Sudden Hearing loss _{Page 101 of 105}

Hello everyone. I have been a guest reader on this forum for a couple months now and decided to join and share my story. My symptoms started with what appeared to be a sinus infection, had alot of post nasal drip and what appeared to be alot of clear to milky color nasal discharge in my nose. I then started to lose my hearing in both ears; but the left ear declined the most and two months into all this I went profoundly deaf in the left ear. I was diagnosed with meniers disease; never had vertigo or sick to stomach. I did have dizzy spells and felt light headed quite freguently. I received 4 steriod injection into the left ear, worked the first time but that was it. I was also prescribed prednisone on two different occassions and most recently prescribed famvir for 20 days, I am on day 14 with the famvir and weaning off the prednisone. I still have the nasal problem, I don't know if it is histamine or what, but it occures on a daily basis and at times it drains worse after I eat. I have been tested for lymes disease (negative, though I have read that false readings are common especially if you are taking prednisone), had thyroid checked (OK), mri (OK), and other blood work done. I have been to 4 different ents, two of them think meniers and the other 2 arent sure. I did have alot of stress just prior to all this, and like i said it appeared that I had a sinus infection or allergy. I had allergy testing, but not for food allergies. My right ear has moderate to severe hearing loss and is hanging tough. My right ear also fluctuates on a daily basis. I have strong tinnitus in both ears at times, some tinnitus at all times. I had to purchase hearing aids but the right hearing aid is the only one that is of any use. I was told by the ent that gave me the injections that some of my hearing could come back in the left ear, but advised that it could take time. I was healthy and ate a good diet prior to all this. This has been torture on a daily basis, I don't know what else to do. I think it is a shame that we have to do our own research in order to try to heal and live a normal life again. Does anyone have any advise for me, should I ask my doctor for any more tests. I pray everyday and pray for all of you as well. As down and depressed as I am, i still have hope and faith that God will intervene and help.

stngray114,
I do feel your situation. Everyone with hearing problems does want to be normal again. But we have to face the fact that there are still many diseases that are out of the ability of humans to deal with. It is a good thing that we can share and vent our feelings through this net. Doctors are not almighty, but they can give more sympathy to us.

Hello stngray;

My heart goes out to you....especially as a family doctor who has undergone much of the same fear, concern and confusion.

I lost total hearing in one ear 18 months ago and have significant high frequency hearing loss in the other ear. I'm sure it was stress-related, but I also has a dental prodedure on the same side and a recent cols, so who knows?

I've tried virtually everything known to medical science and to alternative medicine, but to no avail. Believe me, I've searched for and then tried just about everything that even sounded reasonable .

So besides using my Oticon hearing aid in one ear, I just pray, eat well, exercise regularly and try really hard to always be a good person...which has resulted in my hearing loss pretty much just not 'bothering' me for the most part.

My brain has adapted to noise in restaurants pretty well and also to conversations with multiple people at once. It actually seems like I'm almost hearing stereo phonically, which of course I'm not. I still have no idea from which direction sound is coming from. But all in all, I just go about my life now, including lecturing to large audiences. Sure, I know my hearing loss is there, but I'm really doing fine, and whether or not your hearing comes back, I predict you will do fine too.

So I encourage you to take heart, especially by praying, being a loving person, and having faith in a just and loving God. If the hearing comes back it will be wonderful; if it doesn't, then
you will learn to adopt.

If you are so down or depressed that even exercise and fun activities don't seem to help, then ask your doctor for an anti-depressant medication; I like Wellbutrin in the smallest doses--it can act like a real happiness-inducing pill! Or take a vacation if you can--travel is a great way of getting out of your head and forgetting your hearing loss. Make a resolution to make this a happy new year...then just do it!

