Hyperacusis Has Improved Significantly in a Span of Almost 2 Years

[DeanD]

I have been driving in the city without hearing protection lately to test my ears even further, cruising around 20-35 miles per hour. Happy to report that there have been no issues whatsoever in relation to hyperacusis or tinnitus. Another major accomplishment for me... Driving in the highway is a different matter however.

I was invited to eat at a restaurant this upcoming week. I think I'm going to give it a go, just to test my ears in that environment, see how I fare. Will be carrying ear protection as always.

Have to agree with this take as well.

When I reflect on the most challenging period of my hyperacusis, it triggers feelings akin to PTSD. The severity of my condition left me completely incapacitated and I was unable to carry out even the simplest tasks. What hyperacusis did to me was all so surreal. At least with tinnitus, you can still make moves even if you're confined to the house, but that's not the case with formidable hyperacusis, well in my case at least (as well as yours likely).

Although my tinnitus still remains a disgusting mess, I'm really grateful that my hyperacusis has seen great improvement. It's a huge sign of relief when looking back to how bad it really was. I'll take any victories where I can.

Do you notice any spikes when driving with earplugs vs. driving without - even temporary?

 

[ZFire]

Do you notice any spikes when driving with earplugs vs. driving without - even temporary?

I will experience spikes under 2 specific conditions regardless of any hearing protection. I will always spike if the car rides last for more than 30+ minutes and primarily when most of the driving takes place on the highway/freeway. I can easily detect the contrast in the amplification of my tinnitus before embarking on a drive and after reaching my destination.

There's something about the continuous noise of the highway that always spikes me. I find it unpleasant to listen to even with hearing protection on. Typically, when I come to a stop at a red light or turn off my car after a long drive, I notice that my tinnitus has become far more pronounced. It intensifies and becomes noticeably louder. It's inevitable and there's just no way to avoid it if I'm driving long distances.

The good news though, these spikes I experience from long car rides are always temporary. My tinnitus returns to its baseline the following morning. This 'reset' component I have with my tinnitus provides me with a strong sense of certainty, confidence, and assurance, which in turn allows me to continue to do these things, like driving. I've embraced it and don't worry about it too much anymore.

 

[DeanD]

I will experience spikes under 2 specific conditions regardless of any hearing protection. I will always spike if the car rides last for more than 30+ minutes and primarily when most of the driving takes place on the highway/freeway. I can easily detect the contrast in the amplification of my tinnitus before embarking on a drive and after reaching my destination.

There's something about the continuous noise of the highway that always spikes me. I find it unpleasant to listen to even with hearing protection on. Typically, when I come to a stop at a red light or turn off my car after a long drive, I notice that my tinnitus has become far more pronounced. It intensifies and becomes noticeably louder. It's inevitable and there's just no way to avoid it if I'm driving long distances.

The good news though, these spikes I experience from long car rides are always temporary. My tinnitus returns to its baseline the following morning. This 'reset' component I have with my tinnitus provides me with a strong sense of certainty, confidence, and assurance, which in turn allows me to continue to do these things, like driving. I've embraced it and don't worry about it too much anymore.

Thanks for the reply. It sounds just like mine, although mine can spike after even 1-2 minutes in the car, and I can easily detect the noticeable ramp up. Same if going out for a walk for 5 minutes. But I am always doing this with headphones or earplugs, and wasn't sure if the occlusion effect was doing more harm than good.

I tried for a period of a week, around 6 weeks ago, to drive without earplugs or headphones to dampen the sounds, but I guess I reverted back for a reason.

I went out for a photography shoot today, and have started to introduce household sounds in again just like you did. I had the TV on with volume 3 on Monday, volume 4 yesterday and 10 minutes of volume 5 today - but alas my ears are telling me all about it now.

Just like yours, mine needs the same sleep for that reset to happen. Some days the primary tone is tonal and buzzing with underlying hissing, and other days it's primarily hissing with underlying tonal and buzzing. The latter being the preference. Haven't found a pattern to influence it yet...

...but the answer to that enigma is something we are searching for, failing it resolving!

 

[Wrfortiscue]

I have been driving in the city without hearing protection lately to test my ears even further, cruising around 20-35 miles per hour. Happy to report that there have been no issues whatsoever in relation to hyperacusis or tinnitus. Another major accomplishment for me... Driving in the highway is a different matter however.

I was invited to eat at a restaurant this upcoming week. I think I'm going to give it a go, just to test my ears in that environment, see how I fare. Will be carrying ear protection as always.

Have to agree with this take as well.

When I reflect on the most challenging period of my hyperacusis, it triggers feelings akin to PTSD. The severity of my condition left me completely incapacitated and I was unable to carry out even the simplest tasks. What hyperacusis did to me was all so surreal. At least with tinnitus, you can still make moves even if you're confined to the house, but that's not the case with formidable hyperacusis, well in my case at least (as well as yours likely).

