DLM4me,
What you have post surgery is also what I have
since surgery.
It is called
“hyperacusis�Here are a couple of links about this condition to help you understand the problem more
http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/hearing/hyperacusis.htmhttp://www.hyperacusis.net/hyperacusis/what+is+hyperacusis/default.aspI will not delude you and tell you that it goes away but I will tell you that your brain is very plastic and will eventually adjust. You will also, over time, learn coping skills to deal with it.
Know that since surgery I am single sided deaf (SSD). (My hearing was excellent before surgery on the AN side thus my brain woke up, after surgery, very confused when processing hearing... thus the hyperacusis ). My acoustic nerve was severed and the facial nerve was damaged in the tumor removal process.
I often wear an earplug:
• In industrial buildings with fan systems
* When my teenager is listening to music (although most parents want to do this anyway)
• In my family van (which has the worst aerodynamics and is so noisy)
• When my husband unloads the dishwasher
• In a crowds at my youngest child's soccer games
• The list goes on…
Unfortunately the best earplug I have found, that filters the frequencies that most exacerbate my tinnitus but still allow me to hear, are
florescent orange.
![Tongue :P](https://www.anausa.org/smf/Smileys/classic/tongue.gif)
The flesh tone colored ones, I bought at the hyperacusis network, plug
too much sound making my good ear deaf … Nevertheless I wear these if I wanting to be less noticed by the florescent orange ear plug that screams out to onlookers,
“Look at me, look at me… weird lady wearing only one earplug… Look at me!� (
![Grin ;D](https://www.anausa.org/smf/Smileys/classic/grin.gif)
But hey for cold days Steve knit me a hat that covers this up nicely
![Kiss :-*](https://www.anausa.org/smf/Smileys/classic/kiss.gif)
)
To answer your original question- I have NOT lost my marbles, just yet
![Grin ;D](https://www.anausa.org/smf/Smileys/classic/grin.gif)
, from this
annoying condition. Probably the hardest for me are the frequencies that make this the worst being the lower bass tones- such as my husband voice. He comes home and the first thing I do is put in an earplug
![Undecided :-\](https://www.anausa.org/smf/Smileys/classic/undecided.gif)
… Any onlooker, not experiences with AN tumors, would think we have a bizarre relationship and marriage…
The reality is:
• My husband is a man with a manly voice and I cannot expect him to talk like a girl.
![Cheesy :D](https://www.anausa.org/smf/Smileys/classic/cheesy.gif)
• My teenager is normal and is going to play music that aggravate a parent as most teenagers do … (that and taking a sharpie to their converse sneakers and refusing to wear clothes that her mother thinks looks nice (Mantra: I will get through these teenage years… I will get through these teenage years…)
• There will always be crumpling of grocery bags to drive me crazy…
![Angry >:(](https://www.anausa.org/smf/Smileys/classic/angry.gif)
• Restaurants are usually noisy as these are places intend for people to socialize in
• All industrial buildings have fans for ventilation
The key thing is I cannot
change the world I live in – just learn to cope and make adjustments so I can adapt to it … and help and coach others to do the same.
![Smiley :)](https://www.anausa.org/smf/Smileys/classic/smiley.gif)
Try some earplugs but be careful not to become too dependant on these or your brain will not readjust or learn to cope. Read up on this topic- knowledge is empowering.
You WILL get through this without losing your mind!Keep moving forward.
DHM
![Smiley :)](https://www.anausa.org/smf/Smileys/classic/smiley.gif)