Overactive Nerves

When I was listing all of the factors that play into the Meniere's, I forgot TMJ (jaw misalignment, popping, etc.). Of course I have that one too.

I searched to see if there were any new info in the last 5+ years and there isn't much. There's a distinction of Vestibular Hyperacusis where sound causes dizziness. (Ding, Ding, Ding. we have a winner.) Most VH patients have little or no tinnitus (yup). I have some symptoms of the other, Cochlear Hyperacusis, but that can probably mostly be attributed to any hereditary irregularity and the blood pressure problems added to all the other crap.

Anyway my last post mentioned other conditions that have similar sensitivities to sound: migraine and autism, but epilepsy also, in addition to light sensitivity.

Isn't it strange how in a few short years we've discovered all sorts of new conditions with overactive nerves: Fibromyalgia, Restless Leg Syndrome, what about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Attention Deficit Disorder, ADHD, PMDD, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, numerous anxiety disorders. There are probably dozens I don't even know about.

What happens to nerves from ingesting chemicals in odd combinations? The movie "The Incredible Shrinking Woman" (with Lily Tomlin) comes to mind.

Aspartame is 10% methanol (wood alcohol) which is a poison regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. Consuming 3 - 20 oz. bottles of a soda sweetened with aspartame is more methanol than the EPA warrants as safe.

All politics aside, from the way it was approved and those who became filthy rich from it, what is it doing to our bodies? It's playing out right in front of us.

Then enter politics again as the government tries to regulate healthcare. I don't see how they could possibly manage that when we see what they allow in food, and we see how pitifully they monitor things they do not allow in food.

When they won't bother to put enough research on things that are killing us, and allow things in or food that might be doing just that, how can we expect research on quality of life for those of us who are not yet dying.

CEOs of charitable organizations make millions. Don't we wish we all could make millions helping people? Or are we then helping ourselves more? Every member of congress and the house should be asking themselves the same questions, as well as agencies and committees who ultimately answer to no one.

Are all the overactive nerve diseases just too much caffeine and sugar? Not likely as these have been around in high consumption for much longer. Of course most of our "sugar" is overprocessed corn.

Are 5th graders conducting the experiments that claim that something is safe or harmful? (assuming they are ever done) Vitamin A has toxic levels (as do many other vitamins). So that means Vitamin A is toxic. Uh, no it doesn't. Humans can drink formaldehyde and methanol in small quantities and not show immediate effects, so these must be safe for consumption. I must appologize to 5th graders because they are smarter than this.

I think I'm going in circles and not addressing the matter that all the overactive nervous disorders might be related.

Hyperacusis: Wishing you were deaf?

I don't know how many people suffer from hyperacusis, or an abnormal sensitivity to sound. So I don't know how many people can even relate to this.

I know of other similar conditions "noise recruitment" which involves hearing loss and overcompensation at extreme ranges adjacent to the loss to try and accommodate it.

I know migraine sufferers and autistic children also suffer from similar issues. I don't know how closely all of the above are related but I'm willing to bet (don't take it literally, nothing to bet with) that there are links so close it would be eye-opening.

(I dare say all the chemicals we intake and mix as "food" have nerve damaging effects we may never know the extent of.)

I always wish I had normal hearing again, assuming it was ever normal, and since it likely wasn't then just back to normal enough.

A lot of the time I just wish I couldn't hear because I'm sure there are good statistics on the number of deaf people, causes, treatments when applicable, known untreatable or only by surgery. There are people who could help cope with being deaf and teach me how to function.

Hyperacusis offers none of this. You might think ear protection is good, but not all the time or too much. I did that and it became more sensitive the longer and more protection I added. I later learned from an audiologist that this is pretty much always the case.

Realizing myself that by definition only that my problem was hyperacusis and not recruitment, the ear doctor recommended TRT (tinnitus retraining therapy). Primarily used to treat tinnitus (ringing of the ears) it was also being considered for hyperacusis. My tinnitus is minimal.

Insurance didn't cover $1400 devices and $1000 treatment visits, but luckily I had some savings left from the job I could no longer do.

The devices are similar to hearing aids but produce a white noise. Setting the volume not to totally mask noise and being vented to allow noise in make it a retraining tool for the overactive nerves. I wore the devices for two years and they made a huge difference. Worth every penny I would have to say.

But now what. I've been mostly off of them for almost five years to the date. They seem to slowly be getting worse instead of maintaining. One of the devices had a piece break off but should still function. I guess I'll start getting hearing aid batteries and wearing the devices all the time for months to years and see if it helps again.

If I had to go deaf instead (and I knew a nurse who has one of the conditions I have but more severe who had total nerve deafness in one ear) then I would not be able to listen to music anymore. I wouldn't be able to sing (alone where no one can hear me).

I guess I should be thankful that I have hearing, even if it prevents me from doing some things, it allows so much more.

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Well, even as I was about ready to post, glass and silverware bang some 40+ feet away and I wish yet again that it was the last time I would even hear that at all.

So I've spent about 30 minutes finding the devices and the decision is made, 2 years more, or whatever it takes.

Having found the devices, putting in new short life batteries, the broken one will have to be superglued to function completely but is doable until then. They can be worn all day or even while sleeping but must be out for at least 4 hours a day to keep from getting an ear infection. My wax is "wet wax" as we found out from the non-custom devices shorting out every couple of months and contact with the manufacturer, so maybe more than 4 for me.

Mind you I already have an air cleaner running and have had the TV blaring over it before and STILL heard the piercing sound of metal and glass banging together from some 40+ feet way.

Living where people need hearing aids and won't do others the courtesy of having their hearing tested is not so good.

Meniere's Disease (or Syndrome in my case) has factors such as the anatomy of the inner ear, element makeup of the fluid there, blood pressure, allergies, heredity. Luck me I get them all. Oh I forgot, barometric pressure and heat and humidity (and I've moved back from dry LA to hot and humid Alabama).

So hears/here's to being thankful for some possible relief.