Can Hyperacusis Get Worse Before It Gets Better?

[Born To Slay]

Okay, so about 6 weeks ago I went to a loud rock concert and got hyperacusis.

The first 2 weeks, the discomfort was very mild, the next 3 weeks I'd say it fluctuated with good days and bad days but now last Thursday was the last good day I had and my ears feel worse than ever.

Just sitting in a quiet room with just some people whispering irritates me now, and before I could watch YouTube videos quietly and now even that annoys my ears.

I've seen many people here having their hyperacusis improve but I was wondering if it's common (or even semi-common) for it to get progressively worse before it improves?

I know six weeks is early and I've been told not to be so anxious about it but I wanted to take this thread to see if anyone else can relate

 

[JohnAdams]

It did for me.

 

[Born To Slay]

It did for me.

Really? Would you mind going into more detail?

 

[JohnAdams]

Really? Would you mind going into more detail?

It's a long story. Can you remember to ask me again tomorrow?

 

[Born To Slay]

It's a long story. Can you remember to ask me again tomorrow?

Sure.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Okay, so about 6 weeks ago I went to a loud rock concert and got Hyperacusis. The first 2 weeks, the discomfort was very mild, the next 3 weeks I'd say it fluctuated with good days and bad days but now last Thursday was the last good day I had and my ears feel worse then ever. Just sitting in a quiet room with just some people whispering irritates me now and before I could watch YouTube videos quietly and now even that annoys my ears. I've seen many people here improve their H but I was wondering if it's common (or even semi-common) for it to get progressively worse before it improves as opposed to within the first day being rock bottom and then improving from there?

HI @Born To Slay

As I have previously discussed with you. Hyperacusis takes time to improve and this process will be different for each person. I know it can be frustrating but it will take time and what you're experiencing is nothing unusual. Twenty three years ago when I first got tinnitus with severe hyperacusis. The hyperacusis was completely cured in two years using white noise generators as part of TRT. I am not saying you need white noise generators, I am just relaying my experience. Try to avoid quiet rooms and use low level sound enrichment whenever possible. Give it at least 4 to 6 months to see improvement and hopefully, this will continue. In some cases people will require specialist treatments if oversensitivity to sound remains problematic. However, you are in the very early stages so give it time.

Michael

 

[Born To Slay]

HI @Born To Slay

As I have previously discussed with you. Hyperacusis takes time to improve and this process will be different for each person. I know it can be frustrating but it will take time and what you're experiencing is nothing unusual. Twenty three years ago when I first got tinnitus with severe hyperacusis. The hyperacusis was completely cured in two years using white noise generators as part of TRT. I am not saying you need white noise generators, I am just relaying my experience. Try to avoid quiet rooms and use low level sound enrichment whenever possible. Give it at least 4 to 6 months to see improvement and hopefully, this will continue. In some cases people will require specialist treatments if oversensitivity to sound remains problematic. However, you are in the very early stages so give it time.

Michael

I've started to get concerned because the sound enrichment is starting to bug my ears. In the beginning the pink noise was relaxing but today after an hour of use, my ears, while not burning alive, weren't pleased. Is this reason to believe I should try a different kind of enrichment? It's weird I sleep next to an air vent and that doesn't seem to bother me. It can't run all day though.

 

[Michael Leigh]

I've started to get concerned because the sound enrichment is starting to bug my ears. In the beginning the pink noise was relaxing but today after an hour of use, my ears, while not burning alive, weren't pleased. Is this reason to believe I should try a different kind of enrichment? it's weird I sleep next to an air vent and that doesn't seem to bother me. It can't run all day though.

If you remember, I advised you via PM messenger that listening to white or pink noise is not a good idea, especially for long durations. I suggested using nature sounds as these are more soothing. Low level classical music is also good during the day for sound enrichment. Set the volume low or at a level where you can comfortably ignore it so it's not drawing attention to itself, the same applies for night time use.

Michael

 

[Born To Slay]

If you remember, I advised you via PM messenger that listening to white or pink noise is not a good idea, especially for long durations. I suggested using nature sounds as these are more soothing. Low level classical music is also good during the day for sound enrichment. Set the volume low or at a level where you can comfortably ignore it so it's not drawing attention to itself, the same applies for night time use.

Michael

Right... can't believe I forgot that.... now Im embarrassed. Sorry I'm so terrible at this btw.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Right... can't believe I forgot that.... now Im embarrassed. Sorry I'm so terrible at this btw.

