It Strips You Of Everything / Right & Wrong Approaches To Help Treat Pain Hyperacusis
First off, I am not a doctor, and I am not giving medical advice. I am speaking through my own personal experience, and other patients' experiences as well, that I know.
It strips you of everything you once had. Freedom, physically connecting with others, ability to take care of yourself - Cooking, cleaning, and sometimes not even being able to bathe because the sounds of running water are too hard to handle. When at a severe level, you cannot live alone, you need compassionate supportive help to do these everyday things, either in your home, or supports close to you for survival. If not, people may fail and get worse, there is no turning back, when at such severe levels with these auditory conditions, there are no limits, absolutely none, and this is what people do not understand who do not have these conditions, they destroy people's lives, and take everything away. In my five years of having them I have seen five people that I know commit suicide. Either because they had no supports, or they just couldn't bear the symptoms, or both, so it's no joke at all. These conditions need to be taken seriously, before more lives are taken. The ringing in the ears and head can get as loud at 130 dbs, and you cannot concentrate on anything, nothing, the loud piercing sounds take over, and there is no cure. The conditions strip you of your mental, spiritual, and emotional health and more. The conditions are invisible, and people who are not affected either do not believe they are real, or they do not think they are as bad as patients say. Who would want to isolate themselves from the world?, not wanting to work, not wanting to go outside, cook, clean, etc. It makes no logical sense for any human being to want to do these things. Humans are social creatures, and when connection is taken away, pretty much “Life” is taken away, as sound is everywhere. Who would not want to get Psychotherapy for mental health conditions to take care of themselves?. You usually have to speak to someone in office, or by telephone and the noise is to bothersome to frequently get help, it makes the afflictions worse. Who would not want to take medications for physical health problems?, most do not understand that most medications are ototoxic to the auditory system.
Pain Hyperacusis, and severe Tinnitus is no joke. It’s hard to take care of pre-existing health conditions, and anything new that arises when severe, or even at a mild level. Can’t go into the hospital if I break a leg or my arm, the cry of the baby, the sounds of the intercoms, the sounds of the ambulance sirens, can’t wait in the waiting room with so many other people as they make noise, and need to get a private room, and some establishments don’t offer private rooms. You tell the nurse you have Pain Hyperacusis and they have never heard of it, and you have to explain to them, and they still don’t get it. If you do break a bone in your body, you will most likely have to admit to the hospital, but it will be going to war with the world.
Just a few months ago I had a surgery in the hospital, needed to stay overnight for three days, and it was pulling teeth the whole time, even with the strongest painkillers on the planet that were given to me didn't help. One of the painkillers kept me up, and I did not sleep for thirty six hours, the other painkiller given to me instead ramped up my Tinnitus, and could not sleep because of that as well. Not to mention the nurses checking in on me every two hours. It was a nightmare, but I got through it. I honestly do not think I could ever do it again. There is no painkiller for me to take or medicine that can regenerate my hearing to do so. Even the strongest anti-anxiety medicines do not do the job, and actually make the conditions worse from taking them. Many people are scared to take medications that are given out by doctors ever so freely to try to treat these conditions, because they do not work. For most the pills make the problem worse from either the side effects, withdrawals coming off of them, or the medications eventually wear off. Even pills to treat other health conditions from my personal experiences and others I know as well, about eighty to ninety percent of them I / we have tried have made Hyperacusis & Tinnitus worse
If you ask most doctors on the planet if they have heard of hyperacusis, usually they have never heard of it. Some doctors will nod their heads and say “Yes”, but you can tell that they do not know at all. These so-called professionals will try to treat the afflictions as well, with pills and more pills, because they gain money from writing scripts. Some are compassionate and want to try to help, and they think it's treating “Anxiety” or “Depression”, it’s not the thing to do. Even most ENT / Neuro-otologist specialist doctors treat Hyperacusis & Tinnitus with pills as well. All in all, It’s the wrong approach, and so many patients are worse off now because of pills, it’s an exceedingly slippery slope to take them, and some patients have even seen "death".
Thank you so much for taking the time to read.
So much love as always.
DV.
