Housebound

[Anna V.]

Hi all,

I stopped going for walks and driving about 2 months ago to try to cap tinnitus symptoms which were reacting to sound. I started experiencing hyperacusis symptoms a little bit before that.

Now when I go outside everything is too loud, ambient noise from a road a good bit away etc.

Has anyone else managed this or dealt with it please or know someone who has? I really want to take steps to break the cycle and get back outside,

Thanks.

 

[Aegaeon]

Hello,

I've been experiencing this phenomenon of "reactive tinnitus" for about 4 months now and I can tell what a nuisance it is and how it can limit one person's lifestyle, especially if the more predominant features of hyperacusis are present.
My advice would be to find an audiologist compassionate and knowledgeable enough who understands your condition and is able to treat you and of course try to avoid silence at all costs.
Also, try not to stress a lot because this will definitely worsen an already hypersensitive and over reactive auditory system.

Take care

 

[Bill Bauer]

I stopped going for walks and driving about 2 months ago to try to cap tinnitus symptoms which were reacting to sound. I started experiencing hyperacusis symptoms a little bit before that.

Now when I go outside everything is too loud, ambient noise from a road a good bit away etc.

If I were you, I would spend more time inside of my quiet home waiting for my body to heal. As far as T is concerned, two months is nothing.

If you feel strongly that staying at home made your H much worse, then you can try to do something about it. When you watch videos, you are in control of the volume. So you can find a volume that just begins to feel uncomfortably loud, and watch videos at that volume. Then very gradually (over a period of weeks) keep increasing the volume. Common sense tells me that this ought to do it, but then again common sense is what tells us that the earth is flat.

 

[Anna V.]

Hi Aegaeon and Bill.

Thanks to you both for your replies.

A: yes, calm is good! I did thankfully find an audiologist who would communicate remotely with me (phones aren't happening at the moment). So far the suggestions haven't been a great help, sometimes the opposite so it's been tricky. But to find an audiologist who will consult remotely is good so I have kept going.

Bill- yes, h seemed to not be helped by staying in as before I did that everything outside sounded pretty normal, now it doesn't. I need to break the cycle alright, like you suggested. The t symptoms are reactive so it makes it puzzling how to do that.
I actually had 'normal' tinnitus for a year and half before that and mostly stopped listening to speaker based sound (tv etc), for good or for bad, as my work demanded that I listened to speakers and headphones so I basically 'saved up' all my speaker based sound time for that. Sounds odd when I say it now but at the time natural sound didn't bother me, speakers seemed to.
But some kind of similar approach re increasing sound is probably an option.

Does anyone know about successfully using wngs with reactive t? Do you need to be fitted for those also? I've been trying to find this out.

Thanks again to you both

A

 

[Bill Bauer]

Sounds odd when I say it now but at the time natural sound didn't bother me, speakers seemed to.

You are not the only one who finds sounds other than "natural sounds" to be aggravating their T. For example

My Tinnitus is 99% gone. It's been over 4 years.

I WATCH ZERO TV ! I LIVE A LIFE WITH NO SPEAKERS WHATSOEVER

i don't even talk on my cell phone anymore ( talking on the cell phone i learned, was perpetuating my T. )

 

[Aegaeon]

How would you describe your reactive tinnitus at the moment? Do you have exacerbations? And if so, how long do they last?
In the cases where the ears are very sensitive, gradual introduction of sound might be required under the supervision of a professional.
I'm planning to visit a TRT practitioner within the next months.

 

[Anna V.]

Hi, thanks guys.

A, (sorry, prefer to abbreviate rather than type it in wrong!) I would describe the reactive t as hard to understand as it doesn't react immediately. Traffic outside definitely had an effect. Not sure what else or is it just random. Would you consider to report on the TRT experience afterwards?
Bring on the supervision of the compassionate professional!

Thanks Bill. Its good to hear things like that.

A

 

[Anna V.]

Bill, I'm wondering could you tell me please what thread that quote is from about not listening to speakers?
A

 

[Bill Bauer]

In the future you can always find the thread that is being quoted by clicking the "up arrow" to the right of the name of the person being quoted. In this case, it is the arrow to the right of the words "Mike TerMaaten said:"

The URL is
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/my-tinnitus-is-unbearable-and-getting-worse.20849/#post-245973

Take a look at his other messages
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/search/1979548/

He found that he needs to earn a quiet night. When he is able to enjoy a quiet evening (no sounds created by electronic devices), his night tends to be quiet.

 

[Anna V.]

Great, thank you. I was wondering if I could click into it but didn't try the little arrow.
That's interesting. Thank you.
I'll have a look.

A

 

[Lex]

People with hyperacusis have repeatedly complained about speaker sounds irritating the ears. It's a typical characteristic of H.

 

[Juan]

Hi Aegaeon and Bill.

Thanks to you both for your replies.

A: yes, calm is good! I did thankfully find an audiologist who would communicate remotely with me (phones aren't happening at the moment). So far the suggestions haven't been a great help, sometimes the opposite so it's been tricky. But to find an audiologist who will consult remotely is good so I have kept going.

Bill- yes, h seemed to not be helped by staying in as before I did that everything outside sounded pretty normal, now it doesn't. I need to break the cycle alright, like you suggested. The t symptoms are reactive so it makes it puzzling how to do that.
I actually had 'normal' tinnitus for a year and half before that and mostly stopped listening to speaker based sound (tv etc), for good or for bad, as my work demanded that I listened to speakers and headphones so I basically 'saved up' all my speaker based sound time for that. Sounds odd when I say it now but at the time natural sound didn't bother me, speakers seemed to.
But some kind of similar approach re increasing sound is probably an option.

Does anyone know about successfully using wngs with reactive t? Do you need to be fitted for those also? I've been trying to find this out.

Thanks again to you both

A

When hyperacusis is severe there arent many choices. One is staying at home for a long time, playing low sounds at the background (you can listen to sound at night too). Another is trying to go somewhere really quiet, like a nature park or a place like that, and stay there for one or two weeks, see how that feels. Going out is very complicated because no matter where you think of going, there is always the possibility of being around noise your ears are not going to like. The hardest part of going out with hyperacusis is actually getting to a place where is calm. I mean, if you want to go to a park, you would have to drive to the park, this is, be around traffic until you get there. Walking to a place is a no no with hyperacusis. Do not even try it if your hyperacusis is severe and you have to walk around traffic or places where there is a fat chance for noise.