Hi, my name is Richard, and I've been an on and off lurker on this site for many years. I think it's about time I shared my story.
When I mention hyperacusis below, I am mostly referring to pain hyperacusis, also known as noxacusis. I think I may have had loudness hyperacusis too, where certain environments felt overwhelmingly loud, but this was never a major issue for me, or perhaps the pain hyperacusis overshadowed it and I didn't notice.
The first time I noticed what I now understand to be hyperacusis was in late 2017. In the days after attending a gig, I felt pain in my ear from everyday sounds, such as placing cutlery in the drawer and listening to music through headphones. I also noticed a strange clicking sound when swallowing. I went to the doctor, who said it was likely some form of Eustachian tube dysfunction. I was referred to a consultant who checked my hearing, which appeared to be fine.
Over the next year or so, my sensitivity to sound fluctuated, probably depending on how much loud noise I had been exposed to. Sometimes things felt normal, and at other times the sensitivity to cutlery returned, but it was not serious enough for me to think much of it.
In early 2019, the sensitivity increased slightly. I remember feeling discomfort when an electric razor was used near my ear during a haircut. My car also had a loud exhaust, and after long drives I would notice a deep bass-like sensation in my ear that would linger for about half an hour.
In June 2019, I went to Glastonbury music festival for the fifth time. I brought foam earplugs with me because of the occasional discomfort I had been experiencing. The festival lasted four days. On several occasions, the volume was so uncomfortable that I had to leave my friends and move away from the speakers. Back in my tent at night, when things were quieter, I noticed a loud, bassy sensation in my ears that was quite distressing. However, I was quite intoxicated, and by the time I woke up the next morning, I did not notice it much, being in the middle of a busy festival.
When I got home and stepped into the quiet of my house, I heard a loud high-pitched and low-pitched bassy sound in my ears, mostly in the right one. I was distressed but assumed it was just the day after the festival and that it would go away by the next morning.
The next day, the bassy feeling had eased and the high-pitched tinnitus had quietened a bit, but it was still very noticeable in my right ear when I was in a quiet room. This worried me because although I had often heard tinnitus after a night out, it had never lasted more than 24 hours. I began Googling tinnitus and came across this forum. I started to panic about the possibility that it could be permanent. Over the next few days, the tinnitus remained but was quieter than when I first got home.
About a week later, I began noticing that certain sounds were painful or uncomfortable, such as dogs barking or noise in a coffee shop. I also noticed that my tinnitus would get louder when I was in the car and would react to car noise. After driving, I would hear a bassy sound in my ears that lingered for half an hour or so. I started to panic and became extremely anxious. I read many posts on this forum, including some of the horror stories, which only made things worse.
Not long after, I went to the pub with friends. As soon as I walked in, I found the noise overwhelming and uncomfortable, so I asked if we could sit outside. Loud cars were passing by, and I found it so unbearable that I had to leave. I remember walking home in despair, convinced that my life was over and I would be stuck with this condition forever. My tinnitus was not very loud and was only noticeable in quiet rooms, but I still found it extremely distressing and longed for silence. I started playing sounds on my phone to mask the tinnitus while trying to fall asleep.
Over the next few weeks and months, I very slowly began to adapt to the condition. I stopped going to loud bars and clubs. I wore earplugs when going to quiet pubs, the gym, in the car, and so on. I lived a quieter life and kept myself occupied by going for walks, working out, and eating well.
About six months later, I noticed my tinnitus was quieter and less noticeable. My sensitivity to sound had also improved a bit. By March 2020, the tinnitus was not bothering me much at all. It may have quietened slightly, but I had mostly habituated to it. The hyperacusis had improved as well, and I was only wearing earplugs in loud environments. I was still avoiding places that played loud music.
I was about to book a holiday for the first time since this began when the first COVID lockdown started. The months that followed were obviously very quiet, with the country going in and out of lockdown. During this time, I didn't think much about my ears. I still avoided headphones and loud music. Occasionally, turning the car stereo up would spike the tinnitus, but aside from that, I returned to a fairly normal life.