Hello etmd22, thank you for the upbeat advise on coping and adapting. I took your addvise the other day; went outside and washed my truck and cleaned up the yard. I ended up paying for it though, once I finished and came back inside my tinitus went crazy and was very loud. I now walk and jog twice a day and that also seems to make the tinnitus worse. I really wish that I could find a doctor that could really make a diagnosis and start treating me. I have had other symptoms that have popped up since and during my initial hearing loss that i think may be related to the actual cause. My left knee started to bother me some weeks back and just yesterday I noticed that my right knee is started to feel the same way. I have had alot of histamine draining into my nostrils since before my hearing loss and it continues to do so on a daily basis. Other symptems include loss of weight, depression, anxiety, possible numbness in my arms. I recently had blood work and I didn't even feel anything when she stuck the needle in my arm. I have always felt at least a pinch. I have had dizzy spells throughout this whole ordeal, but they have stopped right after Christmas. My hearing in the right ear still fluctuates, it seems to hear better when I am active doing something. Maybe the blood flow has something to do with it. This is no doubt the most challenging time of my life and though I still have hope, I am worried that an accurated diagnosis will not be made in time. i have been to 4 ENT's, one believes that I have Meniers Disease, the other three aren't quite sure yet. I continue to pray every day and have a good pool of friends that pray for me also. I also pray for everyone on this forum. I tested negative for Lyme disease, for which I have symptoms, but have been told by my family doctor (who also specializes in infectious desease) that the test(s) are not full proof. I am going to try to convince him to at least treat me with oral antibiotis to see if there is any improvement. I have not been tested for food allergies yet, I will have to try to convince him to test me for that too. I wish that the government would invest more money into research for hearing loss and tinnitus, they have no idea how much suffering one goes through on a daily basis. I will continue to do my own research and bring any information to my doctor's attention. I am just tired of dealing with some of the rude doctors and nurses who get mad at me when I suggest something to them. I questioned the nurse about a possible false test result with the lyme disease test, because I a still taking prednisone (which can cause a false result to an already inaccurated test), and she got snippy and advised that it was negative and we need to forget about that. Any how, thanks for your advise and hope that you have a happy and healthy new year.

HI Stngray,

Please read my blog linked below. I was also diagnosed with Meniere's a year and half ago but I am MUCH better now with all symptoms almost gone including the hearing loss. So - there is hope. Don't buy into what the doctor's tell you unless it's positive.

http://healingmenieres.wordpress.com/

Samara

stngray114; Yes, something is obviously going on in your body that we would call a multi-systemic type of condition.

Lyme disease is a valid consideration, so a course of antibiotics would not be unreasonable for your doctor to prescribe.

Just as important,however, is the need for you to see a Rheumatologist if at all possible! There are conditions such a Sjogrens, Lupus, Polyarteritis
Nodosa, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Polymyositis, and several other auto-immune conditions that can present with hearing loss, joint pains and multiple symptoms such as you are experiencing.

Stay informed, be persistent and do your best to help lead your doctors into thinking what you are thinking...
which is that something seems to be going on in your body that could be
treated once it is diagnosed. (See a Board Certified Rheumatologist!)

Also, be prepared to discover that there is nothing the doctors can find, hence nothing that they can do. OK? Stay in touch.

Dr. Taub

P.S. How old are you?

etmd22; thank you for your advise. I always suspected that something was going on within my body that the doctors have not diagnosed. This has been going on for approx. 4 months now. The latest (4th) ENT specialist that I saw yesterday advised that he thought that it was viral, but refused to give me a refill on the famvir that he prescribed for a 20 day course. He advised that he did not think that it was Meniers Disease, which is what ENT doctor #1 diagnosed me with, and advised me that there was nothing else he could do. I will take your advise and make an appt. with a Rheumatologist. I have an appt. with my primary care physician next week; he also specializes in infectious disease and currently has lyme disease patients. He did advise me that the lyme disease tests are not accurate, plus I was taking prednisone when I got tested. I am 49 yoa, was healthy prior to all this, but did experience two very stressfull events just prior to the onset of my illness. Thanks again!

> but did experience two very stressfull events just prior to the onset of my illness.

It's commonly stress that triggers this; same for me, I had RA symptoms too. Please see the web link in my profile. I'm cured now. Good luck.

To everyone else - it seems that of the people who take the IgG allergy test 50% come out with no allergies, yet when some try an elimination diet they get better! :-) I wonder if the labs being used are simply unreliable or there is another protein associated with this type of allergic reaction (hearing loss), such as IgA.

stngray11;

Good luck with the Rheumatologist...do make sure he or she is recommended by your primary care doctor or that you've done some due diligence--at the very least should be boad-certified and associated with a first class hospital. OK? Also, I suggest sharing my note with your doctors--they won't mind since I am similarly afflicted and have done a massive international scientific literature search on the issues. My e-mail address is etaub1 at aol.com. Keep in touch.

