Sensitivity to perfumes and bass

Thank you Vossie42!

I've been trying to explain this to people for as long as I can remember. For me, it's very high pitched sounds-children screaming-or the sounds of construction, or very repititious sounds. Basketballs make me crazy. The worst, though, is the ping ping sound cars make if the seatbelt is unfastened is the worst. Five or six pings and I have to get out of the car.
People look at me as if I'm strange. Most doctors have never heard iof it.
Thank you so much for the validation.

I have the same thing with smells, but it's industrial cleaners that get to me. Walking into a public building or bathroom that has recently been cleaned, I want to throw up. Perfume is okay as long as it's tastefully applied. But I also buy scent free everything if it's available.

Actually, it already has to some degree. Right after I had the surgery, I could barely hear low frequencies at all, and loud low frequencies were downright painful. It felt like someone was poking me with a sharp object deep inside my head. Very unpleasant to say the least. Now, as I said before, I am just sensitive which is a huge improvement comparably speaking. Also, I am so used to the 'water in the ear' quality of sound that I rarely notice it anymore. It just means I have to turn the TV up a little louder when I'm eating.

Thanks, everybody. Sorry to be so slow to respond.

I've had a mood disorder since a teen and I've had periods where I am super-sensitive to all noises and it makes me extremely agitated. I don't think it necessarily means that you have a mental disorder. I've also played the guitar since a teen and I can pick up subtle differences and nuances in tone, timbre and other audio that others can't. But the super-sensitivity to noise can really drive you crazy. I heard an interview with a rock drummer and he said that he unconsciously picks up rhythms in all sorts of things like raindrops.

I don't think it's a psychological problem. I would imagine some psychological problems could develop in relation to it because it's so terribly frustrating.

I went through a period of about two years where I was extremely sensitive to certain sounds. It was after I had stopped taking a benzodiazepine drug. I thought at the time that I was over the withdrawal syndrome but later, I could look back and see that I had hypersensitivities to many things for a year or two afterwards. They mostly went away eventually.

I wonder if the sensitivity to smells is a separate issue from the sensitivity to other stimuli. I think it is for me, anyway. I have had a problem being around certain smells since I was a teen. I have problems with smoke, diesel, enamel paint, some ingredients used in perfumes & other scented beauty products, and quite a few solvent-type chemicals in general.

These cause a range of reactions from headaches to feeling like I can't breathe well to gastrointestinal problems to dizziness.

I live in a "hippy-ish" area now where people are usually very sensitive to inflicting smells on others.

I think you have a right (maybe a legal right, depending on where you live) to a workplace that doesn't have smells that make you feel ill.

One way to protect yourself against unwanted smells is to dab a bit of Tiger Balm or some other sort of eucalyptus/menthol balm on your upper lip. You could also use an essential oil diluted with almond or grape oil. Choose your own protective smell, in other words.

Regarding the other sensitivities, I know I used to wear earplugs to the grocery store for a while. "White noise" music tracks can help, too.

If you have the right psychiatrist or psychotherapist, they may be able to suggest something helpful. I think the sound sensitivity is called hyperacusis, and there's a whole community out there talking and it and inventing products to protect against it or to relieve it.

You might check out information on chemical sensitivity for your sensitivity to smells.

Good luck! Be persistent!

Thanks, it's good that your hearing has some positive uses too. I don't have any musical talent, except that I get ear worms all the time. This is another reason why I find loud music annoying. There is nothing worse than having some song from a passing car or loud restaurant get stuck in your head for hours or days.

Yes, it definitely can be a symptom in people with bipolar disorder. (If you look at DSM-V it is listed I believe.) Emotional or sensory oversensitivity to anything can be a mood disorder symptom but it doesn't mean that you're manic-depressive or have a mood disorder. Personally, I think some individuals are can be sensitive to different things in the environment. Some people are very sensitive to certain things in food (gluten, peanuts, caffeine, etc.). If you have other strange physical or emotional symptoms the sensitivity could be related, imo.

I've moved x7 in the past ten yrs due to noise from neighbors - that's how sensitive I am. Every noise bugs me at certain times: closing doors and cabinets, footsteps, pots and pans, etc. (I lived in an old apt house and the front wood door weighed at least 60-70 lbs and when someone closed it it made a very loud noise and shook the entry way - that really bugged me. Also when heavy trucks screech their brakes right next to me in the Summer I can get very agitated inside.)

Thanks, I can definitely understand the frustration caused by noisy neighbors. I have always been annoyed by these things, but lately it seems like I am at the end of my rope. I hate that I can't control my own environment. I shouldn't be so selfish, but that's how I feel.

BTW: I am using Icy Hot to cover-up the fragrances that all my coworkers keep bringing into my office. It seems to help.