Still Alive and Doing Better! Hyperacusis and Pain Have Reduced by About 75%!

[GeorgeLG]

I believe that the fact that you are doing so well now is a a great testimonial of the power of the mind - and what brain retraining (through DNRS, CBT, and the likes) can help with to turn things over to the better.

Great reading @Marin, thanks for sharing!

I have found this to be true for me with three different chronic illnesses. Good stuff.

George

 

[Taw]

@Marin, thank you very much for such a detailed answer. It's very kind of you to share your knowledge that may improve other fellow sufferers.

For me it's worse and worse, I cannot do things that I could do 3-4 months ago, wearing earplugs burn my ears, wearing earmuffs burn my trigeminal nerve. Pain is almost non-stop, even from a mouse click.

I am really happy for you, all of us deserve to get out from this nightmare.

Btw, can you tolerate artificial audio (TV, laptop) now? At least at low volumes?

 

[Marin]

@Marin, what percentage of your improvement do you attribute to DNRS? Glad you're doing better.

George

Thank you I am sorry that I don't feel like I can give an accurate estimate because I didn't start practicing DNRS until after I had already started homeopathy and the diet. I can say with 100% certainty that DNRS has helped me very much, and I still use it everyday. Even if I don't have time to do the rounds on a given day, I am still actively interrupting and redirecting unhelpful thoughts, telling myself positive affirmations, and I am very careful with the language that I use if I do talk about symptoms.

 

[Marin]

@Marin, thank you very much for such a detailed answer. It's very kind of you to share your knowledge that may improve other fellow sufferers.

For me it's worse and worse, I cannot do things that I could do 3-4 months ago, wearing earplugs burn my ears, wearing earmuffs burn my trigeminal nerve. Pain is almost non-stop, even from a mouse click.

I am really happy for you, all of us deserve to get out from this nightmare.

Btw, can you tolerate artificial audio (TV, laptop) now? At least at low volumes?

I am truly very sorry that you are dealing with such torture. I experienced the exact same symptoms, and they kept getting worse. I can completely understand what a nightmare it all is... it is unreal how awful it can get. I agree 1,000% that no one deserves to deal with this kind of BS, and I sincerely hope that you are able to find something that helps you, too.

Yes, I do tolerate a lot of artificial audio now. I still avoid phone and laptop speakers if I can, but I have been able to listen to music all day on my stereo and in my car for a few months. I started at a very low volume, and I've worked up to what I think is a decent and enjoyable volume. For some weird reason TV audio was still pretty problematic for me (even with a good soundbar) up until the end of November, but it has thankfully gotten much better recently so I can enjoy movies with my kids again.

 

[Taw]

I am really happy for you. I agree on the TV part, strangely I cannot tolerate a 250 euro soundbar but I can tolerate better the cheap TV speakers. Don't understand why.

What stereo do you use? I am planning to buy one myself.
Also did you have also TMJ, by any chance? It seems that many people with pain H have also TMJ.

Thanks again for answering to all our questions.

 

[Marin]

@Taw, I am more than happy to share if it helps at all. I have a Sonos TV soundbar in the living room for TV and music, and I have another Sonos speaker that is portable that I can use to listen to music from all over the house. I also have a JBL Charge 4 Bluetooth speaker that is tolerable now.

I haven't been diagnosed with TMJ, but I do have a bad bite and jaw issues. I had braces on my teeth before all of the ear trouble started, and I had to put my orthodontic treatment on hold for a over a year while I was homebound. I'm back to going to the Orthodontist, and getting my braces adjusted or new elastics cause hyperacusis and discomfort to increase for a couple of days. Thankfully, things settle back down pretty quickly, though.

 

[Taw]

@Marin, I see, thank you. I think that you are a very brave person for pulling through this mentally. I cannot imagine how hard it was to follow DNRS and to be optimistic when you have 2 burning knifes in the ears constantly.

