Tinnitus, Hearing Loss and Hyperacusis

Life is fun. No, not really. You'd think all those symptoms would somehow cancel each other out, but they don't. There are days where I just want to sit in a closet with the door shut and block out all sound but I know I can't escape the constant, soul draining hissing sound in my ears. It's been a bad day.. probably not the best day to introduce myself.. Anyway, I'm female, 60 and have had this a few months now. It's horrible.

 

You're right, life is fun! But this constant "musical" accompaniment...not so much...

 

Hi there

Welcome to this great forum!

I 100% feel your pain and know exactly what you are going through! I was there too, all of us were and are in your shoes. I highly suggest that you seek some kind of therapy or simply talk it out with people that love you. Express what you feel and get as much support as you can.

You are lucky to have found a forum that cares for its members and does its best to support and comfort those that suffer. I had NO support when I got my tinnitus and just got laughed at and these were the best ear doctors in my state.

I use to have very BAD hyperacusis too! It was horrible and very painful. It was so painful that when people clapped their hands, my ears would fill up with intense pain. Now, at the end of my martial arts class, we clap and say good job to other training partners. My ears are not bothered at all.

Tinnitus takes quite a while , to get a grip on. I was lost for a long time and it took some real deep soul searching to get on the right track. You can do this and we are here to support you.

Don't ever give up!!!

 

Thanks for the welcomes. I'm in a better place this morning but I'm the only one up.. Lol so it's quiet. Yesterday when I joined I'd had a busy, stressful, incredibly frustrating day and talking to my husband doesn't help because he just minimizes it. "I've had crinkling in my ears too'.. or 'loud noises bother me too'.. Well, mine isn't ear wax, and it's not normal for most people to have such a reaction to a loud noise.. Yesterday he plunked a glass bottle into the recycle pail of other glass items and the sound it made just went right through me. I totally lost it and that's not like me at all. I was like Jekyl and Hyde. My over reaction even scared me because it happened so fast. First I'm calm, then the bottle's clanked so loud and I was ready to punch him. I used to be a fun loving, outgoing person but at the rate I'm going I can see myself turning into a hermit.

Fishbone, how did or what made the hyperacusis stop for you? I think if I could stop that I could deal better with the constant hissing in my ears.
I bought myself a pair of earplugs. Ah.. blessed relief. I had the water running and it was so muted. It was such a pleasure except for the fact that I was alone with the awful hissing, but even that was preferable over the noise.

again, thanks for the welcomes.

 

Welcome to the forum. Fishbone has given you excellent advice from experience with H. I am also another member with all the conditions you listed on your title. Yes T & H plus hearing loss in the high frequency. That is why my T is ultra high pitch dog whistle type, and the severe H turned all normal sounds piercingly hurtful. Yes, H was an awful addition to the T misery. But luckily for many H victims including myself, it tends to fade over time. Mine was gone within the year it started. Try to protect from loud noises but don't over protect for normal ambient sounds. Let time and your body heal. Be patient. The less stressful and anxious we are, the more likely T will be less intrusive and hopefully H will fade overtime for you too. Take care. God bless.

 

Welcome @stopthehissing . Don't be to hard on your husband. He is a guy ( we can be insensitive some times), but more importantly he may not be able to understand your suffering because he has not experienced it. I, fortunately, do not suffer from hyperacusis, but I do have tinnitus and have received similar "every's ears ring occasionally" type comments. I liken this problem to when I am asked "What is it like to be an identical twin?" I usually respond "What is it like to not be an identical twin?"; if they think about it, they realize that I, having never not been a twin, have absolutely no frame of reference from which to answer their question. Similarly, your husband, whom I assume does not suffer from hyperacusis, has no frame of reference from which to understand what you are experiencing. That lack of understanding probably leads to the minimization because, without the experience, it is hard to conceive how excruciating it can be. I never understood the phrase "emergency root canal" until I needed one.

Another, sadly, common issue with tinnitus and, from what I read here, even more so with hyperacusis.

Hang in there; you will be able to cope. There are many success stories here (including @fishbone 's above) of people being able to overcome these afflictions. Don't give up, we are here for you.

 

It is hard for non sufferers to understand the issues of tinnitus, hearing loss and hyperacusis - trying to hear made more difficult by constant ringing in my ear is very frustrating and certain noises are particularly irritatingly. Bathroom fan and kitchen extractor fans drive me nuts. My husband eating crisps - crunching and bag rustling actually can induce intense anger feeling. I found out the anger with hyperacusis is quite common. My daughter is also a sufferer.

Roll on a cure