In the spring and summer of 2021, things in the UK began to open again. I started going to the pub with friends, usually wearing earplugs. Sometimes we ended up in places playing fairly loud music at the end of the night. I was nervous about how my ears would react. When I got home, the tinnitus would sometimes be louder, and occasionally it would still be louder the next day, but it would always settle down, so I was not too concerned.
In June 2021, I caught COVID. I am not sure how relevant that is, but it might be worth mentioning. In the months that followed, my sensitivity to sound increased slightly, though it wasn't very troubling.
In November 2021, I was at the gym doing deadlifts when I felt a strange popping sensation in my ear and a high-pitched sound after swallowing. It was not painful but felt very odd and distressing. I had never experienced anything like it. I tried another set, felt something similar, and decided to stop. I did some less strenuous exercises and went home. I stopped deadlifting after that.
Based on what I have since read on this forum and from other people's experiences, I believe the deadlift caused a perilymph fistula or a CSF leak. However, I did not experience dizziness, vertigo, or balance issues at the time, so I wasn't sure.
I didn't think too much of it until, over the following days, I began experiencing discomfort when lifting weights and straining. My sensitivity to sound also increased. I took a week off the gym, and the hyperacusis improved. When I returned to lifting, the sensitivity worsened again. I took a month off this time, and when I returned, I eased back into things slowly. I tried not to push too hard.
For the next few months, I continued to live a fairly normal life. I was going out with friends regularly and sometimes ended up in bars with loud music. A few times the volume was uncomfortably loud, so I would either move away or suggest going somewhere else. I was often drunk, so it's possible the music was too loud on other occasions and I just didn't realize it. My tinnitus would spike for a day or two but then return to baseline.
In April 2022, I went on a stag do and then attended the wedding soon after. At both events, I found the music uncomfortably loud and had to leave some venues. Around this time, my gym installed a new sound system that had very strong bass, and I found it difficult to tolerate at even moderate volume. I stopped going because I couldn't handle it. My sensitivity seemed to be gradually increasing.
In May 2022, I was working in a block of apartments when someone tested the fire alarm system. I was not wearing earplugs, and the alarm was the loudest sound I had ever heard. I drove home in a panic, worried that I was back to square one, or worse. My tinnitus spiked for a few days, and my sensitivity increased, but it was not a catastrophic change.
I continued working out, but found that lifting weights was increasingly uncomfortable, especially when straining during reps.
One evening at the pub, there was a musician playing. The sound was loud and especially bass-heavy. I was close to the speaker for only a minute or two before we went outside, but afterward I experienced intense pins and needles across my face and around my ears. This was the first time I had felt this, and it has since become a recurring symptom. Over the following days, my ears felt worse. The tinnitus was louder, the pain hyperacusis returned, I had a feeling of fullness, and nerve tingling around my face and ears. I believe this may be linked to the possible perilymph fistula.
Around this time, I was also under a lot of stress from work and personal issues. I now believe this stress contributed significantly to the worsening of my condition.
I stopped going to the gym because I became certain that lifting was making things worse. I began to notice that any straining, pulling, or pushing would lead to intense tingling and fullness in my ears.
Over the next six months, my symptoms stayed the same. I struggled to socialize in loud places. I was also very stressed and anxious most of the time. My pain hyperacusis got worse, and by December, many everyday sounds became painful, including cutlery, light switches, the shower, my own voice, birds, and even my keyboard and mouse clicking.
I felt hopeless at this point and believed my life was over. For the next six to nine months, I mostly stayed at home, avoiding loud environments, but my symptoms barely improved. During this time, my mum kept telling me that stress might be making my ears worse. She knew people whose health conditions had been brought on or worsened by stress.