Although my tinnitus still remains a disgusting mess, I'm really grateful that my hyperacusis has seen great improvement. It's a huge sign of relief when looking back to how bad it really was. I'll take any victories where I can.

Glad you made it to the other side bro.

 

[ZFire]

But I am always doing this with headphones or earplugs, and wasn't sure if the occlusion effect was doing more harm than good.

Yeah, I haven't come across a definitive answer regarding whether the occlusion effect can be harmful as well. To me, it seems more like an annoyance that's unpleasant to deal with. It's had no negative effect on my ears as far as I know though.

 

[Wrfortiscue]

Yeah, I haven't come across a definitive answer regarding whether the occlusion effect can be harmful as well. To me, it seems more like an annoyance that's unpleasant to deal with. It's had no negative effect on my ears as far as I know though.

I was wondering how bad occlusion is as I chew with earplugs sometimes...

 

[Hardwell]

I went out for a photography shoot today, and have started to introduce household sounds in again just like you did. I had the TV on with volume 3 on Monday, volume 4 yesterday and 10 minutes of volume 5 today - but alas my ears are telling me all about it now.

I'm intrigued how you get on with this. For 5 months now I've avoided digital audio and I'd like to reintroduce it. My tinnitus has been somewhat strange recently, I feel like I've reverted somewhat to almost as bad as my initial worsening. The first 6-8 weeks were terrible for me. Then it was reducing in volume somewhat but I had some added tones which coincided with loud noises and an ear infection so I don't know which, if not both of them, are at fault. Month 4-5 seems to have that higher baseline again but still nowhere as bad as month 1.

I read on another post you were in a bad state around month 4 of your worsening, and I keep in mind that you and @ZFire were in the same boat as me and lost a lot of your tones.

It's impossible to habituate when you have nothing to do to distract yourself. Obviously I can't go back to work yet and I don't have TV, music or games as a distraction.

 

[DeanD]

I'm intrigued how you get on with this. For 5 months now I've avoided digital audio and I'd like to reintroduce it. My tinnitus has been somewhat strange recently, I feel like I've reverted somewhat to almost as bad as my initial worsening. The first 6-8 weeks were terrible for me. Then it was reducing in volume somewhat but I had some added tones which coincided with loud noises and an ear infection so I don't know which, if not both of them, are at fault. Month 4-5 seems to have that higher baseline again but still nowhere as bad as month 1.

I read on another post you were in a bad state around month 4 of your worsening, and I keep in mind that you and @ZFire were in the same boat as me and lost a lot of your tones.

It's impossible to habituate when you have nothing to do to distract yourself. Obviously I can't go back to work yet and I don't have TV, music or games as a distraction.

I don't think very well. I have since stopped the digital audio again. I haven't listened to digital audio outside work calls and medical calls for this entire year now. I have tried a few times with low music and low volume. Each time it seems to heighten the pitch and loudness of tinnitus.

I'd say right now I have less tones, I think, but I think the loudness has got worse, and definitely sensitivity has got worse.

Month 4 I was in a bad way but this was mainly due to the onset of throat spasms, and a sleep disorder, which stopped me eating and sleeping - literally. If I slept, my body woke me in a panic attack literally seconds after falling asleep, and I could manage nothing but liquids. This has improved but is in no way easy to tolerate right now.

I desperately want to desensitize my ears to digital audio. I have been contemplating trying the ear desensitizing route with white noise maskers but the science behind it is lacking. Any noise though at the moment competes with tinnitus and fatigues me - it feels too much auditory stimulation at times. Silence is easier although difficult of course.

I know I can be in a much better happy place with music, my favourite TV shows and retro games with all that nostalgic bliss, and I feel mentally that has to be good - but equally physically I seem to still struggle.

 

[Jupiterman]

It's impossible to habituate when you have nothing to do to distract yourself. Obviously I can't go back to work yet and I don't have TV, music or games as a distraction.

You can play video games with sound down and can watch TV with subtitles?

Are you considering returning to your construction job?

 

[DeanD]

You can play video games with sound down and can watch TV with subtitles?

Are you considering returning to your construction job?

Just got to get Microsoft to quieten down their damn Xbox controllers - I've taken mine apart, removed the vibrator motors and done the usual hacks, but those clicky buttons are insane!

But yes I play a lot of online and retro gaming to distract, all with sound on mute - and my TV I only watch with subtitles too. It can work.

 

[ZFire]

I finally decided to dine at a restaurant. This was my first time dining out since this all began for me. Unfortunately, the experience didn't go smoothly and I couldn't enjoy myself at all. I had to resort to wearing hearing protection shortly after being seated.

