Ear protection for hyperacusis--or not?

I had a shingles attack in my left ear 7 months ago and had a case of sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Hyperacusis was a problem. I had a custom set of noise reducing earplugs made that reduce sounds about 20 decibels and are waterproof so they prevent water from getting in my ears. I keep them handy when I go out and experience loud noises that are out of my control. For example, during that time I was at the dentist in the chair which seems safe enough. However, they had contracted a maintenance crew that day to clean a water feature in their office lobby. When a grinding saw started up that I could not take I stopped the procedure and told them I needed to put in my ear plugs. They were profusely sorry but it’s those kind of incidents having a noise reducing set of ear plugs is like having an umbrella in the rain. They protect you. Btw, my hyperacusis is getting better with time. I recommend seeing an audiologist for hearing tests.

I have same experience a nnick regarding hyperacusis. I went to an audiologist and had custom noise reducing musician’s ear plugs. There are 2 filters to chose from and I can decide which ones to use depending on the noise around at any given time. One problem for me is that using any ear plugs makes my tinnitus sound louder. My hyperacusis did improve with time but never got to the point like it was prior to the noise injury I had when the hyperacusis was triggered. I did not expose myself to any overly loud noises but gradually increased my noise exposure over time. Today household noises are tolerable for me except for the vacuum and coffee bean grinder.

One thing about foam ear plugs: You have to be careful taking them out. I learned this the hard way. One time the suction/change in pressure taking them out caused severe ear pain for a couple of weeks. They told me to stick my finger in to break the seal before removing ear plugs.

With custom molded earplugs you have to turn them clockwise to break the seal which hopefully will avoid the bad experience you had with the pressure change with the foam earplugs. The ears are so sensitive. It’s been a real learning journey for me too. Hope you’re better now. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Thank you everyone. Your replies are informative and helpful. Really appreciate it.

Does anyone else have an opinion on if ear plugs/ protection is a good idea or if it just increases sensitivity.

Thank you!

I got hyperacusis as a complication of my stapedectomy. I know that many people are getting it after this surgery, but it may get better or disappear at all after a couple of weeks, or continue for a much longer time,before your brain adjust to the new reality of hearing. My is still here,with a smallest improvement, after 4 1/2 months. Recently, totally out of desperation, I got a relatively new type of ear plugs called CALMER, made by a British company FlareAudio. It claims to cut not the sound, but rather some high and low frequencies, that makes sound more natural. I have read a lot of patients reviews, most very favorable. To be honest, I have a mixed opinion about this product: sometimes, it seems to be a LITTLE helpful, sometimes not at all. But it worth to try. You risk $25 on Amazon. And it is very small and practically invisible. Just go to Flareaudio.com
Good luck!

I hadn't heard of these. Certainly worth a try. Thanks much and best of luck!