Hey everyone, I'll try to make a long story short.
I've been to four different hearing DRs and am getting the same answer. I've had tinnitus for years and my hearing dc is between 40-70. About a year ago, I started to get what I was told is recruitment and it's got worse. Certain sounds seemed extremely loud and it seems to grow over time. Two DRs said there was nothing they could do, go home and live with it. The third referred me to a top DR who I waited two months for a visit.
This new DR said the recruitment/hyperacusis cannot be reversed but hearing aids that use white noise to help mask the sounds and get the brain to retrain itself to ignore stuff could help. She also said anti-anxiety drugs can often help as it helps the brain to stop scrambling to hear things that the ear can't deliver, creating all the mind numbing loud noise. So I called around trying to find a HA Dr who could come up with something. The first few told me that they can't do that kind of HA but one said they could try and I made an appointment.
This HA DR told me she had dealt with HA for people with tinnitus and people with hyperacusis but never one with both. After she explained the 30 day return policy and it might take months to get results, I decided to try the anxiety drugs first.
Any one ever been down this road? I would appreciate any comments.
Bill
I've been to four different hearing DRs and am getting the same answer. I've had tinnitus for years and my hearing dc is between 40-70. About a year ago, I started to get what I was told is recruitment and it's got worse. Certain sounds seemed extremely loud and it seems to grow over time. Two DRs said there was nothing they could do, go home and live with it. The third referred me to a top DR who I waited two months for a visit.
This new DR said the recruitment/hyperacusis cannot be reversed but hearing aids that use white noise to help mask the sounds and get the brain to retrain itself to ignore stuff could help. She also said anti-anxiety drugs can often help as it helps the brain to stop scrambling to hear things that the ear can't deliver, creating all the mind numbing loud noise. So I called around trying to find a HA Dr who could come up with something. The first few told me that they can't do that kind of HA but one said they could try and I made an appointment.
This HA DR told me she had dealt with HA for people with tinnitus and people with hyperacusis but never one with both. After she explained the 30 day return policy and it might take months to get results, I decided to try the anxiety drugs first.
Any one ever been down this road? I would appreciate any comments.
Bill