Despite the absence of music, the restaurant was really crowded (on a late Tuesday FFS), and the conversations around me were dominated by raised voices. While I initially managed to tolerate the situation, it eventually grew extremely uncomfortable and overwhelming for me. The noise level must have ranged around 70-80 dB throughout. The amount of chatting and shouting happening around me (there was a table of 10 people next to us) became too much handle. You know it's bad when even your own family members at that dinner start complaining about nearby customers raising their voices at one another.

I wouldn't even describe the noise as particularly discomforting or painful to my ears per se. Instead, it felt more like an annoyance that I found to be distracting and troublesome. It made concentration difficult for me. It's like my brain was urging to me to take immediate action to safeguard myself. I suppose the fear of worsening still gets to me sometimes. Once I wore ear protection though, that helped tremendously. It eased the situation for me greatly. The only issue — I dislike having to eat while wearing earplugs/earmuffs and it's hard to have conversations with others...

What troubles me the most is how my thought process unfolds during these events. As soon as I enter such venues, my mind immediately fixates on whether the place will be filled with noise or if loud music will be playing. Whether the environment will be safe for me. It's this continuous preoccupation with the level of noise that ultimately prevents me from staying relaxed and fully embracing the experience. I end up feeling like a zombie, just waiting for it to end, so I can go home. I couldn't find any enjoyment.

There were no setbacks or anything like that from this event. Let me emphasize once again that my ability to tolerate sounds has improved SIGNIFICANTLY. It's a vast improvement from how I was two years ago. I can endure a wide range of things now. For instance, I can handle several dog barks way better now.

It's the aspect of annoyance with specific noises that's still challenging for me however.

I was wondering how bad occlusion is as I chew with earplugs sometimes...

I can't enjoy eating food while plugged up. I find chewing foods (especially crunchy stuff) to be really unpleasant, therefore I like to avoid it as much as I can. Again, I don't think it affects me at all.

 

[MindOverMatter]

I finally decided to dine at a restaurant. This was my first time dining out since this all began for me. Unfortunately, the experience didn't go smoothly and I couldn't enjoy myself at all. I had to resort to wearing hearing protection shortly after being seated.

Despite the absence of music, the restaurant was really crowded (on a late Tuesday FFS), and the conversations around me were dominated by raised voices. While I initially managed to tolerate the situation, it eventually grew extremely uncomfortable and overwhelming for me. The noise level must have ranged around 70-80 dB throughout. The amount of chatting and shouting happening around me (there was a table of 10 people next to us) became too much handle. You know it's bad when even your own family members at that dinner start complaining about nearby customers raising their voices at one another.

I wouldn't even describe the noise as particularly discomforting or painful to my ears per se. Instead, it felt more like an annoyance that I found to be distracting and troublesome. It made concentration difficult for me. It's like my brain was urging to me to take immediate action to safeguard myself. I suppose the fear of worsening still gets to me sometimes. Once I wore ear protection though, that helped tremendously. It eased the situation for me greatly. The only issue — I dislike having to eat while wearing earplugs/earmuffs and it's hard to have conversations with others...

What troubles me the most is how my thought process unfolds during these events. As soon as I enter such venues, my mind immediately fixates on whether the place will be filled with noise or if loud music will be playing. Whether the environment will be safe for me. It's this continuous preoccupation with the level of noise that ultimately prevents me from staying relaxed and fully embracing the experience. I end up feeling like a zombie, just waiting for it to end, so I can go home. I couldn't find any enjoyment.

There were no setbacks or anything like that from this event. Let me emphasize once again that my ability to tolerate sounds has improved SIGNIFICANTLY. It's a vast improvement from how I was two years ago. I can endure a wide range of things now. For instance, I can handle several dog barks way better now.

It's the aspect of annoyance with specific noises that's still challenging for me however.

I can't enjoy eating food while plugged up. I find chewing foods (especially crunchy stuff) to be really unpleasant, therefore I like to avoid it as much as I can. Again, I don't think it affects me at all.

Even though it wasn't perfect, you did it. That's a victory! Usually it gets a bit easier for every time - unless you are in a spike.

I find myself in everything you say, and especially the fear of worsening. I wore earplugs myself for a long time on occasions like this.

These days, probably the last year+, my fear of worsening to such events is small. I can still think of it, don't get me wrong, but only for a short while. I never liked crowded, busy places to begin with though. And with my hearing issues, I find it difficult to follow conversations with a lot of buzz around me. I get easily hearing fatigued, which in turn may tense my jaw, neck and such. But I do not stress a lot about the situations due to tinnitus/hyperacusis, unless there would be full on loud music. Then I would consider not to go, or if I'd go I would wear 20 dB musician earplugs when needed.

