Sudden Hearing loss _{Page 10 of 105}

I awoke with sudden hearing loss in my lfeft ear at the profound level on May 13th.
I began hyperbaric treatments on thursday june 1st and i have noticed significant improvement on my
hyperacusis, and am more able to tolerate the world. I feel better, no improvement on the hearing just yet, but its making my life more liveable. I highly recommend it.

Well, I had my last follow up visit with both my primary care physician and the ENT. The hearing in my left ear had improved into the 20-25 db range across all grequencies (500 to 6000 HZ). This is compatible with my right ear and is the normal hearing range for all people.

I still have some backgraound noise, very subtle tinnitus (comes and goes), and trailing echoes at the highest frequencies but these are all very mild and non-restrictive. My ear has almost fully recovered and I've been released from the doctros care.

My prescibed regimen was Amoxicillin, P-EPHED, and Prednisone as I stated in my previous entries. This was accompanied by a single baby aspirin a day, which I continue to take, and an infusion of vitamin and antioxidant supplements which I take in varying amounts: A, C, E, B6, B12, Zinc, Magnesium, Niacin, Alpha Lipoic Acid, CoQ10, Ginko, and Jarrow N-A-C. I plan to continue taking these supplements in lesser quantities.

I believe the key for me was seeing the Specialist the day following the collapse of my hearing and quickly getting on the standard treatment for this condition.

I believe the prescribed treatments and the supplements were both critical to my recovery. I would recommend a balanced vit/supp regimen for anybody seeking help.

No treatment is off limits. I was prepared to try anything including chiropracty and accupuncture.

I hope that what I have written in this forum may be of some help to those of you suffering from this affliction.

Now I need to do my own follow up research to determine if this is something that may recur in the future. What I've seen so far is that recurrance is a rarity. But who knows? They never could tell me what caused it and they were surprised when it went away.

All I can say is keep at and persevere and I pray that everybody's hearing comes back to them as well.

God Bless to all.

CMA- did the acupunture treatment work for you?

I tried acupuncture twice - no, it didn't work (and was surprisingly painful). The acupuncturist said it would take 2 months of twice-weekly treatments to see results. At $50/treatment (not covered by Blue Cross) it isn't going to be an option for me anyway. But I am definitely getting tinnitis relief from the chiropractic treatments. It only helps for a few hours, but that's a few hours more relief than I got from either the GP or the ENT!

A very weird thing just happened. An airplane was flying overhead while I was outside, picking up sticks on the lawn. I noticed that whenever I bent down (from the waist) the sound of the airplane became much higher pitched. It was so odd I tried it several times until the plane was gone. I don't know what it means or even how to duplicate/test this, but I'd be curious whether it happens to other sudden-hearing-loss folks too.

Hmmm, i dont have the bending -pitch-weird thing.
but i do have some other weird things. when i'm in a room of people, and they are all talking, it drives me nuts and i start to hear a sound like change clinking in my ear....like a real sound, not one of those fake ringing sounds. i also have some hearing back this week...but only at 40db, and 200 hz. so i can hear a car go by...but cant hear a conversation or anything useful. the audiologist says i have a sensation called vibrotactile, which means i can feel the sound, but cant hear it. i actually get an electric jolt when i hear high frequencies. anyone else have this problem? i'm back at work this week, wearing an earplug, but its not really helping. when i'm exposed to noise for a long period of time, i get a headache.....

Electrical jolt at high frequencies - yes. Change clinking sound - no. Hearing laughter hurts, so that's very inconvenient. I have a little hearing back this week also. I can recognize that sounds are human voices instead of 'squeak-squeak', but I still can't make out what they are saying. So it's only a theoretical improvement, not really a functional improvement. Wearing an ear plug does feel good, but I wonder if we could become too dependent on that (i.e. just make us suffer more when we don't wear them?) Also, ear plugs do nothing for the background noise (hard to call it just simple 'tinnitis' when it's so LOUD! - they should have a better name.) Drives me crazy - sometimes I'm ready to tear my head off.

are you back at work? did you take any time off?
i wore an ear plug all day yesterday while i was in training, it didnt help, i still had a huge headache by the end of the day....the amout of noise seems to be directily proportional to the loudness of my ringing.
i work with kids that have autism in a classroom. only the high frequency sounds seems to drive me crazy. cars and trucks are just fine.