In summer 2023, I was chewing on a tough piece of meat when I felt a sharp pain in my right ear. This was followed by nerve tingling, fullness, and a lingering ache, which worried me. I had never experienced lasting aching pain before. Usually, any pain happened in the moment and then passed. I had read about others experiencing lingering pain and feared I had done more damage. Thankfully, the pain subsided over the next few days and weeks. That said, I still struggle with tough or chewy foods. My inner ear feels fragile, so I avoid anything that might aggravate it.
Around this time, I also developed a spasm in my ear triggered by the wind, even when walking in a light breeze. I was especially stressed, and I noticed the spasms reduced as my stress decreased. I still experience them when running or in strong wind.
In August 2023, I listened to a podcast with Gabor Mate where he talked about trauma and its connection to serious health conditions. I read his book and another called The Body Keeps the Score. I began researching more about stress, trauma, and anxiety. I learned that healing occurs when the body is in a parasympathetic state, and that chronic activation of the sympathetic system prevents recovery. I wondered if my almost constant anxiety over the past 18 months had been stopping my ears from healing.
I started daily routines to calm my body, hoping to activate my parasympathetic nervous system. I practiced breathing exercises, meditation, and became more mindful of tension in my body, especially in anticipation of harmful sounds. I noticed that my jaw was often tight and made an effort to relax it. I wasn't optimistic that any of this would improve my hyperacusis, but I had nothing to lose, so I stuck with it.
Over the next few months, I noticed gradual improvements. Some everyday sounds that had been painful became more tolerable. I was able to go to quiet pubs and restaurants. If it became busy, it was uncomfortable, and my tinnitus would spike, but it would usually settle afterward.
My hyperacusis continued to improve very slowly. By spring and summer 2024, I was going out with friends more frequently, always wearing earplugs. My ears were still far from normal, and socializing could still be difficult depending on who I was with and where we were. Loud laughter or shouting could cause pain. If the venue was very busy or the music too loud, it was uncomfortable, and my tinnitus would usually spike for a day or two before settling back to baseline.
I was still desperate to return to some form of exercise. I had previously tried yoga and core exercises, but my symptoms would worsen afterward, especially the ear fullness and nerve tingling. I had some building work done on my house, and my garden was full of materials. I began spending time moving and lifting things, digging, and shoveling. This was my attempt to get active and build some strength without overdoing it. I avoided any intense straining that felt uncomfortable. Afterward, my tinnitus would spike, the nerve tingling and fullness would worsen, and sometimes I felt pressure behind my face and in my sinuses, which is a known symptom of a perilymph fistula. These symptoms usually settled after a few days. I knew this was not ideal, but I was desperate to stay active and do more than just walking, so I kept going.
For most of 2024, my symptoms remained fairly stable. I was able to live a more normal life and socialize with friends. I still needed to wear earplugs for many things, including being in the kitchen around cutlery and crockery, driving in the car, or being around people who spoke loudly. Many things would still spike my tinnitus, but overall, my symptoms stayed stable.
By the end of 2024, I began to push my workouts a bit more and occasionally lifted weights again. I was also going out more often and visiting busier, louder places, especially around Christmas. My tinnitus seemed louder and started bothering me more frequently.
Now, in April 2025, I have decided to stop working out because I feel it is making my tinnitus louder, along with worsening other hyperacusis and nerve-related symptoms. Recently, I have experienced occasional brief episodes of vertigo, dizziness, and pressure in my face, which are common symptoms of a perilymph fistula. I am almost certain this is what I have, which would explain why my ears have worsened since the deadlift incident. My hyperacusis symptoms seem to be getting slightly worse again, despite the improvements I experienced over the past year. I am still able to socialize with friends, but it is a challenge. My tinnitus has been louder for the past few months and becomes bothersome in quiet places. I hope this will settle now that I have stopped working out, or at least that I will habituate to it.
