I Started TRT for Hyperacusis — Tips Regarding WNGs and Having Children in the Home?

[Cory_]

To Cory:

I thought it was funny and clever as Hell.

My advice to OnlyUp is that one valuable tool for achieving any success with this (however you choose to characterize "success" in this context) is to adopt an accommodating sense of humor

Too right. If you can't do the Wrfortiscue "lol", your odds do not look good.

 

[UKBloke]

You sound just like me in some ways, so I'm confident that if you keep up with what you're doing, you'll keep improving.

A quick summary about my case - A year ago, my loudness hyperacusis was very severe. I was left homebound for about 2 1/2 months (July 2021 to early September 2021). My sound tolerance was at an all time low and I ended up wearing hearing protection excessively in my home. I developed phonophobia soon after which was horrible. Imagine dealing with phonophobia while living in a noisy city like NYC (yeah not ideal). I couldn't believe what was happening to me, it all felt surreal.

Here are some examples on just how bad my sound tolerance was and I'm not being hyperbolic with the following statements:

• If I wanted to communicate with someone, I had to whisper. People's voices also bothered me.
• I couldn't shower as the splashing of water was really discomforting.
• I couldn't eat or chew crunchy foods.
• Sliding my ears against bedsheets or pillows was next to impossible.
• Dropping plastic bottles on the floor, crumbling wrappers, aluminum foil, clanking silverware, creaking hardwood floor, and closing doors were all very bothersome. Most if not all high frequency sounds were impossible to be next to.

Fast forward to now, none of the above are an issue anymore. I improved... there are times now where I feel like my sound tolerance and sensitivity is almost back to normal levels.

It was only until I made the decision like you, to stop wearing hearing protection 24/7 in the house, where I finally started to see gradual improvement in tolerance, phonophobia, and loudness hyperacusis. The hearing protection in the house was not doing anything good for me in that regard.

It's taken me about 12 months to get to where I am now and I still have room for more improvement(reactivity in particular). Trust the process and you'll continue to get better.

P.S. The only difference is that I didn't do TRT. I structured my sound therapy using everyday sounds around my house (water faucet etc). It's not say that TRT should be discredited though.

Well done Z, these are the kind of posts we need to see

 

[Wrfortiscue]

Too right. If you can't do the Wrfortiscue "lol", your odds do not look good.

I laugh because life's a joke lol.

 

[OnlyUP]

Hi everyone,

I want to spread more positivity about this condition on Tinnitus Talk and on my specific case of hyperacusis and tinnitus, which continues to IMPROVE. I am 7 months into this journey and have been treating with sound therapy for almost five. My tolerance is wayyyy better. I did have a setback following my audiologist visit in June where she checked my LDLs. I pushed it too much and then had a stressful house guest situation so I spun into a month long set back. But, it passed. I do most things without ear protection now. I haven't pushed it much in terms of going to larger gatherings, so we will see how those play out as my husband and I have some coming up. I'll go without earplugs and put them in as needed, or leave. Things I did this summer that I never thought I'd do back in April: Drove 6 hours to visit my parents with my two year old, took my son to the zoo, went to some community BBQs, went out to eat several times. I am also returning to work at the high school where I've worked for 13 years, but will be assisting in the library rather than teaching. I hope to get back to teaching next school year.

Even though I am far from fully recovered, I am in so much of a better state. The tinnitus (both baseline and the kind that reacts to sound) is no longer as DISTRESSING to me; I would call it highly annoying now. Sometimes I hear it over the sound of my car on the interstate (I drive an older RAV4, so it's LOUD inside haha) - but if I remind myself that it won't be that loud all day, I get more relaxed and it fades, sometimes soon, sometimes not. Whereas in the beginning about 80-90% of my day revolved around stressing about it, I'd say now on a bad day that's down to about 50%. On a good day maybe 20%. I know I can improve in that regard. I know enough about tinnitus now to know that attitude is everything and this $#!T, although so annoying, is NOT life threatening. I have talked to so many people that have tinnitus, tinnitus that reacts to sound, and even some that have had hyperacusis. My dad's best friend got hyperacusis at age 65 and recovered in 6 months. Another friend's mom had a near fatal car accident that resulted in hyperacusis and although she still has it a bit, she copes well and lives a normal life, loving every second with her grandkids (all under age 10!). Neither of these people sought formal treatment. To personally know two people who have had it is pretty eye opening. I don't think it's as rare as the internet says, but I think many people don't seek treatment and don't spend their time on forums.

Things that really help me right now: brown noise while sleeping (I kicked it up a bit louder and my hyperacusis seems to have improved since doing that), fairly loud sound machines going in each room when I am home (I actually prefer constant sound to quiet at this point!), wearing my WNGs, trusting my intuition, reading success stories when I am down (I printed CoffeeBeans' posts), not talking to my husband about tinnitus/hyperacusis all the time, an alcoholic beverage (or two) in the evening sometimes, staying off the tinnitus websites for long periods of time, and STAYING BUSY. I've found picking out any positive little thing to look forward to is key for me, as is commending myself for, and replaying in my mind, small victories.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, I suppose), this has been hands down the hardest thing I have gone through in my life. Injuries, recovering from crazy childbirth, nothing on this. I have cried many MANY tears and thought I wouldn't make it at all so many times I can't count. But those feelings are becoming less and less, and for that I am extremely grateful and goddamned proud of myself.

If you're struggling, just keep going, you can do it! I hope that @Eleanor89, @ZFire, and @Wrfortiscue are doing well. Thanks again to @Michael Leigh for shooting it straight and being encouraging to me and so many others.