Comments on: Downgrade

By: Amanda

Amanda — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:11:01 +0000

Loud noises when you have an ear infection are definitely worse, I speak from experience. Added to the fact you’re already tired and not coping well–that’s everyone (well, at least me, and I think I’m pretty normal) not just Simon.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:07:31 +0000

Here’s what I think: The noise thing is part physical and part emotional. Simon does not like loud noises and has never liked them. The higher pitched they are, the more they bother him. He gets this from me. When I hear girls shriek or sirens or alarms go off, it doesn’t just bother me, it’s physically painful. (I thought this was universal until a couple of years ago, fyi.) If I could cry or crawl under furniture without looking insane, I would do so. I’ve learned to cope, but noise is still a stressor. I think Simon has mostly learned to cope as well, but that it becomes a recurring problem if he’s tired, sick, or otherwise is operating with diminished coping skills. As to whether his illness physically amplified or worsened the offending sounds, that is entirely possible: I would think any fluid in the head or infection could do that. I do know that he took a hearing test in the middle of this and scored at over 100% for the normal range of hearing, and that the last day he complained of noise was a day he was pooped from swimming and then got to bed late.

By: blg

blg — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:41:25 +0000

I still haven’t read to the end of the Simon doesn’t feel so hot story…but I am thinking about his varied reaction to noise. I know it was an issue when he was younger, but this time around, I wonder, could their be a physical component? Could something related to his tonsils and his low-grade infection make certain sounds more painful to hear?