There is nothing to be embarrassed about so please don't think that way. Tinnitus and hyperacusis can be quite daunting, and affect a person's mental and emotional welling being profoundly, especially in the early stages. It will improve. Try to engage in things you like doing and if you feel stressed, which is understandable, a glass of wine or whatever beverage you fancy after 6pm can help you to relax.

Michael

 

[Juan]

Okay, so about 6 weeks ago I went to a loud rock concert and got hyperacusis.

The first 2 weeks, the discomfort was very mild, the next 3 weeks I'd say it fluctuated with good days and bad days but now last Thursday was the last good day I had and my ears feel worse than ever.

Just sitting in a quiet room with just some people whispering irritates me now, and before I could watch YouTube videos quietly and now even that annoys my ears.

I've seen many people here having their hyperacusis improve but I was wondering if it's common (or even semi-common) for it to get progressively worse before it improves?

I know six weeks is early and I've been told not to be so anxious about it but I wanted to take this thread to see if anyone else can relate

You are on "hyperacusis cycles" so when your ears open up after a few weeks all sounds will feel painful or annoying. If you are lucky, this may go away over time, provided there are no more hearing traumas, or exposure to very loud noise that gets you on another "hyperacusic cycle".

 

[Born To Slay]

You are on "hyperacusis cycles" so when your ears open up after a few weeks all sounds will feel painful or annoying. If you are lucky, this may go away over time, provided there are no more hearing traumas, or exposure to very loud noise that gets you on another "hyperacusic cycle".

So you're saying that after the fullness is gone my ears will either go back to normal provided I take care of them or I'll just have the pain left over indefinitely?

Or is every single time it gets better then worse another cycle?

 

[Juan]

So you're saying that after the fullness is gone my ears will either go back to normal provided I take care of them or I'll just have the pain left over indefinitely?

Or is every single time it gets better then worse another cycle?

After noise exposure if you have bad hyperacusis you will experience the fullness and maybe other associated symptoms. Once this symptoms go away a "hyperacusis cycle" is completed and your ears open up. The first day or two after they open up you have to be careful as they will be most sensitive to noise. The longer you can spend without noise exposure that triggers a "hyperacusis cycle", the most likely you are to resist and bear sound. On the opposite, the more ofter you experience noises loud enough or bad enough to trigger the symptoms of hyperacusis, the more likely you are to get tinnitus, more hyperacusis, hearing damage etc...

The fullness may be inflammation, may be also a way of the hearing system of defending itself, but you real hearing ability (the frequencies you hear and at which decibel level at an audiometric test) can be only assessed when there is no pressure or distortion.

 

[Born To Slay]

It's a long story. Can you remember to ask me again tomorrow?

I'm ready for the story.

 

[LanaK]

If you remember, I advised you via PM messenger that listening to white or pink noise is not a good idea, especially for long durations. I suggested using nature sounds as these are more soothing. Low level classical music is also good during the day for sound enrichment. Set the volume low or at a level where you can comfortably ignore it so it's not drawing attention to itself, the same applies for night time use.

Michael

Hi Michael,

I've had hyperacusis since 7 months ago, 1,5 months after a got tinitus. It did get slightly better after few months, but not much. Last month it got worse again, so that everything is irritating me, including running water, people's voices, even my own voice.

I was using sound enrichment all the time, also at night except for few months in between. During the day I am listening mostly to radio (at work, in background, very low volume, a lot of times together with pink noise, at home only radio) and at night pink noise. Natural sounds (like rain, waves, rivers, birds) are too irritating for my ears because of too much of high frequencies in such sounds. My hyperacusis is much worse at high frequencies (LDL at 65 dB at 6 kHz, but some sounds can be much quieter and they still irritate me).

After reading that you don't recommend pink or white noise for too long I am a bit confused because I thought all the times that pink noise is the best for hyperacusis, at least some hyperacusis sites recommend it especially for treating hyperacusis.
Can you elaborate a bit about that. I am afraid now that maybe I was listening to it too much (during the day at work along with radio) and at nights, even if at very low levels, barely audible and that this has contributed to my worsening last month.

I'd appreciate your answer because I just don't know what I am doing wrong.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Can you elaborate a bit about that. I am afraid now that maybe I was listening to it too much (during the day at work along with radio) and at nights, even if at very low levels, barely audible and that this has contributed to my worsening last month.

I'd appreciate your answer because I just don't know what I am doing wrong.