I do not know what the rest of this year, or the years beyond, will bring. Life is a constant struggle to balance doing the things that bring me joy with trying not to damage my ears further. I often feel depressed about the things I can no longer do. I used to love traveling, going to live music events and festivals, working out, and going to football matches. It hurts deeply that I can no longer enjoy these things and may never be able to again. I am 34 and feel like I have ruined my life. I hope that by continuing to manage my anxiety and stress, my ears might improve, and I may get closer to a normal life. I keep my fingers crossed that better research into hearing damage and treatments for perilymph fistulas becomes available. For now, I have to focus on staying positive and be thankful that my hyperacusis is not as bad as it was over a year ago.
Ultimately, I believe the main reason I developed hyperacusis was from listening to loud music, especially through headphones. Since my late teens, I used headphones nearly every day, usually at full volume. I imagine over ten years of this took a toll. Still, I ask myself why I developed hyperacusis when it is such a rare condition. I probably listened to more loud music than most, but did I listen to more than someone working in the live music industry? Probably not. I believe there are additional reasons beyond just bad luck.
Now that I understand how much stress affects my hyperacusis, I believe chronic stress played a major role in its development. I have always been quite an anxious person, and I was very stressed during university and most of the jobs I've had since. In the few years leading up to my ear problems, I was particularly stressed by work, ongoing health problems, and other life issues. I also developed IBS around the same time as my ear problems began. My dietician believes this was caused by stress as well. I suspect that stress and anxiety make ears more sensitive to sound. I also know that stress causes inflammation in the body, and perhaps this inflammation affected my ear, making it more vulnerable to noise damage.
During the years leading up to the start of the condition, I was also taking a drug called Doxycycline. I took it daily for about four years to treat chronic dry eyes. I later researched the drug and found links to tinnitus, including stories shared on this forum.
At the same time, I was following various restrictive diets to manage another health condition. This lasted for around three years. I lost a lot of weight and now believe I was seriously nutrient deficient, including lacking in B12. I have read that B12 deficiency is strongly linked to hearing loss and tinnitus.
To sum up, I do not think developing tinnitus and hyperacusis was just bad luck. I believe it was the result of a combination of frequent loud headphone use, chronic stress, long-term use of Doxycycline, and nutritional deficiencies. Together, these created the perfect storm for developing hearing problems.
My current symptoms include pain from loud or high-pitched sounds, reactive tinnitus triggered by certain frequencies, fullness in the ears, nerve tingling and pins and needles down my face, chin, and around my ears. I have tinnitus in both ears, with a few different tones in the right and a single high-pitched tone in the left. When my ears are particularly bad, I experience hot burning sensations, aching pain, and what feels like a raw, open wound inside the ear. These usually improve within a day or so. After straining or lifting too much, I get a feeling of pressure in my face and sinuses. I have had brief episodes of vertigo, dizziness, and even toothache. These symptoms are most likely related to the perilymph fistula.
To anyone starting out with pain hyperacusis, my first and most important piece of advice is this: avoid situations where noise causes pain. Pain is your body's warning system, so listen to it. Wear hearing protection in environments that are too loud.
That said, try not to hide away from sound completely. I believe it is important to find the right balance between avoiding damaging noise and allowing yourself to be exposed to tolerable sounds. In my experience, my sensitivity improved the most when I began gradually reintroducing myself to slightly louder environments.
Pay attention to your stress and anxiety levels. If you notice that you are often tense or anxious, work on calming your body. Practices like mindfulness, meditation, breathing exercises, gentle movement, and yoga can help activate your parasympathetic nervous system. As I mentioned earlier, I believe that stress and anxiety play a significant role in this condition.
Finally, I would suggest limiting the time you spend reading this forum. It is an invaluable resource with a wealth of helpful information, and I am very grateful it exists. But as with many health-related forums, there is a tendency to focus on worst-case scenarios. If you read too many negative stories, it can increase your fear and anxiety, which might make your condition worse. This happened to me many times, and it did not help.
Sorry that this is such a long post, but I wanted to cover everything. I hope some of the information above can help others. If anyone has questions or advice for me, please feel free to get in touch.
