Hyperacusis Disappearing on Its Own?

[Badger19]

Sup guys,

In June I had a new noise trauma. My tinnitus deteriorated quite a bit (luckily it's almost to what it was before). Far worse, however, is that I developed a feeling of fullness in my left ear. This fullness reacted to loud noise. If someone spoke loud nearby (which sometimes happens at work), I could feel my ear twitching.

I work a quite a noisy place. While the average noise is under 70 dB, it can spike up to low 80's dB. Not enough to cause hearing damage (I've worked there for years with tinnitus), but it did induce the ear fullness. Whenever I felt it was too loud, I wore my plugs.

The last few weeks or so, I've noticed that I barely used my plugs. The last two days I did not wear my plugs and while I wouldn't say I felt nothing in my ear, it was about 10-20% of the usual fullness. And that could just be because I'm paying attention to it and overthinking. Someone dropped something which made quite a noise and while I quickly put my fingers in my ears, I still heard it. But no fullness.

Back when I first got tinnitus I also got some slight fullness (but not nearly as bad as I did now) and it went away on its own. Is the same happening now? I really, really hope so. It would give me my life back.

 

[Juan]

Sup guys,

In June I had a new noise trauma. My tinnitus deteriorated quite a bit (luckily it's almost to what it was before). Far worse, however, is that I developed a feeling of fullness in my left ear. This fullness reacted to loud noise. If someone spoke loud nearby (which sometimes happens at work), I could feel my ear twitching.

I work a quite a noisy place. While the average noise is under 70 dB, it can spike up to low 80's dB. Not enough to cause hearing damage (I've worked there for years with tinnitus), but it did induce the ear fullness. Whenever I felt it was too loud, I wore my plugs.

The last few weeks or so, I've noticed that I barely used my plugs. The last two days I did not wear my plugs and while I wouldn't say I felt nothing in my ear, it was about 10-20% of the usual fullness. And that could just be because I'm paying attention to it and overthinking. Someone dropped something which made quite a noise and while I quickly put my fingers in my ears, I still heard it. But no fullness.

Back when I first got tinnitus I also got some slight fullness (but not nearly as bad as I did now) and it went away on its own. Is the same happening now? I really, really hope so. It would give me my life back.

Noise trauma is clinically defined. It is not some noise you can just label like that, like "noise trauma". If you had noise trauma you would know from minute one, and the noise would have been absolutely unbearable, by any standards (jackhammer like noise, or fighter plane noise, or gunshot).

 

[Bill Bauer]

If someone spoke loud nearby (which sometimes happens at work), I could feel my ear twitching.

This is TTTS (tonic tensor tympani syndrome).

Is the same happening now?

Yes, ear fullness and hyperacusis often go away on their own after 6-12 months. Even tinnitus can fade on its own.

 

[Bill Bauer]

TTTS also normally goes away after about a year.

 

[arctic loon]

Just because your hyperacusis seems healed now, it doesn't mean it will stay away. In many cases first noise trauma(s) heal fairly well and people go on with their lives and keep doing noisy activities, thinking they have healed completely. Hyperacusis can come back any time, and much worse than it was initially.

Honestly your workplace noise doesn't sound too safe for your ears. The recommendation of 85dB is made for people with healthy ears. People who had/have hyperacusis, the limit of safe noise can be much lower.

I'm really glad to hear you've gotten better, but please be careful. If you start getting ear symptoms in work again, you really should consider finding a quieter job. No job is worth risking your health. Hyperacusis is a very devastating and debilitating condition, do everything you can to not let it re-enter your life.