Hi @LanaK

You are not necessarily doing anything wrong. Tinnitus and hyperacusis are complex conditions due to the way they affect a person's mental and emotional wellbeing. It can take a while for some people to realize this and in addition, one has to deal with the stresses of life which we all have to some degree. If a person is working or attending college etc. Has a partner with or without children all this puts additional stress on a them which for some can make life quite strenuous at times.

White or Pink noise is good for treating tinnitus and hyperacusis but they should be administered using the proper device which is white noise generators. As I type I am wearing them. The volume of the white or pink noise should be set slightly below the tinnitus and not masking it or covering it up. They can treat hyperacusis over time by desensitising the auditory system. This form of treatment should be used under the guidance of a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist that specialises in tinnitus and hyperacusis treatment and management, as counselling is often recommended. Using WNG alone without counselling may not help much. The counselling part of the therapy is important and shouldn't be dismissed as not necessary. It helps to remove and demystify the negative thinking that is often associated with tinnitus and hyperacusis. As I have said in many of my posts: Tinnitus is intrinsically linked to our mental and emotional wellbeing. Therefore, stress has to be kept under control. Depending on the person this can take time to do.

There is nothing wrong listening to white or pink noise via a portable player of some kind. However, it could become irritating to listen to for long durations. It is for this reason softer more gentle sounds of nature might be more appropriate. Some people listen to white or pink noise through headphones. Even though the volume is kept low they find the tinnitus and hyperacusis are adversely affected. Therefore, it's something I don't recommend. White or Pink noise played through headphones/earbuds sounds crude and abrasive compared to proper white noise generators- where the sound is smooth and gentle and doesn't usually cause any irritation to the auditory system.

My suggestions are to be used as guidance only because we are all different. Depending on how severe your hyperacusis is, self help may not be enough for you. Therefore, you may need the specialist help of a Hearing Therapist or Audiologists that practices tinnitus and hyperacusis treatment.

Hope this helps.
Michael

 

[LanaK]

HI @LanaK

You are not necessarily doing anything wrong. Tinnitus and hyperacusis are complex conditions due to the way they affect a person's mental and emotional wellbeing. It can take a while for some people to realize this and in addition, one has to deal with the stresses of life which we all have to some degree. If a person is working or attending college etc. Has a partner with or without children all this puts additional stress on a them which for some can make life quite strenuous at times.

White or Pink noise is good for treating tinnitus and hyperacusis but they should be administered using the proper device which is white noise generators. As I type I am wearing them. The volume of the white or pink noise should be set slightly below the tinnitus and not masking it or covering it up. They can treat hyperacusis over time by desensitising the auditory system. This form of treatment should be used under the guidance of a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist that specialises in tinnitus and hyperacusis treatment and management, as counselling is often recommended. Using WNG alone without counselling may not help much. The counselling part of the therapy is important and shouldn't be dismissed as not necessary. It helps to remove and demystify the negative thinking that is often associated with tinnitus and hyperacusis. As I have said in many of my posts: Tinnitus is intrinsically linked to our mental and emotional wellbeing. Therefore, stress has to be kept under control. Depending on the person this can take time to do.

There is nothing wrong listening to white or pink noise via a portable player of some kind. However, it could become irritating to listen to for long durations. It is for this reason softer more gentle sounds of nature might be more appropriate. Some people listen to white or pink noise through headphones. Even though the volume is kept low they find the tinnitus and hyperacusis are adversely affected. Therefore, it's something I don't recommend. White or Pink noise played through headphones/earbuds sounds crude and abrasive compared to proper white noise generators- where the sound is smooth and gentle and doesn't usually cause any irritation to the auditory system.

My suggestions are to be used as guidance only because we are all different. Depending on how severe your hyperacusis is, self help may not be enough for you. Therefore, you may need the specialist help of a Hearing Therapist or Audiologists that practices tinnitus and hyperacusis treatment.

Hope this helps.
Michael

Thanks a lot for so quick reply. You answered my questions in details and I appreciate it a lot.
I know I'd need a professional help, but can't get it here where I live. The most I got was advice, that I need to have sound enrichment all the time and stress management.
So I must rely on myself and kind people who are willing to help with advice.
And I am trying to have stress under control as much as possible.

I am listening to sounds on portable devices at home and on computer at work. I don't have access to WNGs.

Today I have collected some soft classical music from my collection to try to listen to it at work to see if that will suit me more... I don't wear ear plugs unless necessary and I avoid loud environment completely e.g. I don't go to cinemas, concerts, clubs... But I go to restaurants for lunch even if it irritates me.