When I mention hyperacusis below, I am mostly referring to pain hyperacusis, also known as noxacusis. I think I may have had loudness hyperacusis too, where certain environments felt overwhelmingly loud, but this was never a major issue for me, or perhaps the pain hyperacusis overshadowed it and I didn't notice.
The first time I noticed what I now understand to be hyperacusis was in late 2017. In the days after attending a gig, I felt pain in my ear from everyday sounds, such as placing cutlery in the drawer and listening to music through headphones. I also noticed a strange clicking sound when swallowing. I went to the doctor, who said it was likely some form of Eustachian tube dysfunction. I was referred to a consultant who checked my hearing, which appeared to be fine.
Over the next year or so, my sensitivity to sound fluctuated, probably depending on how much loud noise I had been exposed to. Sometimes things felt normal, and at other times the sensitivity to cutlery returned, but it was not serious enough for me to think much of it.
In early 2019, the sensitivity increased slightly. I remember feeling discomfort when an electric razor was used near my ear during a haircut. My car also had a loud exhaust, and after long drives I would notice a deep bass-like sensation in my ear that would linger for about half an hour.
In June 2019, I went to Glastonbury music festival for the fifth time. I brought foam earplugs with me because of the occasional discomfort I had been experiencing. The festival lasted four days. On several occasions, the volume was so uncomfortable that I had to leave my friends and move away from the speakers. Back in my tent at night, when things were quieter, I noticed a loud, bassy sensation in my ears that was quite distressing. However, I was quite intoxicated, and by the time I woke up the next morning, I did not notice it much, being in the middle of a busy festival.
When I got home and stepped into the quiet of my house, I heard a loud high-pitched and low-pitched bassy sound in my ears, mostly in the right one. I was distressed but assumed it was just the day after the festival and that it would go away by the next morning.
The next day, the bassy feeling had eased and the high-pitched tinnitus had quietened a bit, but it was still very noticeable in my right ear when I was in a quiet room. This worried me because although I had often heard tinnitus after a night out, it had never lasted more than 24 hours. I began Googling tinnitus and came across this forum. I started to panic about the possibility that it could be permanent. Over the next few days, the tinnitus remained but was quieter than when I first got home.
About a week later, I began noticing that certain sounds were painful or uncomfortable, such as dogs barking or noise in a coffee shop. I also noticed that my tinnitus would get louder when I was in the car and would react to car noise. After driving, I would hear a bassy sound in my ears that lingered for half an hour or so. I started to panic and became extremely anxious. I read many posts on this forum, including some of the horror stories, which only made things worse.
Not long after, I went to the pub with friends. As soon as I walked in, I found the noise overwhelming and uncomfortable, so I asked if we could sit outside. Loud cars were passing by, and I found it so unbearable that I had to leave. I remember walking home in despair, convinced that my life was over and I would be stuck with this condition forever. My tinnitus was not very loud and was only noticeable in quiet rooms, but I still found it extremely distressing and longed for silence. I started playing sounds on my phone to mask the tinnitus while trying to fall asleep.
Over the next few weeks and months, I very slowly began to adapt to the condition. I stopped going to loud bars and clubs. I wore earplugs when going to quiet pubs, the gym, in the car, and so on. I lived a quieter life and kept myself occupied by going for walks, working out, and eating well.
About six months later, I noticed my tinnitus was quieter and less noticeable. My sensitivity to sound had also improved a bit. By March 2020, the tinnitus was not bothering me much at all. It may have quietened slightly, but I had mostly habituated to it. The hyperacusis had improved as well, and I was only wearing earplugs in loud environments. I was still avoiding places that played loud music.
I was about to book a holiday for the first time since this began when the first COVID lockdown started. The months that followed were obviously very quiet, with the country going in and out of lockdown. During this time, I didn't think much about my ears. I still avoided headphones and loud music. Occasionally, turning the car stereo up would spike the tinnitus, but aside from that, I returned to a fairly normal life.
