Sudden Hearing loss _{Page 75 of 105}

Hello Everyone,

I just found this forum and have been reading a lot this afternoon I first wanted to say thank you to everyone for the support you are given each other. I am a recent victim of SSHL although I already have a moderate to serve hearing loss in both ears. I do wear hearing aids in both ears. I did have a question I didn't see in any posts. I was given a script to take Prednisone 40mg for 5 days when I went to the Urgent care about 48hrs after I noticed my L ear went dead. My hearing restored back to about 75% on the 4th day however later that evening I had another reoccurrence and ear went dead again. I did see my ENT doc and he feels the nerves are inflamed (from sinus cold/infection) and a higher dosage of the Prednisone should work since it worked at the lower dosage. Has anyone experienced a reoccurrence after the 4th or 5th day? The other question I can’t seem to find an answer to is will the Prednisone work again being I restarted again on the 6th day?

Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

Eddie

Hi All, Some bad news. I came down with this in Sept 08. since then I've adapted. I work in a food store at the customer service counter. dealing with complainers, people wispering lottery numbers to me all day long without making eye contact, you get where I'm coming from. Anyway, I feel that I'm a trooper.
I was rear ended in an auto accident 2 wks. ago and the tinnitus came back in full force. Sizzeling bacon in my ear. It was down to a mild rain forest.Damn, two more months I guess till it settles down. Been there , did that !!

I want all of you frightened newbys to know that yes, it's shocking at first BUT , YES it get's better. I was back to riding a motorcycle within the first month. I'm a 54 year old grandma !!! Hang tough brothers & sisters. Catch Ya, Trish

Hi frogs,

Yes, the human brain's ability to adapt is amazing. I hope my sharing of my experience with hearing aids helps others. At 65 years of age, I avoided steroids because of the possible negative effects.

My Cindy only trusts me and will only go for 'walks' in my arms. She appears to be in good health, and I am hopeful that I will have her for a few more years, but who knows? She will walk outside the motor home for a few minutes, but when something scares her, she heads back inside.

Hi Frogs and everyone

For the first time since my hearing loss, I tried using my Ipod again - I was wary about any headphones in my good ear as I don't want to expose it to intense sound. I didn't have the volume up too loud and it actually didn't sound too off balance. I noticed that if I turned the volume up, I could make out some sounds in my deaf ear and make out words of songs if sung at a high pitch. This made me think that a hearing aid would help me as I must have ok speech discrimination and I could hear more with volume turned up louder.So if an Aid amplified the low and mid frequency sound up to 70db I should be able to benefit. I guess I will have to go to a specialist to find out about all this. ENT doctors hadn't any clear concensus at all.
Frogs - yes I agree the SW states are beautiful - thats why I keep going back. There is so much to see and do there. Its a novelty experiencing desert heat too as our climate here is never extreme - 75f would be a heatwave here!! lol!!It rarely happens!
Frogs do you suffer much with tinnitus or have you got used to it?

Hello Eddie,

Very sorry to here that you have joined the SSHL club. I am sure that this poses additional worries and problems since you are already hard of hearing.

On March 17th, Ted posted a message that his hearing got better then worse - though I'm not sure of the timing. Perhaps if you read through his messages you can sort it out. For me, my hearing went up after about 4-5 days, and slightly improved for about a week, and then leveled. Overall I regained about 25% of my hearing.

The prednisone dose you are taking is lower than most doctors recommend. 60 mg for 14 days is more typical - though I am also sure that this is just a guess by doctos.

Good luck and I hope that you start regaining some of your hearing quickly.

Mark

Hi everyone,

Hi Eddie, I'm always sorry to see someone new here. I really had no ups and downs in my hearing loss adventure(sarcastic, sorry.) Although in retrospect there were many subtle warnings that something was about to go wrong, for the most part I just woke up from a midday nap one day last summer deaf and with loud static in my right ear. Over the time I took prednisone the tinnitis and hearing loss improved..up until about 2 to 3 weeks perhaps, then I too 'leveled out.' My instinct was that the prednisone really helped me. I would have improvements an hour after taking a dose..suddenly able to hear low voices and the low thud of my sons' footsteps. I wish I could have taken a low dose longer. Anyway, I went from perfect hearing in my right ear to nuthin' but static roaring in the course of a nap.

