"Marga hears too much!"

Hyperacusis, hypersensitivity to noise, is less well known than tinnitus, but there are many people who suffer more or less severely from it.
In this section “Marga hears too much” Marga van Hintum will blog about her experiences with Hyperacusis regularly.

APK for a hyperacusist
More than 3 years ago I followed therapy for tinnitus and hyperacusis* at Erasmus MC in Rotterdam. An intensive therapy. Partly in a group, partly individually. To start with there was a course day in a group. We received a lot of information and got a folder full of advice and tips we went home with it. A tiring day, because of the group structure. And the course day was held in a room with climate control. Two factors, which are not particularly favourable for hyperacusians. In the months that followed I had a number of individual conversations.
Your car goes to the garage every now and then, for the apk, the annual vehicle inspection. That’s a must, from the National Road Traffic Agency. Now, after 3 years, I thought it was time for an apk. So I approached the Tinnitus team, Audiology department of the ENT-poli. A mouth full. I was allowed to come for a follow-up appointment.

Registration columns
And so my sweetheart and I went to the brand new part of Erasmus MC in Rotterdam. The clinics had just moved to that part of the city. Everything was brand new. From the parking garage we entered a huge hall. With a lot of incoming daylight. And with registration pillars. Where no human being is involved anymore. You are supposed to enter your ID card. And the computer recognises where you have to be, at what time and for what purpose. And with all that information neatly on a freshly printed piece of paper, you can then walk through. And walk on. It looks like Schiphol , the dutch Airport, but without a treadmill. Boy, what a distance. But we, with our trained legs, din’t have a hard time doing that! We admired the beautiful floor along the way, were amazed by the amount of daylight that enters and were sightseeing and so towards ENT-department.
And in the ENT-Audiology department there is another registration column. Where again no one human being is needed anymore. That’s called the future! The computer takes over. It is cheaper than a staff member who wants to go on holiday, a thirteenth month and consultation with the manager. If the computer were the way to keep healthcare costs within acceptable limits. Alléz. But the manager will still manage. He or she cannot be replaced by a robot.

No new developments yet
And once the apk starts, it is evaluated separately, looked back, summarized, concluded and looked ahead.
Science, especially with hyperacusis, still has a hard time. The approach of hyperacusis has in some respects changed a bit compared to that of tinnitus. But there is certainly no new view yet. There are, certainly with regard to hyperacusis, no really new developments yet. The therapy as it is currently given, will eventually also not be able to offer a guarantee. Not everyone is completely helped with it. But maybe, in the distant future?
I have experienced the therapy as useful, especially for tinnitus. As for the hyperacusis, the therapy has not had much effect there, unfortunately. I certainly found it useful to look back. And to look ahead.
A few hours later I could leave again. With an approved apk, for several years. I may, if I find it necessary, come back again. It wasn’t really necessary. The National Road Traffic Agency won’t tell you that ….

* Hyperacusis, literally “I hear too much”, is a condition in which you are hypersensitive to ordinary everyday sounds. “The volume control of ambient noise is permanently set to too high a level for a person with hyperacusis.”For me, the higher frequencies are particularly annoying and hurt my head.

Hyperacusis occurs in many forms. And often also in combination with tinnitus; as is the case with me.