I haven't taken any time off work. My desk is right next to the copy machine. If the copier is running I can't hear anyone in the office talking to me, but at least that machine is not a high-pitched noise like kids' voices, so it doesn't actively hurt. I feel sorry for you dealing with that kind of sound all day. There have definitely been problems for me at work, though. Even though I had told my bosses what was going on with my hearing, it didn't sink in. They thought I was ignoring them or showing some sort of 'bad attitude'. The only thing I can figure is that it had to do with body language - like straining to hear and scrunching my face up when I couldn't hear someone. I had to 'visit' Human Resources, for the first time in my 16 years there. It was humiliating, and in a big way altered my job satisfaction and my perception of the place where I work. It's just hard for people to understand - or even remember that you have - a disability when it's not visible. Maybe we should carry canes with little notes taped to them, 'Sorry, I can't hear what you're saying and your voice hurts my head, but the doctor says that it might get better some day or else I should just learn to live with it.' (I guess that's a pretty long note to tape to a cane - maybe a sandwich board?)

Hi, I am 28 years old stay-at-home mom from NY. I am a new mom and completely neurotic and this sudden hearing loss thing has really been very upsetting. I have just been diagnosed with Sudden Sensoneural Hearing Loss in my right ear--although not a complete loss it is still bad enough that everything sounds distorted and I can't talk on the phone on that ear. I saw the doctor for the second time today--I did a week of Prednisone and Valtrex and this had very little effect; the audiologist saw very slight improvement. I asked my doctor about steroid injections and he claims they are still experimental(?) and advised me to stop researching on the computer. So now I have a prescription for some diuretics to start tomorrow and an MRI scheduled for next week but I am very nervous about this and very confused. My doctor claims I need to take an MRI simply because I have hearing loss but that he doesn't beleive there is anything wrong with me. I have never had any viruses or even so much as an ear infection in my life. The interesting thing is that when I was pregnant with my daughter about 15 months ago, I experienced some tinnitus and hearing loss in the same ear and my doctor claims the nerve tested weakly back then also but my hearing returned to normal shortly after she was born. Does anyone know if these 2 occurrences could be connected? I noticed when reading the posts that several women experience this when pregnant. Has anyone had good results from accupuncture, massage or have any other solutions? Is 3 weeks too late to get any hearing back? Does anyone know if it will get worse--I've read about people waking up in the morning completely deaf and the thought of that just freaks me out. I appreciate any suggestions regarding this since I am really making myself sick with worry. I really wasn't aware that something like this could even happen. Thank you and good luck to everyone.

sorry to hear you are going through this.....as we all are, its very frightening at first. I have to say i really do recommend the hyperbaric treatments. i had a profound loss in my left ear 6 weeks ago, and i seem to be slowly getting some hearing back. i have hyperacusis and recruitment, but am continuing to lead a normal life, despite the constant ringing. the oxygen treatments seemed to have made noise more tolerate, and i do have some hearing back ,although its not functional at this point.
i have tried acupuncture and shiatsu, anti virals, ginko, anti inflamatories, diuretics and of course prednisone. i think that you should keep researching online the more info i had the better i felt about just being informed and having a say in my health care. i wish you all the best, it may just come back.

Hello. The oxgen treatment, it is expensive? I am sure insurance ususally does not cover, right? Is there a time line for the treatment to work? I have lost my hearing 6 months ago, while I was getting crown treatment. No one knows how I got viral infection. They tell you to stop researching, don't they? I think it is because even doctors do not really know about this. I am looking into accupancture. Someone mentioned earlier that it helped her. Take care, everyone.

TaraJoy, I lost my hearing in my right ear in November - just woke up one morning and it was gone. Went to see two GP who told me that my hearing would come back in a couple weeks, but then persisted to be referred to an ENT specialist. I was put on steriods, also had an MRI - but he didn't believe in the steriod injections. I found another specialist who did perform it and found a small improvement with each steriod course (both oral and injection). I felt like I was improving but then I became pregnant again and now I feel like I'm back to were I was at the beginning. And of course I can't take any drugs now. I'm just hoping that my hearing will improve again once I have the baby (in November - a full year after originally losing my hearing).

