Extreme Hearing; new reality show or #CRPS and #Fibro symptoms?

Certain medical conditions have symptoms that are annoying to the person who has the condition, just as it is annoying to their loved ones who have to hear about it. I suppose all medical conditions have symptoms that are at the very least, annoying, if not completely intolerable. However, that is not my point. I really want to talk about one thing in particular.

I have sound sensitivity. My experience with sound sensitivity puts a huge damper on certain aspects of my life at times. It may not seem like that big of a deal, but trust me, it is.

First and foremost, I never know when it will happen. One day I will be sitting on my patio, listening to the birds sing, the wind gently ruffling the leaves as it blows through the trees, the children playing and laughing. Ahhh, how relaxing it is to hear the wonderful sounds of life.

But hark! In a matter of moments, suddenly and quite out of the blue, I am feeling as if my head is going to explode because of how loud all of those lovely sounding sounds are!

The only thing I can do to alleviate the problem (the symptom) is to make the area I am in as quiet as possible. Here’s where the annoying part comes in. As fast as lightning, there is an intense grating sensation inside of me. Grating as in, nails on a chalkboard sort of feeling. My entire body begins going nuts. I grind my teeth. I can’t take it!

Everything is too loud! I have to ask my family to please turn down the TV. Or music. Or whatever UNBELIEVABLY, INSANELY, OVERLY LOUD, UNBEARABLE NOISE they have going on. Sometimes it is just them talking. Or laughing, walking, chewing — you get the idea.

I have been home alone and suddenly the normal sounds of silence are maddening. I cannot stand to be in the room where the fish tank is. The water filter that everyone says sounds like a relaxing waterfall drives me nuts. Even worse than the fish tank, is the ticking of the clock. More than once, I have removed it from the wall and put it in a drawer, under clothing, in a different room behind a closed door so I won’t totally lose my mind over that sound.

I don’t know why this happens. I don’t know when it will happen. All I know is that it DOES happen. I find it truly disturbing. Not just the part that grates through my system, but also the part where I have to bother everyone in my household and plead with them to please be quiet. Of course, I could just wear earplugs (as has been very, shall we say, “lovingly” suggested to me.)

It is my understanding that sound sensitivity is yet another piece of my medical condition puzzle. Obviously, I don’t like it and I feel badly that it affects my family and friends as much as it does. I do try to see the benefits of it though, even when I can hear people rolling their eyes as I ask them to turn down the volume. Here are some advantages to being sensitive to sound:

 

1. I can hear EVERYTHING. It is like having a super power. I almost know what is going to happen before it happens!
2. My neighbors never have to make noise complaints about me.
3. My home can be very Zen-like. Without even the tick-tock of a clock to hear, one can gain amazing insight by listening only to ones own thoughts.
4. I am becoming masterful at reading lips, a skill that deserves more credit than it gets.

 

I am pretty certain that my loved ones do not find this quirky symptom as easy to deal with as I do. After all, they are the ones who have to sit right in front of the TV in order to hear it. I can simply leave the room and plug my ears while relishing in the knowledge that I have ultrasonic hearing abilities. *See above reasons for why this is cool.

Regardless, we all have to adjust and adapt when this situation arises unexpectedly. I know it is a huge imposition that I place on my family. They suffer in silence while I am the one who has the incredible fortune of being able to hear the TV at the lowest volume setting there is. Heck, I think I can hear it even when it is on mute. Super power indeed!

Check out more of Michele’s posts, musings, and incredible insight on her page here!