Sunadeep, I am really sorry that you aren't having much improvement. I think this forum could possibly be research worthy because people here are so faithful in reporting their real situation. You are right to have a hang in there attitude about your health, taking care of your self and remaining ear. If I can keep my left ear I will be handicapped but I'll be okay.

Hey, Scorpio, I'm with you about the SW U.S.! I might someday join my mom and sister there in Tucson. YOu can't just hike there w/out taking the intense heat into account though. But, you have to think about cold and icy conditions here where I live some of the year, if you like to be outdoors, too. You however, Scorpio, basically live on an island so you would have very temperate weather..only so cold or hot usually..resulting in beautiful gardens on the British Isles I understand. The UK would be the perfect place for someone pale as I am to live! Anyhow, it's funny how you learn more about the limits of your hearing from your own home tests often. Your Ipod test is probably a pretty good measure of how you might respond to a hearing aid. I have used the phone to test my deaf ear and I CAN understand what is being said when I turn the phone on it's loudest setting. It still sounds small and far away though. I worry that a hearing aid might interfere with my good ear. But, as brokenear points out, our brains are very adaptive and we might get used to anything consistant. I also worry that the decibal level needed for my deaf ear to hear might through bone conduction affect my good ear.

So, Scorpio, like you I feel that doctors may not always be right in diagnosing and figuring out what would work best in each sshl case and the only way to truly find out is more definitive testing with more specialist(s) and trying out equipment. In the end not even the best specialist will ever pay the kind of daily attn. to the details of each of our hearing losses in the way that we will. That's why you have to advocate for yourself so hard when something goes wrong medically. No one really knows like the patient and you are lucky if you find good, consistant medical help, whatever your problem. In the medical world the r. hand doesn't know what the l. is doing often when you go to many specialists. So, I'm learning to get and make copies of medical records and tests and take them to a new appt. with me. I have a drawer for various medical test results at home.

I do have some fairly bad tinnitis. It takes the bathroom fan to block it out so that's pretty loud. But, like MarkLM points out, you do get more used to it and think about it less over time. The tinnitis tells me when I'm having more trouble with my deaf ear because it will worsen to the point that my own voice sets it off..very uncomfortable. I try to slow down, and eat if I have forgotten to eat, when it gets like that.

Well, I have again posted too much. I still want to reply to ChicagoEd. What he wrote about the difficulty of being a performing musician and music lover after sshl really struck me. That you keep performing, singing despite hearing loss, ChicagoEd, is amazing and admirable. I know how hard it is to sing when I'm alone now nevermind on stage. I will write more to you, ChicagoEd, another post.

All of my friends here, take care!

Frogs.

P.S. brokenear, it's very sweet that you carry Cindy for a walk. Is this because she's shy, as black cats really are, or very old or both?

Hi, all...Is anyone out there DIZZY like I am and have been since I lost hearing almost 6 months ago? I thought by now it would be better, but I have to hold onto things to not fall over and finally got stopped by the police for weaving when driving home from work the other night. Thank goodness he believed me and let me go with a stern warning. My very kind and caring boss spoke with me last night about applying for disability. Although I have worked at home a good bit (with his blessing), I manage a department and really can't be an effective manager from home. I have known this for months in my heart. My company has been more than kind, gracious, patient for the past 24 years with all my surgeries...but I think we both know that this time my 'head/hearing/dizziness' has affected my ability to do my job the way I'm being paid to do it.

Although I have cried and cried (and I'm not much of a crier) since last night, deep down I have thought for months that if I could just be approved for disability, I would finally retire...much sooner than I planned, but with additional disability payments, we could make it.

I have tried meds, which didn't work. I have been doing chiropractic, massage and vestibular (balance) exercises. I have another battery of vestibular tests scheduled for Saturday, April 11th and follow up with the ENT on the 15th. My prayer is that he understands and supports me in applying for disability...or offers surgery or ANYTHING to make this stop.

That being said...if ANYONE has ANY other ideas or solutions to stop the dizziness, I'm all (one) EAR!

I have heard of an excellent homeopathic guy named Asa Andrews in Nashville, TN. I live in the Atlanta, GA, area--so getting there without being able to drive will be a challenge. I also have a co-worker with a friend at the Mayo Clinic in FL and she is checking to see which Mayo (FL or MN) might be a better fit for me to find help.

I'm stumped and am willing to try almost anything to take my 6 months short-term disability (at full pay, almost unheard of these days) and try to get myself back on my feet (literally).