For me this seems quite impossible, at least with this level of pain. I think I have to break the vicious circle somehow.

 

[Lukee]

@Marin, I see, thank you. I think that you are a very brave person for pulling through this mentally. I cannot imagine how hard it was to follow DNRS and to be optimistic when you have 2 burning knifes in the ears constantly.

For me this seems quite impossible, at least with this level of pain. I think I have to break the vicious circle somehow.

Have you tried a low-histamine diet? I would attribute a large part of @Marin's success to her diet. It seems to be yielding good results for others.

 

[GoatSheep]

For me it's worse and worse, I cannot do things that I could do 3-4 months ago, wearing earplugs burn my ears, wearing earmuffs burn my trigeminal nerve. Pain is almost non-stop, even from a mouse click.

I'm having lots of trouble wearing hearing protection too. Plugs make the inside of my ears burn or ache. Muffs make the area surrounding my ear and jaw ache.

My sound sensitivity is so weird though. As you say mouse clicks and typing cause my ears to hurt. Even low level sound from any artificial audio causes some kind of irritation, whether burning, shooting pains, or an ache.

However, yesterday I broke down 4 large cardboard boxes to put in my recycling container that had to be torn into much smaller pieces. I did that all without hearing protection and it was fairly loud ripping and tearing compared to the low volume on my devices, yet no irritation of any kind.

 

[Taw]

Have you tried a low-histamine diet? I would attribute a large part of @Marin's success to her diet. It seems to be yielding good results for others.

Not yet, it's very hard for me to find fresh meat, no leftovers, I live in a big city and I am mostly homebound, but I am willing to try it at least for 2 weeks. To be honest, I don't know exactly what foods to avoid, if you read 3 different sites, you get 3 different results. Looking at some lists, except the fresh meats, it seems that I rarely eat high-histamine foods.

I'm having lots of trouble wearing hearing protection too. Plugs make the inside of my ears burn or ache. Muffs make the area surrounding my ear and jaw ache.

My sound sensitivity is so weird though. As you say mouse clicks and typing cause my ears to hurt. Even low level sound from any artificial audio causes some kind of irritation, whether burning, shooting pains, or an ache.

Yep, exactly like me, protection is very hard and artificial audio is the worst. I really don't understand why, but many people complain about this.

 

[GeorgeLG]

Not yet, it's very hard for me to find fresh meat, no leftovers, I live in a big city and I am mostly homebound, but I am willing to try it at least for 2 weeks. To be honest, I don't know exactly what foods to avoid, if you read 3 different sites, you get 3 different results. Looking at some lists, except the fresh meats, it seems that I rarely eat high-histamine foods.

I thought that the DNRS and homeopathy helped @Marin the most. But yes, I agree that this diet has helped some people.

Yep, exactly like me, protection is very hard and artificial audio is the worst. I really don't understand why, but many people complain about this.

Your best bet for determining food sensitivities is the rare food elimination diet. Blood tests are not very reliable and figuring it out on the fly with a normal diet is very difficult because of the delay after eating the offending substance(s). I have used these techniques with great success in the past including this month when a raging C Diff infection made me lactose intolerant and unable to digest fats properly. I confirmed this way and got my gut back in order. I also found my sensitivities for tinnitus, all the usual suspects in this case.

30 years ago it got to the bottom of a 60 pound unintentional weight loss with multiple health problems. Sometimes it's totally weird stuff specific only to you. In the case 30 years ago, potatoes would make my heart race, cheese and corn chips gave me a fib, milk caused headaches, ... It's a pain in the ass to do but if you need to get rid of something you feel so much better that you have no hesitation using this technique again. A couple of posters here have said I they won't do that and give up the foods they love and if that's the case then one shouldn't bother because for them it's not worth the effort which is cool. It's all about priorities and tradeoffs. Sometimes I say F it and drink super high test coffee or eat a piece of cake and go through a spike that day so I even cheat sometimes.

