"Hearing Distortion" "Recruitment" "Reactive Tinnitus"

[Michael Leigh]

I went to college for 5 years and have three degrees. I have a pre med degree in medical psychology. I know every nerve, vein, artery, muscle and bone in the ear, jaw, face, month, neck and in the brain and what there functions are. I was accepted by all the best medical school, but did not attend because both my parents had serious illnesses. A neuro surgeon who is a friend has told me that I know more about tinnitus than all his ENT associates put together. So with my psychology medical knowledge, I don't think that tinnitus counseling can help me.

With all due respect @Greg Sacramento I wish that you had told me before about your very impressive qualifications in the medical field. That way you would have saved me from wasting my time, because you know more than I do. I am saying this with much respect. I do see your point. Indeed you do have an impressive amount of knowledge. However, I think you are missing my point and I believe you will see it once I explain as you are a psychologist. Many Hearing Therapists and Audiologists that practice tinnitus counselling also have tinnitus.

By you talking to someone (having counselling) who is experienced in the treatment and management of tinnitus, this I believe, will help lower your perception of the tinnitus. Although you have tinnitus and are a psychologist, you cannot counsel yourself. I believe you need to relay out your feelings to someone that is a professional as you are, that knows about tinnitus and the way it can affect a person as it is affecting you at the moment.

Hope this helps
Michael

 

[Greg Sacramento]

I don't know much about white noise therapy, that wasn't taught in college. Besides that technology is in constant change, so I seek advice from you. I appreciate your time and thoughts. You have given me information of value. Thank you for your assistance.

My neuro friend surgeon who has other credentials will again try to help me lower my perception. I now have 10/10 screaming fire alarm high pitched somatic tinnitus and he will help me to lower that. When I had subjective T 10/10 - a loud buzz, it finally lowered with help from this neuro doctor and a little on it's own.

To set the record straight, I'm not a psychologist. I have a B.S degree in medical psychology. I know a couple of psychiatrists from the hospital were I worked. I have a lot of respect for them, but I get better treatment from neuro surgeons.

 

[Michael Leigh]

I don't know much about white noise therapy, that wasn't taught in college. Besides that technology is in constant change, so I seek advice from you. I appreciate your time and thoughts. You have given me information of value. Thank you for your assistance.

You are welcome @Greg Sacramento I advise you not to dismiss the importance of talk therapy. You have mentioned looking after your sick parents. Very admirable of you to do so and I done the same. This can cause a lot of stress and this could have had an impact on your tinnitus making it more intrusive. I still believe talking to Hearing Therapist that has tinnitus will help you. Think about it.

I wish you well.
Michael

 

[Greg Sacramento]

Thanks. I will see a Hearing Therapist again.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Thanks. I will see a Hearing Therapist again.

Before you start therapy ask if they have tinnitus? If they haven't then look elsewhere as I do not believe a person without experiencing intrusive tinnitus, will be able to empathize and understand this condition. Doesn't matter how much training they have had it cannot replace the personal experience!
Michael

 

[vermillion]

Sorry to hear you are also having similar problems. Mine has not improved, it worsened, along with getting SSNHL, though I recovered my thresholds from the SSNHL the hyperacusis is now worse, and hearing distortion now worse and asymmetrical (the ear that got affected by SSNHL now has worse distortion), I don't even monitor my constant tones, as they are the least invasive of my symptoms despite some of them being mainly unmaskable. On the other hand @3ri0w says his got better, so there is always hope I guess.

But i haven't understand if these reactive whistles are hyperacusis.

 

[PaulBe]

But i haven't understand if these reactive whistles are hyperacusis.

Maybe it makes more sense to think of the space between tinnitus and hyperacusis as a continuum, and tinnitus becomes hyperacusis as certain pitches and tones emerge, blending with certain frequencies heard externally. It may be that whether tinnitus brings hyperacusis along for the ride, and with how much intensity is a factor of random chance as to how one's injury emerges/progresses/limits/changes over the immediate and long term. Maybe its an error to split hairs over too many definitions when we are actually experiencing a process. Medicine loves simple definitions, but many of us here can't simplify things that easily when trying to communicate an entirely subjective process.