Thank you for listening.

Mimiof4

I lost the hearing in my left ear last May, I was still dizzy two months later, especially during driving, it seemed like I couldn't control my eyes. I went to a chiropractor who gave me some adrenal pills. They seemed to help, but he didn't suggest taking them long term. Last October, I started playing wii sports, mostly playing tennis, I feel much better now.

Mimiof4, n2sd2,

Dizziness is one of the classic symptoms of Meniere's disease, which currently understood as a fluid imbalance in the inner ear. Standard treatment, apparently, is a low-salt diet and a diuretic medication.

Here's an interesting link to a regimen of nutrients and supplements. The author claims broad success in a way that makes him seem somewhat credible to me.

http://www.menieresfoundation.org/johnsregimen.htm

Good luck!
Ted

Mimiof4, n2sd2,

Addendum: I should have written that dizziness along with sudden hearing loss, especially in the low frequencies, are two classic symptoms of Meniere's.

I wish you recovery and peace of mind.
Ted

Hello! I have 2 quick questions I would appreciate help wtith if someone has the time... :) 1. After having the steroid injection should I be feeling stinging pain in my ear hours/days after? I had the 'bee sting' reaction when having this done, which was quite managable, it lasted no more than 30 seconds. Together with the oral and nasal steroids, immediate changes in my diet, Meclizine, Triamterene(water tablets), Amoxicillin, and Fioricet, I am feeling much better in regards to my balance problem. (My loss of hearing has recovered to minimal loss, and the constant roar has subsides.) Side effects from this pharmacy amount of drugs is managable so far. It had been over a year since I took any drugs and then I used an antibiotic for a sinus infection, which MRI pics show to have now become chronic problems. But my ENT Dr. thinks this is a seperate problem from my balance, hearing problem. So 2. Does anyone know of any good links for low sodium diets specifically for patients with inner ear disorders. So far I have come across examples of a few major foods to avoid. I am still looking, but would appreciate any 'short cuts' to relevent info if anybody has them. Thank You.

Hi everyone

Just catching up with all postings here.

Eddie77 I was given 40mg of Prednisone for 5 days (starting on the 5th day after hearing loss). The prednisone had no effect/help whatsoever on me. I did regain some very high frequency hearing 4 weeks later, but I dont think that was due to the steroids. In the UK 40mg for 5 days is the prescribed dose - and from what im reading here - its not enough.

I am reading so many postings about dizziness here. Thankfully I hadn't any diziness at all. Just the hearing loss and constant tinnitus.

Frogs - yes I think that you do learn to ignore/forget about the tinnitus. Sometimes it flairs up if I am in a noisey place and my own voice seems to reverberate the tinnitus sometimes too. But generally now I dont't think too much about it. I can even get to sleep ok now wothout any help from having background sounds in bedroom.

Hi All,

I found this site after researching SSNHL, which I have in my left ear for about 4 weeks now.

At the age of 37 I woke up one morning and noticed I lost the lower frequencies and change in higher frequency tones in my left ear accompanied by a low frequency whooshing tinnitus. We made an appointment but could not get in for a week. I was prescribed Acyclovir 800mg for 10 days and Prednisolone 4mg 21pills tapering down in one week. Also I had gotten a MRI (which came back OK) This did not work for me!

On a followup visit a week later the hearing test was the same and the doctor Sehjin Han, MD basically said there was nothing more to do and I had to learn to deal with it and come back in 2 months for another hearing test?!?! This is unacceptable to say the least.

So I was referred to the California Ear Institute in Palo Alto, CA and have an appointment on 4/8 to get a second opinion.

This whooshing tinnitus is really effecting me and my daily activities. I am a business owner with no health insurance do to cost (2 kids are insured) so far cash out of pocket is $1700.

Today I purchased from GNC:
Tourine
B-Complex
Potassium/Magnesium
St Johns Wart

I have to give these a try until my next appointment. Anyone have any history with these supplements?

Also went to the chiropractor today, re-adjusted my C1 and C2 which slightly help with the sound differential from my left to right ear (reduce the slight echo)

Mike

Hi MikeC

Sorry to hear your story - all too common here. I have read that vitamin E in high dose is meant to help hearing loss if taken eary on. I don't know about the other supplements on your list.