In the spring and summer of 2021, things in the UK began to open again. I started going to the pub with friends, usually wearing earplugs. Sometimes we ended up in places playing fairly loud music at the end of the night. I was nervous about how my ears would react. When I got home, the tinnitus would sometimes be louder, and occasionally it would still be louder the next day, but it would always settle down, so I was not too concerned.
In June 2021, I caught COVID. I am not sure how relevant that is, but it might be worth mentioning. In the months that followed, my sensitivity to sound increased slightly, though it wasn't very troubling.
In November 2021, I was at the gym doing deadlifts when I felt a strange popping sensation in my ear and a high-pitched sound after swallowing. It was not painful but felt very odd and distressing. I had never experienced anything like it. I tried another set, felt something similar, and decided to stop. I did some less strenuous exercises and went home. I stopped deadlifting after that.
Based on what I have since read on this forum and from other people's experiences, I believe the deadlift caused a perilymph fistula or a CSF leak. However, I did not experience dizziness, vertigo, or balance issues at the time, so I wasn't sure.
I didn't think too much of it until, over the following days, I began experiencing discomfort when lifting weights and straining. My sensitivity to sound also increased. I took a week off the gym, and the hyperacusis improved. When I returned to lifting, the sensitivity worsened again. I took a month off this time, and when I returned, I eased back into things slowly. I tried not to push too hard.
For the next few months, I continued to live a fairly normal life. I was going out with friends regularly and sometimes ended up in bars with loud music. A few times the volume was uncomfortably loud, so I would either move away or suggest going somewhere else. I was often drunk, so it's possible the music was too loud on other occasions and I just didn't realize it. My tinnitus would spike for a day or two but then return to baseline.
In April 2022, I went on a stag do and then attended the wedding soon after. At both events, I found the music uncomfortably loud and had to leave some venues. Around this time, my gym installed a new sound system that had very strong bass, and I found it difficult to tolerate at even moderate volume. I stopped going because I couldn't handle it. My sensitivity seemed to be gradually increasing.
In May 2022, I was working in a block of apartments when someone tested the fire alarm system. I was not wearing earplugs, and the alarm was the loudest sound I had ever heard. I drove home in a panic, worried that I was back to square one, or worse. My tinnitus spiked for a few days, and my sensitivity increased, but it was not a catastrophic change.
I continued working out, but found that lifting weights was increasingly uncomfortable, especially when straining during reps.
One evening at the pub, there was a musician playing. The sound was loud and especially bass-heavy. I was close to the speaker for only a minute or two before we went outside, but afterward I experienced intense pins and needles across my face and around my ears. This was the first time I had felt this, and it has since become a recurring symptom. Over the following days, my ears felt worse. The tinnitus was louder, the pain hyperacusis returned, I had a feeling of fullness, and nerve tingling around my face and ears. I believe this may be linked to the possible perilymph fistula.
Around this time, I was also under a lot of stress from work and personal issues. I now believe this stress contributed significantly to the worsening of my condition.
I stopped going to the gym because I became certain that lifting was making things worse. I began to notice that any straining, pulling, or pushing would lead to intense tingling and fullness in my ears.
Over the next six months, my symptoms stayed the same. I struggled to socialize in loud places. I was also very stressed and anxious most of the time. My pain hyperacusis got worse, and by December, many everyday sounds became painful, including cutlery, light switches, the shower, my own voice, birds, and even my keyboard and mouse clicking.
I felt hopeless at this point and believed my life was over. For the next six to nine months, I mostly stayed at home, avoiding loud environments, but my symptoms barely improved. During this time, my mum kept telling me that stress might be making my ears worse. She knew people whose health conditions had been brought on or worsened by stress.
