serendipity1996
28-09-16, 20:11
Hi everyone,
For the past week or so I've been terribly preoccupied with my hearing. Ever since reading an article about how more and more young people are at risk of damaging their hearing these days, I have become extremely paranoid about my ears. It's reached the point where I actually feel that there is something physically wrong - I don't know if I'm just so wound up because of anxiety but I actually feel that I am having to strain to hear certain sounds and pitches. Prior to reading this article I wasn't worried about my hearing and didn't notice anything off about it which leads me to believe that perhaps it is simply a case of my obsessive thinking that is making my brain deceive me into thinking I'm going deaf.
Of course I then proceeded to do exactly the thing you are not supposed to do when you have health anxiety....I googled. Cue numerous articles about how to spot the first signs of hearing loss....when I read that struggling to hear women's and children's voices is one of the signs that point to a decline in hearing I got so panicked. It's a vicious cycle. Also, I think I have had very very mild tinnitus for a long time although it seems to have decreased lately even though I feel my hearing abilities are now reduced. I don't know if this is all a product of my imagination but it's so distressing.
I'm only 20 years old and extremely worried. It could be a wax issue - I honestly can't remember the last time I cleaned my ears out and I have been using earplugs a lot lately - perhaps this could have pushed any wax further in and caused it to become impacted? I've worried myself into thinking it could be SSHL (sudden sensorineural hearing loss) although I don't really think I exhibit all that many of the symptoms. I know I should see a doctor but having just moved abroad to Germany for a year at a university, I need to actually figure out how I can access medical help. Also, I'm extremely worried about how I will react if it does turn out to be the worst-case scenario...that I'm going deaf. Even if it is just anxiety I'm worried that it is irreversible.
For the past week or so I've been terribly preoccupied with my hearing. Ever since reading an article about how more and more young people are at risk of damaging their hearing these days, I have become extremely paranoid about my ears. It's reached the point where I actually feel that there is something physically wrong - I don't know if I'm just so wound up because of anxiety but I actually feel that I am having to strain to hear certain sounds and pitches. Prior to reading this article I wasn't worried about my hearing and didn't notice anything off about it which leads me to believe that perhaps it is simply a case of my obsessive thinking that is making my brain deceive me into thinking I'm going deaf.
Of course I then proceeded to do exactly the thing you are not supposed to do when you have health anxiety....I googled. Cue numerous articles about how to spot the first signs of hearing loss....when I read that struggling to hear women's and children's voices is one of the signs that point to a decline in hearing I got so panicked. It's a vicious cycle. Also, I think I have had very very mild tinnitus for a long time although it seems to have decreased lately even though I feel my hearing abilities are now reduced. I don't know if this is all a product of my imagination but it's so distressing.
I'm only 20 years old and extremely worried. It could be a wax issue - I honestly can't remember the last time I cleaned my ears out and I have been using earplugs a lot lately - perhaps this could have pushed any wax further in and caused it to become impacted? I've worried myself into thinking it could be SSHL (sudden sensorineural hearing loss) although I don't really think I exhibit all that many of the symptoms. I know I should see a doctor but having just moved abroad to Germany for a year at a university, I need to actually figure out how I can access medical help. Also, I'm extremely worried about how I will react if it does turn out to be the worst-case scenario...that I'm going deaf. Even if it is just anxiety I'm worried that it is irreversible.