Broken Ear or Hyperacusis (Distortion)? Most External Noises Sound Distorted

[Blodorn]

A month and a half after my acoustic trauma, I now have new symptoms.

My tinnitus is very quiet now and it's not my primary concern anymore.

But now I notice a distortion in most of the external noises (TV, shower, fridge, car etc...) like "beeeep, beep... beep beep beep"
Can someone explain what this is? Could it be a form of hyperacusis? Noises do not hurt me.
Does someone else have this? And could it be temporary or am I f*cked?
Can I habituate to distortion if this is permanent? It feels much harder to habituate to.

And finally: Is it too late for some corticosteroids (prednisone)? I begin to regret letting my ear heal itself.

I read on the internet (should never read on the internet...) that it could be perceptive deafness and that scares me a lot.

Thank you guys...

 

[Michael Leigh]

Can someone explain what this is? Could it be a form of hyperacusis? Noises do not hurt me.
Does someone else have this? And could it be temporary or am I f*cked?

HI @Blodorn

I understand your concern but please consider what I have explained to you since you joined Tinnitus Talk, the information in my posts particularly: Tinnitus, A Personal View and Hyperacusis, As I see it and what I have written on your profile page today.

You have only had tinnitus for a couple of months. The changes you are noticing to your auditory system and hearing are not unusual with "noise trauma". This is likely to continue for some time until things settle down. It can take 12 to 18 months for you to fully habituate although this can happen sooner. Try not to worry too much over this and divert your attention to other things. The more attention and focus you put on the tinnitus and your sensitivity to sound, the more likely you are to increase stress and this can tend to make your symptoms more pronounced.

You are not going deaf. If you are having difficulty hearing then make an appointment for tests at ENT. I don't think you have anything to be concerned about at the moment.

Try to stay calm and relaxed.
All the best

Michael

 

[Juan]

And finally: Is it too late for some corticosteroids (prednisone)? I begin to regret letting my ear heal itself.

Kind of late, yes.

 

[Blodorn]

HI @Blodorn

I understand your concern but please consider what I have explained to you since you joined Tinnitus Talk, the information in my posts particularly: Tinnitus, A Personal View and Hyperacusis, As I see it and what I have written on your profile page today.

You have only had tinnitus for a couple of months. The changes you are noticing to your auditory system and hearing are not unusual with "noise trauma". This is likely to continue for some time until things settle down. It can take 12 to 18 months for you to fully habituate although this can happen sooner. Try not to worry too much over this and divert your attention to other things. The more attention and focus you put on the tinnitus and your sensitivity to sound, the more likely you are to increase stress and this can tend to make your symptoms more pronounced.

You are not going deaf. If you are having difficulty hearing then make an appointment for tests at ENT. I don't think you have anything to be concerned about at the moment.

Try to stay calm and relaxed.
All the best

Michael

I know Michael, I know...
But you never talked about distortions. It's apparently rare. My ears are not sensitives anymore to noises and my T is really mild. I'm not worried about T and H. Just this new symptom. I can't watch TV without hearing a ringing among it. That's heartbreaking for me. It's my passion.

Did you experience distortions ?
Thank you again for your concern. Always here for helping. You're the best.

Kind of late, yes.

Oof. Okay, thank you Juan.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Did you experience distortions ?

Yes I did experience distortions in sound and many other things. For around 6 months I experienced complete numbness of my whole head. I could hear but everything sounded as if I was listening under water and it was very frightening! I went to see a Herbalist and she knew about tinnitus caused by "noise trauma". I was advised to start taking magnesium tablets and Gingko biloba in Tincture form. I took the magnesium for 2 years.

When I saw my ENT doctor late 1996 he said I have very good hearing and asked if I was taking anything. I told him about the magnesium and Gingko Biloba. He said these probably helped my hearing and the noise trauma and said, he advises his tinnitus patients to take these minerals too.

After 2 months in with tinnitus, I awoke 2am at night frightened out of my life. Both my ears were screaming loudly. It sounded like a very high pitched whistle coming out both my ears. I was so scared I quickly got dressed and went to my local hospital for help.

The things you are experiencing are all part of what happens when a person has acoustic trauma. It will settle down in time.

