Sudden Hearing loss _{Page 53 of 105}

my T comes and goes but i think some how diet vitamins and muscle relaxers work.

T is genrally left over and causes are various but proper diet will help.

as far as drugs go.

1. melatonin herb work well for sleep aid.

2. valiums work really well for me.

3. lunesta is great.

4. lipoflavinoid vitamins in pills form and liquid vits help. also i found a great vitamins thats liquid that just kicks butt. its called peter gillhams natural vatilaity- organic life vitamins.

more blood flow and vits you have going to you body the better off you are and keep that choelestral low.

avoid loud places. no more nightclubs, footballs games,

sometimes my t is almost completly gone and i wont hear it for weeks. then it shows up for a few days and goes away again.....

vliums really help and make sure you get exrecise and sleep

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to follow up and say that there was nothing abnormal on my follow-up MRI. Whatever the white spot was that I had, it was gone. There was no speculation about what it was or why it is not there currently. I essentially just got a 'you're fine, no need to follow up, get outta here' type visit with the otologist. I guess that is it. My episode of SSHL is over barring some recurrence as my hearing is back to normal and I do not have any lingering T.

JeWel, I'm sorry, but I did not get your question before I left for my appointment. I hope you get your question answered!

I will continue to monitor this board and continue to follow the research that goes on in this area. Most importantly, I'll keep praying for those that are still suffering with this.

To god2007: I don't know if the tinitis actually gets worse over time or if it just gets more annoying, but yes - there is a wide variety of sounds going on. The noises are so loud it seems like other people couldn't help but hear them also - which, of course, is a very weird thing to be thinking. I take Tylenol PM to sleep through the noise inside my head. Excedrin PM would work also, but it has aspirin, which makes any tinitis louder.
To deaftoo: Great to hear your 'white spot' went away, but I do agree it's hard to get drs to take this problem seriously. I guess it's the whole 'you are lucky because it could be worse' thing, but it's only human nature that when something like this happens to us it sure seems important - at least to us!

cmaccart ,

yes the T is so annoying, and it make me anxious too that's why I need to take some medication to sleep. and I also need to use fan/airconditioner on to sleep with to mask a bit in bed room. Is your T reactive ? I found my T is reactive to some other noise outside. This SHL has changed my life badly.
but I do wish god will bless us get over it .
Take care

cmaccart ,

One more question : do u use hearing aids now ? if yes, which brand model ? how much hearing u have now ?

Hi - I realise this post started soooo long ago - but how are you doing now in october, 2007. your symptoms are so like mine as i lost my hearing just overnight. would love to find out how things are for you now, and what if any medications you take.

regards waterlott

waterlott,

when did sudden hearing loss happen to u ? how much hearing u get back now ?
do u have tinnitus ?

I am new to this board. Yes, I have SHL. Right ear and then left ear started. Steroids seemed to slow down left ear some. I have had with hearing loss major head pressure and sometimes pain on right front and then moved behind right ear. Caused some vision problems. I call it the 'creature' that moves in my head. MRI showed nothing. Waiting for MRA and some blood tests. Anyone else have head and vision symptoms? Anyone see an immunologist since immune system believed to cause SHL? My ENT and neurologist seem to be useless. I have healthcare background. Won't let docs dismiss this. We have pernicious anemia in our family. Being tested. Like to hear from others.

Hi, I have had severe head pain intermittently, in/around affected ear since onset (Nov last year)no visual disturbances though but some numbness on that side of my face initially. MRI also showed nothing but it was not enhanced and I have to take co-codamol when the pain starts. Specialists can offer no explanation as this is not a common symptom of SSHL but then they can't explain much when it comes to this condition can they? When did you SSHL start and how great is your loss?

Jewel,

how is your head pain now? u mean headache right ? is this also a symptom of SHL? I don't have headache. Right now the most annoying thing to me is the tinnitus, it get worse with time. I have difficulty to cope. How is your hearing now ? same ? and how abt your tinnitus? stay same ?

wish u alright

Hi, yes I mean headache but always on the same side as my affected ear. The specialist that I saw in London says this is not a symptom of SSHL and he had not known any other patients with it but could offer no explanation. I have it now! The Tinnitus and level of hearing loss have been the same since about month three. I have just had a new, really tiny 'invisible' ear piece for my hearing aid and now I notice the tinnitus more so I may need to go back to the old one which did really help to mask the tinnitus.

