In response to @buzzmccracken, some of us have a similar problem, part of the special "features" of Meniere's Disease. We not only lose hearing and gain tinnitus, but fight distortion and recruitment. On top of that, our hearing (or lack thereof) fluctuates from day to day, even hour to hour. When Meniere's first became a problem for me, I was in my 40s and was an active amateur classical musician, playing in ensembles and orchestras. The godawful sounds I heard from the other members of the group plus my inability to hear anything correctly, ended that for me. For years, I couldn't stand to listen to music, because it both lacked some tones entirely and was distorted and strange. Just when I'd gotten used to listening to music a little again (adding all the missing flute sounds in my mind), Meniere's struck my so-called good ear. I had always thought tinnitus was just an annoyance that could be overcome by concentrating on other things, but this is a whole new experience, as is the terrible amount of distortion and recruitment. In my kitchen, I can often tell that something's running, but whether it's water from the faucet or the electric heat fan or an appliance, it all sounds just the same. Most days, my car runs virtually silently, but some sounds intrude and are downright painful as they slice through my head.

From what I've learned, this problem of hearing things incorrectly doesn't show up on audiograms, nor can it be corrected by resetting my aid. Worse, if I'm having an unusually good day while the test is being done or HA adjusted, it will appear that I have far more hearing than I usually have. So far, as luck will have it, I've never been tested during a bad day, even though sometimes bad days run for weeks at a time. It's all totally frustrating. I cannot listen to music at all, as all higher instruments sound like kazoos. I did try to go to a local concert done by the Air Force brass quintet. Who would have thought that the Air Force would use kazoos instead of trumpets and a French horn? AARGH! The tinnitus in my newly-affected ear is so loud that it wakes me up during the night. I've known for a long time that Van Gogh sliced off his ear due to Meniere's...and know I understand why he did it. Imagine living with this dreadful disease and not knowing why everything is so strange! Even though I know what's happening, it's very hard to put up with it. The final insult is something referred to as "auditory hallucinations" where you clearly hear something you haven't heard for years, even decades.

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