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[Guest guest]

Hi everyone. I'm new to the group as well and happy to find all of

you. I cried when I found this site. I was trying to find something

to show my husband to indicate this was a condition, not a choice. He

gets mad at me quite often because he thinks I'm being passive

aggressive. " How come you can listen to yourself eat and it doesn't

bother you? " He is pretty patient and starting to understand once I

sent him some of the information on SSSS.

My heart goes out to Savannah. I couldn't handle school now, I'm 43.

When I was in high school I could make the same sound of gum cracking

by sucking my cheek in toward my teeth and then releasing it suddenly.

Every time someone cracked gum, I would make my copy sound. It drove

them nuts, but I couldn't help it! One day, my nemesis gum snapping

biology partner yelled out, " Would you PLEASE stop snapping your

gum!!! " And I smiled and said I didn't have any. How obnoxious.

My dad used to make a snorty noise with his nose that drove me nuts

and I learned to mimic that noise precisely too. I don't know why but

it relieved a little of my tension, I guess because I viewed these

noises as an attack, and making the same noise back was a kind of

revenge. I wanted people to see how disgusting their noises were so

they would STOP.

My parents used to say I was a real brat, very disrespectful,

unpleasant to be around, and I don't doubt it. My kids can tell you

they remember me pushing their lower jaws up if they were mouth

breathing. I'm embarrassed to admit these things. This condition

makes me seem and feel like a complete jerk. And since I couldn't

stop feeling so much discomfort with noises, I had to conclude there

must be something wrong with my character, I must really be a jerk.

This is quite depressing. I've been medicated with antidepressants

for several years which helps with the depression, but not the

sensitivity. When I took anti-anxiety meds, that helped a lot, but I

didn't want to stay on so many drugs. Now I'm considering going back

on them. My stomach ties up in knots and all my muscles tense up

every time I even think my husband is going to eat something. I can

hear him crinkle a bag in the kitchen when I am on a different floor

with the door closed and an air cleaner running. That is nuts.

My first marriage probably dissolved because of this now that I think

of it. It makes me understand the importance of not judging people.

Who knows what is going on in people's lives that makes them act the

way they do?

Savannah, hang in there, try some different things, life is still

manageable, just not easy for us. I used to teach yoga and that

seemed to help my body learn to relax even when it felt tense. But

you've got to find your own ways to cope. I'm here for you, and I'm

glad everyone else is here for me. Thanks guys!