Will I Recover Please Help

[bill 112]

I'm writing this in a state of pure anxiety and fear,I'm so afraid that I've made things permanently worse.
I've been suffering from T for 5+years and H for 2+years.A few months back I had a sudden noise exposure(kiss near my ear that really hurt)
My ear felt stuffy and sore and of course my T went up.I took a few Diazepam and calmed my nerves and went to go see the doctor.The Diazepam calmed all symptoms but I did notice I had a stinging sensation in the back of my head and neck that but the Diazepam also made this disappear,my doctor said it was most likely due to straining my neck after the sudden noise.After words I carried on as normal been to a few kids birthdays and a comedy show all with earplugs in of course.The pain in my head and ears would appear now and again but then disappear soon after.I put it down to tension and tried not to worry about it.Fast forward to now and suddenly my T is louder and my H is unbearable,I'm in excruciating pain and don't know what to do.I was at my doctor today and he prescribed me an anti depressant that's supposedly meant to dull neurological pain.My question is what should I do to help my hearing as everything I did before doesn't work now,and is there a chance of permanent damage?Just really need some help guys,really dark place right now.

 

[annabel16]

Bill, I'm sorry to learn what you're going through. Give yourself time, give the medication some time. You're not alone, and since you have had some variability before and things before have gotten better before please have faith they will again. Everyone is different, but for me the key is staying busy.

 

[Sailboardman]

@bill 112,

Was your doctor an ENT? If not, maybe see a good ENT, with experience in T & H? Have your ears checked and have an audiogram done. I assume you have been to one in the past?

 

[glynis]

Your antidepressants should help the pain and help anxiety too when they build up in your system.
I take amitryptaline for pain and helps me sleep better also....lots of love glynis

would be worth getting a hearing test done also ....

 

[bill 112]

Thanks for the response guys it really means alot.The doctor was just my GP but he has referred me to an ENT but I have no idea when that will be.I have a hearing test scheduled for Tuesday,my last hearing test was nearly two years ago with perfect results.My question is this,have I done more damage or have I just upset the nerves and would it be wise to try and get prescribed steroids to help heal the nerves?

 

[Karen]

Hi, Bill,

To me, it sounds more likely that you've upset the nerves, and they will calm down again. Have you begun taking the antidepressant yet? Maybe you should try that first, and see if it begins to help.

 

[lymebite]

@bill 112

Bill, I don't have too much to add in the way of suggestions, but thought it would be worth mentioning that what you experienced unfortunately can be very common with people with hyperacusis who have improved. If you do a word search on "setback" on the Hyperacusis Network message board, there are a whopping 2,226 posts (as of today) that contain the word "setback." It is very frustrating and distressing to people who experience them, as I know it is for you.

Nobody really seems to understand WHY setbacks can happen - after all, if hyperacusis improves, the ears should be recovered and stronger, right? But apparently they are still vulnerable in a way that truly healthy ears are not. I have not seen any explanations from a medical perspective on why this happens, it is something that really could use some research.

On the positive side, many people who get bad setbacks are able to improve again. Hopefully you will too. But it seems to be a theme that even with improvement, the vulnerability can remain. So hopefully you can improve again, and my advice would be to do what I think you are already planning on doing - be very careful and guard that improvement by avoiding sounds that potentially could cause another setback, even though such sounds would be no problem for someone with healthy ears.