Weakened Ears

Morning/afternoon/evening, all (depending on where you are in the world)

I think that I find hearing loss even scarier than tinnitus, and wondered how many people share the symptoms I've been having in that respect. It feels as though my ears are quite easily damaged these days. Last night, I went to a bar which didn't have loud music, but did have four really loud guys babbling away at the next table.

When I got home, my tinnitus didn't seem louder, which was good, but my ears felt slightly... I'm not sure what the word is... bruised, perhaps? And the thing that made me realise that slight damage had occurred was that the sound of an arriving phone text now sounded distorted, as if my frequencies had been jangled. I'm hoping that goes back to normal today, but of course I worry that one day it won't and suddenly I'll be hearing people's voices all funny... :S

Can anyone relate to this stuff? I'm interested too in hearing people's approaches to walking that tricky tightrope between under-protecting and over-protecting their ears...

 

Would still like to hear from anyone who shares these frequency-jangling/hearing loss symptoms.

 

All I can add is that before, if was suddenly surprised with a loud noise, such as screeching brakes from a city bus, my ears would feel strange for a while. As if something was stuck inside, but after a while that was gone. No experience of distorted sounds.

Btw, I'd rather lose a little hearing, than have T...

 

Thanks Sven. I think I know that 'strange' feeling.

I just worry about my hearing slowly crumbling away, as frequencies become unavailable. A major worry is that vicious circle of needing to play things, like TV, louder in order to be able to understand them, but damaging your hearing a little in the process. At the moment, my hearing is basically okay, although I occasionally struggle to understand some spoken words on TV, on the phone and some people's voices in louder environments.

Unnervingly, both phone rings and text message sounds still sound slightly 'off' to me at present. They're slightly distorted.

 

Have you tried earplugs designed just for your ears? They filter out most of the treble and doesn't lower the frequencies where speech normally is? I have a pair of "Earfoon" but there's also a brand called "Bellman & Symfon" in Sweden. I don't know if the earplugs are Swedish, but their model name is "ER". I suppose it's possible to wear them most of the day. Maybe that would help you?

Here's a link (in Swedish...) to the second company: http://www.bellman.se/web/page.php?catid=175

The ones I've used (Earfoon) have been great. Unfortunately I didn't wear them 10 days ago, which apparently should have.

 

Thank you Sven - I do indeed have earplugs moulded to my ears, with two different sets of filters for different situations. Lately, though, it's the situations which I don't think are so loud - like the noisy chatter in a bar, for instance - which seem to cause minor damage to my ears.

At the moment, the phone ringtone and text sounds are still distorted. I've actually changed them so that it doesn't disturb me. I guess the only answer I can come up with is that yet another frequency in my hearing may have gone, making them sound different.

 

@Jason123 Why are you afraid of your hearing "crumbling away?" Have you been diagnosed with a hearing or ear disorder--besides tinnitus. Or is the fear of tinnitus driving your fear of hearing loss? Most people with tinnitus do not have ear conditions that lead to additional hearing loss. (Indeed, some people with tinnitus have no hearing loss!) Sometimes, tinnitus may be very loud or at a pitch that competes with normal sounds. But that competition--or interference--has nothing to do with your hearing or the structures within your ears. Your ears themselves are may be fine.

Though your concerns are normal, they will not help you recover. Are you afraid of certain sounds? Or do certain sounds hurt your ears? There are two disorders--misphonia and hyperacusis--that share similar characteristics. Both disorders should improve--either with time as your tinnitus improves, or from counseling to help you lose your fears about tinnitus and sound in general.

Here are some links to the disorders. See if any pertain to what you're feeling:

For misphonia, these links talk about sounds making one angry. But fear is just as characteristic of this disorder:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misophonia​

http://www.minnesotamedicine.com/Pa...11/November2011/HyperacusisandMisophonia.aspx​

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Hyperacusis is the more common disorder, and it frequently accompanies tinnitus. It tends to resolve more quickly than tinnitus, and people get very good results with therapy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperacusis​

http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/hyperacusis-increasedsensitivity.cfm​

http://hyperacusis.org/page5.html​

Wearing earplugs is important. But it's equally important that you don't overprotect your ears. Overprotection will make you more sensitive to sounds. You should wear earplugs when you're doing loud activities, such as cutting grass, attending concerts, or going to movie theaters. But you should not wear ear earplugs while doing ordinary activities, such watching television.

Your auditory system craves sound. When sound is denied or reduced, your auditory system will not function as well and your sound intolerance will worsen.

It's also important that you sleep with a fan or sound machine. This helps to calm you, and gives your auditory system something to focus on besides the tinnitus.

Best wishes! And be hopeful! We've all had dark thoughts and many fears, but it will get better!