I just went to a party with 80 people the other day. Lots of speeches and 3 live acoustic songs during these 4 hours. Very soothing guitar and singers - a pleasure to listen when I don't get the distortions I used to all the time. No issues.

Yes, I can and do get fatigued ears for a few hours, or the next day, but it always resets as long as I make sure it's tolerable sound levels and keeping my guard down.

When guard is up, we tense up, tympani muscle in ears tenses, jaw, neck, and so forth. At least for me. When tense, we are so much more fragile - and it makes it hard to relax and enjoy.

 

[DeanD]

I finally decided to dine at a restaurant. This was my first time dining out since this all began for me. Unfortunately, the experience didn't go smoothly and I couldn't enjoy myself at all. I had to resort to wearing hearing protection shortly after being seated.

Despite the absence of music, the restaurant was really crowded (on a late Tuesday FFS), and the conversations around me were dominated by raised voices. While I initially managed to tolerate the situation, it eventually grew extremely uncomfortable and overwhelming for me. The noise level must have ranged around 70-80 dB throughout. The amount of chatting and shouting happening around me (there was a table of 10 people next to us) became too much handle. You know it's bad when even your own family members at that dinner start complaining about nearby customers raising their voices at one another.

I wouldn't even describe the noise as particularly discomforting or painful to my ears per se. Instead, it felt more like an annoyance that I found to be distracting and troublesome. It made concentration difficult for me. It's like my brain was urging to me to take immediate action to safeguard myself. I suppose the fear of worsening still gets to me sometimes. Once I wore ear protection though, that helped tremendously. It eased the situation for me greatly. The only issue — I dislike having to eat while wearing earplugs/earmuffs and it's hard to have conversations with others...

What troubles me the most is how my thought process unfolds during these events. As soon as I enter such venues, my mind immediately fixates on whether the place will be filled with noise or if loud music will be playing. Whether the environment will be safe for me. It's this continuous preoccupation with the level of noise that ultimately prevents me from staying relaxed and fully embracing the experience. I end up feeling like a zombie, just waiting for it to end, so I can go home. I couldn't find any enjoyment.

There were no setbacks or anything like that from this event. Let me emphasize once again that my ability to tolerate sounds has improved SIGNIFICANTLY. It's a vast improvement from how I was two years ago. I can endure a wide range of things now. For instance, I can handle several dog barks way better now.

It's the aspect of annoyance with specific noises that's still challenging for me however.

I can't enjoy eating food while plugged up. I find chewing foods (especially crunchy stuff) to be really unpleasant, therefore I like to avoid it as much as I can. Again, I don't think it affects me at all.

I found myself nodding intensely along with this paragraph by paragraph.

It's exactly how I have started feeling. For the first few months it wasn't too bad being in places, but lately it's becoming more and more fatiguing - almost as if my brain is receiving too much sensory input, and more effort is needed to process it all.

I have often wondered whether it's our reaction and fear of the unknown around noises like this that drives the fatigue and tension, or whether it's a physical response.

I have now reached a point whereby I am desperate to start desensitizing my ears with a hope to reduce reactivity. It's just knowing the best way and approach outside the usual TRT malarky.

 

[Hardwell]

You can play video games with sound down and can watch TV with subtitles?

Are you considering returning to your construction job?

I could watch and play with the sound on mute, and I guess, to be honest, it's a mental thing for me in that regard. I just don't want to admit to myself yet that's what life is for me.

I consider going back to my job everyday, I miss it and I'm running out of money, but my tinnitus is still far too reactive and easily adds new tones at this stage.

I know I can be in a much better happy place with music, my favourite TV shows and retro games with all that nostalgic bliss, and I feel mentally that has to be good - but equally physically I seem to still struggle.

This is exactly how I feel, my life has drastically changed so much in such a short period. Not being able to listen to music or watch films when I was a huge movie buff is a killer. Same with my consoles, that used to be a release after work and good source of socialisation, but I haven't done that in 5 months either.

I am currently seeing an audiologist for TRT as a last resort, I'm not entirely sold on it but she recommended starting off by watching TV at low volume for 3 minutes a day and building from there.

It does seem that most people's tinnitus does seem to lose some reactivity, I've read a few posts from people in our situation who have gained the ability to go back to digital audio.

 

[DeanD]

I am currently seeing an audiologist for TRT as a last resort, I'm not entirely sold on it but she recommended starting off by watching TV at low volume for 3 minutes a day and building from there.

It does seem that most people's tinnitus does seem to lose some reactivity, I've read a few posts from people in our situation who have gained the ability to go back to digital audio.

Hopefully the TRT goes well - let us know how you find it.

