My appointment with the Neuro-otologist was certainly the most interesting doctor’s visit pertaining to misophonia so far. It started with a preliminary hearing test by his audiologist, that was the most comprehensive one I’ve ever had in my entire life. In addition to my pressing a (very ergonomic) button to let her know when I heard soft beeps of various pitches in either ear, she also did several other ear tests that I’ve never had before:
· An eardrum pressure test
· An Otoacoustic Emission (OAE) test – Which was an echo test to determine the quality of the cilia in my cochlea. (As above average as my hearing is, there were still a couple of low frequencies that evidently didn’t bounce back, signifying that some of those cilia may be damaged.)
· A word repetition test – I had to repeat the words I heard in from a recorded voice in each ear. Evidently, a person could still have difficulty understanding speech even if (s)he has excellent hearing.
Luckily, I passed all my hearing tests with flying colors and it was fascinating to see the results on the computer screen behind me in the sound booth. After going back to the waiting room for a little bit, I was brought into another examining room where I described my misophonia experiences to the neuro-otologist’s nurse and then waited for the doctor. I didn't have to wait too long. He was a very nice gentleman who, to my relief, had other patients with misophonia. We discussed my triggers, and I even relayed my thoughts on the drive back from the Mayo Clinic where I realized that perhaps my misophonia isn't as situational as the prior neurologist thought. I explained that although I don't react the same way when I do the triggers than outside sources of my triggers, I do react - usually by stopping myself when I realize I'm doing them.
He asked if I had ever tried medication as a means to find relief. I explained that my learning of the condition was so recent, no one had ever tried prescribing anything. The main treatment suggested to me was to get noise cancellation devices (similar to hearing aid devices, but producing white noise "static" in each ear) for about $2,000. I said I didn't want to spend that kind of money at this point, especially when it would only address the audio triggers I have, not any of the visual/tactile triggers (which are just as severe for me as the audio ones), or even my smell/taste triggers. The doctor gave me a prescription for the lowest dose of clonazepam possible, and even suggested that I cut those pills in half. He said to try them for a couple of days and if they don't seem to help my triggers, or if I didn't like the side effects, to stop using them. I've tried them for the past five days and I find no hint of relief from my triggers. The only thing I've noticed since taking them is that it's harder for me to wake up in the mornings. Oh well. I can only keep trying...
· An eardrum pressure test
· An Otoacoustic Emission (OAE) test – Which was an echo test to determine the quality of the cilia in my cochlea. (As above average as my hearing is, there were still a couple of low frequencies that evidently didn’t bounce back, signifying that some of those cilia may be damaged.)
· A word repetition test – I had to repeat the words I heard in from a recorded voice in each ear. Evidently, a person could still have difficulty understanding speech even if (s)he has excellent hearing.
Luckily, I passed all my hearing tests with flying colors and it was fascinating to see the results on the computer screen behind me in the sound booth. After going back to the waiting room for a little bit, I was brought into another examining room where I described my misophonia experiences to the neuro-otologist’s nurse and then waited for the doctor. I didn't have to wait too long. He was a very nice gentleman who, to my relief, had other patients with misophonia. We discussed my triggers, and I even relayed my thoughts on the drive back from the Mayo Clinic where I realized that perhaps my misophonia isn't as situational as the prior neurologist thought. I explained that although I don't react the same way when I do the triggers than outside sources of my triggers, I do react - usually by stopping myself when I realize I'm doing them.
He asked if I had ever tried medication as a means to find relief. I explained that my learning of the condition was so recent, no one had ever tried prescribing anything. The main treatment suggested to me was to get noise cancellation devices (similar to hearing aid devices, but producing white noise "static" in each ear) for about $2,000. I said I didn't want to spend that kind of money at this point, especially when it would only address the audio triggers I have, not any of the visual/tactile triggers (which are just as severe for me as the audio ones), or even my smell/taste triggers. The doctor gave me a prescription for the lowest dose of clonazepam possible, and even suggested that I cut those pills in half. He said to try them for a couple of days and if they don't seem to help my triggers, or if I didn't like the side effects, to stop using them. I've tried them for the past five days and I find no hint of relief from my triggers. The only thing I've noticed since taking them is that it's harder for me to wake up in the mornings. Oh well. I can only keep trying...
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