was not lineal and I could see a dip in the 4 kHz region but just within normal limits of 20 dB (although I think this has worsen with time doing some tests online). I then went to 2 ENTs, one told me that it was a TMJ issue and gave me antinflammatories. After 2 weeks of seeing no improvement I went back and another ENT finally told me I had to live with it and that I had to calm down and relax.

Soon after the onset of my tinnitus I experienced distortion of certain sounds, especially listening to music high frequencies sounded so tiny and harsh and in general so unbalanced and some of the frequencies a bit hollow. Also some everyday sounds sounded way too loud, like clenching of dishes, cutlery and all the bells and announcement sounds on the train were way too loud. I also realized some white noise like sounds (flushing of toilet, fans, AC, Heater, shower, frying stuff, kettle boiling) would react with an overlay sound like a whistling sound over it (after reading Tinnitus Talk, I would learn that this is probably dysacusis).

I fist couldn´t sleep and went in full anxiety mode, I had to start medication for sleep (Mirtazapine), I used to have sleeping issues for a few years in the past and was on Mirtazapine mainly for sleep but didn´t like the side effects so I just with the help of a sleep psychologist slowly got off it. I knew that Mirtazapine worked so I had to start again taking it to help me sleep. I started using masking sounds for sleep but every time they would work for a few nights but then the tinnitus would find a way to react so at the moment I am just playing some sounds in the background, it doesn´t mask the tinnitus but it gives my mind something else to listen to.

After 3 month since the original onset I have been up and down, it is mainly the psychological reaction to it and the idea of it becoming permanent what scares me the most. I changed my career to sound production 3 years ago and I was playing as a DJ more often for the past year. I was happier with this change but obviously how things are at the moment I am feeling it might be the end to my plans.

At this moment in time I am really struggling with this condition and it is always in the forefront, thinking what can I do to make it better, I haven´t been playing music because it makes me stressed and sad. Thanks to COVID-19 I have been at home looking after my ears, some days I don´t listen to anything and if I go out I am really careful, I wear earplugs which attenuates some noise but not too much. I have been reading Tinnitus Talk but it has so many different opinions of how to manage hyperacusis that I am not sure which one is the best as I don´t want to make it worse.

If there are any comments about my case or any DJ/soundie that has been through this please get in contact.


Thanks,
Gerard

 

How loud is your tinnitus on a scale of 1 to 10? When you want to sleep, does it get louder? Have you had any improvements in your tinnitus?

 

@Gerard M how are things going with another month behind you?