▷ Story of Hyperacusis in Spain – David Operacion Hyperacusis

Here is the testimony of David, creator of the blog Operacion Hyperacusis, where you can find high quality information about this condition.

When did your hyperacusis start, at what age, and can you associate it with anything?

My hyperacusis appeared at the age of 32. I was in my room immersed in some sound tests with my electric bass. What I played was monotonous and annoying to listen to, so to avoid the powerful bass frequencies bothering my neighbors and also to hear myself better, I put on the headphones.

Due to my passion for music, I always tried to be careful with my ears and never set the volume excessively high. However, there was another factor, besides the volume, that also influenced the potential risk of listening to music with headphones and that at that time I did not understand the importance of: the exposure time to sound. I kept playing the same notes for almost three hours straight when I noticed that my ears were abnormally fatigued, slightly sore, and I could hear much louder than usual a previously faint tinnitus in my right ear. I didn’t know it but it ended up ruining my life in an unimaginable way.

When did your hyperacusis start, at what age, and can you associate it with anything?

A lowering of the pain threshold of the ear to levels easily surpassed by everyday sounds.

What symptoms do you have, do you feel pain, how would you describe them?

In my case, hyperacusis manifested as a sharp pain localized in the inner ear, a sensation of clogged ears, distortion of sounds, a tingling or itching sensation inside the ear, increased tinnitus, and a terrible throat pain.

At first, these symptoms appeared when I was exposed to everyday sounds such as the noise when handling dishes, dog barks, people shouting, or loud music, but later my condition worsened to unforeseen limits and sounds like turning on a faucet, the refrigerator compressor kicking in, or my own voice became intolerable.

What treatments have you tried? Which one has given you the best results?

Listening to 30 minutes a day of white noise initially seemed to work, but when my hyperacusis worsened, this approach proved useless and even counterproductive.

Due to the lack of alternatives, I had no choice but to research on my own. I soon discovered that continuous control over sound exposure along with broadband sound therapy worked for me, but it would take much time to find the exact formula.

At some point in this process, I tried the approach proposed by the famous and, in my opinion, overrated TRT, but giving up control over sound exposure and living with the terrible symptoms that appeared when I listened to more than my ears could tolerate was not for me.

Have you tried sound therapy? What do you think about it? Do you know people who have tried it? What results have they obtained?

Hyperacusis left me in a state incompatible with life, and the sound therapy I created for myself has allowed me to go from having to be isolated in a room for several years to being able to go to the theater to see a musical without hearing protection. The process has been extremely difficult and very slow, but I can attest that sound therapy, at least in my case, has worked. You can see the details of everything I did to return to a normal life on my website https://operacionhyperacusis.blogspot.com/

What medical tests have you had and with what results?

Audiometry, auditory evoked potentials, magnetic resonance imaging, and the test that truly serves to diagnose hyperacusis: UCL measurement.

Except for the UCL, all tests showed normal results.

How has your life changed since you have hyperacusis?

Since there is no complete cure yet for cases like mine, where hyperacusis was caused by acoustic trauma, it is still necessary to be aware of where you end up because of the possibility of being exposed to sounds that can be dangerous, and it is also necessary to occasionally give up certain activities or use hearing protection to adequately manage some minor relapse. But when you have been in hell for so long, being able to lead a normal life is simply a gift from life that you have to be very grateful for.

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