Dr. Taub

Greetings Dr.Taub. Thank you for allowing me to show my PCP your note on this forum. I have an appt. with him on thursday; I also have an appt. with an accupuncter dr. on tuesday. He is located near Cleveland, Ohio and is also a faith healer (supported and endorsed by the Catholic church). Though I have many days in which I feel that I should just give up and accept whatever happens, I continue to search and fight for a root cause for my condition. I am also going to ask my PCP to have me tested for food allergies. Did you by chance get tested for food allergies? I forgot to mention that the last ENT I saw mentioned that my pain medication could be ototoxic. I have been taking Lorcet since my motorcycle accident approx. 6 years ago. He was more inclined to say that my condition was viral. I just competed a 20 day course of Famvir and I am on my last week of Prednisone. I am tapering off the Lorcet; I choose to deal with the pain in my leg and will try physical therapy if I have to. I continue to pray everyday for relief and pray for everyone on this forum. I have had some people tell me that God does not heal people; I disagree and believe that all good things are possible through God. Thanks again for your advise and support. I will keep you posted. Mike

You are doing well Mike.

I cannot hear anything without my hearing aid in my right ear. I only take it out to sleep and shower. I did not like being reminded of how bad my hearing is seeing peoples mouths move but hearing nothing. Today, I was high fiving myself on my self taught lip reading skills after I FORGOT to put my aid in. I now feel comfortable and relaxed in myself, maybe more than before the hear loss and I do also have tinnitus.

I guess I just wanted to let people know it gets easier even if the hearing doesn't return, yet :). Keep the faith. Bless us all.

stngray, WOW, you dropped a bombshell in your last note when you wrote that you have been taking Lorcet (Vicodin) for years.

FYI, there seems to be close to about 100 medical case reports of this drug causing deafness--a famous case report recently was all about Rush Limbaugh who had taking the drug before he lost his hearing.

Please bring Lorcet up to your ENT docs and the Rheumatologist you
wrote you will see. Did you find a good Rheumatologist yet? If not, I note you may live near Cleveland, so just call the Cleveland Clinic for a referral.

In any case, tell your doctors about Lorcet, show them the following article, and for heaven's sake, stop taking it!

http://dir.salon.com/news/feature/2003/10/07/rush_drugs/inde....

Hello everyone, and please forgive me for venting over another very fustrating day. I just don't get it, I was told that daily physical fitness would be good for me, but the tinnitus gets worse when I do anything physical and my hearing (in the right ear, which has moderate to severe hearing loss, left ear is profoundly deaf) fluctuates like a yoyo! I wish I knew what I had; four ENT's and two different diagnosis (Meniers, viral). I don't think that I am going to see a fourth ENT, I might as well just let my body do what it is going to do. I do have an appt. with an accupuncture Dr tomorrow and my PCP on thursday. I will see if my PCP thinks that I have enough symptoms to treat me for possible Lymes Disease; I tested negative but he told me that the tests are not accurate. I will also ask him to have me take a blood test for any food allergies. God bless all of you!!

Hello Dr Taub. I did mention that I have been taking Lorctet to every ENT that I saw. The only ENT that showed any concern or interest in it was the last one that I saw at Cleveland University Hospital. He advised me that it was 'theory' only at this time that Lorcet and like drugs cause deafness. That is all I had to hear though, I started weaning off immediately and making good progress with no withdrawel symptoms. He did advise me that he thought my case could have been caused by something 'viral', and he had me take Famvir for 20 days. He thought that I had Meniers on my first visit, but changed it to 'viral' on my second visit. I have not been dizzy since the day after Christmas, but still have very bad tinnitus, fullness feeling at times, and hearing flucuates throughout the day. Common times for the symptoms to get bad are after I eat and after any physical fitness. I am still on a low sodium diet. Thanks again for all your advise, I will drop you a line tomorrow and let you know how the accupuncture therapy went. Mike

stngray; You are experiencing what most of us have experienced: Confusion, despair, disappointment, and the need for answers. Sorry, there are very few answers, but I am hopeful that getting off Lorcet and seeing a Rheumatologist
can do you a great deal of good!

Just listen to your body, so if excercise is making things worse, then lessen it to a bare minimum. In the meantime, believe it or not, things will almost certainly get better with time, including your outlook.

Dr. Taub

stngray114 - I'm interested that the doctor put you on Famvir. Did it seem to have any effect? You mention no dizzies since Christmas - is that near when you started the antiviral?