I have started back this week with I guess my own strategy, but sounds similar to yours. Volume 3 on my TV (out of 100) so just about audible - although I have bad hearing anyway - for 5 minutes a day. Today is Day 2. I will do this for three days at this volume before increasing to 10 minutes at the same volume and so on. If I can reach to 30 minutes, then I will try 5 minutes at volume 4 and so on and so on.

 

[MindOverMatter]

I could watch and play with the sound on mute, and I guess, to be honest, it's a mental thing for me in that regard. I just don't want to admit to myself yet that's what life is for me.

I consider going back to my job everyday, I miss it and I'm running out of money, but my tinnitus is still far too reactive and easily adds new tones at this stage.

This is exactly how I feel, my life has drastically changed so much in such a short period. Not being able to listen to music or watch films when I was a huge movie buff is a killer. Same with my consoles, that used to be a release after work and good source of socialisation, but I haven't done that in 5 months either.

I am currently seeing an audiologist for TRT as a last resort, I'm not entirely sold on it but she recommended starting off by watching TV at low volume for 3 minutes a day and building from there.

It does seem that most people's tinnitus does seem to lose some reactivity, I've read a few posts from people in our situation who have gained the ability to go back to digital audio.

Yes @Hardwell, I had severe reactive tinnitus for a long time that has gotten a lot better. It doesn't mean that every day is a great day - and this is still an ongoing process. Lifelong.

...BUT, I can listen to a lot more than what I could before - including digital audio. But I do, to this day, limit my time on the phone. And I only speak through the loud speaker - no matter where I am. I use SMS and emails a lot more. I never liked speaking on the phone before either, so it is really not a big issue.

 

[UKBloke]

I think this guy's writeup is fantastic for so many reasons. I actually tried to leave a comment on his page at hyperacusisresearch.org but was unable to. His perspective on hyperacusis is well worth a read:

Hyperacusis; an Engineering Perspective

 

[DeanD]

I think this guy's writeup is fantastic for so many reasons. I actually tried to leave a comment on his page at hyperacusisresearch.org but was unable to. His perspective on hyperacusis is well worth a read:

Hyperacusis; an Engineering Perspective

A good find - and someone else who feels TRT is a bunch of crap.

I am curious though about the 'My first ENT/otolaryngologist told me that typically the inner ear lag is 36-48 hours'...

...I get that for the majority a spike is delayed, but does anyone have the science or theory on why a tinnitus spike doesn't always set in immediately and can take 36-48 hours?

 

[gameover]

...I get that for the majority a spike is delayed, but does anyone have the science or theory on why a tinnitus spike doesn't always set in immediately and can take 36-48 hours?

I don't know about the specific number, but for me tinnitus onset took 4 days since the acoustic trauma. The tinnitus was super super mild initially and continued to be fairly mild for the next 2-3 weeks. The damage continued for weeks. An audiogram showed my right ear being ~20-30 dB worse at 4.5 week vs 3.5 weeks in high frequencies (I have hearing loss 6 kHz and above). The tinnitus got bad around 3.5 weeks and continued to get worse for at least another 4-5 weeks with more fluctuations thereafter, and perhaps some more minor acoustic traumas.

Point is - the hair cells take time to die, sometimes fairly long time. Hence the delayed effect.

Now the question is why do spikes revert? Well, maybe minor damage heals even with already damaged ears.

 

[ZFire]

Thanks for the response, guys. When I document my experience, I try my best to be as precise and thorough as possible, for relatability reasons. I like to think that this could potentially offer value to others who encounter similar situations, and these shared experiences might contribute to research (wishful thinking lol) or understanding in some way.

I think this guy's writeup is fantastic for so many reasons. I actually tried to leave a comment on his page at hyperacusisresearch.org but was unable to. His perspective on hyperacusis is well worth a read:

Hyperacusis; an Engineering Perspective

Great read.

This paragraph intrigued me the most:

One difficult aspect of hyperacusis is sudden impact sounds: A coin drop, a dog bark, a hammer, a slammed door, a toilet flush, the drumbeat in music, gunfire or sirens on TV. A normal ear seems to have a protective mechanism to dampen that sound so you don't get the full impact of it. That mechanism doesn't seem to be working anymore; at least for me. So you get the full brunt of those sounds, which readily cause a setback. The flush of a commercial toilet sounds like a bomb going off. And that is enough to cause a setback.

I definitely felt like I lost this 'protective mechanism' from sudden impact noise when I was at my most worst. Door slams had such a strong impact on me that they would trigger spasms in my eardrums, causing me to wince in discomfort each time. It appears like this mechanism is working for me again. Maybe not as good as before my pre-hyperacusis onset, but well enough where impact noise don't startle me or feel excessively loud and forceful anymore. When door slams happens, my ears show very little reaction to it now.