Is there any good book on how to treat hyperacusis successfully?

 

[Juan]

Is there any good book on how to treat hyperacusis successfully?

No... most books on hyperacusis are just bullshit made up by very well paid people.

There is no standard protocol to treat hyperacusis that has been validated. Please take into account that if there was a treatment all major hospitals would offer it, and they dont.

Basically the best you can do is using a trial and error strategy, and play with types of sound or white, pink, etc noise that soothes your ears. For me classical music was fantastic, it has a wide range of sounds and you just have to be careful to adjust the volume. With classical music you can choose a piece that does not have big changes in volume, and get used to those sounds, like piano, guitar.. and then you can also choose pieces that have dramatic shifts in volume and train your tolerance to that, to more dynamic range.

You can also try listening to the radio, and / or, masking sounds with low white noise in the background.

But, be aware, neither of these strategies will help you to totally cope with the sounds in the real world, where very loud noises can occur at any time, and unexpectedly. That is the big challenge when one suffer from severe hyperacusis and for that you need to have hearing protection on before you are accidentally exposed to those sounds (and this is impossible unless you always have hearing protection on when you are outside home).

 

[Michael Leigh]

Is there any good book on how to treat hyperacusis succesfully?

The best book I know which I have is the: Tinnitus Retraining Therapy book, written by Pawel Jastreboff and Jonathon Hazel. It is the Reference book for Hearing Therapists and Audiologists, who want to practice TRT treatment. I covers hyperacusis but advises the use of White noise generators with counselling to treat it. It is available from Amazon.

Michael

 

[LanaK]

The best book I know which I have is the: Tinnitus Retraining Therapy book, written by Pawel Jastreboff and Jonathon Hazel. It is the Reference book for Hearing Therapists and Audiologists, who want to practice TRT treatment. I covers hyperacusis but advises the use of White noise generators with counselling to treat it. It is available from Amazon.

Michael

Thanks, Michael, I was looking at that book too, but as I know that counseling is a part of the treatment, I was a bit skeptical how much would it help me considering I will not have any counseling and also not WNGs. But I think I will buy one anyway because I am just too lost in this sad journey.

 

[LanaK]

Basically the best you can do is using a trial and error strategy, and play with types of sound or white, pink, etc noise that soothes your ears. For me classical music was fantastic, it has a wide range of sounds and you just have to be careful to adjust the volume. With classical music you can choose a piece that does not have big changes in volume, and get used to those sounds, like piano, guitar.. and then you can also choose pieces that have dramatic shifts in volume and train your tolerance to that, to more dynamic range.

You can also try listening to the radio, and / or, masking sounds with low white noise in the background.

Thanks. I ma just now listening to some some soft classical music at work to see if it will please me on the long run.
I think I will be changing my background sound enrichment, partly radio with pink noise and partly just classic music and see how it feels.

But, be aware, neither of these strategies will help you to totally cope with the sounds in the real world, where very loud noises can occur at any time, and unexpectedly. That is the big challenge when one suffer from severe hyperacusis and for that you need to have hearing protection on before you are accidentally exposed to those sounds (and this is impossible unless you always have hearing protection on when you are outside home).

I am totally aware of those risks and quite afraid of them, I admit. I need to live in real world, go to work, commute etc. etc. Sometimes I find myself just covering my ears when some too loud unexpected sounds arise, like ambulance, horns, something falling down, even when my coworkers shout loudly etc. I can't have hearing protection on for such cases of course. It's a big challenge how to navigate all this and do it right. Its a lonely and difficult journey with this invisible condition.

 

[Juan]

Thanks, Michael, I was looking at that book too, but as I know that counseling is a part of the treatment, I was a bit skeptical how much would it help me considering I will not have any counseling and also not WNGs. But I think I will buy one anyway because I am just too lost in this sad journey.

That book is a waste of money. I can tell you because I made the mistake of buying that piece of bullshit, and it is expensive.

 

[Juan]

I am totally aware of those risks and quite afraid of them, I admit. I need to live in real world, go to work, commute etc. etc. Sometimes I find myself just covering my ears when some too loud unexpected sounds arise, like ambulance, horns, something falling down, even when my coworkers shout loudly etc. I can't have hearing protection on for such cases of course. It's a big challenge how to navigate all this and do it right. Its a lonely and difficult journey with this invisible condition.

Yeah, it is tricky to survive with bad hyperacusis.

