Hi, following my stroke I now have sensitive hearing with everything sounding quite loud. Things like cutlery on plates sound really loud & hurt my head. I have had to turn volume down on TV which isn’t a problem for me but my husband is hard of hearing & has to turn it right up. I can’t stay in the room when he does this as I can’t cope with the noise level. I also have constant ringing in both ears. Has anyone had any experience of this? When I mentioned it to my physio she said she’d never come across it.
@Loshy thank you for your reply. I’d be really interested to know how you get on with your hearing tests. I was starting to feel like I was going mad but your experience reassures me I’m not 
I’ve always been a bit sensitive to light so haven’t noticed anything significant there but thinking about smell I thought my sense of smell was greater too. Hope you get on ok with your hearing tests.
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Hi, I had a stroke 4 years ago and since then I’ve had tinnitus but only on in one ear. It sounds like a constant high pitched ringing and I get it every day, some days are worse than others. I have a hearing aid for the affected ear which plays waves crashing onto a beach and you can also turn the tinnitus down which I got following a hearing assessment on the NHS. My GP referred me to the audiology dept so it may be worth asking for a referral. Hope this helps.
Ann
Hi Ann , stroke 2.5 years ago, aged 61 . Old style NHS hearing aids. Now on & off suffer tinnitus. Asked gp if could update, to similar to yours, wasn’t really knowledgeable, if possible could you advise, on make & model, how they work & if on NHS? Got advise on here about noise machine, ( waves ) , at night helps me sleep. Tv , must have subtitles on to follow. Managed to wire a plug today. Dexterity terrible, when tired. My little achievement for the day . . David.
Hi David, the hearing aids I have are standard NHS behind the ear hearing aid and are programmed with 3 settings. One controls the volume at which you hear sounds eg the tv, conversations, one is programmed with the noise of the sea ( that’s what I chose because it can mask the tinnitus for me) and the third allows you to alter the volume which in turn turns down the volume of the tinnitus. Hope this helps.
Ann
@mum2two they sound ideal. I have the high pitched ringing too which is there all the time. I am due to have an appointment with my GP in a couple of weeks so think I will mention it then. Thank you
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Hi David, forgot to say the make of hearing aid is Oticon behind the ear hearing aid, it has a thin tube which fits into the ear. I think they may be NHS standard aids. Your GP could maybe refer you to the audiology department at your local hospital.
Ann
@David3 just wanted to say well done to you on wiring the plug. That’s amazing when your dexterity isn’t so good. 
Hope you manage to get referred, there are three or four different sounds you can choose from to mask the tinnitus but I generally turn the tinnitus noise down and it makes it more manageable. Hope you can get sorted soon.
Ann
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Shwmae @Mrs5K, yes, it is called Auditory Overload, and it is very common. Just in the same way tinnitus often affects stroke survivors. I, at first, got ear filters but after a year, for me, the overload became a little more manageable. I have four sons, and loud sounds are never too distant but thankfully, for me, it has eased enough. I still can’t tolerate high pitched noises or loud bangs, but I used to joke to myself that it was in some way a super-power, as I could hear things other’s could not. However, there was one night early on in my recovery when I had to stop a faulty smoke alarm, and I can tell you, the pain I went through was almost something from Doctor Who having a mind battle with the The Master.
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HEARING AIDS, THANKS ANN , . Understand? NHS will be updating their H/ aids to rechargeable, more eco ! Might wait, to see . Fitting tiny batteries, tricky, at present. Good speaking David.
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Hi , yes wake early, my clock starts ticking down. After 10.30 am ,move into zombie mode . . Good speaking David.
Hi Loshy , Independence! Last plug , had help from my wife. Moving forward! Good speaking David.
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Hi I had sensitive hear on the ward with alarms going off hurt my ears and my head but this has eased a little now
Thanks everyone. It does indeed seem like it is a common effect of a stroke. At the moment I am managing ok but I think when I start to get out into more noisy environments that I may struggle so am definitely going to speak to the GP & try & get an audiology referral. Really appreciate everyone’s comments.
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I understand exactly what you are experiencing, I occasionally have the ringing which I put down to hearing my heart pump!. My right ear, for many years a bit hard of hearing, got shut down even more by my stroke and is now just a passenger. My left ear is now the breadwinner and is very sensitive, I can hear everything including bird noises and traffic but find it difficult to distinguish between noise and conversation so group conversations are very difficult.
Since my main hobby is music I have had to do some interesting tricks to be able to play with others and prefer a one on one situation. Over loud background music on TV films can be hell.
One bright spot, Tinnitus, a lifelong companion, vanished with the stroke, as did headaches!
Deigh
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@Deigh I read your post with interest. I too play music - usually just for my own enjoyment but am wondering about whether this will be impacted by my hearing sensitivities. I can hear birds like I’ve never heard them before - The one pleasure of sensitive hearing . I am hoping the ringing in my ears will settle with time but it is pretty constant at the minute. My sister did recommend that I look at some ear plugs for people with autism as they too can dislike noise. I haven’t looked at this yet but will definitely give it a go. In the meantime we continue to have battles in the house over the TV volume 
Hello Friends,
I have had five strokes. My hearing has definitely become more sensitive. In fact, I no longer need to use a hearing aid in my left ear!! That’s the bonus side, but on the negative side, I often have to ask my husband to speak more softly, as his voice can actually hurt my right ear! I am beset with headaches too, especially during the night and in the morning and am particularly careful not to undertake anything too vigorous in the morning, until the worst of the pain has subsided. My headaches do not respond to paracetemol, worst luck. I am hoping to have a full knee replacement in the knee future, although my NHS surgeon has arranged for me to have an appointment with the anaesthetist the week after next, to confirm that he is prepared to okay the operation, on account of my stoke history. Anyone else had this query over surgery, and how did you get on, please?
@isabelle2020 Welcome to the forum. So sorry to hear of your 5 strokes. You sure have had it difficult. I don’t have any direct experience of N operation feet a stroke but my dad was always a difficult person to operate on due to his medical history. They often had a confab in advance of his surgery & on op day there were always plenty of medics around to ensure they could deal with no issues on the day. A meeting with the anesthetist in advance of your op sounds like a really good idea and I hope it goes well for you. Look after yourself.
Yep, the TV volume is a problem in our house too, my wife thinks I have it too loud but we have learned to accept the others situation.
I play jazz guitar and keyboards and join others in a ukelele club. What instrument do you play.
Deigh