Now, here's my question: why has this 'protective mechanism' returned for me, while it hasn't returned back for this engineer, even though he's experienced a significant reduction in his hyperacusis symptoms? It's curious because I believe there should be a correlation between sound tolerance and this 'protective mechanism' he's discussing. In my situation, as my tolerance kept improving, so did my capacity to handle sudden impact noise.

I have now reached a point whereby I am desperate to start desensitizing my ears with a hope to reduce reactivity. It's just knowing the best way and approach outside the usual TRT malarky.

For the time being, I would stick with the TV volume approach that you're doing. If I'm being honest, I'm not entirely convinced that TRT is more effective than a do-it-yourself approach. You have stories of TRT helping worsening people, but also worsening people like with everything in regards to tinnitus. Go figure.

If the goal is to build tolerance through sound enrichment, that can also be done through natural means either through outdoor activities (in nature) or at home IMO.

 

[DeanD]

For the time being, I would stick with the TV volume approach that you're doing. If I'm being honest, I'm not entirely convinced that TRT is more effective than a do-it-yourself approach. You have stories of TRT helping worsening people, but also worsening people like with everything in regards to tinnitus. Go figure.

If the goal is to build tolerance through sound enrichment, that can also be done through natural means either through outdoor activities (in nature) or at home IMO.

Day 3 is done. No spikes, but I don't usually get any for such a short timeframe.

Tomorrow is the first day of 10 minutes at a low volume. I want to do this one slightly different and whilst it is on, I want to immerse in something enjoyable like beating cocky players on FIFA 23, or scrolling through funny memes on Instagram - so my brain doesn't see a possible sub-conscious fear whilst concentrating on the TV, and not a neutral response like reading or working - but an association of real feel good at the same time my brain is experiencing the TV sound.

Hey there's probably as much science behind this as Jastrepratt's TRT - but it's my science, so will give it a go.

 

[UKBloke]

There's just a couple of bullet points about Frank Magnusson's write up that I felt important to post:

• Aerospace engineers/test pilots are some of the coolest, calculated, problem solvers there are. Although I don't want to celebrate the arrival of any new member to our unwanted club, I'm convinced more than ever that we need engineers like Mr. Magnusson operating in this space.
  
  It seems to me that although brilliant in their individual fields of expertise, unfortunately, neuroscientists, audiologists etc don't appear to approach solving tinnitus and hyperacusis in the way that engineers would. A massive bugbear of mine along the way has been these discipline's failure to actually define what it is they're attempting to solve. Who knows; maybe the financial investors don't see any return on investment to answering that question, but the result (as I've pointed out before) of a 'chuck mud at it and see what sticks' approach to beating tinnitus and hyperacusis is that we patients are the wall on the receiving end of that mud. I have many issues with that but my main one is the unwanted and some times very nasty side-effects resulting from such a situation. I believe engineers would take a completely different approach to solving this problem especially where defining it, and project management are concerned.
  
  
• I'm encouraged by his approach at managing his LDLs given that this is something he's worked at over a 6 year period. Just as @ZFire has provided positivity here, so has Mr. Magnusson in as much as it appears that, absent a cure, his engineering brain has incorporated methodologies that certainly seem to put him in the pilot's seat (pun intended). This is SO important with a condition like ours that can be unbelievably brutal at times. Props to him for coming forward.

and someone else who feels TRT is a bunch of crap.

I think the main takeaway for me regarding his comments about TRT is that he (rightly so) questions the idea that fear can be one of the culprits of a setback. As far as patient care is concerned, introducing psychogical metrics is a very slippery slope in my view - actually one of the main reasons I've refused CBT.

Now, here's my question: why has this 'protective mechanism' returned for me, while it hasn't returned back for this engineer, even though he's experienced a significant reduction in his hyperacusis symptoms?

I wonder whether or not this comes down to a basic age thing. Do younger people stand a greater chance of speedier recovery? I suppose we don't know the definitive answer to that right now but I am encouraged that he stated his symptoms go up 50% as opposed to 500% during a setback. Seems like quite a decent reduction of magnitude.

 

[ZFire]

I wonder whether or not this comes down to a basic age thing. Do younger people stand a greater chance of speedier recovery? I suppose we don't know the definitive answer to that right now but I am encouraged that he stated his symptoms go up 50% as opposed to 500% during a setback. Seems like quite a decent reduction of magnitude.

That's excellent reduction. I really do believe that most cases of hyperacusis see improvements and stabilization over time. It's an ongoing and long process. The idea of age being a factor for quicker recovery is interesting though.

I'm convinced more than ever that we need engineers like Mr. Magnusson operating in this space.

I'm on board as well. I recalled the late @Padraigh Griffin (Rest in Peace) sharing a similar mindset as well, that engineers were going to be the ones to solve tinnitus and hyperacusis rather than those in medicine. He was actually convinced by that. Miss that man...

