Re: Re:Hyperacusis/CAPD Another bizarre question or two

[Guest guest]

Dear Sara:

Thank you for your insightful post. I have suffered greatly from this and

just thought it was my own issue!!!

A year ago, I was finally able to move from a townhouse where I felt I

was slowly being driven crazy by the noisy neighbor's stereo. I was often

puzzled why friends who came to visit wouldn't think it was that " bad " . I

even ended up on Xanax for a while because of the stress from having to

live there and feeling trapped. I now live in a small town in a home that

is not attached, but noise of nearby construction and traffic still

bother me somewhat. When in public (as in a doctor's office) I have

noticed that I cannot read in the waiting room because the voices of

other people talking cause such a distraction. Also, as a child I

remember not being able to do my homework unless it was absolutely

quiet...At least I can now have some understanding of why I might be like

this. Thanks again.

Teena

On Sun, 1 Jan 2006 19:59:28 -0800 Mercuria <mercuria@...>

writes:

>

> On Jan 1, 2006, at 6:25 PM, netsukeme wrote:

>

> > I was reading down the list on this Fibrofix website and stopped

> at

> > no. 29, regarding sound and light. Some of this seems so related

> to

> > migraine, I wondered if there IS connection between migraine and

> FM.

> >

> > And all this reminded me of when I was a child and I was so very

> > sensitive to sound. Normal everyday sounds in the neighborhood,

> like

> > the sounds of construction with a new house going up, would just

> > drive me wild. The sound seemed to actually hurt my brain somehow

> > and I remember covering my ears to try to keep out teh sound. But

> it

> > was just normal noises of a house being constructed. Does anyone

> > else remember this kind of thing or notice it today? Sensitivity

> to

> > sound?

>

> What you're describing is hypercusis, which is noted (IIRC) in the

> Canadian criteria as one effect of the CNS damage done by ME. I'm a

>

> bit more than slightly affected by it myself.

>

> Basically, what happens is that most of us have developed

> neurological filters that allow our brains to prioritize incoming

> sound. You can sit in a restaurant, and zero in on the sound of your

>

> lunch companion, while tuning out the voices of nearby diners, the

> clink of china, the whooshing of the air conditioner, and other non-

>

> important noise. If your filters are working right, you don't even

> notice these distractions.

>

> ME attacks the part of the middle and lower brain where these

> filters

> live, and can erode the finely-tuned and well-adapted nerves that

> serve this function. It is, however, not the only cause of

> hypercusis.

>

> Some people are born with this problem (my son is among them); it

> can

> be hereditary, so if you had it as a kid, odds are good you have a

> parent or grandparent with it as well (my dad had it, too).

>

> Hypercusis is the leading feature of central auditory processing

> disorder (CAPD), which is one of the main causes of dyslexia. Not

> everyone with hypercusis is dyslexic; but if you're dyslexic,

> there's

> a close to even chance you've got CAPD. There are a number of other

>

> cognitive processing problems that also go with it: CAPD sufferers

> may also have problems with sequencing (remembering things in order,

>

> or keeping track of a list), keeping their physical space organized,

>

> and/or remembering cause and effect relationships. You can see where

>

> these problems might get in the way of learning <g>.

>

> It's also very common for people to acquire CAPD as they age. Women

>

> undergoing menopause, in particular, may find themselves far more

> irritated by noise and less able to filter. This condition often

> responds to hormone replacement therapy (as do many ME-related

> issues

> in women).

>

> There are also auditory therapies that can help rebuild the filters.

>

> Not all audiologists know how to work with hypercusis or CAPD; even

>

> fewer offer auditory integration therapy. (My son's condition -- not

>

> just his hearing, but also the cognitive issues surrounding his

> dyslexia -- were greatly improved by AIT.) If this becomes a big

> enough problem, it may be worth looking into.

>

> Sara

>

>

>

>

>