- Dec 26, 2014
- 79
- Tinnitus Since
- many years, but much worse after acoustic trauma in 2014
I decided to make a journal, following @luka 's lead, in order to better organize the laser treatment plan for my ear problem.
Background:
2 years ago I suffered from hyperaucusis, which finally went away. Honestly I didn't know what it was at the time. All I knew was that in the very beginning certain sounds would bring me to my knees. Physical pain from noise, I couldn't believe something like this existed. I had other health issues that plagued me as well, so I guess I just rode it out and it went away. As my health improved, so did my ears.
Unfortunately, my ears were still sensitive even despite me thinking I had healed completely after H, because on the 4th of July in 2014 I was exposed to a flare gun. My right ear suffered greatly. It started ringing, felt full, distorted sounds, and people sounded like robots. It scared me so bad. I went to the ER who said that my ear had suffered barotrauma, that there was no tear in the eardrum, and that it would heal. I had no idea about steroids at the time, or I would have done them. Now I know that for serious ear issues and ENT is necessary asap, not the ER.
2 weeks went by and my ear greatly improved. However, it was still not healed. I still had fullness, a soreness when exposed to sounds, popping, clicking, tinnitus that would at times seem so minimal but then react greatly to noise, and slightly dulled hearing. I could not equalize my ear normally (I always explained it as a balloon expanding). A fluttering in my ear would also happen sometimes. I got an audiogram about 1.5 months after the event (it is attached here).
I'll summarize to say I saw several ENTs after this point, to no avail. My diagnosis were to wait it out, maybe it's nerve damage, and then finally an ENT who used a camera to look inside my ear. He said he believed it to be TTTS.
Due to my central nervous system issues in the past, possibly, my CNS reacted greatly to the noise, causing some damage/muscle contractions, and has never returned back to it's relaxed state (at least fully). I just don't know. I do know that in my case it is not a psychological problem.
I did start treating, after reading many links about LLLT from @FERNANDO GIL , @Nick J. , @attheedgeofscience. I started following several others of you who are also working on LLLT therapy. I read about the importance of protecting my ear, and started wearing an earplug in my affected (right) ear. The fullness slightly improved, and my fluttering doesn't happen as much with the earplug in place (unless I stretch for some reason). However, still having issues so I decided I would try LLLT.
I got my frequency hearing test (also shown below) before I started treating. This was after a couple of months of wearing an earplug, so it's interesting to see that my high frequency hearing on my bad (right) ear, was actually super good, higher than 0, -20db at 20Hz. I assume that my hearing was most likely worse before I started wearing my earplugs, especially due to the fact that I am primarily right-dominant (spoke on the phone on the right ear, etc). Now, it is the best ear "hearing-wise."
One thing that is really interesting, is that I always felt my Eustachian tube was acting strangely after my noise trauma. The Eustacian tube possibly not working as well, and that air-balloon feeling in my ear. I asked the doctor who performed my frequency hearing test to please do an Eustachian tube test as well. My right ear showed a much different graph than my left ear. When I do the valsalva maneuver, the eardrum tends to feel more stuck, and then slowly deflates again. My left ear, naturally flicks in and out very quickly, it does not do the expanding feeling.
Anyway, I have been doing LLLT therapy after discussing more with @FERNANDO GIL and will post how I have been treating below a bit later today. I will be better at reporting results, any changes here on this post.
Thank you for reading! Any thoughts/input you all have is treasured by me. Also thank you to all of you I have been in contact with. I hope to have a healthier right ear again!
Best~
Background:
2 years ago I suffered from hyperaucusis, which finally went away. Honestly I didn't know what it was at the time. All I knew was that in the very beginning certain sounds would bring me to my knees. Physical pain from noise, I couldn't believe something like this existed. I had other health issues that plagued me as well, so I guess I just rode it out and it went away. As my health improved, so did my ears.
Unfortunately, my ears were still sensitive even despite me thinking I had healed completely after H, because on the 4th of July in 2014 I was exposed to a flare gun. My right ear suffered greatly. It started ringing, felt full, distorted sounds, and people sounded like robots. It scared me so bad. I went to the ER who said that my ear had suffered barotrauma, that there was no tear in the eardrum, and that it would heal. I had no idea about steroids at the time, or I would have done them. Now I know that for serious ear issues and ENT is necessary asap, not the ER.
2 weeks went by and my ear greatly improved. However, it was still not healed. I still had fullness, a soreness when exposed to sounds, popping, clicking, tinnitus that would at times seem so minimal but then react greatly to noise, and slightly dulled hearing. I could not equalize my ear normally (I always explained it as a balloon expanding). A fluttering in my ear would also happen sometimes. I got an audiogram about 1.5 months after the event (it is attached here).
I'll summarize to say I saw several ENTs after this point, to no avail. My diagnosis were to wait it out, maybe it's nerve damage, and then finally an ENT who used a camera to look inside my ear. He said he believed it to be TTTS.
Due to my central nervous system issues in the past, possibly, my CNS reacted greatly to the noise, causing some damage/muscle contractions, and has never returned back to it's relaxed state (at least fully). I just don't know. I do know that in my case it is not a psychological problem.
I did start treating, after reading many links about LLLT from @FERNANDO GIL , @Nick J. , @attheedgeofscience. I started following several others of you who are also working on LLLT therapy. I read about the importance of protecting my ear, and started wearing an earplug in my affected (right) ear. The fullness slightly improved, and my fluttering doesn't happen as much with the earplug in place (unless I stretch for some reason). However, still having issues so I decided I would try LLLT.
I got my frequency hearing test (also shown below) before I started treating. This was after a couple of months of wearing an earplug, so it's interesting to see that my high frequency hearing on my bad (right) ear, was actually super good, higher than 0, -20db at 20Hz. I assume that my hearing was most likely worse before I started wearing my earplugs, especially due to the fact that I am primarily right-dominant (spoke on the phone on the right ear, etc). Now, it is the best ear "hearing-wise."
One thing that is really interesting, is that I always felt my Eustachian tube was acting strangely after my noise trauma. The Eustacian tube possibly not working as well, and that air-balloon feeling in my ear. I asked the doctor who performed my frequency hearing test to please do an Eustachian tube test as well. My right ear showed a much different graph than my left ear. When I do the valsalva maneuver, the eardrum tends to feel more stuck, and then slowly deflates again. My left ear, naturally flicks in and out very quickly, it does not do the expanding feeling.
Anyway, I have been doing LLLT therapy after discussing more with @FERNANDO GIL and will post how I have been treating below a bit later today. I will be better at reporting results, any changes here on this post.
Thank you for reading! Any thoughts/input you all have is treasured by me. Also thank you to all of you I have been in contact with. I hope to have a healthier right ear again!
Best~
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