 

[DeanD]

Aerospace engineers/test pilots are some of the coolest, calculated, problem solvers there are. Although I don't want to celebrate the arrival of any new member to our unwanted club, I'm convinced more than ever that we need engineers like Mr. Magnusson operating in this space.

With 750 million estimated sufferers of this affliction I am surprised there aren't people from all walks of life and experience looking for answers. My neurologist at one of the largest neurological hospitals in the world has tinnitus bad enough he needs a white noise machine at night to sleep.

Perhaps some of these engineers have already found some solutions across the four corners of the globe, they just haven't shared, aren't shouting loud enough or aren't being listened to.

I think the main takeaway for me regarding his comments about TRT is that he (rightly so) questions the idea that fear can be one of the culprits of a setback. As far as patient care is concerned, introducing psychogical metrics is a very slippery slope in my view - actually one of the main reasons I've refused CBT.

Also saying a physical treatment (TRT sound desensitization) will not work without a counselling aspect (again TRT) is again a slippery slope. The fact these psychological measurements are even brought in to the equation explain enough.

If I use dumbbells, my arms will increase in size regardless of my mental wellbeing or whether I am having counselling or not.

I have yet to see a single logical medical piece of evidence that in even a small way backs up how TRT can make plasticity changes in the brain to reduce the effects of tinnitus vs doing nothing, despite a price tag of thousands of dollars. I am ready to be convinced.

Not directed at you @UKBloke - just my tuppence on the subject.

 

[Hardwell]

Also saying a physical treatment (TRT sound desensitization) will not work without a counselling aspect (again TRT) is again a slippery slope. The fact these psychological measurements are even brought in to the equation explain enough.

Mr TRT is pretty much exactly the same protocol as you've described. I was also told to have the TV on to stimulate background noise while doing something else for the same reasons you describe.

I've only done three sessions so far, but I've deduced that if you have stable and mild-moderate tinnitus with anxiety, then TRT seems like it'll be effective for you. For us with unstable/reactive tinnitus, then it can be dangerous if your practitioner isn't understanding of the matter.

You can certainly do the desensitisation at home without TRT, I'm not bothering with maskers as she said they aren't wise for people with my tinnitus characteristics. Only reason I'm sticking with TRT is I have the diagnostics kits at my disposal to have regular hearing tests and to have somebody document my tinnitus changes for me.

 

[DeanD]

Mr TRT is pretty much exactly the same protocol as you've described. I was also told to have the TV on to stimulate background noise while doing something else for the same reasons you describe.

I've only done three sessions so far, but I've deduced that if you have stable and mild-moderate tinnitus with anxiety, then TRT seems like it'll be effective for you. For us with unstable/reactive tinnitus, then it can be dangerous if your practitioner isn't understanding of the matter.

You can certainly do the desensitisation at home without TRT, I'm not bothering with maskers as she said they aren't wise for people with my tinnitus characteristics. Only reason I'm sticking with TRT is I have the diagnostics kits at my disposal to have regular hearing tests and to have somebody document my tinnitus changes for me.

And this is the big problem with TRT as therapy, it falls in the hands of audiologists that have no understanding of the various tinnitus characteristics and sub-types. To think one size fits all can cause a lot of damage to an already fragile auditory system.

Over time the majority with mild tinnitus habituate anyway as the brain and mind get used to the sounds in quiet environments. TRT plays nastily on this and lays claim to the success of these case studies.

It's good at least your audiologist or ENT has worked out that maskers aren't going to be great for you and could cause more damage than good.

How are you finding the TV solution, are you spiking?

I think the TV is working ok for me, but work calls are a different story. I am hard of hearing anyway, with loud tinnitus, so I probably have to have my speaker on louder than most just to hear the conversation and make out what's being said (50-60 dB). This then ramps up my sensitivity. It's a terrible catch-22.

 

[Hardwell]

And this is the big problem with TRT as therapy, it falls in the hands of audiologists that have no understanding of the various tinnitus characteristics and sub-types. To think one size fits all can cause a lot of damage to an already fragile auditory system.

Over time the majority with mild tinnitus habituate anyway as the brain and mind get used to the sounds in quiet environments. TRT plays nastily on this and lays claim to the success of these case studies.

It's good at least your audiologist or ENT has worked out that maskers aren't going to be great for you and could cause more damage than good.

How are you finding the TV solution, are you spiking?

I think the TV is working ok for me, but work calls are a different story. I am hard of hearing anyway, with loud tinnitus, so I probably have to have my speaker on louder than most just to hear the conversation and make out what's being said (50-60 dB). This then ramps up my sensitivity. It's a terrible catch-22.