Dear friends,

I woke up on Oct 10, 2007 with a 100% hearing loss in my left ear. It was an awful feeling. Prior to that, on Oct 7th, Sunday night, I suddenly felt that there was a lot of blood flow in my head. My blood has always been perfect, like 110/65. That night I used my mom's automatic blood pressure kit to check the pressure. I don't know how accurate it is, but my reading was 140/75. I took a baby aspirin and forgot about this incident. Next day, I had a routine checkup with a Urologist. On Monday, my blood pressure was normal and my doctor did not give any importance to how I felt previous night. Everything was fine until Wednesday, Oct 10th. I woke up in the morning and my ear felt full and there was no hearing in left ear! I went to see a local ENT in S. Jersey on Oct 12th. He asked me to get lab work and MRI done. Lab results and MRI were normal. A 10 day dose of prednisone that was started on Oct 13th didn't work. I requested a second opinion on Oct 22nd. He referred me to Dr. Doug Bigelow at U of Penn (215-662-6970). Dr. Bigelow must be so popoular that he didn't have any opening till Dec 20th. But at my request his secretary, Ms. Sandy Corker got me into his office next day at 8 AM. Dr. Bigelow gave me the first steriod shot in my inner ear and put me on 60 mg of prednisone/day starting on Oct 23rd. So far I have taken 3 shots, one per week. Last Tuesday, before my shot, they checked my hearing. I am up to 48% hearing level after the second shot a week earlier and from a 32% hearing level reached upon taking the first shot on Oct 23rd. Both Dr. Bigelow and Sandy have been angels to me! They have almost saved my hearing! I wanted to share my experience with all, so others can benefit. I will recommend Dr. Bigelow for the Best Doc. and Ms. Sandy Corker as the best assistant to a Doctor in Philadelphia magazine. She double booked me to get into Dr's office for all my visits! If you have a sudden hearing loss, act fast and see an ENT who is connected to a hospital.

My question is what will happen to my hearing now? Dr. Bigelow indicated that he may not continue further with the shots and will start tapering off prednisone after next Tuesday. Does anyone have experience using antiviral medicines, herbs, acupunture, C0Q-10 etc.?

Thanks!

ALC123

To ALC123

In earlier posts, I told my story. SSNHL 2 times now, both in my left ear. August 2005 and October 2006. Both times, 2 weeks of steroid at 60 mg./day and 1 week of tapering off. Full recovery of hearing both times, but left with tinnitus in the affected ear.

Since I was surprised to get it a second time, I added some things to my daily supplemental regimen, e.g., Grape Seed Extract, Astragalus and Turmeric. I already had been taking Red Yeast Rice and CoQ-10 for high cholesterol and triglyceride levels. In addition, I have been paying a lot more attention to the left side of my head and have noticed what I would term 'eustachian tube dysfunction', with drainage on that side and the need to yawn a lot to 'open up my ear' to improve my hearing.

I also have had times where I felt pressure around the left ear and have taken to massaging around the ear and the eustachian tube. That's about all the control that I recognize I have at this time.

I only wish I had not been lulled into a sense of complaceny after the 1st SSNHL, when I was told that the probability of it happening again was nil.

Good luck to you and thanks for sharing your story. I have not posted for a while but always read the new accounts.

ALC123, Hi sorry that you have joined our club! Many people recover some hearing with or without intervention as you have and some recover all of it. Most are left with a degree of hearing loss like mine that can be well corrected with a hearing aid and almost all suffer from tinnitus.There is no real evidence that any treatments work but several on this forum swear that the steroid injections do the trick and you seem to be proof of this too. my initial treatment included antivirals as well as anti diuretics, prednisolene and carbogen gas. I hope you continue to recover. Do you have any other symptoms such as fullness, headaches, hypercussis, recruitment, echoing or tinnitus as these are all common in the early stages.

JeWeL41,

Thanks for the quick response. When everything is quiet, I hear a faint hissing sound , which doesn't seem to bother me. However if I am in a store where there is a llot of background noise, hissing becomes more pronounced. When I come out of the store and shake my head off (literally!) I manage to dissipate the residual hissing from my left ear. I have no other symptoms. Last two years, I had a lot of itching in my hair as well as skin problems. This higher dose of prednisone (60 mg/day) has taken away all my itching. I sleep a little less, but seem to be more energetic, low back ache problems ahve disappeared. I realize that prednisone is not good, but so far the improvement in genarl health has outweighed slight stomach upset. I think the shots in the ear are working. I am not sure about the oral prednisones helping my hearing.

Does anyone have suggestions about any herbal medicines, antiviral medications, homeopathy, ayurvedic medicines, foot reflexology etc.?

ALC123

Hi, I think you are very lucky to be so symptom free other than the obvious hearing loss - hopefully that bodes well for a full recovery. I found the prednisone was great for the arthritis in my fingers too!You can try Ginko Bilobo and various other herbal remedies but in truth again, none are proven to work. Probably best to have a healthy diet, exercise, remain slim and not smoke - but who knows. Good luck

To God2007 (question from 10/13): 50% of my hearing has come back diring the past 1 1/2 years, with no treatment. I tried 3 different hearing aids with no success. They didn't mask the tinitis; just made background noise louder (I could hear everything that went on in the restaurant kitchen, but still couldn't hear the people at my table.) Luckily, all the hearing aid companies had great warranties and I got most of the money back. I haven't paid attention to whether the tinitis is reactive or not; I'll start trying to keep track of that.