From talking to the docs and doing some research, it's not suppose to effect the other ear - so you won't go completely deaf. That worried me the most especially with two kids. It is annoying losing your hearing, but I thank God that I'm still healthy and that it's not something more serious. If I'm out with people, I just let them know the situation and have to place myself where I can hear better (like sit on the end of a table with my bad ear facing away from people otherwise I would never hear others!).

I've been doing accupuncture for the last couple of weeks and haven't noticed much difference. But since it's the only thing I can do (since being pregnant) I feel like I have to keep it up. Still have ringing in my ear. Has anyone tried the Hopi ear candle? Just wondering if anyone has had success with that.

Hi, the hyperbaric
treatments are $100 each.
i went to a private clinic.
I had 20 treatments, and just like all the other treatments, the earlier you
get in the better.

Hi, thanks for the info. What, what exactly is the hyperbaric treatment? Can the ENT do it? My doctor is very nice but hasn't really given me any options about getting my hearing back. He says the longer I get into this the less of the chances of recovering. I mean, I can deal with that as long as I still have 1 good ear but who is to say it can't happen again? I actually went back to my doctor today because I was sure I started feeling the same kind of clogged feeling in my good ear but my hearing tested the same as the last time so he just told me to take the diuretics and see what happens. He also mentioned that I could try taking some supplements, niacin and some other vitamins--has anyone tried? My greatest fear about all of this really is that it will start to happen to my good ear but I can't seem to get a straight answer on that--my doctor says anything is possible, but not likely. Does anyone know for sure? Mhoyuk, do you have any idea what caused this for you? Were you also pregnant at the time? I am going to get an MRI done to check for some cause and then I guess I will check out whatever else I can try to end this nightmare. I am also debated whether or not to go see another doctor but I am wondering if it will be a waste of time. Is it normal to feel like one of your ears has to pop really bad all of the time? If so does anyone know how to relieve this? Hope you all have a good night and feel better:)

yes, my ear feels full, and i feel like it need to pop.
this sensation is slowly going away though.
hyperbaric oxygen treatments are done in a decompression chamber...the same ones scuba divers use. oxygen is administer at a lower barometric pressure. here is a link explaining....
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/iyh-vsv/med/hyper_e.html

theres lots of information online, just do a google search.

I still believe in the chiropractor as a treatment option. That way, even if doesn't help, at least feels good! (and I think it might actually be helping a little). Problem with hyperbaric is that insurance won't cover it. And insurance is a Catch-22 at best. It takes several days to get a referral to even an ENT, who then says 'it's too late to do much now; you should have come in the first day'. I've heard that the condition does get a little better over time no matter what you do or don't do - unless of course you get so tired of hearing the tinitis you tear your head off in the meantime!

TaraJoy, I wasn't pregnant when I lost my hearing. I just woke up one morning and couldn't hear (and incredibly dizzy!). I hadn't been sick or been ill. Don't know what cause it. Getting a referral to see a specialist in the UK, where I'm at, is so impossible. It takes months really. I went private and still took 2+ weeks to see him! Since then I've seen 2 other specialist and every one seems to offer something more than the other so I think it's worth trying to see somebody else. I was suppose to have a implant put in my inner ear so I could drip steriod through it for a week - but then I found out I was pregnant and couldn't do it.

I've been doing accupuncture and have to say that while the ringing is still in my ear, it's not as bad. I think anything that relaxes you and makes you feel better in general is a good step. The more tired I am the worse my ear and ringing gets.

I agree with the last two postings re: relaxation somehow helping. Don't know why, but it just seems to. And learning to relax at least helps psychologically in dealing with the tinitis. 'My chiropractor' (funny how possessive you get when you are hooked on a chiropractor) not only manipulates my head, ear and neck, she spends time teaching me how to relax, focus and become centered. Sounds funky-groovy-New Age, I know, but whatever works! By the way, she thinks my condition may have something to do with sitting directly next to a copy machine for 5 years. I told her it's not really that loud, and she said it would be the constant nature of the noise rather than the actual volume, i.e. some kind of sensory overload. Anyway, another opinion to add to the list. Good luck to everyone.

