Lynn, I used to speak to my kids in whispers when I wanted to get their attention. They had to stop and concentrate and listen.....and that worked!

I saw a home video recently of my kids when they were 5 and 9 and WHOA!! I'm thankful I didn't have MS when they were growing up. They were having fun but boy were they LOUD!

My kids were eight and five when I was diagnosed (and they fought like cats and dogs).... it used to drive me nuts. I think I owe a debt of gratitude to Barney (the big puirple dinosaur) for his 'inside voice' and 'outside voice' songs and games.

It takes an already exhausting situation and multiplies it exponentially - glad they are well past that and nearly grown up now.

Both MS and anxiety can cause an issue with noise. For me, the two are different. The MS portion of it has to do with not being able to process all that is going on around me. This not only happens with hearing and noise but with vision as well. Visually, if things are coming at me too fast and I can't process it all, I have to close my eyes. It's just too much for me.

If I am really, really stressed out or anxious about something, noise definitely bothers me but not in the same was as with MS. In this case, the noise interfers with my ability to focus, think, and deal with my stressors. It's a different feeling than with my MS. It is not uncommon at all for someone to not be able to deal with noise when they are anxious or stressed. In fact, I believe it is high on the list of anxiety symptoms.

The suggestion of whispering or using a low voice is a great one. Many temper tantrums in my house have been stopped when I have whispered or even just mouthed the words. When I was in college and was teaching preschoolers, it was a little more difficult to do this as they were all over the place. I would guess that it may be similar in a 1st grade class room. However, turning the lights off for a few seconds, ringing a bell, or clapping, would break the commotion that is going on. (There's a better word/terminology for commotion but I just can't think of it right now. ) Once that happens, the kids will quiet down and a whispering voice would certainly work.

So true Trish.

Hi. I'm so sorry to hear that you too have a problem with noise.
I didn't know anyone else who had this problem. I was really thinking it was all in my head! Sudden noises are the worse. Like a loud knock on the door. I too have mastered the TV remote. It's the noise that's beyond my control that is so frustrating.
I've been reading some of the replies to this thread and have more understanding about it now. Thank you for posting about noise. I truly hope you find a way to have control over some of the noise that is so irritating to you because I too become "ill" because of noise. I actually changed the audio settings on my tv and that helped a bit, with that. I turned off "clear voice". Many quiet wishes to you!

Yes I have issues with noise, usually the television and radio. My DH has hearing loss so it's always a battle! I like it all to be very low. I can't really go to live music shows any more --it's too over stimulating. I've always liked being alone, long before I got MS. Now I just have to excuse myself for quiet alone time. Too much stimulation just make me so irritable!!