Trying to Cope with Tinnitus and Hyperacusis

[DaveH]

Hi all,

I have been suffering with Tinnitus and Hyperacusis now for almost a year, primarily in my right ear only. I've had very mild mostly unnoticeable tinnitus for several years. But the tinnitus came on much more noticeably after some loud music exposure in Feb 2016 and the hyperacusis followed a few weeks later. I had never had hyperacusis before and this quickly became much more troublesome and difficult to cope with. The constant feeling of fullness in the ear and the dull ear pain that would linger for very long periods of time, etc. was a life changing experience and a wake up call that things in life can change in a heartbeat.

I play piano as a hobby and this has been by far the biggest impact on me and most depressing outcome. I rarely play now because it triggers the T and H even if it had settled down a bit. I've tried musician ear plugs (ER-20) but they just make it feel like I'm playing inside a tin can and still don't do much to prevent the T&H from flaring up. Usually when the H bothers me, I don't really notice the T as much and when the H is calmed down then I notice the T more. I don't typically wear any ear plugs (but would if there's loud sound) and try to let my ear adjust naturally by constant exposure to every day sound. I also listen to soft rain sounds as I fall asleep each night as I try to slowly build up better sound tolerance again in my right ear.

At almost a year, it is better now than it was but far from completely healed. I know the key is to habituate to it but I'm hoping that over time my ear can return to its previous healthier state so I can return to enjoyable activities (like playing piano, going to movies, sporting events, etc.) without fear that it will trigger the T and H response. I know there's no "cure" but I'm curious if any others have been "healed" permanently over time and been able to return to normal "sound-related" activities without fear of sound or need for earplugs?

I guess I would love to have some reassurance that this might actually go away someday but after reading many articles and forum postings online, I often lose hope and fear that this is the new normal for me and I may just have to come to terms with the reality that I might not be able to enjoy certain activities again as I did in the past. It devastates me to think I might not enjoy music the same way anymore... listening and playing. But I hope I'm wrong. I want to be optimistic.

Thanks in advance for any wisdom this group can offer.

 

[Lex]

Hi @DaveH! Like you, I have T and H but I'm not a long-time sufferer (hopefully, never will be) but while lurking around here, I've read accounts of people who said their H disappeared/significantly improved over time even if the T remained. You can try to check out posts in the H subforum: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/forums/support.55/

 

[billie48]

I have H soon after my ultra high pitch T started. So I can relate. Yes, some members including myself have the type of H that will fade out slowly over time, usually within the year or two. You need to protect from loud sounds but for normal sounds it is best to not over protect to avoid developing sound sensitivity or misophonia. So I slowly and reluctantly took off the earplugs for normal sounds and my H just faded over time. So stay positive that your H will follow the same pattern. Good luck. God bless.

 

[InfiniteLoop]

@DaveH

H comes in different flavors and there are multiple interplays between reactive T & H. Telling my own story, after T onset without an obvious root cause, I was terrified about loud sounds during the first 3 months. It was my stage of psychological H. After that period, I realized that ordinary loud sounds did not worsen or affected my T. The H disappeared. However, my T started to be very reactive, not to loud sounds but too many every day continuous noises (driving, cooking, heaters, restaurants, crowded markets, etc), and that developed a different kind of H trying to avoid those noises. Three years later that hidden H stay persists, and try to avoid those situations that will modify my T. I test negative in any audiologist H test, I do not care about a 100Db tone. The part that I have not experienced is ear pain or fullness sensation, and that to me seems to point out that you might have some other latent issues.
About the music side, I used to play electronic keyboards and listen to a lot of music. I do not play anymore, and music is no longer a pleasure, it is just a masking tool. T has destroyed any sense of beauty that music had to me, and that has been devastating since music was one of the main drives in my life.

 

[DaveH]

I've read accounts of people who said their H disappeared/significantly improved over time even if the T remained. You can try to check out posts in the H subforum: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/forums/support.55/

@Lex
Thank you for the positive outlook. I will continue to be optimistic based on accounts of others that have overcome their H even if the T persists. While neither one is great to have, if I have to deal with this, I'd rather narrow it down to one! And if the H can fade away at least the occasional pain and aches will go with it. Good luck to you too!

 

[DaveH]

However, my T started to be very reactive, not to loud sounds but too many every day continuous noises (driving, cooking, heaters, restaurants, crowded markets, etc), and that developed a different kind of H trying to avoid those noises.

@InfiniteLoop What do mean by "reactive" T? I've heard this before. Is it a situation where the T becomes worse based on certain sounds? I'm getting better at habituating to my T, especially when I am at work or concentrating on other things. However, if my ear is calm, then I sit down at my piano, just a few notes can trigger the T (and some mild pain from the H). Also what do you mean by a "different kind of H"?

The part that I have not experienced is ear pain or fullness sensation

That's good news for you as the feeling of pressure in my ear and pain is usually the worst part of this whole situation. The mild ear aches can then cause a headache too.

I used to play electronic keyboards and listen to a lot of music. I do not play anymore, and music is no longer a pleasure, it is just a masking tool. T has destroyed any sense of beauty that music had to me, and that has been devastating since music was one of the main drives in my life.

I'm sorry to hear this for you. Fortunately I have not had to stop listening to music although I do tend to listen at lower levels than before. Not that I was listening at excessively high levels before but until I can get my H under control I'm being as careful as possible. I understand your frustration about not playing keyboards anymore. This all happened to me right after buying a beautiful new grand piano that now sits in my living room mostly unplayed. I will "test" my ears every now and then by sitting down for a couple minutes and playing lightly but if my ears are uncomfortable I just stop and rest them. I tried OTC musician ear plugs which I'm not so thrilled with but I may look into the custom made plugs and hope this may allow me to play my piano more comfortably... although I will miss truly experiencing the beauty of the instrument's natural unfiltered sound! I went to a local T/H self-help group today and that gave me a lot of hope. The audiologist that runs the group said H is much more easily dealt with than T through sound therapy and usually resolves relatively quickly (vs. the long time it often takes to habituate to T). I'm going to remain optimistic and pursue some of these options. I have to. Music is too important in my life and I hope you too find some relief so you can enjoy music again too! There were two other musicians in today's group and both said they just "play through it" (one does use custom musician ear plugs) and that they cannot give up the music for this. I think that is half of the battle. I wish you good luck and hope you will be enjoying music again soon.