I consider this like when I used to drink up until 1998. You put up with the hangover because it was so much fun but as I got older and the effects of alcohol got worse I eventually said that's it and I haven't had a drink in 24 years. My priorities changed.

George

 

[GoatSheep]

Not yet, it's very hard for me to find fresh meat, no leftovers, I live in a big city and I am mostly homebound, but I am willing to try it at least for 2 weeks. To be honest, I don't know exactly what foods to avoid, if you read 3 different sites, you get 3 different results. Looking at some lists, except the fresh meats, it seems that I rarely eat high-histamine foods.

Yep, exactly like me, protection is very hard and artificial audio is the worst. I really don't understand why, but many people complain about this.

@mrbrightside614 posted this info regarding the histamine diet for me. Not sure if any of it will help, but here you go just in case. I am planning on trying it soon. I'll have to do a full grocery shop and separate my children's food from my and work on my self control of course since histamine heavy stuff will still be in my house and easily accessible lol.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/posts/628792/

 

[Diego LR]

Thanks for sharing your experience, very useful. I am curios about your sleep. How did you manage your sleep during these difficult times, did you take any medication? My symptoms stop me from sleeping and I am scared of addiction from medication (that can make things worse) or basically insomnia is another symptom difficult to ignores. I use Clonazepam when my noises are high a couple of times a week. Also, which kind of CBD did you use?

 

[Marin]

@Diego LR, I'm sorry that you are struggling with sleep. I had awful insomnia for at least the first 6 months so I can relate to how rough that is. I could fall asleep initially, but I'd wake up a couple hours later with searing ear pain or in a panic and depressed about my condition. Then I'd be up for the rest of the night, and the lack of sleep really wore me down.

Honestly, I think I finally started regularly sleeping through the night when I took Clonazepam, Gabapentin, and CBD together in the evening. I know this is a pretty bad combination, but I was so desperate for any relief I could get.

I only took the Gabapentin for a month or two before weaning off because it didn't really help me with the ear pain and sound sensitivity, and it was making me even more depressed which was scary.

I did take Clonazepam for at least 9 months before switching to Valium and slowly tapering off. I actually started taking Clonazepam before adding Gabapentin, and I still wasn't sleeping well so I know that Clonezapam alone didn't help me with the sleep issues. I took the Clonazepam because it seemed like the only medication that helped a little with the ear issues, but I definitely developed a tolerance. I wouldn't let myself increase the dosage, so once I developed a tolerance it didn't seem to help anymore. I started tapering the benzos after I felt enough improvements from using the homeopathy, and it's been about 6 months since I successfully finished the taper. Whew!

I kept taking CBD through both the Gabapentin and benzo tapers and thankfully slept well. I currently take a CBD/CBG tincture from Lazarus Naturals at night, and I do think it really helps with sleep. I've also tried and liked CBD tinctures from CBD Distillery.

I completely understand your concern with using Clonazepam regularly, addiction, and ending up with worse tinnitus & hyperacusis. I had the exact same concerns! I just don't know how I would have survived those horrendous months without it. I wouldn't recommend taking benzos for an extended period of time unless it truly was a last resort. If I had known about homeopathy sooner, I would have at least tried that first before all of the other medications I tried, but I did the best I could with the knowledge I had at the time.

 

[Traumasux]

Did you have a feeling of air in the ears or air/cold feeling traveling up your Eustachian tubes?

My burning in fingers is much better now when taking Deanxit for almost a month.

Have your neck pain calmed down as well?

 

[Marin]

Did you have a feeling of air in the ears or air/cold feeling traveling up your Eustachian tubes?

My burning in fingers is much better now when taking Deanxit for almost a month.

Have your neck pain calmed down as well?

Hmmmmm, I can't say that I remember those ear symptoms so probably not.

That's great that the finger burning is getting better! It must be a relief.

I have been going to a chiropractor for the last two months and my neck has been feeling better. It still needs more work, though.

