3 months ago my life changed. My manageable T became severe along with H. I posted for help on this group but got none.
I have musical T
Reactive T - several loud tones
Hyperacusis, cant go anywhere, the wind hurts my ears.
My daughter (6) : "Why do you cry everyday, is it because of your ears?
Me: Yes
My daughter (6) : Will it ever get better?
Me: Hope so
My daughter (6): I hope so, as you never get to do anything fun or go out anywhere. You cant live like this.
I’m so sorry that your post a few months ago didn’t get the help you felt you needed. You had several responses.
The ultimate aim is to get to a point where you don’t notice the T and H very much. It’s a question, as I see it, of training your brain.
You brain CAN get used to things. Just imagine - if it didn’t, you would feel your clothes all the time after you get dressed in the morning till you fall asleeep at night. Or if you walk on a high street, you don’t notice everyone whom you pass by. Because the brain has got used to it.
I’d urge you to ring the charity Tinnitus UK. They did, I think, respond to your earlier post. Details of their number and opening hours on their website.
I think this is the answer you need: "you never get to do anything fun or go out anywhere. You cant live like this". You are so focus on the T that there is nothing else for your brain to focus. I know it's hard, but you need to get out and give the T less power over you.
If for nothing else, do it for your daughter's sake.
The video I have personally benefitted most is this one. I hope it might help you too.
youtu.be/y4zuVk5STuM?si=hNY...
Excellent video! Thanks for sharing it. Just watched it myself and it's so helpful. 👍
Hi Lifeseeker,
I have been through severe hyperacusis and reactive tinnitus so hopefully I can add some comments here that resonate. My kids at the time were 1 and 4.
The hardest part for me was the hyperacusis. It's easy for someone to say get out and do more fun things but the hyperacusis can stop that happening. It's like the option to stay in and do nothing is the better of two evils compared to the problems you face with noise outside.
In my experience though, getting out and being busy is part of the road to recovery but a key point here would be to protect your ears enough so that the hyperacusis is not affected. I started doing this with big ear defenders, then silicon ear buds. This would lower the sound coming in and cause very little reaction to my H.
A warning though that over protecting is said to be the wrong thing to do as the path to recovery for H is sound. Silence will not help as you audio system needs to desensitise and you need baby steps of sound tolerance to achieve this.
So in short, my advice would be to get some ear protection for use outside and get doing the fun stuff with your daughter. This will create a feeling of control and maybe some happiness which will also add to the recovery path as you will start to reduce stress.
Thank you. The ear defenders make my tinnitus very very loud, also when I eat or walk with them I can hear the vibration in my ears. Which ear defenders do you recommend for eating out? Something like sports day, kids party? I have small ear canals .
it's tough as you say with ear defenders you will hear your tinnitus more but this in my case was the easier of the two options as without ear protection my hyperacusis was horrendous to deal with which would in turn make my tinnitus even worse. if you can endure the tinnitus but allow yourself to be in more situations put if your home, spending time woth your daughter, this could have a very positive impact on your life and a knock on effect on your control of tinnitus.I started wearing large ear defenders like you see workers wearing on a runway. I then progressed to silicon earbuds from Loop. you can look these up online.
I hope that helps
Hi lifeseeker my T since 2011 which was not to bothersome but has got louder over the years. It is always louder when I come on this website or do the mindful exercises I am set in a T trial I am taking part in. Obviously I concentrate on the T at these times so it has helped me understand the importance of getting my brain out of T mode. A couple of months ago my T increased due to a sharp noise near to me and stayed at the same level unlike previous times when it would spike but reduce back to old levels. I had a right panic for a few weeks as it was so loud but over the months I am back to hearing it now and again, when it's quiet etc and managing it. I find driving takes your mind right off T as you have to concentrate so much and it's like wacky races out there nowadays.
Thank you for your kind words. My T is reactive so when I drive, it gets louder and louder. Literally there is nothing I can do to get away from it. I cant mask it as my T reacts to sounds. I cant really wear ear defenders as all I hear is the T and vibrations of me walking or eating loudly. Its not pleasant. I dont want to stay at home trust me, my soul aches to live again. Thanks for the advise x
Such a heartbreaking story. i understand how tinnitus alone is unbearable at times, having considered ending it all on occasions. you need to get referred to ENT or audiologist asap. go to doctor and plead with them as i did for help, Terry
Yes, its very hard and have lost the motivation to live.
the hyperacusis is likely to improve, but not so much the tinnitus,
I would like to respond to this. Hyperacusis generally does ease but also so does a lot of cases of tinnitus. There are many things that sufferers can do that over time will help to lower the perception and habituate to your tinnitus such as CBT, sound therapy, hearing aids and time. Most people who have a recovery don't come back to the forums so you will mostly see sufferers but after my own experience and also running a tinnitus support group and one to one sessions, I see improvement in most people over time.
Thank you. I was hopeful at the start but nearly 3 months in with no improvement, its hard to remain positive.
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