Michael

 

[Blodorn]

Yes I did experience distortions in sound and many other things. For around 6 months I experienced complete numbness of my whole head. I could hear but everything sounded as if I was listening under water and it was very frightening! I went to see a Herbalist and she knew about tinnitus caused by "noise trauma". I was advised to start taking magnesium tablets and Gingko biloba in Tincture form. I took the magnesium for 2 years.

When I say my ENT doctor late 1996 he said I have very good hearing and asked if I was taking anything. I told him about the magnesium and Gingko Biloba. He said these probably helped my hearing and the noise trauma and said, he advises his tinnitus patients to take these minerals too.

After 2 months in with tinnitus, I awoke 2am at night frightened out of my life. Both my ears were screaming loudly. It sounded like a very high pitched whistle coming out both my ears. I was so scared I quickly got dressed and went to my local hospital for help.

The things you are experiencing are all part of what happens when a person has acoustic trauma. It will settle down in time.

Michael

Thank you Michael for this information and your story. Distortions are really scary. It's really strange how our ears work. In my case, I didn't experience anything but tinnitus for the first 2 weeks. No pain at all. And then came hyperacusis which disappeared in 2 weeks. And now the distortions appeared. That's really weird to have new symptoms after a few months...

However, my tinnitus is really mild. Sometime it seems like it has gone away, but that would be too easy haha...

I have always been healthy. It's my first health trouble so you can imagine how I feel.

Thank you again Michael. I really hope you are right. You're a great mentor in this journey.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Thank you again Michael. I really hope you are right. You're a great mentor in this journey.

@Blodorn

Thank you for your kind comments. Give it time and things will improve for you. Please click on the link below, and read my post about a member in this forum that was also hearing distorted sound after noise trauma. He went through a lot of difficulty with tinnitus and hyperacusis. He was in this forum daily until the small hours of the morning. He had given up and was very negative. Within 12 months he made a lot of improvement, and now visits this forum to help people with tinnitus.

All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/from-darkness-into-light.22234/

 

[BuzzyBee]

@Blodorn I'm not sure this is helpful for you, but I have had fluctuating tinnitus for several years now due to conductive hearing loss. A few months ago I had some sound distortion where motors, water, air conditioners and compressors would have a rhythmical beat to them. It wasn't an auditory hallucination, just distortion but in a very specific pattern. It was very disturbing and my doctors had no clue what it was, but they didn't seem too surprised by it. The good news is, after a few months it faded away.

 

[Star64]

@blodhorn I first got tinnitus in 2001, noise induced, I had the same symptoms as you, I was throwing up because of the hyperacusis and noise distortion. I was probably a lot more anxious about it though...I had to go on an antidepressant for less than 6 months, Purely I think because I was always listening for it, but after three months I did not hear my tinnitus at all, I had silence.. Maybe habituation who knows but Things really settled down. I would only hear a very faint noise over the years if I was unwell, hardly ever not even once per year...Unfortunately it started to reappear in 2011, but think this was hormonal and only in my left ear....So if you look after your ears, I am hopeful you tinnitus will fade away and so too the other symptoms . Your tinnitus sounds very mild and after an injury it can take awhile for things to settle down. Your symptoms are not unusual after noise induced trauma.

Just do not take any benzodiazepine medications for your tinnitus, I learned the hard way....You are still in the acute stage of an injury.....Just give it time

 

[Phat Tuna]

Just do not take any benzodiazepine medications for your tinnitus, I learned the hard way....You are still in the acute stage of an injury.....Just give it time

You say not to take any benzos. I currently have the same noise distortion thing going on along with hyperacusis and reactive tinnitus and my normal tinnitus tone. I currently take Ativan on an as needed basis when I am particularly distressed and symptoms are bad. Lowest dose, 0.5mg. Lately it has been about twice a week I am taking it. Is this also a bad thing to do? When I take it, the symptoms of hyperacusis, noise distortion and reactive tinnitus get reduced by like 70%.

 

[Star64]

Intermittent use probably the safest but like you I got good results and took it more frequently.

