Audiologist in London/Surrey area? — Bad Pain Hyperacusis from Noise Trauma

[LloydB]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for an audiologist in the London/Surrey area?

I have bad pain hyperacusis from noise trauma (years of headphone abuse). The symptoms started mild last October and then went away. It has recently come back due to too many loud social occasions and it's far worse. I can't leave the house without double protection and TV volume is barely audible. Luckily I can work from home!

I don't have loudness hyperacusis and my tinnitus is mild.

Thanks,
Lloyd

 

[Michael Leigh]

Hi Lloyd,

If you have a GP, it is probably a good idea to ask if you can be referred to ENT for tests on your ears and auditory system. it is likely they will refer you to Audiology to see an audiologist or hearing therapist that specialises tinnitus and hyperacusis management. There are various treatments under the NHS for tinnitus and hyperacusis: CBT, TRT, Counselling, Mindfulness, Sound Therapy, Relaxation classes, Hearing Aids, White Noise Generators.

By all means, if you want to see a private audiologist for hyperacusis treatment, that is your choice. However, you will get the best help and long time aftercare for tinnitus and hyperacusis under the NHS which no private treatment in the UK can match, that I assure you.

I have been a tinnitus out patient under NHS for 26 years and had very good treatment.

Best of luck.
Michael

 

[LloydB]

Thanks Michael. I spoke to an ENT privately last October and they said to go to an audiologist if things got worse. As things got better I didn't need to but now I need to get treatment. I have tried to authorise a claim with AXA but I also have a GP appointment Friday. I told them that I want a referral to an audiologist.

Do you think the wait times will be similar to the rest of the NHS post COVID-19? Obviously if it's going to be months then I will go private if it gets authorised.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Do you think the wait times will be similar to the rest of the NHS post COVID-19? Obviously if it's going to be months then I will go private if it gets authorised.

Hi Lloyd,

A referral to an NHS ENT will usually take 4 to 6 months for tinnitus but there is a good reason for this, which I explain in my article: Tinnitus, A Personal View. Please click on the link below and read it.

Treating noise-induced tinnitus with hyperacusis takes time and is not a quick fix. I understand how you feel and get the impression that you have private medical care. If this is the case, there's no harm going the private route. However, the best help and long term aftercare for someone with this condition, is still under the NHS if they live in the UK.

When you see your GP on Friday, explain how you feel. My advice is to listen to what your GP advises and don't say you want to see an audiologist, as this might rub the doctor up the wrong way. If the GP doesn't suggest a referral to ENT, wait until the appropriate time and say these exact words as calmly as possible: "Doctor, I would like to make a request to be seen at ENT". If you wish, you can go into more detail how sensitive your ears are to sound and end it there.

I advise you not to listen to any type of audio through headphones even at low volume. This includes, earbuds, AirPods, headsets, noise cancelling and bone conduction headphones, as you risk making the tinnitus and hyperacusis worse.

Please go to my started threads and read: Will My Tinnitus Get Worse? The Habituation Process, How to Habituate to Tinnitus, Can I Habituate to Variable Tinnitus? Acquiring a Positive Mindset, Hyperacusis, As I See It.

I know you are sensitive to sounds at the moment but I suggest you try and avoid quiet rooms and surroundings. Use low level sound enrichment, more about this is explained in my articles.

All the best,
Michael

Tinnitus, A Personal View | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum
New to Tinnitus, What to Do? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

 

[Brian Newman]

Hey Loyd ,be very cautious doing sound therapy for pain hyperacusis. It helped my loudness hyperacusis a lot but made my pain hyperacusis much worse. I've seen some pain hyperacusis cases get better from sound therapy but definitely a way smaller percentage than loudness hyperacusis. My opinion: I would play it safe until hearing regen meds come out, and let your ears heal and rest. Maybe try a little background noise from what your ears are comfortable with, you should not feel pain.

I pushed through the pain and it ruined me. I went from your level to catastrophic and I want to prevent anybody else from ending up like me. If you do choose to do in-ear generators, proceed with extreme caution.

 

[Bimmerboy]

@Brian Newman, any examples on here with pain hyperacusis that improved using white noise generators?

Most success stories on here didn't really use white noise generators.

@yonkapin got better eventually of his pain hyperacusis without sound therapy as he believed they were asking for ridiculous price.

Tbh, I don't know, I haven't tried white noise generators and I'm a year in to having hyperacusis. I tried sound enrichment and that used to make me worse.

If I've improved today it's definitely down to rest and time. But not completely out the picture, in fact, I have had a setback from yesterday. Went to family house where they were shouting over each other to hear conversations like a pack of animals.

But I don't know about white noise generators or sound therapy.

Also @Brian Newman, did you use sound therapy to recover the first time round?

 

[Michael Leigh]

I pushed through the pain and it ruined me. I went from your level to catastrophic and I want to prevent anybody else from ending up like me. If you do choose to do in-ear generators, proceed with extreme caution.

It is unfortunate that your hyperacusis got worse after using white noise generators @Brian Newman. One should never push through the pain when using this type of sound therapy because it's likely the hyperacusis will get worse.

Whether using white noise generators or a sound machine to treat hyperacusis and tinnitus, the volume should always be set at a low level without the sound drawing attention to itself. If any irritation is felt the volume should be reduced.

It should be noted that sound therapy (sound enrichment) should be introduced slowly, so the auditory system has time to adjust to it. Failure to do this can result in spiking the tinnitus and hyperacusis. If hyperacusis, with or without pain, doesn't resolve on its own accord it can become a long term problem. This usually means the affected person will experience spikes in the hyperacusis even though they may have habituated to the tinnitus.

Michael

 

[Brian Newman]

It is unfortunate that your hyperacusis got worse after using white noise generators @Brian Newman. One should never push through the pain when using this type of sound therapy because it's likely the hyperacusis will get worse.

Whether using white noise generators or a sound machine to treat hyperacusis and tinnitus, the volume should always be set at a low level without the sound drawing attention to itself. If any irritation is felt the volume should be reduced.

It should be noted that sound therapy (sound enrichment) should be introduced slowly, so the auditory system has time to adjust to it. Failure to do this can result in spiking the tinnitus and hyperacusis. If hyperacusis, with or without pain, doesn't resolve on its own accord it can become a long term problem. This usually means the affected person will experience spikes in the hyperacusis even though they may have habituated to the tinnitus.

Michael

Yeah because I probably overdid it. I just started listening 24/7 with little breaks. I was fine the first month, then started to get worse, then would sleep with pink noise and a fan. And sleeping when I was getting pain was a bad idea.