I have noticed that many people here have left ear hearing loss (me included). I find that strange that there seems to be a prevalence of left ears affected. I wonder have any studies been done on this issue.

Hi MikeC !
Any idea about what caused your SSHL ?
Thanks !

Hello,
I just stumbled over some herb in TCM, maybe that will give you a solution:

Gentianae radix:
(cooling and regulating) with genital infections, itchiness, ear pains, sudden hearing loss.

Best wishes.

Not sure of what brought it on, I was sick the week before (caught it from my son) the night before I laid in bed with the I-pod and U2 on low to relax (do it every now and then)


BTW, I always had high pitched tinnitus, just never really bothered me, now the low white noise like sound in my left ear is kicking my but and very hard to sleep a full night, it wakes me about 2-3AM.

I found a frequency generator:
google 'SinGen 1.2'
and the 250hz sine is a similar sound that will sort of mask it.

Thanks for listening.
Mike

This is not so much a reply. But a question. I am just 30, and was daiagnosed with idiopathic SSHL, and have been on prednesone for 2 weeks, now, since losing my hearing in my left ear 6.5 weeks ago. I am wondering if this feeling plugged ears does go away and if anyone knows the likely hood of it getting into your orther ear, as my right now feels pugged, but the Dr says thats what hes treating with the prednesone. Also,my coping stratagies are not good, so anyone who might be at the other end of this journey now, I would greatly appreciate tips. Also, does anyone know if the steroid injection therapy is available in Canada ?

Hello Scared girl,

Very sorry about your hearing loss. As with everyone else on this forum - I can relate.

The fullness definitely decreases. It's been about 8 months for me now, and there still is the fullness, but it's pretty minor. Nothing like the first couple of months. And, everything I have read - which is a ton! - says that the likely hood of getting SSHL in your other ear is extremely low - essentially none. , unless you have Menieres disease, which is usually associated with significant dizziness. If your good ear is feeling plugged, it's probably just a cold or something. But definitely take it seriously. If you feel like your hearing is diminishing, insist on seeing your doctor immediately. When you only have one good ear, anything with the other ear is sooooo important.

Good luck and stay positive. Things improve.

To Mimi0f4, Hi, I went out on s. t. dis. for two months. From my total deafness, it took 2 months to be able to resume my job interacting with the public. 8 months into it now and the hearing is back around 70%. I only have the tinnitus issue. When i get really stressed it starts roaring. i know what my limitations are. My grandkids running all around, sweets, aspartine.

Hi Scared girl, I know how scared you are. Until I found this website I was shattered. This is a slow process. I took 2 months of work off. It helped me I'm sure. I'm 54. The older you are the slower the process is. The very old never regain their hearing.(so my Dr. told me) Each week you will experience new improvements. I used the telephone dial tone. The first time I could faintly hear it , I cried ! Now I can hear conversations but, I choose to use my good ear. The fullness goes away. You will get better. Take 2 capsuls of Ginko each day. Stay away from sweets, NO aspartine and no alchol. Booze will set your ear off. you'll regret it.Hang tough, In 2 months you will see a great improvement. Catch Ya, Trish

I thank God it has never prevented me from sleeping.*******I also use earplugs. I cerry them in my car also. Some situations need a good plug !!!

Hi,everyone. I've been catching up on the posts.

Ted, for some reason, none of the 3 ENTs I've seen seem to think this is Meniere's. They say I don't fit the classic case. Also, I've been on a low-salt diet and diuretics for several years now.

To the new people on this site, it has been a real blessing to me to 'listen' to others with many of my same problems. Some better, some worse. Lots of kind, caring people though--that really helps!

It'll be six months for me next Wednesday. I still have a 'very noisy (tinnitus) foam block' on the left side of my head. The dizziness is the big deal for me...but others don't have this problem. This whole deal has been a real learning experience.

I'm still waiting for Mayo to gather my records and discuss whether they think they can help. I think, personally, at 6 months I'm either where I will be--or close. It is what it is and like all handicaps, we learn to live with it.

Mimi

Howdy everyone,
I haven't been checking in regularly since nothing has changed. Still deaf as a post.
Talked to a guy last week who works on the floor above me who got hit by the SSHL stick a week after I did. He got the shots and did get his hearing back, mostly. At 7 mo's into it, I'm probably beyond the efficacy curve for the shots, and I'm a real baby about anyone touching my ears owing to childhood ear issues. My Dr's. and the literature aren't convincing me that it is even worth trying the shots at this point. The damn ringing, the inability to find the portable phone when it rings, and certain people's voices still sending me clawing up the curtains are the worst part still.

