The Bottom Line: Find Relief
By Saul Tave
My story of tinnitus—and finding relief—was a circuitous journey. It didn’t begin directly with tinnitus symptoms, but rather with symptoms of hyperacusis, an oversensitivity to certain frequencies and volumes of sound.
My tinnitus and hyperacusis symptoms developed gradually, over a period of a few years. They came on so slowly that I don’t even remember exactly when they began. My symptoms progressively got worse, but I ignored the problem. I didn’t pay much attention or take action until my symptoms became truly annoying and burdensome.
The first symptom that really bothered me was a physically painful reaction to specific sounds, particularly high-volume, high-frequency “burst” noises. Amplified sounds, like those at a party or performance, were also painful. The loudness would make me feel belligerent; the frustration in my chest just soared.
Sound sensitivity affected my social interaction with friends, too. If one of my friends talked excitedly about something, the increased volume and pitch in his or her voice caused pain; if someone simply emphasized a point with a quick burst of extra vol- ume, I’d feel like I was getting hit in the head with a hammer. I started carrying earplugs and used them almost all the time to protect myself. Wearing earplugs helped a little, but also made it difficult to hear and follow conversations.
Even my wife’s voice became painful to me. I was constantly asking her to be quiet, and found myself asking her to “shoosh” frequently. Happily married for more than 52 years, we wanted to keep it going— and knew that a lot of “shooshing” isn’t good for a marriage! We were both frustrated.
During all this, I had tinnitus symptoms that were increasingly annoying and uncomfortable. My tinnitus was a monotonous whistling noise that was just always there.
14 Tinnitus Today | Summer 2014 Finding relief
It was my wife who prompted me to seek help. I scheduled an appointment with an otolaryngologist (ENT) who was also a friend and associate. My pri- mary care physician had told me that nothing could be done about my tinnitus and that I needed to “just live with it.” Fortunately, the ENT worked in a large clinic, which also had an audiologist on staff. I consulted this audiologist and she immediately diagnosed both my tinnitus and my hyperacusis. She helped measure the frequencies and decibels that were causing the pain. She also told me about existing management techniques for tinnitus and hyperacusis, including the Neuromonics devices. I was referred to a local tinnitus specialist, Patricia Harrington, Au.D., for follow-up treatment.
With that referral, I made an appointment with Dr. Harrington. Her initial diagnosis mirrored that of the audiologist at the ENT’s office. With both hyperacusis and tinnitus symptoms, she was confident that one of the Neuromonics devices could offer me relief. I was initially worried about the price, but I was assured that it was an affordable option. I was even allowed to try out one of the devices, at no charge, for a weekend.
The Neuromonics device is a compact and easy-to- use product, which looks and functions much like a regular portable music player—a tiny box with attached earphones.
Dr. Harrington explained that the system works by combining relaxing music with barely perceptible customized sounds that stimulate the brain and help manage tinnitus. She chose one of three pre-pro- grammed profiles to find the setting that provided the greatest degree of relief for my particular symptoms. I just had to press “play.”
The results were almost immediate. It was amazing how quickly the Neuromonics device worked. In a short period of just a few days, I was able to notice that my wife’s voice was no longer painful. Within two to three weeks, I had almost no pain.
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