 

[Freerunner]

@Marin, I see that you seem to be overwhelmed with questions and you might have missed mine.

Did your tinnitus improve as well? Did the tones subside/go away and how did it change throughout your recovery period? How much of Pulsatilla did you take? I saw you mentioned 120 per week, if I am wrong please let me know. I have been taking it as well (I got the 30ch version) but so far I think it has no effect.

My hyperacusis worsened and I am forced to wear earplugs at home and I get burning pain behind my ears and they feel fatigue all the time.

Was your tinnitus reactive to low noise/speaking etc? What was your tinnitus like before and how is it now, after the hyperacusis subsided?

Thank you!

 

[Marin]

@Marin, I see that you seem to be overwhelmed with questions and you might have missed mine.

Did your tinnitus improve as well? Did the tones subside/go away and how did it change throughout your recovery period? How much of Pulsatilla did you take? I saw you mentioned 120 per week, if I am wrong please let me know. I have been taking it as well (I got the 30ch version) but so far I think it has no effect.

My hyperacusis worsened and I am forced to wear earplugs at home and I get burning pain behind my ears and they feel fatigue all the time.

Was your tinnitus reactive to low noise/speaking etc? What was your tinnitus like before and how is it now, after the hyperacusis subsided?

Thank you!

I'm sorry I missed that! I started with Pulsatilla 30c, and after about a month my homeopath moved me to the higher potency of 200c. Because I'm super sensitive to pretty much everything, I dissolve three pellets in about 4oz of water, and I only take a spoonful of the water. I do that about once ever two weeks. I cannot stress enough that homeopathy is highly individual. So, other people might need different doses more or less frequently or different remedies all together. I had to try a few different remedies before finding this one that worked well for me.

As for the tinnitus, when I first lost high frequency hearing in my right ear, I had just a static noise in that one ear, and my left ear had no tinnitus.

After I tried LLLT just the one time, I got tinnitus in my left ear, too, and the tinnitus in both ears was multi tonal on top of loud electric noise, and very reactive. Oh, I developed musical tinnitus, too. That's also when I became home bound and the hyperacusis became catastrophic. I had to wear hearing protection 24/7 even in the quiet. I don't remember the tinnitus reacting to voices, but if I heard a siren or any kind of beep in the far distance my ears would replay that sound over and over for hours... and that was even when I heard the sound with hearing protection. It drove me nuts!

Thankfully, the tinnitus gradually became less chaotic and reactive as I continued to use homeopathy and stick to my diet. For me, the tinnitus was very connected to how bad the hyperacusis was. As H got better, so did the tinnitus. I still have it in both ears, but it's much better and back to mostly static background noise that doesn't react to anything. I try my best to tune it out, and if I'm busy doing things I enjoy I often don't even notice it. I am pretty sick right now so it's louder than usual, but I expect it to calm back down when I'm feeling better.

I'm sorry that you are suffering from so much ear pain! I really hope you can find something that works for you.

 

[Freerunner]

@Marin, thanks for getting back to me! I am really happy you have had so much improvement!

Do you use the tablets or drops version of Pulsatilla? Can you please also provide the contact details of your homeopath? I would really like to schedule an appointment with her.

Thank you once again and I wish you fast recovery!

 

[Marin]

Thank you, @Freerunner

I buy the tablets/pellets made by Borion. Let me ask her if she's ok with me giving you her information, and if she's ok with it I will get back to you as soon as possible.

 

[Brian Newman]

I buy the tablets/pellets made by Borion. Let me ask her if she's ok with me giving you her information, and if she's ok with it I will get back to you as soon as possible.

How many of the 200c would you take a day?

 

[Athens]

I'm sorry I missed that! I started with Pulsatilla 30c, and after about a month my homeopath moved me to the higher potency of 200c. Because I'm super sensitive to pretty much everything, I dissolve three pellets in about 4oz of water, and I only take a spoonful of the water. I do that about once ever two weeks. I cannot stress enough that homeopathy is highly individual. So, other people might need different doses more or less frequently or different remedies all together. I had to try a few different remedies before finding this one that worked well for me.

