Hello! I'm a 21 years-old medicine student living in Athens, Greece. I have tinnitus and hyperacusis for 2 weeks now (these 2 weeks are the worst of my life, even though now that I'm writing this post I'm way better psychologically). Sorry for my not-so-fluent English. So, let's get started:
2 weeks ago, on a cold but sunny afternoon (Greece babe! haha), I started hearing a "hissing" sound in my left ear. I didn't worry about it at first. But after 4 hours I started to worry and went to an ENT with my mother. He did an audiogram and detected a very slight hearing loss at 8 kHz. He told me that if this sound was still there next morning, I should start taking cortisone. But, being a big fool, the following morning I thought it was almost gone, so I didn't take the pills until 2-3 days (I cannot remember so well) after I heard the noise. He had also told me that it was not sure whether the pills would work and it would probably be permanent. So, I started to panic (I'm generally very anxious). Gradually, over the next days, the T got worse. The hissing noise became a tape noise and new sounds were adding up, now I hear 4 sounds in total (!), 3 in my left ear and 1 in my right. I always hear the tape noise, but I hear the other three only in complete silence (when I go to bed, for example). These days but way after my first encounter with tinnitus I stared noticing that I have a sensitivity to sounds, especially in the left ear where the tinnitus is worse. For example, the computer fan, loud voices, people speaking together, the "s" sounds of some people's voices, the clink-clank of the knifes and forks etc. I started having really bad panic attacks, as I didn't know what was happening with my ears. I didn't feel pain, I just disliked sounds. I couldn't sleep for days because of my T, I got desperate, unsocial, worried, depressed, each little info I read on the Internet about tinnitus and hyperacusis was making me feel worse. I started feeling that all of this was unfair (you know things like "why is this happening to me and why does nobody understand me?"), I barely slept 2 hours at night, I was in constant stress, I enjoyed nothing, I didnt care about university, studying, social life, anything. I wanted to die. Yesterday morning I even started contemplating about committing a suicide! I was midway through a letter of goodbye to my parents, boyfriend (Yeah, I'm gay, for those who will probably get confused) and sister, who's living in London and is coming home for Christmas. But then, as a miracle, my parents had made an appointment with a psychiatrist and interrupted me from writing the letter and told me to get dressed and follow them. I went to the psychiatrist's office and told him everything, that I want to die, to get rescued from all this. He prescribed me three different pills, and now, after a 7 hour sleep (hurray!) and a so-much-better psychological state (I don't know whether its the pills or this site I've found), I'm writing to you. I'm so glad I've found this site. I want to get all the possible info I can get. What should I do from now on? Is there possible that my hyperacusis will get better and what should I do from now on? Do I have to wear earmuffs everywhere? in cinema? in cafes, bars? In fact, will I be able to have a normal life? Will I ever get habituated to my T (it doesn't panic me anymore, it merely disturbs me when I go to sleep)? Should I immediately start therapies like TRT or pink noise etc? Is it possible that my T will get worse (ot hasnt worsened from then). T + H are almost unknown here in Greece and even ENT specialists know very few about it. To make it clear, I'm not sure wether I have pain in my ears, I think only a slight, barely noticeable pain in my left ear, in loud noises, but i don't know if I'm imagining it form all I have heard. haha). What should I do to sto it from getting worse? Is there any hope that it will get even slightly better? How did you handle the situation? SORRY for the GIANT text, I'm just desperate, but now I've found that there people in this world who actually can LIVE with it and not commit suicide, I'm feeling much better. Thanks a lot.
2 weeks ago, on a cold but sunny afternoon (Greece babe! haha), I started hearing a "hissing" sound in my left ear. I didn't worry about it at first. But after 4 hours I started to worry and went to an ENT with my mother. He did an audiogram and detected a very slight hearing loss at 8 kHz. He told me that if this sound was still there next morning, I should start taking cortisone. But, being a big fool, the following morning I thought it was almost gone, so I didn't take the pills until 2-3 days (I cannot remember so well) after I heard the noise. He had also told me that it was not sure whether the pills would work and it would probably be permanent. So, I started to panic (I'm generally very anxious). Gradually, over the next days, the T got worse. The hissing noise became a tape noise and new sounds were adding up, now I hear 4 sounds in total (!), 3 in my left ear and 1 in my right. I always hear the tape noise, but I hear the other three only in complete silence (when I go to bed, for example). These days but way after my first encounter with tinnitus I stared noticing that I have a sensitivity to sounds, especially in the left ear where the tinnitus is worse. For example, the computer fan, loud voices, people speaking together, the "s" sounds of some people's voices, the clink-clank of the knifes and forks etc. I started having really bad panic attacks, as I didn't know what was happening with my ears. I didn't feel pain, I just disliked sounds. I couldn't sleep for days because of my T, I got desperate, unsocial, worried, depressed, each little info I read on the Internet about tinnitus and hyperacusis was making me feel worse. I started feeling that all of this was unfair (you know things like "why is this happening to me and why does nobody understand me?"), I barely slept 2 hours at night, I was in constant stress, I enjoyed nothing, I didnt care about university, studying, social life, anything. I wanted to die. Yesterday morning I even started contemplating about committing a suicide! I was midway through a letter of goodbye to my parents, boyfriend (Yeah, I'm gay, for those who will probably get confused) and sister, who's living in London and is coming home for Christmas. But then, as a miracle, my parents had made an appointment with a psychiatrist and interrupted me from writing the letter and told me to get dressed and follow them. I went to the psychiatrist's office and told him everything, that I want to die, to get rescued from all this. He prescribed me three different pills, and now, after a 7 hour sleep (hurray!) and a so-much-better psychological state (I don't know whether its the pills or this site I've found), I'm writing to you. I'm so glad I've found this site. I want to get all the possible info I can get. What should I do from now on? Is there possible that my hyperacusis will get better and what should I do from now on? Do I have to wear earmuffs everywhere? in cinema? in cafes, bars? In fact, will I be able to have a normal life? Will I ever get habituated to my T (it doesn't panic me anymore, it merely disturbs me when I go to sleep)? Should I immediately start therapies like TRT or pink noise etc? Is it possible that my T will get worse (ot hasnt worsened from then). T + H are almost unknown here in Greece and even ENT specialists know very few about it. To make it clear, I'm not sure wether I have pain in my ears, I think only a slight, barely noticeable pain in my left ear, in loud noises, but i don't know if I'm imagining it form all I have heard. haha). What should I do to sto it from getting worse? Is there any hope that it will get even slightly better? How did you handle the situation? SORRY for the GIANT text, I'm just desperate, but now I've found that there people in this world who actually can LIVE with it and not commit suicide, I'm feeling much better. Thanks a lot.
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