Luckily my audiologist's field is primarily neurosensory science and she's up to date with much of the research. I asked her why digital audio is a burden for some, she said they don't know why, they just know at this stage there is a link for some.

I've not personally started on the digital audio as of yet, I've had to delay it. My volume and pitch fluctuate as it does for most, but I went for a walk the other day and it was a particularly loud one due to some sort of distant power tool and I'm now in a 'setback' (an additional intermittent beeping sound tone in the right ear.)

I actually wanted to ask yourself and @ZFire, if your setbacks ever included additional tones? I hope they were temporary. Until now it had been a good 2-3 months before I acquired a new tone, so this is a bit of a bummer.

I'm glad it seems you're getting some success from your TV experiment, I've only had a few short calls and I don't recall if they've spiked my tinnitus or not. I'm extremely careful about taking phone calls at present.

 

[DeanD]

Luckily my audiologist's field is primarily neurosensory science and she's up to date with much of the research. I asked her why digital audio is a burden for some, she said they don't know why, they just know at this stage there is a link for some.

I've not personally started on the digital audio as of yet, I've had to delay it. My volume and pitch fluctuate as it does for most, but I went for a walk the other day and it was a particularly loud one due to some sort of distant power tool and I'm now in a 'setback' (an additional intermittent beeping sound tone in the right ear.)

I actually wanted to ask yourself and @ZFire, if your setbacks ever included additional tones? I hope they were temporary. Until now it had been a good 2-3 months before I acquired a new tone, so this is a bit of a bummer.

I'm glad it seems you're getting some success from your TV experiment, I've only had a few short calls and I don't recall if they've spiked my tinnitus or not. I'm extremely careful about taking phone calls at present.

It sounds that at the very least you've stumbled on a good audiologist. Is she (and you) in the UK by any chance?

It is frustrating that something that should be simply explained as to why digital audio is a problem for sensitive ears, still seems a question to evade modern science - if only AI could be focused on delving in to the mysteries of the audio system rather than a fleet of driverless taxis.

I sometimes do get new tones. It seems as if those 'new' tones are just waiting in the wings for their chance to shine the moment the right frequency comes along. I was pretty stable for a few months myself until 8 weeks ago and the game changed again. I started hearing tones I hadn't since the very start of this. I go through a combination of just hissing (rare), buzzing, tonal and a mix and match of all three.

Sleep though seems to make the biggest difference. Every day my tinnitus changes in pitch and volume, and this happens during sleep. I do though spike always when I go out, even just in to the ambient sounds of a front lawn (even at 20 dB), yet I dropped the toilet seat today and nothing.

Lately though, despite not doing much and going out even less (due to a buggered car that is taking weeks to fix), I seem to slowly be getting worse with more hypersensitivity and louder and more regular piercing tinnitus.

 

[gameover]

Lately though, despite not doing much and going out even less (due to a buggered car that is taking weeks to fix), I seem to slowly be getting worse with more hypersensitivity and louder and more regular piercing tinnitus.

Same for me, and that's the craziest and saddest part. I hit my new bottom (or rather peak in terms of tinnitus volume) 2 days ago, but I think I keep trending in the wrong direction despite exposing less. This is pure hell.

 

[Hardwell]

It sounds that at the very least you've stumbled on a good audiologist. Is she (and you) in the UK by any chance?

Yep, Bristol, England.

It is frustrating that something that should be simply explained as to why digital audio is a problem for sensitive ears, still seems a question to evade modern science - if only AI could be focused on delving in to the mysteries of the audio system rather than a fleet of driverless taxis.

I sometimes do get new tones. It seems as if those 'new' tones are just waiting in the wings for their chance to shine the moment the right frequency comes along. I was pretty stable for a few months myself until 8 weeks ago and the game changed again. I started hearing tones I hadn't since the very start of this. I go through a combination of just hissing (rare), buzzing, tonal and a mix and match of all three.

I've got a few thoughts on digital audio and of course none of this is scientific and only my observations through reading countless posts by forum members.

The first thing I've noticed is that the majority of the people I've seen who experience issues with digital audio also have some degree of hearing loss. I've seen some posts where members had issues with digital audio only initially and I don't recall them mentioning much in regards to if they had hearing loss or not. It would be interesting to have a poll on this as there isn't much in the way of research into it.

Which brings me onto my second observation, those who complain of being reactive to digital audio tend to also be reactive to everything else anyway. This includes myself, my tinnitus, as far as I'm aware, will change characteristics regardless of the noise exposure I have. But it's a lot less apparent outside, maybe this is due to the quantity and diversity of the ambient noises.

It may be that we notice the reactiveness all the more prominently when it's digital audio due to the fact we're in a quiet home and the digital audio is the dominant source. I've contemplated watching TV outside and see if I notice as much of a difference with the ambient outside background noise.