 

[3ri0w]

It's so weird like...
when I first got tinnitus I remember I heard the "beeeeeep" every time I heard/was in silence. If I was listening to music I could not hear the ringing when there was singing/guitar playing/drums playing (it masked the ringing) but I could hear the beeeeep if there was briefest silence.

Then with the reactive/distortion tinnitus it is the complete opposite and I hear "beeeep" when there is some external sound preset. And I don't hear any ringing if there is silence...and when I listen to music there is beeping combined with every drum hit and guitar strum. lol

So two sides of the same shitcoin

 

[vermillion]

Maybe it makes more sense to think of the space between tinnitus and hyperacusis as a continuum, and tinnitus becomes hyperacusis as certain pitches and tones emerge, blending with certain frequencies heard externally. It may be that whether tinnitus brings hyperacusis along for the ride, and with how much intensity is a factor of random chance as to how one's injury emerges/progresses/limits/changes over the immediate and long term. Maybe its an error to split hairs over too many definitions when we are actually experiencing a process. Medicine loves simple definitions, but many of us here can't simplify things that easily when trying to communicate an entirely subjective process.

I am afraid that eventually this will progress to the point that every sound will produce a blast of whistles. Those auditory phenomena of mine started getting pretty peculiar. The sound part of the world for me is now distorted. And this progresses. Indeed it's a process. Tinnitus in it's current state seems the least invasive. No music anymore. My career is ruined. I can't keep up with my profession and i will not be able to make a living. There are not many career options left with this condition.

 

[jeff W]

Funny people with tinnitus talking about high end audio gear. I can't tell the difference between a 200 dollar set of speakers playing a shit MP3 vs full spectrum sound source on a high end setup. My tinnitus is too loud and intrusive with higher frequency hearing either gone or masked by a huge mix of tinnitus sounds interfering with the external sound source. ALL I HEAR is tinnitus at certain frequencies when I listen to music, not the music. Yeah, I have a high end setup, it's completely useless to me now that I have severe T. I can listen to audio tracks on my shit TV speakers, all sounds the same sound to me.

Hilarious how one post, these people have debilitating tinnitus, and the next, they are listening to crystal clear audio and fine precision with their healthy auditory systems. So many bull shit lies here, I guess that's the way it goes online.

I see this with meniere's disease sufferers, they moan about it being the worst condition on earth (which has some truth) and they say "they wouldn't wish it on their worst enemy" Then, knowing full well that the gene is in their family have children and pass the defect down to their own children. It's hysterically illogical. Bull shit lies as you say.

 

[SilverSpiral]

I am afraid that eventually this will progress to the point that every sound will produce a blast of whistles. Those auditory phenomena of mine started getting pretty peculiar. The sound part of the world for me is now distorted. And this progresses. Indeed it's a process. Tinnitus in it's current state seems the least invasive. No music anymore. My career is ruined. I can't keep up with my profession and i will not be able to make a living. There are not many career options left with this condition.

Vermillion, from what I have gathered, these frequencies where we hear whistles, may eventually become constant tones in addition to the constant tone(s) you already have. I do not remember specifically who, but I am quite sure I read somebody who mentioned that they had like I do, both constant tones, and tones that they hear in noise sources, and they confirmed that either with further noise exposure, or older age, or just random worsening, the frequencies at which they heard whistling eventually became constant tones as well. This makes sense to me. I speculate that where we hear the distorted frequencies is partial glial scarring/synaptopathy or a partially damaged haircell, so all it takes it that patholgy to worsen, to turn those whistles you hear over top sound, to become constant tinnitus tones.

So now I have about 3 constant tones, which I am completely "habituated" to in that they don't bother me nearly as much as my hyperacusis and hearing distortion does. but if I run a fan, I hear 3 different tones in the white noise of the fan...so if things worsen I will be looking at 6 constant tones or more.

The worst part is how music sounds though, no matter where you go, you can't help it, when you hear music, and you hear those horrible dissonant screeches at certain frequencies, it just makes you feel ill in your stomach.