In summer 2023, I was chewing on a tough piece of meat when I felt a sharp pain in my right ear. This was followed by nerve tingling, fullness, and a lingering ache, which worried me. I had never experienced lasting aching pain before. Usually, any pain happened in the moment and then passed. I had read about others experiencing lingering pain and feared I had done more damage. Thankfully, the pain subsided over the next few days and weeks. That said, I still struggle with tough or chewy foods. My inner ear feels fragile, so I avoid anything that might aggravate it.
Around this time, I also developed a spasm in my ear triggered by the wind, even when walking in a light breeze. I was especially stressed, and I noticed the spasms reduced as my stress decreased. I still experience them when running or in strong wind.
In August 2023, I listened to a podcast with Gabor Mate where he talked about trauma and its connection to serious health conditions. I read his book and another called The Body Keeps the Score. I began researching more about stress, trauma, and anxiety. I learned that healing occurs when the body is in a parasympathetic state, and that chronic activation of the sympathetic system prevents recovery. I wondered if my almost constant anxiety over the past 18 months had been stopping my ears from healing.
I started daily routines to calm my body, hoping to activate my parasympathetic nervous system. I practiced breathing exercises, meditation, and became more mindful of tension in my body, especially in anticipation of harmful sounds. I noticed that my jaw was often tight and made an effort to relax it. I wasn't optimistic that any of this would improve my hyperacusis, but I had nothing to lose, so I stuck with it.
Over the next few months, I noticed gradual improvements. Some everyday sounds that had been painful became more tolerable. I was able to go to quiet pubs and restaurants. If it became busy, it was uncomfortable, and my tinnitus would spike, but it would usually settle afterward.
My hyperacusis continued to improve very slowly. By spring and summer 2024, I was going out with friends more frequently, always wearing earplugs. My ears were still far from normal, and socializing could still be difficult depending on who I was with and where we were. Loud laughter or shouting could cause pain. If the venue was very busy or the music too loud, it was uncomfortable, and my tinnitus would usually spike for a day or two before settling back to baseline.
I was still desperate to return to some form of exercise. I had previously tried yoga and core exercises, but my symptoms would worsen afterward, especially the ear fullness and nerve tingling. I had some building work done on my house, and my garden was full of materials. I began spending time moving and lifting things, digging, and shoveling. This was my attempt to get active and build some strength without overdoing it. I avoided any intense straining that felt uncomfortable. Afterward, my tinnitus would spike, the nerve tingling and fullness would worsen, and sometimes I felt pressure behind my face and in my sinuses, which is a known symptom of a perilymph fistula. These symptoms usually settled after a few days. I knew this was not ideal, but I was desperate to stay active and do more than just walking, so I kept going.
For most of 2024, my symptoms remained fairly stable. I was able to live a more normal life and socialize with friends. I still needed to wear earplugs for many things, including being in the kitchen around cutlery and crockery, driving in the car, or being around people who spoke loudly. Many things would still spike my tinnitus, but overall, my symptoms stayed stable.
By the end of 2024, I began to push my workouts a bit more and occasionally lifted weights again. I was also going out more often and visiting busier, louder places, especially around Christmas. My tinnitus seemed louder and started bothering me more frequently.
Now, in April 2025, I have decided to stop working out because I feel it is making my tinnitus louder, along with worsening other hyperacusis and nerve-related symptoms. Recently, I have experienced occasional brief episodes of vertigo, dizziness, and pressure in my face, which are common symptoms of a perilymph fistula. I am almost certain this is what I have, which would explain why my ears have worsened since the deadlift incident. My hyperacusis symptoms seem to be getting slightly worse again, despite the improvements I experienced over the past year. I am still able to socialize with friends, but it is a challenge. My tinnitus has been louder for the past few months and becomes bothersome in quiet places. I hope this will settle now that I have stopped working out, or at least that I will habituate to it.
