Re: Struggling with Tinnitus & Hyperacusis for 6 Weeks

Hi all,

I've have tinnitus for 3 years at a very low level from medication or an MRI I had 3 years ago. It was not noticeable and I had a normal life. I'm a teacher and a mom. I live in the suburbs with my family and my dog. I never visited a forum previously for my tinnitus. I actually did not give it a second thought.

Fast forward to the quarantine. We have been in lockdown for almost 7 months. I was homeschooling a loud/active kiddo, my husband who is also very loud was working from home in a high stress job and our dog barked continuously because he was not used to all the activity.

We were remote learning and it was very stressful, but we were managing since I am a teacher by profession. One day when sitting by my child he leaned next to my ear and screamed as loud as he could. It hurt, but I didn't think anything of it. I noticed in the next week or too, I was covering my ears a lot and asked my husband to stop yelling. I still did not realize I had had noise or acoustic trauma.

I went to the dentist and the sound of the drill was very loud. I even said something to the hygienist. That day or the next I started having louder, constant tinnitus, ear fullness, pain, headaches and anxiety. I went to the ENT the next day, he said you have mild hearing loss and he pressed inside my ears (excruciating) he said I have TMJ.

I went to a second ENT and he prescribed Histamine Phosphate, which makes me very shaky, nervous and sneezy with lots of drainage. I finally called the first audiologist back because I wasn't convinced to go with hearing aids and maskers. She referred me to an otologist. The otologist prescribed Lipoflavonoids and continuing with the histamine phosphate for 3-6 months to increase blood flow to the ears.

I've really been struggling, I have not been driving and it's difficult because I have hyperacusis. It is difficult to care for my kiddo and home with the anxiety and hyperacusis. Oh, the last two doctors did hearing tests and said my hearing is normal.

Any hope and guidance you can give for noise/stress induced trauma would be helpful. Please no negative stories, just encouragement.

 

@twa Regarding your TMJ, do you have a mouth guard for sleeping in order to relax your jaw muscles more?

Given your timeframe here there is a great chance for hyperacusis to fade. Your stress and anxiety levels seems high, and this will trigger your sensitivity to sounds even more. Cognitive therapy might be a step to take if you still feel down in 2-3 months ahead.

I believe this will resolve for you if you protect for LOUD sounds, but avoid overprotecting as this will make you even more sensitive. But you need tools for stress and anxiety management to calm down.

Stay strong - it will get better!

 

Hi,

Thank you for the kind words. I do not yet have a mouthguard. This has all been so traumatic and it seems I've made some mistakes along the way in trying to recover. The tinnitus is so loud and high pitched, it is very hard to deal with as so many know here.

 

@twa

Do not blame yourself, and do not think of it as mistakes or even setbacks. What is done is done, and blaming yourself (or others) will serve you no good - quite the opposite really. Acceptance is key. Accept the situation, and try not feeding it with constant negative thaughts.

There will be bumps along the road, but if you manage to get out of the "fight & flight" mode, your road to better days and "recovery" will begin eventually.

 

@twa
https://www.flareaudio.com/products/calmer
To take the sharp edge off the sound of daily activities, you should try Calmer (see link above).
I've bought a pair myself and it feels good to have the impact of incoming sounds a tiny little bit reduced.
It's important not to over-attenuate incoming sounds, because that might make the sound sensitivity even worse, but these little silicone earplugs don't over-attenuate, they just change sounds to a more pleasant perception. The shrillness and sharpness disappear, sounds are no longer a threat. But that's my personal experience. Hopefully they work for you too, they're not expensive.

 

How long before you start to feel better?

 

For hyperacusis? Around 10 months I would say, but it's a very slow and ongoing process with many bumps along the road. It's continuous work. But with sound enrichment, counselling, acceptance, trying to be as positive as possible and be open about the condition to others, has helped me.

I recommend keeping a low sodium / low sugar diet with limited caffeine and alcohol intake. Keep your stress levels down. You need some tools such as relaxing techniques, mediation or whatever works for you.

Physical activity is good for body and mind, but in the onset of hyperacusis you may need to take it easy and not overdo it. I was in pain moving my body at the start as I had tingling sensations...

Protect, but do not overprotect. Some days will be really bad, but better days will come. This is based on my own experience, and may not work for everyone though.

 

Thank you for your support a few weeks ago. I'm doing better and have calmed down quite a bit. Still have ups and downs, but better.

 

Thank you for the suggestion~
twa

 

Hey! I’ve been seeing your posts around here recently and I didn’t know you’ve had this for 3 years now. I’m sorry to hear you’re experiencing worse tinnitus lately. I’m on the same boat. Hopefully you’ll find relief soon. I’m listening to a combination of sounds to mask my tinnitus and so far it’s calming me down. I’ve also taken a propanolol so that’s probably why I’m feeling much calmer. But hang in there!

