Noise intolerance

Hi all, I've posted and replied a few times on noise intolerance issues. I've tried various methods and coping stratergies to try and manage/deal with it. Although it has improved i have found the more i try and get back to 'normal' that it is still a significant issue whenever i am out and about and continues to induce fatigue.

I decided earlier this year to try and get some help and on the back of some very informative leaflets from the Stroke Association explaining that it is actually a condition and also with some guidance from the Headway team i got my GP to refer me to hospital. I finally had my appointment this week and the outcome was that my tolerance levels are at 70 decibels and should be at least 100 decibels. I am to be referred for desensitising sessions, so i hope to report good news in the future.

I know my time living with BI (2years) is relatively short compared to a lot but wish i had done something about it sooner.

Rachel

[iforget]

Please do let us know how this works out for you. Noise is a HUGE issue for me and for many of us here. Good Luck with this

[Hidden in reply to iforget]

I will and wish everyone could be cured of it. Sending hugs x

[Grapple5]

Great to hear you're getting help with this now. I have to constantly wear noise filtering ear plugs when out of the house as I suffer from this too, although not as a result of a stroke. Can I ask how they tested your hearing? Was it in a booth like a telephone box and you have headphones on and a clicker to say when things get too loud?

[Hidden in reply to Grapple5]

Hi grapple I had responded to your msg but doesn't appear to be showing. I was initially referred to Specsavers as they do audiology and hearing test was in a booth. At the hospital it was in a normal room with 2 sealed doors. Same hearing tests plus one or two others and then tolerance test with headphones and clicker and had to press when next sound would be too much to tolerate. Then back into see doc for results. Xx

[cat3]

Me too Rachel. I tried to listen to a talk on radio 4 this morning and had to leave the room ; it seemed so 'shouty' to me but, on return, my pal said how interesting it had been.

Hope you find the sessions helpful and do let us know how you get on. Cat x

[Hidden in reply to cat3]

Will do Cat and thanks for the message. x

[paxo05]

Great news Rachel. Was diagnosed years ago but not really offered any help....Oh apart from you will learn to live with it.

Mainly cope by avoiding places known to be noise. Not great solution so any advice would be welcome.

Being a so called new to bi can be good as it can give other long termer more up to date advice.

Pax x

[Hidden in reply to paxo05]

Hi Pax i'm still don't think it's fully understood just how debilitating and controlling it can be living with noise intolerance and especially as it's something that cannot be seen. I've done all that is possible to manage and live with it but you can't control every aspect and now that i'm making a fairly good recovery i want it to be even better.

There are so many issues to living with a BI that i think are not recognised or properly understood. Which is why this forum is a lifeline and so helpful because people do understand and you don't feel alone.

[BaronC]

Excellent news and well done for pursuing the issue!

[blackperil]

I have a similar intolerance to noise which has stopped me going into crowded spaces like, bars, cinemas. It can actually be pan full in my ears with a crackling sensation. I also find it hard to pull out conversation from back ground noise.

My Dr. told me to go to SpecSavers and have my hearing tested as I am also suffering from tinnitus. Just basic tones through head phones.

My hearing came out as above average and my Dr. said there was nothing more they could do.

My tollerance has improved, but still not right.

I will need to follow up with the Dr. regarding testing and any desensitisation techniques.

Any recommendations?

[Hidden in reply to blackperil]

Specsavers referred me back to gp who then referred me to hospital and from there I'm being referred for desensitisation sessions. No idea what it entails but I'll report back if anyone's interested. I feel for you black peril with the crackling and I find its worse when trying to chat over noise it stops me being able to construct sentences and makes me more fatigued than just trying to cope with noise.

[Trudi-Cox]

I find wearing foam earplugs in cinemas really helps, but at parties, as you just said, blackperil, its keeping a conversation going whilst blocking out the background noise, I find really hard. And then the 2 days afterwards, pay-back time, having to sleep all the time, unable to do anything else. I am going to get some Killnoise sound protecting earplugs from Amazon that someone else recommended. I will report back progress !

[Trudi-Cox]

Something else I have learnt, when you wack your frontal lobes you damage your visual and auditory filters, which are located there, at the front of the forehead. Sight is the number one importance for the brain as it sorts out balance, if the brain is working overtime coping with this, there is little energy left to handle other things, like sound filtering out noise, using the auditory filters. So I am now doing eye exercises, 6 different 'doctors' have noticed one of my eyes judders moving from centre to left, but have offered no help or advice. Number 7, a neurological chiropracter, is trying to improve this movement. Hopefully, it will have the knock on effect of helping filter the noise.