 

[LanaK]

That book is a waste of money. I can tell you because I made the mistake of buying that piece of bullshit, and it is expensive.

Juan, do you suggest anything else?

Due to lack of any reliable treatment one needs to take what is available, even if it is not a 100 % cure, I am afraid...

I'd just like to lessen a burden of hyperacusis and habituate to tinnitus at one point of time, even if it doesn't go away.

If I had access to TRT I'd give it a try for sure. What else is left at this point of time?

I feel I'd need some kind of guidance to face the challenges more successfully as I am pretty lost right now.

 

[Juan]

Juan, do you suggest anything else?

Due to lack of any reliable treatment one needs to take what is available, even if it is not a 100 % cure, I am afraid...

I'd just like to lessen a burden of hyperacusis and habituate to tinnitus at one point of time, even if it doesn't go away.

If I had access to TRT I'd give it a try for sure. What else is left at this point of time?

I feel I'd need some kind of guidance to face the challenges more successfully as I am pretty lost right now.

You can try yoga or meditation, anything that relaxes you. Also you will need to make adjustments to your lifestyle to feel "safe" from sounds, and have some peace, so that your body and your hearing can settle a little and get more balanced. This takes a long time, many months, provided that you don't face any unexpected loud noise exposure that sets you back.

Basically you have to find a balance between having sound around and not being exposed to loud noises that can exacerbate this condition, or make it worse. This is a quick summary of all we know for sure about "sound enrichment" or TRT, or whatever doctors want to call it.

Obviously a healthy diet and exercise are advisable.

The bottom line is that if there is genuine hearing damage that affected your hearing there is no cure for this. We are just putting patches, but no one will be able to fix it, and sound enrichment, counselling, exercise, diet, are just ways to make it more tolerable, but none of this will fix the physical cause, the damage. Damage to the hearing nerve or hair cells cannot be repaired, it is like damage to the optical nerve for vision... it cannot be cured.

 

[LanaK]

You can try yoga or meditation, anything that relaxes you. Also you will need to make adjustments to your lifestyle to feel "safe" from sounds, and have some peace, so that your body and your hearing can settle a little and get more balanced. This takes a long time, many months, provided that you don't face any unexpected loud noise exposure that sets you back.

Basically you have to find a balance between having sound around and not being exposed to loud noises that can exacerbate this condition, or make it worse. This is a quick summary of all we know for sure about "sound enrichment" or TRT, or whatever doctors want to call it.

Obviously a healthy diet and exercise are advisable.

The bottom line is that if there is genuine hearing damage that affected your hearing there is no cure for this. We are just putting patches, but no one will be able to fix it, and sound enrichment, counselling, exercise, diet, are just ways to make it more tolerable, but none of this will fix the physical cause, the damage. Damage to the hearing nerve or hair cells cannot be repaired, it is like damage to the optical nerve for vision... it cannot be cured.

Juan,
you summed it up very very nicely, thank you a lot! If I could live without job it could be easier to manage all that as I would expose myself to sounds as per my decision, even if that would mean not going to crowdy places for months. I wouldn't care.

I know hearing can not be reversed once it is damaged, and so it is in my case too as I have moderate hearing loss at 8khz and above that I hear nothing.
What is strange is: why some people with hearing loss develop hyperacusis and tinnitus and some doesn't. I know quite a lot of people with hearing aids and no tinnitus or hyperacusis at all. Obviously there must be something else in a play here too not just hearing loss, I think. Genetic predisposition? Lifestyle? Mindset? Nobody knows it.

 

[Juan]

Juan,
you summed it up very very nicely, thank you a lot! If I could live without job it could be easier to manage all that as I would expose myself to sounds as per my decision, even if that would mean not going to crowdy places for months. I wouldn't care.

I know hearing can not be reversed once it is damaged, and so it is in my case too as I have moderate hearing loss at 8khz and above that I hear nothing.
What is strange is: why some people with hearing loss develop hyperacusis and tinnitus and some doesn't. I know quite a lot of people with hearing aids and no tinnitus or hyperacusis at all. Obviously there must be something else in a play here too not just hearing loss, I think. Genetic predisposition? Lifestyle? Mindset? Nobody knows it.

My personal guess is that every person's ears have a certain way of taking damage or getting damaged, so for some hearing loss starts earlier but then it stops progressing and they are just fine, for others hyperacusis starts and doesn't go away, others get tinnitus, or combinations of all the former examples. It may be like any other peculiarity of the human body, like elasticity, endurance, strength, or being prone to some illnesses and immune to others.