We need a cure.

 

[PaulBe]

I would have described mine as having a "swirling" quality, but over the past year its morphed into a more constant, searing hiss, but with that the distortion of external sound has lessened overall.

 

[vermillion]

Vermillion, from what I have gathered, these frequencies where we hear whistles, may eventually become constant tones in addition to the constant tone(s) you already have. I do not remember specifically who, but I am quite sure I read somebody who mentioned that they had like I do, both constant tones, and tones that they hear in noise sources, and they confirmed that either with further noise exposure, or older age, or just random worsening, the frequencies at which they heard whistling eventually became constant tones as well. This makes sense to me. I speculate that where we hear the distorted frequencies is partial glial scarring/synaptopathy or a partially damaged haircell, so all it takes it that patholgy to worsen, to turn those whistles you hear over top sound, to become constant tinnitus tones.

So now I have about 3 constant tones, which I am completely "habituated" to in that they don't bother me nearly as much as my hyperacusis and hearing distortion does. but if I run a fan, I hear 3 different tones in the white noise of the fan...so if things worsen I will be looking at 6 constant tones or more.

The worst part is how music sounds though, no matter where you go, you can't help it, when you hear music, and you hear those horrible dissonant screeches at certain frequencies, it just makes you feel ill in your stomach.

We need a cure.

Maybe but I see some people managed to get better instead of that.

 

[vermillion]

We need a cure.

I do not believe there will ever be a cure. Maybe in a million years. There are no cures for the most conditions. Humans just don't have this knowledge. In this phase they can only observe and try to understand. Yes we need a cure desperately but a cure is wishful thinking. That's what i understood after all those months reading countless threads in TT.

 

[Jomo]

I feel like i noticed this slightly after using an electric razor...i wear ear plugs while doing this but i swear that somthing seesms slightly off for a few seconds...like there is a hiss sound or somthing when i hear water run. Is this what you guys are experiencing?

 

[SilverSpiral]

Maybe but I see some people managed to get better instead of that.

Yes, some people do get better. @Tom Cnyc had this for a while but recovered. This would indicate that it may relate to synaptopathy or partial haircell damage. Some can recover in a certain time frame, while others may worsen.

 

[Teemu Järvinen]

I have the same shit as you do @SilverSpiral 100% same. It started last friday. I dont know how. Im so stressed about this tho

 

[vermillion]

I have the same shit as you do @SilverSpiral 100% same. It started last friday. I dont know how. Im so stressed about this tho

Me too as well, as i understand this is not very common among this community. I am sorry to read that you are going through similar struggles. There are a few people here who have posted that auditory phenomena like this lessened/improved over time. Fingers crossed.
V.

 

[Teemu Järvinen]

Me too as well, as i understand this is not very common among this community. I am sorry to read that you are going through similar struggles. There are a few people here who have posted that auditory phenomena like this lessened/improved over time. Fingers crossed.
V.

Yeh i talked to this one finnish guy who had this but it went away in 4months. He had the same symptoms as me. Only real downside is music. And ofc its annoying. Im hoping this will go away like it did for him.

 

[Teemu Järvinen]

But im so happy that i wasnt crazy like i thought i was.

 

[Asia88]

@SilverSpiral @vermillion has it got any better, the distortion? Can't find many posts on this phenomenon, seems like not many people have it.. it's just killing me. Car passing by or sound of ventilation all have extra whining tone to it

 

[SilverSpiral]

@SilverSpiral @vermillion has it got any better, the distortion? Can't find many posts on this phenomenon, seems like not many people have it.. it's just killing me. Car passing by or sound of ventilation all have extra whining tone to it

No unfortunately it has not gotten better for me. I still have not killed myself, but I am still searching for a cure or treatment. The only small improvement I have had is that in recent months, the asymettry of my aural fullness seems to have decreased upwards of 20% in my bad ear, but I'm not sure if that could just be my brain getting used to the asymmetrical sensations by now. But that was the least severe of my symptoms anyways... aural fullness is not as bad as the constant tinnitus and the hearing distortion and the hyperacusis.