Hey Frogs: Still here. My dad died and now I'm dealing with that issue and his estate. We took on his dog and then both of our other dogs have had major medical issues since then. I'm waiting today for the lab results from a mass aspirated from my dog. When it rains it pours. Not feeling too good about doctors at the moment. They can't save my relatives, they can't fix my puppy, and they can't tell me why I am deaf as a post. Got the flu last month, my doctor was concerned about how it might affect my good ear and had me come in to the office...no problem with ears, but turned out I had pneumonia. 'I tell ya, I get no respect.' At least my visits to the acupuncturist leave me with a dull ache where the needles were inserted and it takes my mind off of the ringing. I flew from California to Rhode Island and back in December and had no problems, other than the loudspeakers. I used my trusty swimmer's earplugs, which I now buy by the truckload, and they helped. I wouldn't worry about traveling to Reno. Donner Pass is only 7200 feet on I-80. I have a place up there and altitude has not been a problem for me, other than being more strategic where I sit on a chairlift while skiing if I feel like talking with the other skiers Tucson might be good for you, as maybe you can sweat out the toxins and maybe get your hearing back. It's worth a try because nothing else is working for me. I can't wait for a summer of heat and sun and swimming. It may not help my hearing, but at least I will be tan. I used to hunt down there in Tucson. I have a cousin who is a plastic surgeon down there. Maybe he can build me a new ear that works. Pretty good network of medical providers in Tucson for geriatric-related issues due to all of the Sunbirds. I'm sure that they have some pretty good ENT-type dudes down there.

Yo Scaredgirl: I get that plugged feeling in my 'good ear' sometimes too, in addition to the hyper-accusive hearing. I think one of my problems is that I am so reluctant to stick anything in my good ear that may damage it, that I get some wax build-up, but I don't want to damage my good ear. I'm sure that the constant use of my bluetooth or an earplug in my good ear merely operates to compact that pesky ear wax. One tip I got from this forum was to put a little shampoo in each ear during my shower in the morning to help wash this out. I switched to Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo, figuring it is probably the safest for this purpose...and it is actually a pretty satisfying shampoo for your hair to boot...and there is no tears if it gets in your eyes. A winning situation all around.

I haven't been to a movie theater since my SSHL onset of 9/4/08. I have to situate myself so much in order to effectively watch TV that going to a theater with Surroundsound does not appeal to me. I have started using the Closed Captioning on TV and DVD's, so I don't keep asking wife-unit: 'What'd he say?' I've been wearing ear plugs and ear protectors when driving the tractor of the ATV, yet still have increased tinnitis for a few days after I mow. I keep worrying about what would happen if my other ear goes kaputt, but my wife assures me that I wouldn't have to deal with that issue for too long, as I have been such a bear with one ear out since 9/4/08, that the townspeople would probably chase me with pitchforks and roast me in the town square if I went deaf in the other ear.

I've got my next hearing test on 7/23/09. I'm still at less than 10% as of 1/21/09 in my right ear. I am hopeful in that the baritone voice of the chatty fellow occupying the next office has just started to cause my bad inner ear to spas out...just in the last few weeks. Previously is was just mechanical noises and some women's voices and little kids screaming that made my hair stand on end.

...and another thing...
has anyone tried this 'Weird Tinnitus Cure' advertised at the end of the forum page? It says it is a simple and fast 3-step cure... Sounds too good to be true. I'm just so tired of trying things that don't work that I shy away from ads like that.
Chatty dude from the next office just came back from court. Why can't people just shut up all day long and not make any unnecessary noise or conversation?

P.S.S. to MarkLM:
Sorry to hear about your fingers. I have an ongoing fear that I will be struck by a truck or a train sneaking up on me on my right side. I actually find that I even look to the right less because I don't hear anything coming from that direction and favor looking to the left. I've almost been clobbered by a few cars.
Gave away all of my scuba equipment to a buddy. I figure my scuba days are over. I can't afford to lose my good ear. Another friend lost his hearing years ago in his right ear in a swift water rescue. Wasn't that deep, but it is those last few feet with compressed air that will get you. He and I look like a couple of chickens talking to each other as we keep trying to talk into each other's left ears.