I had moderate to severe low-frequency hearing loss in my right ear, along with tinnitus and fullness. After much research on my own, I convinced my doctor to let me try Famvir! After about 2 weeks there was a definite improvement I could notice; when my hearing was checked after 1 month on the meds it was much improved. Several months later it was back in the normal range and that was 9 months ago (still going strong).

So - I'm not sure how long you've been on the Famvir but I do hope you will take the full course. It can be an up and down progress for some people who have had success. If you start to see improvement, Dr. Derebery (at House Ear Clinic in Los Angeles - you can look her up - she seems to be doing the most research on this as treatment for menieres) has a protocol which I followed: For the first 10 days, take 250x3 mg Famvir. Then take 250x2 mg famvir for 20 more days. If, after that first month, there is any improvement, continue on 250x2 mg for another 2 months. Apparently it is helpful to do this longer treatment! My improvement did take several months, so I believe it.

Shortcake- I was prescribed a 20 day course of Famvir (500 mg, 3 times a day) a few days before Christmas. He also put me on a low sodium diet (1,500 mg limit a day). My dizzy spells did go away after being on the Famvir for a few days. During my last visit the Dr. did not want to give me a refill on the Famvir, though he mentioned that my case could be viral. So, I guess that I will never know if taking a longer course of Famvir would have helped me or not, unless my PCP writes me a script. I am glad that you had success in regaining your hearing!

I think that hearing loss is connected to the damage of hair cells inside the cochlea. I wonder if hair cells can regenerate by themselves if the right conditions can be provided. The blockage of blood supply to the hair cells can cause their death. It is possible for certain nerve cells to regenerate under certain conditions. The damage of the auditory nerves can cause hearing loss. I think that the most important part of recovery is that whether the damaged cells or nerves can regenerate or not. Anything that causes the failure of hair cells or conducting nerves can cause hearing impairment. It is just like that your finger cannot move if the relevant nerves are severed.

stngray - I'm sorry you couldn't get a refill on your prescription. Actually my PCP was SO much more willing than my Oto to write me a prescription - I barely had to convince her at all. She said some people are on it super long term, and it is not a risky drug.

That said, if you feel in your heart it was helping I would push for it - at the same time, if you don't feel it in your gut, my guess is that 20 days would have given you some sense of whether or not it was going to help. So I wouldn't beat yourself up over it!

hello all i'm new i was reading a couple posts well I have had sudden hearing loss about 4 maybe 5 years ago going back and forth to the ER to be told that it was nothing my eardrum was just a little red and irritated mean while i can't hear out of my left ear loud sound would irritate and i would sometime get a weird taste in my mouth when people talk to me in that ear me when people were talking to me not being able to hear and telling them that they need to speak up was getting bothersome. going to the ER getting nothing but pain killers which weren't doing anything to help so after going to 5 different hospitals one doctor looked in my ear and told me i had a perferated ear so given some z-packs and some meds to cure infections helped to ease it but really didn't do too much so i had to make an appointment with the ENT which i had to wait three months to see now i'm packing tissue in my ear to stop the air from blowing in because i couldn't hear it but i literally felt it in my ear like rain it felt as if my ear drum was flapping in the air so the two months go by now my hearing is starting to come back but it itches so i stick my knuckle in to shack it a little to ease the itch i feel something come out of my ear inner ear i feel it go up up where i don't know do now it's the month of my ENT appointment my hearing is back i tell him what i experienced he sprays some numbing spray in my throat to look down my nose to check he says he doesn't see anything and give me prescriptions for meds that i start taking 6 one day five another day four but he also tells me he wants to see me again so here it is one year later hearing have gone and come again now i'm having pains on the left side of my head,neck,swelling in my neck right below the lobe and sharp pains directly above the ear and pain that makes me feel like i'm about to pass out went out to have a business dinner sitting at the table got extremely dizzy and had to be rushed to the hospital to find out that i have vertigo the pain comes and goes but it's very uncomfortable as well sharp pains that radiant from head to chest. so now i have reschedule to see another ENT and have to wait until Jan the 20th 2011 which i scheduled on Oct 2010. The pain is getting worst and worse now my head is a little swollen as well as the left side of my face and sharp pains in my left eye along with the pain it's getting very scary ibu,mot ,advil, or the all day relievers aren't working i've even gotten a codene from a friend and it doesn't work either i'm a man as strong as they come but this is some terrorifying stuff. And this is the short version ahhhhh help!!!!

bigbro3: Call your ENT for an urgent appt. If not possible then go to the ER.
You need an MRI of your head to rule out a tumor (acoustic neuroma) or a CAT Scan for anything else urgent. Tell the ER doc what I've said! Don't delay. Go.