I do not know what the rest of this year, or the years beyond, will bring. Life is a constant struggle to balance doing the things that bring me joy with trying not to damage my ears further. I often feel depressed about the things I can no longer do. I used to love traveling, going to live music events and festivals, working out, and going to football matches. It hurts deeply that I can no longer enjoy these things and may never be able to again. I am 34 and feel like I have ruined my life. I hope that by continuing to manage my anxiety and stress, my ears might improve, and I may get closer to a normal life. I keep my fingers crossed that better research into hearing damage and treatments for perilymph fistulas becomes available. For now, I have to focus on staying positive and be thankful that my hyperacusis is not as bad as it was over a year ago.
Ultimately, I believe the main reason I developed hyperacusis was from listening to loud music, especially through headphones. Since my late teens, I used headphones nearly every day, usually at full volume. I imagine over ten years of this took a toll. Still, I ask myself why I developed hyperacusis when it is such a rare condition. I probably listened to more loud music than most, but did I listen to more than someone working in the live music industry? Probably not. I believe there are additional reasons beyond just bad luck.
Now that I understand how much stress affects my hyperacusis, I believe chronic stress played a major role in its development. I have always been quite an anxious person, and I was very stressed during university and most of the jobs I've had since. In the few years leading up to my ear problems, I was particularly stressed by work, ongoing health problems, and other life issues. I also developed IBS around the same time as my ear problems began. My dietician believes this was caused by stress as well. I suspect that stress and anxiety make ears more sensitive to sound. I also know that stress causes inflammation in the body, and perhaps this inflammation affected my ear, making it more vulnerable to noise damage.
During the years leading up to the start of the condition, I was also taking a drug called Doxycycline. I took it daily for about four years to treat chronic dry eyes. I later researched the drug and found links to tinnitus, including stories shared on this forum.
At the same time, I was following various restrictive diets to manage another health condition. This lasted for around three years. I lost a lot of weight and now believe I was seriously nutrient deficient, including lacking in B12. I have read that B12 deficiency is strongly linked to hearing loss and tinnitus.
To sum up, I do not think developing tinnitus and hyperacusis was just bad luck. I believe it was the result of a combination of frequent loud headphone use, chronic stress, long-term use of Doxycycline, and nutritional deficiencies. Together, these created the perfect storm for developing hearing problems.
My current symptoms include pain from loud or high-pitched sounds, reactive tinnitus triggered by certain frequencies, fullness in the ears, nerve tingling and pins and needles down my face, chin, and around my ears. I have tinnitus in both ears, with a few different tones in the right and a single high-pitched tone in the left. When my ears are particularly bad, I experience hot burning sensations, aching pain, and what feels like a raw, open wound inside the ear. These usually improve within a day or so. After straining or lifting too much, I get a feeling of pressure in my face and sinuses. I have had brief episodes of vertigo, dizziness, and even toothache. These symptoms are most likely related to the perilymph fistula.
To anyone starting out with pain hyperacusis, my first and most important piece of advice is this: avoid situations where noise causes pain. Pain is your body's warning system, so listen to it. Wear hearing protection in environments that are too loud.
That said, try not to hide away from sound completely. I believe it is important to find the right balance between avoiding damaging noise and allowing yourself to be exposed to tolerable sounds. In my experience, my sensitivity improved the most when I began gradually reintroducing myself to slightly louder environments.
Pay attention to your stress and anxiety levels. If you notice that you are often tense or anxious, work on calming your body. Practices like mindfulness, meditation, breathing exercises, gentle movement, and yoga can help activate your parasympathetic nervous system. As I mentioned earlier, I believe that stress and anxiety play a significant role in this condition.
Finally, I would suggest limiting the time you spend reading this forum. It is an invaluable resource with a wealth of helpful information, and I am very grateful it exists. But as with many health-related forums, there is a tendency to focus on worst-case scenarios. If you read too many negative stories, it can increase your fear and anxiety, which might make your condition worse. This happened to me many times, and it did not help.
Sorry that this is such a long post, but I wanted to cover everything. I hope some of the information above can help others. If anyone has questions or advice for me, please feel free to get in touch.