As for the tinnitus, when I first lost high frequency hearing in my right ear, I had just a static noise in that one ear, and my left ear had no tinnitus.

After I tried LLLT just the one time, I got tinnitus in my left ear, too, and the tinnitus in both ears was multi tonal on top of loud electric noise, and very reactive. Oh, I developed musical tinnitus, too. That's also when I became home bound and the hyperacusis became catastrophic. I had to wear hearing protection 24/7 even in the quiet. I don't remember the tinnitus reacting to voices, but if I heard a siren or any kind of beep in the far distance my ears would replay that sound over and over for hours... and that was even when I heard the sound with hearing protection. It drove me nuts!

Thankfully, the tinnitus gradually became less chaotic and reactive as I continued to use homeopathy and stick to my diet. For me, the tinnitus was very connected to how bad the hyperacusis was. As H got better, so did the tinnitus. I still have it in both ears, but it's much better and back to mostly static background noise that doesn't react to anything. I try my best to tune it out, and if I'm busy doing things I enjoy I often don't even notice it. I am pretty sick right now so it's louder than usual, but I expect it to calm back down when I'm feeling better.

I'm sorry that you are suffering from so much ear pain! I really hope you can find something that works for you.

Can you please describe your diet that you reference?

 

[Marin]

How many of the 200c would you take a day?

I'm super sensitive, so I dilute the pellets of the remedy in about 4 ounces of water and then I only take a spoonful of the liquid. I do that about once every two weeks, but I will take it sooner if I feel like the symptoms are backsliding. I know it sounds like I'm taking a minuscule amount, but it REALLY works for me. Someone else may need to take more and more frequently.

 

[Marin]

Can you please describe your diet that you reference?

When I started carnivore, I was super strict because I was absolutely miserable and willing to try anything to feel better. So, at first I'd only eat beef, organs, salt, and water. To keep the meat lower in histamines, I kept it frozen until I was ready to cook it, then I defrosted it by soaking in water, and then I cooked it quickly and ate it right away. I avoided slow cooked meats and leftovers because those are much higher in histamines.

As I felt better and better, I've become less strict, but I still eat mostly animal based foods that are freshly cooked. I still keep my meat frozen until I'm ready to cook it, and I avoid slow cooked meats if possible. I still focus on beef, but I also eat eggs, salmon, pork, chicken, and an occasional apple or low histamine veggie.

I do cheat on my diet here and there without too many problems. For example I enjoyed an ice cream while at the zoo yesterday. However, if I cheat too many times in a row the uncomfortable ear itching flares up so it's not worth it to cheat a lot.

 

[Athens]

When I started carnivore, I was super strict because I was absolutely miserable and willing to try anything to feel better. So, at first I'd only eat beef, organs, salt, and water. To keep the meat lower in histamines, I kept it frozen until I was ready to cook it, then I defrosted it by soaking in water, and then I cooked it quickly and ate it right away. I avoided slow cooked meats and leftovers because those are much higher in histamines.

As I felt better and better, I've become less strict, but I still eat mostly animal based foods that are freshly cooked. I still keep my meat frozen until I'm ready to cook it, and I avoid slow cooked meats if possible. I still focus on beef, but I also eat eggs, salmon, pork, chicken, and an occasional apple or low histamine veggie.

I do cheat on my diet here and there without too many problems. For example I enjoyed an ice cream while at the zoo yesterday. However, if I cheat too many times in a row the uncomfortable ear itching flares up so it's not worth it to cheat a lot.

I am on my fifth day of a low histamine diet. It is very difficult. I have low energy and mood. I ordered some enzymes to take with each meal. They will arrive on Thursday. They apparently help break down the food. I do eat apples and a very small amount of cottage cheese.