Edward A. Taub, M.D.

Hi Bigbro, I am amazed you have not had an MRI. It is essential that you get one asap to rule out anything such as an acoustic neuroma. Many of your symptoms are very similar to mine and it is also 5 years since my sudden hearing loss so I sympathise. I suspect with swelling, pain and a perforated eardrum that infection might be likely. Have you had any blood tests or been given antibiotics? I know the process of diagnosis and treatment is very frustrating and I wish you well.

Dr. Taub- My PCP is going to find me a good Rheumatologist and he decided to treat me for Lyme disease by prescibing me a 30 day course of Doxy. He specializes in Infectious Disease and though I tested negative he believed that I am experiencing enough symptoms to warrant treatment. He advised that the tests for Lyme Disease are not accurate, plus I was taking prednisone at the time of the test. I am also scheduled to get tested for food allergies. I continue to taper off the Lorcet and making great progress. I advised my PCP that I was concerned about taking Lorcet for such an extended period of time; he didn't seem too concerned and advised me that my annual liver tests are normal every year. But, he said that it couldn't hurt to get off of them anyway. I have managed to cut my prescribed dose in half for the past week, and will further reduce my dose this week. I am trying to incorporate more physical fitness on a daily basis; but my tinnitus usually skyrockets when I excersise. Yesterday eveining wasn't too bad though! I find that playing the guitar, a long time hobby of mine, is good therapy for me. It seems to 'energize' my remaining hearing ear a bit. Physical fitness also seems to energize my ear as well. Could it be because it is increases blood flow? Anyhow, hope all is well and have a great weekend. Mike

stngray114; It's great that you are being treated for Lyme Disease; it surely might help and it sure won't hurt.

I'm rarely so persistent and adamant, but after thoroughly researching the scientific literature I know that it's imperative for you to stop Lorcet , immediately (even if your PCP isn't concerned). By the way the hearing loss issue with Lorcet is not neccesarily associated with abnormal liver function tests.

You have 2 good possibilities here to actually recover your hearing--Lyme disease or Lorcet damage--but both need to be addressed equally!

Edward A. Taub, M.D.

The increase of blood flow to the ear is certainly beneficial to healing. That is why some people use low laser light therapy. We must remember that the increase in blood flow in combination with the right nutrients to nourish the relevant cells is important to the healing action. Keeping our blood slightly alkaline at all times help to transfer oxygentated blood to the relevant area to expedite healing. Acidic blood will undermine our health.

Dr. Taub- It has been a few days since I have posted, hope all is going well for you and everyone on this forum. I had mentioned in my previous post that my PCP started to treat me for Lyme Disease, based on a clinical diagnosis, because the blood tests for Lyme is not accurate. I had many of the symptoms and have removed ticks from my leg the past two summers. I have also had several chigger bites, which required a RX ointment to clear them up. I started taking Doxy 8 days ago and was not prepared for what they call a 'herx'. The past two days have beeen horrible; my knee was stiff and painfull when getting out of bed yesterday morning, my stomach was upset all day, I had a minor headache, my tinnitus was out of this world. I was very sensitive to sound, at one point when I was watching TV it seemed like someone turned up the volume for a couple seconds. I hope that this is a good sign that my body is fighting off the bacteria. The more research that I do on Lyme I learn that it is very much unreported and that Lyme is more commonly misdiagnosed by many doctors (including ENT's) Have you had much experience with dealing with Lyme? Any input that you have would be greatly appreaciated. Today hasn't been too bad, so far, and I plan on doing more excersise. I continue to eat healthy and drink plenty of water. I do not believe that I had Meniers Disease; the specialist at Cleveland University Hospital didn't think so eithor and he was the first of four ENT's to even consider Lyme. If I do in fact have Lyme, I am sure that the prednisone I took and the water pill (4 days only, got terrible flu like symptoms for almost a week and lost 8 more pounds) didn't help. I finished weaning off the prednisone two days before starting the Doxy; I took the water pill back in Oct. As far as taking Lorcet, it will soon be a thing of the past for me. I continue to decrease my dose to eliminiate any withdrawel because of the amount of time that I took it. So far, so good! Mike