Many more on this forum have this condition than we realize. Their voices are just heard less, so they are isolated even within the tinnitus community sometimes.

I know of about 20 members that I've seen reference this symptom (the hearing distortion specifically) and I know of 3 who say it improved.

@jlewq is the most recent member whom I have seen describe very very well this aspect of my hearing condition.

This article references the symptom, and may help indicate the causes of it, extreme acoustic trauma can cause some of the same or similar forms of damage to the cochlea that meniers can. This is what the research regarding "hidden hearing loss" or glial scarring/synaptopathy would seem to indicate as well.

http://www.whirledfoundation.org/wp...stortion-Associated-with-Menieres-disease.pdf

 

[Asia88]

@SilverSpiral thanks for explanation. It's just so sad, I can't... I'm habituated to T, but this extra layering of sounds out of nowhere... how can someone habituate to this? The moment you're done with one sound and tone, here you go - threat yourself with another challenge

 

[SilverSpiral]

@SilverSpiral thanks for explanation. It's just so sad, I can't... I'm habituated to T, but this extra layering of sounds out of nowhere... how can someone habituate to this? The moment you're done with one sound and tone, here you go - threat yourself with another challenge

If yours has recently worsened, it may improve, hang in there and keep us updated.

 

[Teemu Järvinen]

Update to my life with Distortion Tinnitus. So its been like 4months when this started and its been a ride. First it started as a whistlin and then turned to morsecode. Now i get this morsecode from different sounds. I gotta say ghat even tho i was stressed that i could hear whistling in music etc. But now the morse is far worse. Or i like to think so. Idk. But its 200% better than it was last december. No. The sound and morse hasent changed but my attitude and stresslevels have. I dont get so much bothered about it anymore. I accepted that its my part of the life now on and i juat have to deal with it. Ofcourse its not easy and its everyday struggle. There is no hour in a day when im not thinking about the sound in my brains. I think its more phycologikal thing now. What i found to help me was earplugs. I bought these expensive plugs from Alpine and now i use them everytime where the Distortion is worse. (Car,shower.etc..) This summer i will try to get off from the plugs tho because i dont wanna worryabout them the rest of my life. But in nutshell im not so depressed about it anymore and i try to not think about it so much. Therefore i try not to come to this site anymore ether. I wish all the best in the world with people with this condition. It sucks. It might feel that the rest of your life is ruined but dont think. Just live your life everyday and try to overcome this with your own methods.

Teemu

 

[Contrast]

Regarding @SilverSpiral's question. It makes sense to me that nerves / axons get damaged and although they are still transmitting information (sound) it is incomplete and thus sounds distorted. That's my 2 cents anyway.

the hair cells don't have enough synapses to pick up complex sound.

 

[Nathan McAlum]

I know this is an old thread, but I'm going through this exact same thing, has it gone away for any of you?

 

[GBB]

If yours has recently worsened, it may improve, hang in there and keep us updated.

Spiral or others, if the damage is glial scarring/synaptopathy, would FX-322 in theory fix this problem, as it has been said the regrown hair cells also regenerate synapses?

 

[GoatSheep]

Spiral or others, if the damage is glial scarring/synaptopathy, would FX-322 in theory fix this problem, as it has been said the regrown hair cells also regenerate synapses?

I would ask this directly in the Frequency Therapeutics thread.

 

[weab00]

Spiral or others, if the damage is glial scarring/synaptopathy, would FX-322 in theory fix this problem, as it has been said the regrown hair cells also regenerate synapses?

I think it only regenerates synapses in the places where hair cells are also already dead. So it won't do anything for dead synapses with alive hair cells. However some theorize that it could even have a positive effect on those synapses. There are other treatments like Pipeline, Otonomy, and Hough Ear Institute working on synaptic cures.

Regardless I'm really hoping that a combination of these treatments will stop the hearing distortions, I can't even listen to music anymore because the frequencies are mushed and sound whistley. Fortunately we are not far off it seems