glad to hear it was improved- what was the treatment, Matt?
It was based off of tinnitus retraining therapy - TRT.
It involved measuring my hearing sensitivity at various frequencies - some frequencies being intolerable, even at the lowest volume - to get a picture of my hyperacusis.
And then I wore hearing aid type device devices, which injected a calming sort of white noise into my ears for most of the day.
Especially sculpted for my particular hyperacusis sensitivity.
The benefits are two-fold. The first is that the constant addition of that noise reduces the contrast effect of loud noises or sharp noises, so they are not as alarming to the hearing or nervous system.
But the main benefit is to get the auditory system used to sound again, not seeing it as a threat or something to be alarmed about.
The treatment started with a very soft, relaxing, non-threatening type of noise.
I had been to the point where even other people’s voices and my own voice was too loud for me. Even chewing food caused painful distortion in my ears. Even turning the page of a book or magazine was irritating.
And I remember the distinct feeling of relief when I walked out of the clinic the first day wearing those devices in my ear with the soft noise. I could literally feel my whole auditory and nervous system relax for the first time in a long time since the accident.
And progress started out pretty fast in terms of being more comfortable with the every day sound around me.
The typical treatment time is usually estimate estimated for tinnitus or hyperacusis to be up to around 18 months or so, often with the biggest benefits upfront, and then slowly accruing after that. Which is what happened with me. So I would go back to the clinic and they would remeasure my hyperacusis and then the nature of the sound was re-sculpted to get into some of the more challenging frequencies, so turning up some of the high frequencies, etc. And then once I was used to that they would keep modifying the sound to become more challenging and also louder in level. I think you’re supposed to wear the devices for at least 4 to 6 hours a day, but I wore it most of the day.
Anyway, pretty much by the end of the treatment in terms of everyday life, my hyperacusis was essentially gone. There was no way I was going to go to something like a live concert or a really loud movie. I didn’t want to risk that. But essentially everyday life was fine and I had no trouble doing my post sound production work. In fact, my ears had not been so robust since maybe 20 years earlier, before I developed hyperacusis.
It was certainly great while it lasted which was probably about six years. But then I suffered another sort of accident which brought the tinnitus and some degree hyperacusis back. But I know that I can habituate over time.