Hi! Relaxation does help. I feel T and sensitivity are much worse in the evening after long day of work. Knowing several methods of how to sleep better is good. I found them thru internet. It is good to get daily exercise and eat healthy food. I do not want to get ill with something else, you know. Some good sound machine in the bedside helps. I agree with the last post. When this thing happened, I thougth I never had any problem with my hearing before, then come to think of it, I had to get out of the movie theater twice because of such a loud noise a few years back. Sitting in the car listening to my hubby howling along with loud music bothered me all the time. All the things contributed somehow. I heard that listening to ipod will affect some hearing in the near future. I managed to go back to my job 2 months ago, and am still hanging there. 1 hour commute on the train is still very hard. Ear plug is the must because of the sensitivity. How are you guys handling your jobs and commute?

sensitivity is horrible for me.....i had to go through
training all day thur and
fri for work. a room with
30 people talking all at once, in an echo-y room.
it was torture. i also share an office with someone and work in a classroom, so my whole day is noisy and its extremely frustrating. having said that, it is much
better now than it was a few weeks ago. anyone have any tips on dealing with sensitivity?

I looked over the older postings and some Internet websites, and was suprised to see diuretics as a treatment option. I have coincidentally been taking a prescription diuretic daily for an unrelated kidney disorder for several years now - and my sudden hearing loss just happened this past April. You'd think if a diuretic helped I wouldn't have experienced a hearing loss in the first place. And diuretics have their own annoying set of side effects (like having to go to the bathroom all the time), which you'd think would just contribute to your stress level. Anyway, if you've been prescribed a diuretic be sure to take a potassium supplement daily (also a prescription; they are huge pills - you really need to cut them in half to get them down.) Without enough potassium you'll be dizzier than ever.

About the tinnitis getting louder later in the day - I'll bet that's sensory overload, from a whole day's worth of normal noise hitting your bad ear and your brain's trying to cope with it and interpret the sounds as best it can (hence the headaches also).

I actually just started taking the daily diuretics this past wednesday and by friday night I was so sick I seriously thought about going to the hospital. I weigh about 110 lbs. but by friday was down to 102. I did take them with juice like the doctor said to but each day I just felt worse and worse until finally I called the pharmacist and she told me I lost too much potassium too fast and to stop taking the pills, so I am no longer taking them. If anything I feel that they made this entire situation so much worse. I think I am just going to stick to alternative medicine because I only started feeling like such a mess when I started taking prescription medicine. I was interested in taking supplements that are supposed to help with the hearing loss though -- I take the niacin and B12 but does anyone know of any others?

Wow - that was a close call! Did they tell you if your potassium gets too low your heart actually STOPS?

NO, I had no idea that could even happen! When I spoke with the pharmacist I told her that I really wanted to avoid going to the emergency room because my husband was not home and I have a 1 year old so she told me to get alot of orange juice and drink it right away, plus gatorade and water of course, bananas, etc...and to stay indoors. I finally started feeling much better today. I am just annoyed because my dr. hasn't really done much except prescribe me pills that make me sick on top of not being able to hear from one ear. It's like I have spent 3 weeks wasting time and from what I have read on this website time is of the essence.

TaraJoy - From what I've read there is only a short window of time where taking steroids helps. Problem is, by the time most people get a prescription it's already too late. The side effects of steroids can be pretty awful too (hot flashes, mood swings, hyperactivity, jowls, thickened waistline). It's a moot point for you after 3 weeks anyway - they probably wouldn't even help now. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel - well, a dim one anyway. After about 2 or 3 months you might be able to hear voices again. You still can't tell what they are saying, but they do sound like human voices, so that's nice. And several on this forum are using an ear plug for part of each day, with the idea of giving the bad ear a rest. That's worth a try. And to be a total Pollyanna about this scary thing that's happened to us - if you lie on your 'good ear' you can't hear your husband snore! (I know, I hate Pollyannas, too, but what are we gonna do?)