Thank you

I just want to tell everyone here thank you. I only found this forum 2 days ago, but in just 2 days I've learned more about my fibro than I have from reading info from med sites in a year. Reading everyone's posts about their symptoms has really taught me a lot.

I just recently moved to a very small town and don't have anyone to share my experiences with. My bf tries to understand, and I love him for that, but he doesn't KNOW what it's like. And before finding this site, a lot of the things I felt, I had no clue were common with fibro. So I'd feel guilty for not being able to handle some things.

I found this site after looking up hearing sensitivity. My bf has 2 boys, 8 & almost 13. Before moving in with them I'd been on my own for awhile with just my 2 cats, so I was used to quiet. I've started getting extremely bad headaches and then realized that they only happened when the boys were home from school and were being really loud. I find myself constantly telling them to turn down pc & xbox volumes because it just hurt, then feeling guilty because they're just kids. They NEED to be loud and crazy after being in school all day (the older one is autistic and puberty is hitting him HARD, so there's all sorts of issues with him staying quiet and calm). But I put the intolerance down to just me not being used to such chaos around me and kept waiting to get used to it. Then the migraines started with no reason I could find (no weather changes and spring isn't here yet for allergies), and it took me about a month to connect it with the noise.

The trigger was when their dad got Call of Duty for them. Each gunshot on the game felt like an electrical jolt in my ears. So i looked up sensitivity to sounds online and found this site.

Sorry I'm writing so much. I'm freaking out a bit at the moment cause my bf left this morning for a face to face interview for a better job down south (home for me, so fingers crossed!!!!). He's going to be gone for 3 days, so I'm going to be taking care of the boys by myself.

Aaaaaanyway, reading the experiences of everyone has been SO helpful and eye opening. And even in just these past 2 days, I'm not nearly as hard on myself as I was before. I'm still trying to work on improving my tolerances and what I can do, but I no longer think that it's a defect in myself as a person. And it's helping me to make a better list of things to talk to my doc about so I can have the most comprehensive treatment that will work for me.

So thanks to everyone here for being willing to share your lives. It really does make a HUGE difference knowing that I'm not alone in all of these sometimes painful and usually weird things my body is putting me through.

Bree, yes kids can be noisy..but they sound old enough to explain about your hearing sensitivities ..so they can also learn to keep the volume at a reasonable level..learning to compromise won't kill them : )

At times i can easily handle a noisy crowded restaurant, or the music up loud, other days it can really get to me..

So its good to understand they are kids and will be loud , but also they can work with you some..

Today, my bathroom fan sounded soooo loud..i do not think its any louder than normal, but i was sensitive to it more today..

Lj

Sometimes the noise and just pure chaos gets to be so much that I have to go into the bathroom and turn on the vent for just some calm white noise. I've tried explaining to them about it, and the youngest tries to be more considerate, but the oldest with autism doesn't get it. He just sees me as being mean. :-( Their dad will fuss at them as well tho, so at least I'm not the only bad guy.

Already thought of the ear plugs, but I have really small ears and they're too uncomfortable. Plus I worry when I can't hear them, so noise canceling earphones are out. Probably another reason I can't fully relax yet when they're home & awake. I'm in a constant state of disaster anticipation. :-D The games are limited tho. The whole thing is still new to all of us, so we're still figuring it all out. It'll get there eventually as long as I keep my patience.

I miss my white noise, I used to always have a fan on or music playing low in the background. Now when I'm home alone the only sounds in the house is the tv on low. We live about 20 minutes out of town, and in oct of 2013 in the early morning someone broke into my home while I was here alone.

It's made me so paranoid I can't stand to have anything making noise where I couldn't hear if someone was messing around the house. That means no dishes, laundry, shower, or music until my hubby gets home.

It's took me awhile to get used to it but the quiet has finally become relaxing to me.

I'm in the same boat Bree, home alone all day with neighbors barely in sight, and also in MO. The good news for me was the day after the break in, a known thief moved out of the place two houses down the road. Hopefully he was just trying to grab what he could before he moved. I'm still really paranoid though.