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Temporary hypersensitivity vs. hyperacusis
How long is normal to have sensitivity to sounds after an acoustic trauma? At what point is it considered hyperacusis? I was exposed to very loud noise during a head MRI in which I don’t think the protective earmuffs properly covered one ear. I had been trying to focus on not having a claustrophobic panic attack in the machine, so I was less focused on the noise and didn’t stop the exam. Only when I came out, did I notice my right ear was muffled and full. For over two weeks now, I’ve been very sensitive to noises and moderate ones can make me feel like my ear is getting muffled again. Yet my audiology test a week after the event showed only a 5-10 decibel loss at the 6 and 8 kHz level with the rest in normal ranges. My reflexes were lower in my affected ear, but still in normal ranges, apparently. Sadly, my right ear was “my good ear” so there was likely more damage than the rest indicates. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all!
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I did not have those types of symptoms. My hearing appears to be slightly degraded in the one ear that wasn’t well protected. My audiology test showed a 5 to 10db drop at higher frequencies. My feeling was that the first doctor was very dismissive of my concerns. So I went to a second doctor with my hearing-test report, and he prescribed me a short course of oral steroids, but I didn’t notice any benefit. I plan to have another test at the one year mark to see if it’s worsened or gotten better.
Earlier in my life, I had an acoustic trauma in my other ear. I could tell my hearing was modestly affected, but my audiology tests have come back in normal ranges in that ear for 20 years. As time moved on, I developed minor hyperacusis in that ear, although I didn’t know what it was until I got a more pronounced version of it recently in my second ear.
Did the same doctor do both your audiology tests? Did you get copies of your reports? Have you considered seeing a different doctor for a second opinion?
Again, I’m really sorry you’re going through this.
Custom ear plugs can help reduce loud noise. See your audiologist and also get a hearing test.