They are nasty drugs if they get a hold of you, knowing what I do now I would never take them. There are many people who have tinnitus because of this class of drug, you have to work out the risk reward so to speak, hope everything works out ok for you.

It made my tinnitus worse caused me to get severe h plus noise distortion

 

[Phat Tuna]

It made my tinnitus worse caused me to get severe h plus noise distortion

Thanks. Yeah I will try my best not to take them. Any ADs you think are okay to use? My dad thinks I need to be on Prozac or Lexapro, but I have been too afraid to try them.

Also, have your hyperacusis and noise distortion gotten better I hope?

 

[Star64]

Thanks. Yeah I will try my best not to take them. Any ADs you think are okay to use? My dad thinks I need to be on Prozac or Lexapro, but I have been too afraid to try them.

Also, have your hyperacusis and noise distortion gotten better I hope?

Yes my hyperacusis and noise distortion has settled for which I am grateful.

I cannot really recommend any antidepressants though as they can be a hit and miss for many and also cause more issues. They have been the cause of tinnitus for some people on Tinnitus Talk and I had a bad experience with them myself a few years back.

If you need to boost your mood try exercise. This made a huge difference for me.

 

[Yuuls]

Yes my hyperacusis and noise distortion has settled for which I am grateful.

I cannot really recommend any antidepressants though as they can be a hit and miss for many and also cause more issues. They have been the cause of tinnitus for some people on Tinnitus Talk and I had a bad experience with them myself a few years back.

If you need to boost your mood try exercise. This made a huge difference for me.

Hello, how long did your hyperacusis last before it got better?

 

[Star64]

Hello, how long did your hyperacusis last before it got better?

My hyperacusis lasted 8 months but by 6 months it had improved a great deal.

 

[Yuuls]

My hyperacusis lasted 8 months but by 6 months it had improved a great deal.

Hi there, was yours officially diagnosed? Can you please describe what your hyperacusis was like as far as how it felt/sounded/etc. How did you notice it?

 

[Star64]

Hi there, was yours officially diagnosed? Can you please describe what your hyperacusis was like as far as how it felt/sounded/etc. How did you notice it?

My story probably will not help you, my circumstances for my last bout of hyperacusis was due to benzo withdrawal.

I have had noise induced tinnitus for 18 years, when this first occurred I also suffered hyperacusis at the same time.

I woke in the morning after having being to a loud event with my head buzzing, I also noticed straight away everything sounded different, all sounds were distorted and loud. I was so sensitive to sound I spent 4 weeks vomiting at nearly every sound. I was sent to hospital and diagnosed with tinnitus and hyperacusis from loud noise exposure. The hyperacusis was completely gone the first time at around three months and the tinnitus settled around the 4 to 6 month mark. I was basically told nothing could be done, I would just need to adapt to it.

Fast forward ten years, I was prescribed clonazepam, I hit tolerance on this drug and my worst nightmare truly began. I now have way worse tinnitus than before, I also suffered from hyperacusis at a much more intense level than previously. Currently the hyperacusis has gone away but who knows if it will return, anything is possible when it comes to withdrawal.

 

[HootOwl]

My story probably will not help you, my circumstances for my last bout of hyperacusis was due to benzo withdrawal.

I have had noise induced tinnitus for 18 years, when this first occurred I also suffered hyperacusis at the same time.

I woke in the morning after having being to a loud event with my head buzzing, I also noticed straight away everything sounded different, all sounds were distorted and loud. I was so sensitive to sound I spent 4 weeks vomiting at nearly every sound. I was sent to hospital and diagnosed with tinnitus and hyperacusis from loud noise exposure. The hyperacusis was completely gone the first time at around three months and the tinnitus settled around the 4 to 6 month mark. I was basically told nothing could be done, I would just need to adapt to it.

Fast forward ten years, I was prescribed clonazepam, I hit tolerance on this drug and my worst nightmare truly began. I now have way worse tinnitus than before, I also suffered from hyperacusis at a much more intense level than previously. Currently the hyperacusis has gone away but who knows if it will return, anything is possible when it comes to withdrawal.

Apologies, but do you mind sharing how long it took for the distortions (in addition to the hyperacusis) to settle down as well? Did they ever fully go away?