 

[Brian Newman]

I'm super sensitive, so I dilute the pellets of the remedy in about 4 ounces of water and then I only take a spoonful of the liquid. I do that about once every two weeks, but I will take it sooner if I feel like the symptoms are backsliding. I know it sounds like I'm taking a minuscule amount, but it REALLY works for me. Someone else may need to take more and more frequently.

So just try one at a time? I think I'll try a few every day and see how I tolerate it? And I've been doing low histamine for 6 weeks, definitely helps, my body feels like it needs more to get out of the hole for sure. I found there was also Pulsatilla for nerve pain, have you tried that one?

I got the 200c ones like you said, the one for colds.

 

[Marin]

I am on my fifth day of a low histamine diet. It is very difficult. I have low energy and mood. I ordered some enzymes to take with each meal. They will arrive on Thursday. They apparently help break down the food. I do eat apples and a very small amount of cottage cheese.

Yeah, trying to eat low histamine is a huge pain in the butt.

Do you think your low energy and mood are from the diet? If so, it could be an electrolyte issue. When I started carnivore I crashed really hard with zero energy. Adding a lot of extra salt to my food helped a lot while I adjusted to the diet.

 

[Marin]

So just try one at a time? I think I'll try a few every day and see how I tolerate it? And I've been doing low histamine for 6 weeks, definitely helps, my body feels like it needs more to get out of the hole for sure. I found there was also Pulsatilla for nerve pain, have you tried that one?

I got the 200c ones like you said, the one for colds.

Oh sorry! I forgot to specify that I put three pellets in the water at a time. Yes, I think starting slow to see how you tolerate it is a good idea. There is such a thing as too much of a homeopathy remedy, and taking too much can cause a temporary aggravation of symptoms. If that happens, lay off of the remedy until the elevated symptoms go back down (they will!).

It's the exact same Pulsatilla that's used for nerve pain. That is the beauty of homeopathy - the same remedy can be used for multiple illnesses and symptoms. I recently took extra Pulsatilla while I was sick because it's good for colds and flus where you have a lot of mucus (probably TMI, sorry). It didn't cure my flu immediately, but it definitely helped to lessen the severity of it.

 

[Jerad]

Oh sorry! I forgot to specify that I put three pellets in the water at a time. Yes, I think starting slow to see how you tolerate it is a good idea. There is such a thing as too much of a homeopathy remedy, and taking too much can cause a temporary aggravation of symptoms. If that happens, lay off of the remedy until the elevated symptoms go back down (they will!).

It's the exact same Pulsatilla that's used for nerve pain. That is the beauty of homeopathy - the same remedy can be used for multiple illnesses and symptoms. I recently took extra Pulsatilla while I was sick because it's good for colds and flus where you have a lot of mucus (probably TMI, sorry). It didn't cure my flu immediately, but it definitely helped to lessen the severity of it.

@Marin, what do you think helped your tinnitus improve the most? Would you say Pulsatilla helped tinnitus, too, or does that only seem to help hyperacusis? Thanks.

 

[Brian Newman]

Oh sorry! I forgot to specify that I put three pellets in the water at a time. Yes, I think starting slow to see how you tolerate it is a good idea. There is such a thing as too much of a homeopathy remedy, and taking too much can cause a temporary aggravation of symptoms. If that happens, lay off of the remedy until the elevated symptoms go back down (they will!).

It's the exact same Pulsatilla that's used for nerve pain. That is the beauty of homeopathy - the same remedy can be used for multiple illnesses and symptoms. I recently took extra Pulsatilla while I was sick because it's good for colds and flus where you have a lot of mucus (probably TMI, sorry). It didn't cure my flu immediately, but it definitely helped to lessen the severity of it.

Was it this one:

Boiron Arnica montana 200CK Homeopathic Medicine for Pain Relief, White, 80 Count

Or this one:
Boiron Pulsatilla 200CK

I got the one for colds, did you get the one that says it's for pain? Or the one for colds? Sorry this Pulsatilla stuff is confusing.