Tried to Stop Overprotecting and Now My Tinnitus Is Worse

[Mister Muso]

So I've been considering the dangers of protecting too much from everyday sounds around the house - kettles boiling, electric fans etc.

I feel my hyperacusis is a bit better now, but my tinnitus sounds have got more persistent and more annoying. Is this just part of the trade-off that we have to balance? There have been a few doors banging around the house as we have very heavy doors with strong springs on them. I feel they might have made things a bit worse, but I can't go around wearing hearing protection all the time I'm at home.

I have somatic tinnitus on the back of noise-induced tinnitus, plus hyperacusis which was so severe I was wearing earmuffs just to wash my hands at one point. I know there are people that have it worse from me. I'd say I am down from an 8-9 to about 4-6, so do I just keep doing what I'm doing?

 

[arctic loon]

I would take louder T any day if it meant not being so sensitive to sounds. How have you managed to get your hyperacusis levels to settle down? I'd be really interested to know if you could share. Also, do you experience pain with your hyperacusis?

I really don't know what's the best way to go about treating these conditions, but i wholeheartedly wish you all the best. I'm really happy that H has gotten a bit better for you.

 

[Mister Muso]

I would take louder T any day if it meant not being so sensitive to sounds.

That's what I was thinking, it just feels like I am on a knife-edge about possibly overdoing it. I'm flying to Italy from the UK on Saturday so I really want everything to be as settled as possible before I go.

How have you managed to get your hyperacusis levels to settle down?

I'm lucky enough that my boss has allowed me to work at home as much as I want, so I alternate between home/office days and lets me control my environment and exposure to unwanted noise a lot better. I'm also taking Magnesium Chelate and a sterodial nasal spray called Beconase, but I have no idea if those are doing anything or not.

 

[Mister Muso]

I get occasional ear pain still, when subjected to loud noise or when I've been in the office for several hours. But again not so bad lately. However my tinnitus is very reactive/somatic and I get random tones popping in and out through the day.

 

[Contrast]

Rest so the ear pain goes away. If the noise induced pain goes away that will be a major victory. It could go away if you rest your ears.

 

[arctic loon]

@Mister Muso I hope the flight goes good! It's so good to hear someone is getting better with this condition. When your hyperacusis was absolutely worst, how did you start making it better? How long did it take for you to get where you're now? I have no idea how to improve my H. I'm wearing earplugs outside and trying to do things as silently as i can in my apartment. I don't feel like i can expose myself to more sounds because H reacts so badly. It's really great that you're finding balance with T&H. I hope you can manage with your irregural T

 

[winstona]

I also experienced something similar. It seems like whenever my H gets better, the T ramps up a bit. But I can tell you for me the T spikes are usually temporary. And deep down I hope that these are just cycles of bad T and better H and eventually both gets better in the long run...

 

[Mister Muso]

@Mister Muso I hope the flight goes good! It's so good to hear someone is getting better with this condition. When your hyperacusis was absolutely worst, how did you start making it better? How long did it take for you to get where you're now? I have no idea how to improve my H. I'm wearing earplugs outside and trying to do things as silently as i can in my apartment. I don't feel like i can expose myself to more sounds because H reacts so badly. It's really great that you're finding balance with T&H. I hope you can manage with your irregural T

It sounds like you're doing the same as me. I see you've been posting here for a lot longer than me though. I don't know what the future holds but I'm just holding out for any glimmers of hope that I can find. I'm only three months in and I've definitely had improvements in both my T and my H in that time, but I've also had spikes that have taken days or weeks to calm down. The worst thing at home is the door slamming though, I was near to some pretty big slams this week and my T has got louder. It's rough when you can't even be in your own home without being at risk! My family all know and try to avoid these doors swinging shut so hard but you can't stop them 100%. Apparently it's because of the fire safety regulations that the doors were designed like that. What about some ear safety regulations, anyone!

 

[Lilah]

However my tinnitus is very reactive/somatic and I get random tones popping in and out through the day

Can you please describe your somatic symptoms? Thanks.

 

[arctic loon]

It sounds like you're doing the same as me. I see you've been posting here for a lot longer than me though. I don't know what the future holds but I'm just holding out for any glimmers of hope that I can find. I'm only three months in and I've definitely had improvements in both my T and my H in that time, but I've also had spikes that have taken days or weeks to calm down. The worst thing at home is the door slamming though, I was near to some pretty big slams this week and my T has got louder. It's rough when you can't even be in your own home without being at risk! My family all know and try to avoid these doors swinging shut so hard but you can't stop them 100%. Apparently it's because of the fire safety regulations that the doors were designed like that. What about some ear safety regulations, anyone!

Oh i can definitely imagine how stressful it is to deal with loud doors! i hope you could replace them or do something to make them less noisy.

I might have been on the site longer but im only maybe a month into this worsened hyperacusis. Before this i very rarely got pain spikes and H was mild before this. It rarely impacted my life when i took precautions. I'm glad you're getting better because that means maybe i can too.

 

[PeteJ]

I had really bad hyperacusis and it reduced a lot. I don't have the amplified sounds as much anymore. I can't remember the last time I noticed it. It only happened in my place which is strange.

I am wary of loud sounds not because of hyperacusis but if it can make my tinnitus worse. I don't know what made it worse if anything. I avoid loud noise if I can. I live in a loud downtown area. I carry muffs with me.

I would protect your ears if plugs don't irritate or bother you. Foam plugs seemed to cause pain so I stopped wearing them.

I now have a problem. Order custom plugs: $400. But, my tinnitus will be isolated as other sounds are muffled. Also, how do I know if my ears can tolerate them comfort wise?

I hate this.

 

[Mister Muso]

I now have a problem. Order custom plugs: $400. But, my tinnitus will be isolated as other sounds are muffled. Also, how do I know if my ears can tolerate them comfort wise?

I would think custom plugs are best for when you know you are going to be in a noisy environment so that you don't notice the tinnitus quite so much. Then maybe switch to filtered plugs or "naked" depending on where you are next?

 

[Mister Muso]

Can you please describe your somatic symptoms? Thanks.

Usually like steam escaping, or "electric snow", that reacts every time I move. If I wake up with it then sometimes it will have some loud short sharp spikes like a lightning strike. And in addition to my moderate tones in each ear I might get a really loud tone in one ear or the other, lasting a minute or two but sometimes up to half an hour. This happens maybe once or twice a day, usually just after waking or at a change in environment or background volume.