New to Hyperacusis — Pre-Existing Tinnitus from Noise Exposure / TMJ / Stress / TTTS / ETD?

[GG_Ear]

Hello all,

I'm new to hyperacusis since end of June. It has been gradually getting worse. It started as reactive tinnitus to certain external sounds (my own voice - especially with earplugs in- , other people's voices, cars, dogs, doors closing, toilet flushing etc.)... Once the external sound ceases, the reactive tinnitus instantly goes away. It's bizarre. It did improve by about 80% for three weeks in July but came back in August.

It has now progressed to more sound sensitivity. In the last two weeks I have had 1 or 2 nerve-like stabs in ear, some pain in reaction to a person blowing their nose hard, and lingering burning/tickling/aching inside my right ear. I am not in extreme pain but it is definitely uncomfortable. I have to keep asking people to lower their voice and, when a door slams, it is just awful. I am wearing earplugs now in loud situations. I didn't wear earplugs recently in some loud restaurants, thinking I need to just accept the reactive tinnitus, but since then the pain symptoms started.

Any tips or advice appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[Jupiterman]

Stay at home for a while.

 

[GG_Ear]

Hi @Jupiterman, yes I had the feeling that this might be the case. Thanks for your reply.

I have regular medical appointments coming up and sometimes I need to visit family. Other than that I'm laying low.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Any tips or advice appreciated.

HI @GG_Ear.

I see that you have had tinnitus since 2017. It would help to know what originally caused it, because you have mentioned 4 underlying medical condition as a possible cause. You have also mentioned exposure to loud noise, whilst this isn't a medical condition, it is one of the most common causes of tinnitus, so that makes 5 different things that could be responsible for the onset of your tinnitus.

Since the end of June you started to experience hyperacusis. The symptoms you describe indicates that you have hyperacusis. However, you say that it first started as reactive tinnitus. Some people believe there is a condition called reactive tinnitus but I do not. I believe anyone that has tinnitus and experiences oversensitivity to sound, with or without pain, they have the condition known as noise-induced tinnitus. Hyperacusis often, but not always, accompanies noise induced tinnitus. It can manifest itself in many ways, with or without pain and no two people will experience it the same.

The more complex a person makes tinnitus and hyperacusis, they run the risk of making the habituation process more difficult for themselves, due to psychological impact these conditions can inflict on the mind. Tinnitus and, to some extent, hyperacusis are an integral part of our mental and emotional wellbeing and cannot be separated from it. Stress makes tinnitus worse and tinnitus can make stress worse, therefore it can become a vicious cycle. This is the reason I say: Keeping Things Simple with Tinnitus, is the right thing to do, in order to make the habituation process easier.

If your tinnitus was originally caused by one of the underlying medical conditions you have mentioned, then it's unlikely (but not impossible) for you to be experiencing hyperacusis now. Therefore, I suspect it was exposure to loud noise that first caused the onset of your tinnitus in 2017. Only you will have a clue on this. If you regularly listened to audio through headphones, earbuds, headsets, or went to places such as clubs and concerts where loud music was played or worked in a noisy environment etc, then it's quite possible your tinnitus was noise induced. As I said, hyperacusis or having oversensitivity to sound doesn't always accompany noise-induced tinnitus. However, you have mentioned experiencing reactive tinnitus. If you have been sensitive to sound or certain sounds throughout the 6 years that you have had tinnitus, this is another indication your tinnitus was originally caused by exposure to loud noise.

I am guessing here but I'll assume, throughout the 6 years you have had tinnitus, you have been able to cope with it and your oversensitivity to sound, which you define as reactive tinnitus. As I have mentioned, I believe it's all hyperacusis, which was at a manageable level that you were able to cope with; then in late June it changed into full blown hyperacusis with pain. Something usually causes this. More often than not, the reason is further exposure to loud noise to the ears and auditory system. If you have been regularly listening to audio through headphones, earbuds, headsets, noise-cancelling or bone conduction headphones, even at low volume, this can cause noise-induced tinnitus to become worse.

Please go to my started threads and read: Can I Habituate to Variable Tinnitus? Will My Tinnitus Get Worse? The Habituation Process. How to Habituate to Tinnitus. Tinnitus, A Personal View. Hyperacusis, As I See It.

Try not to use your earplugs too often as you risk lowering the loudness threshold of your auditory system which can make your ears more sensitive to sound. Try and see an ENT doctor and audiologist that specialises in tinnitus and hyperacusis management.

Start using low-level sound enrichment during the day and especially at night. More about this is covered in my posts.

All the best,
Michael

 

[GG_Ear]

Hi @Michael Leigh.

Thank you for your advice. I am waiting to see my ENT again. I have started CBT therapy and am trying to find somebody in Ireland that specialises in hyperacusis.

While it is still uncertain as to what initially started my tinnitus years ago, I have my suspicions that my worsening symptoms is due to a sudden loud blast from my car radio at the end of June. My hyperacusis symptoms started exactly one week after this event.

All the best,
GG

 

[Michael Leigh]

Hi @Michael Leigh.

Thank you for your advice.

You are welcome @GG_Ear.

Please take your time and read the posts that I have mentioned on my started threads. It is better if you print them, this way you will absorb and retrain the information better, rather than reading them on your phone or computer screen.

Best of luck,
Michael