Answer to comments about Prednisone: It's truly been a wonder drug for many maladies and has helped lots of people with SHL (except that you seem to have to take it right away for it to work for SHL). A side effect of high dose Prednisone is cataracts, but you don't get those until several years later. Even so, you end up with cataracts 20 years earlier than your peers get them.

Can you help me find a doctor in the San Francisco bay area that will do steroid injections into the ear? This is for my Dad who lives in Mountain View. 2 1/2 years ago he woke up deaf in his left ear. This last Wednesday Nov 14th he suddenly lost all hearing in his right ear. He immediately went to the Otolaryngologist but was only able to see the physician's assistant. She told him to take oral Prdnisone and come back in a month. I am doing my best to help with this situation and have already spent many hours researching. I realize that there is a small window of opportunity here and I don't want him just waiting for a month to see the PA again. Does anyone have a list of doctors that do the injections into the ear? By reading this board I have already found out about Dr. Lustig. Are there also others in the area? I am not having success using search engines. On Wednesday I will be taking him to see my homeopath. I also have him using herbal ear drops. Thank you so much! I am learning so much by reading this message board.

Joanna

baldwin94 actually the first doctor to use the steroid injection comes from a college over in ca. I dont know his name but if you research the board and past post you will find him. I have heard his name mentioned on this boat. .. there is only a hand full that actually do the injections.

I have had the ear injections. but he should also take the prednisone. he should doo both ear injections and prednisone pills. it wont hurt him. the pills should be 60mg a day for 12 days.

I can tell you, that if you wait more then 1 month to do the injections it makes it really hard to work. also if he is older its hard it has a less chance of working but i would try it if i were him.

when you loose hearing in one ear its usually SSNHL sudden hearing loss. but if you loose it in both ears, then that narrows it down to just 3 or 4 thngs usuallu its autoimmune effenciey disease.

Hello All,
While I have not spent a lot of time on this forum lately I do want to wish you all a very Happy and safe Thanksgiving Day

Take care and be well

Hope01

This is a great forum and it is brilliant at long last to see other people who suffer from this affliction.
My story is the same...work up with ringing sound in my left ear, went to doctor who could not see anything wrong, went to another doctor 3 days later who thought I had an ear infection and gacve me an antibiotic. 2 days later was very nauseous, room spinning and needed to get doctor to come out to me. Next went to hospital ER and was advised to take prednisalone and serc- 16. Was off work for 2 weeks, back to the hospital for check up and was advised that I had a viral infection of my inner ear and it was most unlikely that I will get my hearing back. First reference to SSHL. Devastated would be an understatement!!! Since then, I am coming to terms with the tinnitus and the hearing loss. I definitely had some hearing in my left ear approx 2 weeks ago – knew this by a warbling effect I could hear when I was listening to my Ipod. Since then, it was receded – does anyone know why this happens? This tinnitus is real bummer – first thing heard in the morning and last at night. It certainly does vary also – by reading the threads, it looks like most people are US based – I am in Ireland. Is there any stats on the frequency of occurrence – I have seen different numbers but there is no consistency. During work, I position myself so I can hear what is going on – most frustrating at the start was having no direction of sound – I take a few seconds longer responding – cell phone upside down is the worst, especially if the phone is small – it becomes very hard to find!!!

Hi, there are no real statistics re SSHL, probably because many cases resolve spontaneously and are not reported. How much hearing loss do you have? were you offered steroid injections into the ear - some people believe that these work if administered early? When did this happen to you? My SSHL occurred 13 months ago now and I have adapted well to my hearing aid but am constantly frustrated by tinnitus and headaches. You are right that most members here seem to be in the US, I am in the UK but we seem to be very rare! Happy New Year

I have what is called a Dead Ear – no hearing at all, but I feel that was some improvement which has since receded. I have been advised that a hearing aid wont work because there are no signals there to be amplified. I wasn’t offered the injections – had not heard of them before I came across this forum. I was told of the gas treatment but again, this is only effective when it is given early and in addition, there is no chance that it will work anyway. This happened to me last August - not too sure if I have come to terms with it yet – Happy New Year to you also.

Hi, do you mean August 2007? Have you seen a specialist? They are few and far between but if you could get to the Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital in London, Professor Wright is an authority on this condition, he night even still offer you the injections on a nothing to lose basis.

Failing this, have you seen an audiologist? It is possible to be fitted with an aid that transfers sound to the good ear. Good luck

Yes, It was August 2007. I have seen one specialist in Ireland - I didn’t gain lot from it. Thanks for the contact details – I have not come across his name before. I have had my hearing checked 3-4 times by an audiologist. The results have remained the same – one of the audio people mentioned those hearing aids but I haven’t checked them in detail – do you have a web reference ?Thanks again.