 

Thank you for the encouragement. My previous tinnitus was so low, I never noticed it. In fact, I'm starting to doubt I had it all the time. This tinnitus that I have now started when my son yelled in my ear about 4 months ago. :-(

 

15 weeks from Acoustic Trauma (January 2021):

-Ear pain and burning are better. I experience mild fleeting pain once every few days.
-Daily overwhelming emotions are better.
-Headaches are fewer.
-Yesterday I picked up my child from school. This was the first time since the acoustic trauma occurred 15 weeks ago.
-Most days the tinnitus is lower in the morning and gets louder in the late afternoon to evening.
-I had one day this week when the hyperacusis was really calm in the afternoon. The previous day I had taken 3 Turmeric and an Omega-3 supplement before bed.

 

Even though progression is slow, and normally not linear, time is a healer. A statement for better days @twa

Regarding Omega-3; I take 2-3000mg of fish oil every night (with high ratio EPA). Good for brain health/inflammation.

 

Oh that's terrible, I'm sorry to hear that. I don't know exactly what triggered my new tinnitus. I think it was a combination of stress and anxiety. Hang in there!

 

16 weeks from Acoustic Trauma (January 2021)

-I used to feel pressure in my head when I would bend forward to pick something up. I feel much better, fewer headaches after 4 months.
-Mouth and tooth pain are much improved this week. I had difficulty opening my mouth and talking last week from jaw pain.

 

@twa How long did it take for your burning pain to go away? Mine just started yesterday and it occurs usually during the night. It's pretty frustrating and yet scary! Appreciate your feedback and thoughts.

 

I used to have it every day, now I'll get it occasionally. It can be scary! I was worried I had horrible nerve damage. I think part of mine is/was from TMJ. I was so stressed I was clenching my jaw day and night. I would say I've started feeling a little better at about 3-4 months. I'm doing an anti-inflammatory diet (AIP) and taking turmeric, Omega-3, Vitamin C and D. I walk every day with earplugs.

Hope it helps!
twa

 

17 weeks from Acoustic Trauma (January 2021)

-I noticed today I could hear the buzz from the fluorescent bulb in my closet clearly. This is something I checked when I initially had the trauma and aural fullness. I had a hard time hearing it in the beginning.

 

18 weeks from Acoustic Trauma (January 2021)

-4 months in.
-I'm not crying every day like I was initially.
-Depression is lifting.
-Ears still crackle when I swallow, but they don't seem to have pressure like in October.

 

Hi this story sounds a lot like mine. I’ve had tinnitus for quite a while but it never bothered me until just 2 weeks ago. Now it’s constant and loud and screeching. I have been struggling really bad with my anxiety because of it. I’m scared of driving and I am a preschool teacher so loud noises are all around me. If you have any tips please let me know.

 

I'm so sorry. This is one of the hardest things I have ever dealt with. I stopped driving for about 2 months until i felt a little better. My husband has been working from home, so he helped with driving although I think his driving stressed me out more. I completely understand the anxiety, it is difficult. Try Magnesium or the supplement CALM in water 2-3 times a day according to the directions. It has helped me. I find I need quiet time each day. Do you wear earplugs in class? Do you also have hyperacusis?

Hope you feel better very soon,
twa

 

Thank you so much for the suggestion! I’m definitely new to all of this but I looked up hyperacusis after you mentioned it and it makes a lot of sense. I ordered ear plugs right away and they have helped a lot. Thanks again, every bit of help I’ve gotten from here has helped me a long way I’m very grateful I found this website!

 

19 weeks from Acoustic Trauma (February 2021)

-Tinnitus is 24/7, milder in the mornings.
-Hyperacusis is slightly better, mornings with getting the kiddo ready for school are more manageable.
-Sound changes from ringing to high pitched static frequently.

 

20 weeks in from Acoustic Trauma ( February 2021)

-About a month to two months ago the thought of taking my car in to be serviced gave me anxiety. Today I was thinking, I really need to make an appointment to take the car in. I'm starting to venture out more and have more confidence with my hearing protection.

 

22 weeks from Acoustic Trauma (February 2021)

-5 months since my event or events that caused my louder tinnitus and hyperacusis (who knew there was such a thing!)
-Stress, anxiety and depression are still here and I experience them daily, although my mood is much better and seems slightly more like normal each month.
-I seem really tired this month and I am also struggling with pain from arthritis, more so recently.

 

23 weeks from Acoustic Trauma (February 2021)

-Depression and anxiety are more in the background.
-Tinnitus has a high pitch frequency static sound.
-Hyperacusis is less painful, but still present. I cringe less at the sound of trucks passing by our house. Dogs barking still bother me.
-Stopped acupuncture for the moment, it irritated a nerve in my jaw that is still slightly there when I bite down.
-Waking up is better in the mornings, the previous shakiness is better.
-5 months have passed.

 

26 weeks from Acoustic Trauma (March 2021)

-Appointment with Doctor and Professor at UTSW, I described my symptoms and he said yeah that sounds like trauma from a blast! Finally someone acknowledges the acoustic trauma.
-Tinnitus is an electric static sound much of the time.
-A few days I did not notice the typewriter or morse code tinnitus for most of the day.
-Not much more to report.