Withdrawing from College Because of Hyperacusis

[Born To Slay]

Hey guys, having sad boi hours. I've made the tragic decision to take a break from my college studies because of hyperacusis. I got it 3 months ago and the first 2 months of it, I pushed through last semester and during that time my hyperacusis went from mild to fairly severe (though apparently it could be a lot worse from what I read around the internet).

Then during the 5 week break from school something interesting happened. After 2 weeks of needing to sit in silence because my ears couldn't handle almost anything at all and after that 2 weeks my tolerance began improving and honestly I thought I was making quick progress, turning up the volume of YouTube videos, being able to go to friends' houses again and even going to the mall and stores became dramatically easier.

By the end of the break I didn't even need ear protection to go to these places (and if I did only a small percent of the time).

With all that I tried to go back to school but after a week there, I've already lost some of my progress and have very reluctantly concluded that I need to stay in controllable environments and just let my ears heal at their own pace. I feel pretty depressed about it but I think it's what needs to be done.

Do you guys think I made the right call? I don't know why I feel so bad about myself for not being able to do it.

 

[RishRamsey]

Hey man! In the same boat as well. Hyperacusis that's just getting worse and worse. I made progress when it all started a year ago, but since the past couple of months it's been a nightmare.

I wish I had the liberty to leave my job as well. Really do want to stay in some quiet and let my ears get better (which can take months to years unfortunately). But if I leave my job now, I'll run out of funds in a matter of months and will need to move back with parents (who don't live in a quiet place for an hyperacusis sufferer). Really in a dilemma here.

I hope your decision is the right one for you and you get better. God knows what'll happen with me. *Sighs*

 

[Alex G]

Hey man, I strongly encourage you to stay in school. Don't drop out. If you can't manage your classes, take a medical leave of absence for a semester. Schools let you do this, at least all the places I've been (I went to five undergrad universities before I graduated).

I dropped out of school in my third year after some really bad stuff happened (in my freshman year, my friends and I got jumped after a party, I got my face beaten in by a trained martial artist and two of my friends got curbstomped, then after that I got really depressed and finally gave in after a while) and my professional life has been a disaster since then. In and out of school, bad health, pursuing a music career, total mess.

It took me until I was 31 to get my undergraduate degree, so I am now ten years behind all of my friends that I grew up with in terms of age-appropriate career status. I salvaged the whole thing because I got a psychology degree and am now in a master's program to be a therapist, but it was by the skin of my teeth that I pulled through and got myself here. I spent many, many nights distressed about how I was ever going to become an adult. I made lattes and waited tables and hated my life. When I was in my early 20's it wasn't so bad doing that stuff, but I couldn't take it by the time I reached 30.

I know people love to say it doesn't matter when you do all this stuff, and maybe to you it really doesn't, but it made me really insecure and frustrated. Plus I could have made a ton more money if I had managed to stick with it.

So, because of that, I really encourage you to stay in school. I have hyperacusis too, and I could barely do anything requiring concentration for the first 8 months I had it. So I understand that it may feel impossible to you, and that it may actually be impossible for now. Like I said earlier, please please please look into taking a semester off for health reasons rather than just dropping out.

Also: talk to your professors and your academic advisor about what's going on. You will have to explain hyperacusis to them, and they might think you're crazy, but if they do, they will be wrong. In reality they will be sympathetic, understanding, and probably extremely worried for you. When I tell people about this they become emotional. But definitely send emails, make an appointment with your advisor, talk to that person about your situation. You will very likely improve if you take care of yourself (tons of rest, healthy lifestyle, broadband noise therapy) so don't quit now.