I'm struggling immensely with this at the moment...Did sounds from the environment sound like they were coming out of a bad, analog speaker? where you think oh the speaker must be bad but it's really your ear.

 

[Juan]

Apologies, but do you mind sharing how long it took for the distortions (in addition to the hyperacusis) to settle down as well? Did they ever fully go away?

I'm struggling immensely with this at the moment...Did sounds from the environment sound like they were coming out of a bad, analog speaker? where you think oh the speaker must be bad but it's really your ear.

That can happen with hyperacusis, feeling like sounds are distorted or bad quality, it is like the finer sounds are dampen and the central sounds, the central frequencies, are amplified...

 

[HootOwl]

That can happen with hyperacusis, feeling like sounds are distorted or bad quality, it is like the finer sounds are dampen and the central sounds, the central frequencies, are amplified...

I didn't realize that...thank you for pitching in. Maybe what I have is a severe case of hyperacusis along with elements of reactive tinnitus.

 

[East]

I didn't realize that...thank you for pitching in. Maybe what I have is a severe case of hyperacusis along with elements of reactive tinnitus.

Are all sounds distorted?? Or just loud or high frequency sounds?? Are you also getting pain from these sounds??

 

[Contrast]

I've talked to many people who have broken distorted hearing and they all say the ENT's don't even acknowledge it as a problem. How do hearing aids treat a person if their hearing is distorted? Turning up the volume doesn't undistort anything.

 

[HootOwl]

Are all sounds distorted?? Or just loud or high frequency sounds?? Are you also getting pain from these sounds??

No ear pain with sounds. I would say most sounds are. But there are degrees. Like birds sound a little tinny but it doesn't sound as bad as say traffic which sounds louder and more screechy. Music is also distorted to a certain degree (odd tune for certain notes). But voices sound normal more or less. Really deep voices have more robot reverb to it but it's hard to pull apart from vocal fry.

It would take me a long time to describe how everything is different tbh...I do have 3 or so distortions that seem to be present in most things though.

 

[East]

No ear pain with sounds. I would say most sounds are. But there are degrees. Like birds sound a little tinny but it doesn't sound as bad as say traffic which sounds louder and more screechy. Music is also distorted to a certain degree (odd tune for certain notes). But voices sound normal more or less. Really deep voices have more robot reverb to it but it's hard to pull apart from vocal fry.

It would take me a long time to describe how everything is different tbh...I do have 3 or so distortions that seem to be present in most things though.

Interesting, how long has this been going on for??

 

[HootOwl]

Interesting, how long has this been going on for??

A month

 

[HootOwl]

I've talked to many people who have broken distorted hearing and they all say the ENT's don't even acknowledge it as a problem. How do hearing aids treat a person if their hearing is distorted? Turning up the volume doesn't undistort anything.

Do you know how many improved with time?

 

[Contrast]

Do you know how many improved with time?

no two people are the same. some get better, some stay static and some get worse. I do not have statistics.

 

[Star64]

Apologies, but do you mind sharing how long it took for the distortions (in addition to the hyperacusis) to settle down as well? Did they ever fully go away?

I'm struggling immensely with this at the moment...Did sounds from the environment sound like they were coming out of a bad, analog speaker? where you think oh the speaker must be bad but it's really your ear.

Yes, I had exactly all you describe and more. The distortion took around 5 to 6 months to completely go away. The hyperacusis took 8 months to leave.

For around 4 months it was constant then it become intermittent before I noticed it had gone for period of time and so far has not returned.

I hope things settle for you, I fully understand your struggle, it is really a difficult condition to cope with

 

[Phat Tuna]

A month

I'm right there with you. I've had it over 2 months now. Its gonna settle for both of us though. I know it.

 

[Hammers]

I didn't realize that...thank you for pitching in. Maybe what I have is a severe case of hyperacusis along with elements of reactive tinnitus.

I would just like to say Hoot I have almost the exact same symptoms - even the whistling sound over wind and water. I wonder what it could be. I spent a week off work in my silent room, and seemed to get a little better, went back to work, and now feel worse than I started. Very weird. It must be some form of hyperacusis, right? It couldn't be hair cells doing that, surely?