Hello Abishag:

The specialists think that a 4.5 year overdose of Thyroid med produced my severe H & T – but they cannot prove this. Sometimes I am certain it is – but if the specialists cannot say 100% “yes”.... then how can I. I used Jonathan Hazell’s direction to me with his saying that those with Hyperacusis have their volume set on HIGH.

My “slightly different path” I know has been followed by two that live in my city and quite a few that I have met on the net and also some I met in person at a clinic.

I was instructed – under supervision – to wear personally moulded ear plugs (silicone with miniscule hollow tubing in the left plug as this was the worst for my H) and I wore them steadily for more than 6 months. I more or less treated them as a brace – i.e. I wear a brace to heal a sprained finger - and when I take it off, I will find that the muscles have atrophied but I will quickly get all normalcy back. I started taking the plugs out little by little. Baby steps – taking a long long time, but it worked for my ears needed to heal, before I started ‘exercising’ them again. At diagnoses, my H was so bad that with the softest 3 notes of music I would be instantly in pain and nausea – showers left my ears screeching full tilt together with severe pain and headaches – paper folding was received by me as bombs being dropped next to me – and so on. As many others, I couldn’t live in this world. In truth, there are still many things I cannot do for lengths of time, but at least now I can participate - as long as I remain aware that I do have limitations. However, it has taken me 8 hard years to get to this point. And as you must well know – it is hard work – and sometimes the hardest is to be positive.

The other is that I followed my specialist’s instruction to cut out all preservatives, additives, colour-atives and so on. At first this was very frustrating in having to read up on everything – but it was so worth it. Soon I found that when I had gone without – or had been eating much less re these any of these no nos - and I suddenly ate a product which contained them – I would have instant headaches, or I would not feel well, or my ears would again start screeching. Or rather, the screeching would become noticeably louder.

To cope and survive, I have learnt to “Count my Sound Calories” - … as one would count their food calories. Unfortunately my just walking away once I have crossed that red line of too much sound, never rids the problem – for it takes me a minimum of 3 days to again feel well. And if I overdosed in my favourite music it would take me at least 4-5 days for the nausea and all else to disappear.

So I try to be careful – and I try to balance out my daily sound intake – all sound, loud or soft. Thus – after 8 years - I can now attend shopping malls and movies but for a movie I must negate as much sound as possible for 1 day before and after the event – definitely eat properly. I am NOT good at this and definitely do eat stuff I shouldn’t even so I know well that I will pay for it - - - AND, I wear my personally moulded silicon ear plugs to a movie.

Unfortunately on reading info re Hyperacusis, I have found many nay saying European specialist methods which include these special ear plugs and foods to eat. And this I find so odd, as following this advice is what gave me and many others a good portion of our lives back. That is why I firmly support those such as Marsha Johnson for she is not stuck in the mud - and realizing that there is no cure - and so many variances in suffering - that she constantly reaches out to explore with an open mind - putting pieces and parts into her data jigsaw of possibilities.