In early 2012, I went target shooting. While I typically wore both ear plugs and ear muffs for this activity, I accidentally fired a shotgun once with only my ear plugs. The sound seemed incredibly loud. The next day there was excruciating pain in my ears, and faint tinnitus in one ear. It hurt to chew.
I went to a doctor and got a “diagnosis” of an ear infection for which I took antibiotics. The ringing got louder and louder. I went to another ear doctor, who removed a fungal infection from my ear, causing the tinnitus to vanish. However, intermittent sharp ear pains shortly returned, along with tinnitus.
Over the course of a few weeks, I noticed sounds started getting painful. At first, it was only loud sounds, but then it snowballed rapidly. I couldn’t stand hearing anything high pitched, such as silverware clinking. I felt as though my left ear was stuffed up and “damaged” internally.
I am a teacher, and I had to stuff cotton in my ears to teach my classes every day; even so, the pain was horrific.
I made an appointment to start tinnitus retraining therapy for hyperacusis. Then, while eating an apple, my jaw popped out of joint on the right side, and slid back into place. I made an appointment with my dentist, and a little while later noticed my hyperacusis was GONE. It seemed like a miracle.
I cancelled my appointment for TRT. A few days later, I was devastated to have the hyperacusis return. I underwent splint therapy for TMJ disorder. The therapy was eventually successful in greatly reducing my jaw pains. However, it did not cure my hyperacusis. I do not know if there was any connection between my jaw and hyperacusis.
I finally started TRT, which I should have done months earlier. Over the course of 6 months, my loudness discomfort levels went from 60 db to 105 db. I have been able to throw my depression medication away, and live with only a slight sensitivity to sound. I urge everyone with hyperacusis to try sound therapy as soon as possible.
From Karen Thomson, June 17, 2014
I gave myself a mild form of unilateral tinnitus during a period of stress in February 2013 ringing a brass handbell. I don’t work in a noisy environment, I’m an antiquarian bookseller, at the time living in rural Oxfordshire. I largely forgot about it but a couple of months later I went to a song recital in Oxford and found that the tinnitus interfered with my ability to hear the music. I decided to see if it could be reduced, and went to a private Tinnitus Clinic in Harley Street who were advertising a special form of treatment for tinnitus. At the appointment, which was in May last year, I first had a hearing test which showed normal hearing for my age (then 60), and was subsequently given a Loudness Discomfort Test which showed no discomfort up to 100db at all frequencies at the time of the test. Immediately the headphones were removed however I had severe discomfort with normal ambient sounds in my left ear. It was a while before I found out that I now had unilateral hyperacusis.
I have had three hearing tests done since then, which show a new and unexplained dip in my left ear audiogram at 2000hz. When I left the clinic last year the hyperacusis was to a range of sounds, but now it seems to be confined to speech, particularly my own voice, and specific sounds, like wood on wood.
I would be interested to discover if any of your researchers think that supplying a hearing aid to correct the loss at 2000hz might help the hyperacusis? I also have much worse tinnitus since the LDL test, but it is manageable and I think without the hyperacusis I could habituate to it. But the hyperacusis has been seriously life-changing: I’ve moved from southern England to a peaceful bay in the Outer Hebrides, and can confirm that the sound of the sea is really relaxing!
Hi Ben
could you please contact me?
Im also a sufferer and your story with the jaw is really interesting – it seems that jaw alignment might really help with hyperacusis, its just that most doctors are not aware ofthat
my email is iftah11@gmail.com – will you please send me an email?
I’m not selling anything I swear! (: