Sudden Hearing loss _{Page 93 of 105}

David - I'm sorry it's rough. The prednisone can make you feel really down, too - it did for me.

If I can make a suggestion - before your doctor's appointment, look at this link:
http://www.menieres.org/forum/index.php/topic,23217.0.html

I know there's too much info here, but take a look and see what might be useful. I just am worried you were not given enough antivirals to get results. Some people do have results almost immediately, but it took somewhere between 10 days and 2 weeks for me. And then I stayed on them for a total of 3 months, as per Dr. Derebery (the expert at House Ear Institute in LA who has done some research on this). Of course, they don't work for everyone, but if you're going to try it it you want to give it a full try!

I did have a shot in my ear - 3, actually, and I didn't have any problem with them. However the improvement I got was only temporary. I think it reduced the inflammation but once the medicine wore off the inflammation of the virus (in my case it was clearly a virus) came right back. I don't think it had anything to do with my recovery since I had the shots about 3 months before I started antivirals. Still I don't see any harm in trying it as it does work for some people!

Shortcake-thanks for the links, alot of good advice in those posts.

Not sure if I have Menieres because I have no vertigo or dizzyness. All I have is the tinnitus, which is the same all the time, and the low frequency hearing loss, which I hardly notice.

Do you still have the tinnitus or is that completely gone? I moved my doctors appointment up to tommorow, and will try to get them to prescribe famvir instead of acyclovir. Some posts said it was more effective, and at this point I don't care if it costs more, just want this to go away.

Hi Scorpiouk and Edisoar, sidedness is one of the big clues to SSHL's major cause. I believe it has to do with the immune system. Whenever I catch cold I get sick on one side and then the other. Am I alone in this? I watched some program years ago that talked about how the immune system is divided in half. Perhaps the weaker side of the immune system gets clobbered first while the dominant side gets a chance to respond and defend before complete neurological damage is done to both ears.

I am in the minority as I'm right sided deaf. I believe this has to do with repeated ear infections and eardrum ruptures in my right ear when younger (2 eardrum ruptures that took 2 wk.s to heal each time.) My ears are likely structurally different inside from each other due to a 2 story fall I had when 3 years old. I think the Eustachian tube is narrower in my right ear and vulnerable to infection.

When I suffered my sshl 2 years ago this July 17 I noted that I lost some hearing in both ears as high squeaky sounds I'd heard before from common household activities were absent from my remaining left ear too after my sshl.
My sshl was complete with dramatic vertigo to the point of throwing up and not being able to walk easily or tilt back my head. That cleared up in a few days but I still get spells when walking and standing from time to time.

I hope that some real science comes out of the collection of sshl stories at this forum. I have noticed that people contributing are careful to accurately report the facts of their respective sshls. I believe there's a real medical science learning opportunity here! Sshl may be the result of a perfect storm of causes but there may be a primary major cause in most of our sshls that is reflected by the predominant left sidedness of sshl.

Well, I'm a hit and miss contributor at best but am glad to see my old friends such as Scorpiouk are coping okay! Scorpio, I too am doing alright. As long as I have one ear, to hear my loved ones voices, music and nature with, I'll be okay. I'm very protective of my hypersensitive hearing ear because it's all I've got left! Best to you all here. Thank you all.

Sincerely, Frogs.

To all recent posts,

I'm cured (yep - I'm left sided too), and it was totaly related to my auto-immune system. see my post at the top of http://www.abchomeopathy.com/forum2.php/8853/91

I am curious as to why Dr. Derebery believes that anti-viral meds help. Does she test for IgG allergies?

Blockage of blood supply to arteries of the ear can cause SSHL The immune system is the scavenger to clear debris and toxins to prevent the clogging of veins and arteries. The failure or weakening of the immune system will cause various bodily diseases including the serious disease of cancer.Processed food undermines our immune system. We must eat more raw organic living food to strengthen our immune system.

David - right, menieres usually does have vertigo and there's a strong chance it has nothing to do with your situation. However I have never had any vertigo or dizziness either - just hearing loss (low tones), tinnitus, and a feeling of fullness in the ear. My doctor calls it a-typical menieres, but technically it is 'cochlear hydrops.' I still have a very slight tinnitus but I can only hear it in a perfectly silent room and I rarely notice it. And actually I think it disappears at times and then comes back when I'm not feeling quite as perfect. Like if I have a cold or allergies, or if I've been under stress. The full feeling I had is similar - it's entirely gone most of the time but occasionally I'll feel slightly plugged on my bad side. It goes away though.

I forgot about the cost issue with famvir. It can be very expensive! I used a generic version (famcyclovir) which was cheaper but is still expensive, but fortunately my insurance covers it. Valtrex is another that my ear doctor likes better than acyclovir, and I don't know if it is cheaper than famvir.

jhorowi1 - I'm not a patient of Dr. Derebery but I've read abstracts of her research. She is among a group of doctors who believe menieres disease is caused by a virus. I know this thread isn't specifically for menieres though! For me, I came on here because I had my SSHL and then after all the testing was done my doctor diagnosed me with a-typical meneires disease. I have never had any vertigo, so that is why it's a-typical. So I don't know if the antiviral meds are helpful with 'regular' SSHL or not! I don't know what IgG allergies are - but I do know Dr. D does a lot of allergy testing in her patients as well.

Hi all, Menieres disease, atypical menieres, cochlear hydrops and SSHL - all of these conditions are idiopathic and share symptoms. Typical Menieres is most often diagnosed because the symptoms of fluctuating hearing loss and vertigo are those most commonly experienced. The key is that they are all IDIOPATHIC which means the cause is unknown. It may well be viral or autoimmune or caused by trauma and so for some, steroids, antivirals, diuretics, antibiotics, hyperbaric oxygen chambers and othere treatments may well work to some degree. In my experience a positive outlook and healthy lifestyle are also very important in managing the condition.

Just got back from second hearing test was the same as last week. In my sleepy confusion I misheard the audiologist, I actuallly have high frequency hearing loss.

I noticed also discomfort only in the affected ear when she installed the speakers in my ears. I also notice my affected ear pops everytime I swallow and the other one doesnot. I told the doctor this and he said it didn't mean anything.

The doctor also said to me he didn't have any old hearing tests and I may have had this problem all along. I had to explain the noise in my ear was new, and my ear feels different like theres something blocking it.

I talked him into another week of antivirals, this time its valacyclovir. I hope its the right stuff, I asked for the name brand.

I go back tomorrow for a tube in the ear and I can self administer steroid drops daily. If that doesn't work he was talking about doing an MRI for a tumor.

I asked him what they do for the tumor and he nothing just watch it as they tend to grow slowly. If this doesn't clear up in the next week guess I'll just have learn to live with it.

shortcake,

If you 'don't know what IgG allergies are' you should find out - I'm now 100% cured and didn't need *any* medication to cure myself. No tinitus, hearing loss or virtigo anymore.

A 'classic' allergy is an IgE reaction which usually occur within 3 hours - this allergic reaction may appear as a rash or a potentially fatal but very rare “anaphylactic” reaction.

However an IgG allergy is a delayed reactions to food. These reactions are much more difficult to notice since they can occur
many hours or days after consumption of an offending food. Yet, this “delayed”
type of reaction is far more common than the immediate IgE type. In some cases, you may eat a food for several days before developing a
reaction to it, so you may not realize the link between the food and your symptoms. These delayed reactions to food are often referred to as
“hidden” food sensitivities. Often, the offending foods are
hard to avoid and frequently eaten, such as milk, corn, and wheat.

If you haven't been tested for an allergy, I strongly encourage you to do so. Tests costs about $230, and if given by an MD are covered by most insurance.

JeWeL41 - yes of course you're right about the idiopathic nature of these. My doctor was so reluctant to try the antivirals that 'fixed' me, though - it was only from reading about it online that I got the info and eventually the prescription. So I think it is good to hear about various things that have worked for people - while not assuming everyone is at all the same.

David - I believe high frequency loss is less consistent with menieres but I think lots of people on this forum have high frequency loss from their SSHL. Good luck with the steroid drops.

jhorowi1 - thanks for the info. I know now what you are talking about! I haven't been tested but it is a very good idea.

Responding to Frogs about the hypersensitive good ear, I want to ask around if anyone experiences a static when there're sudden loud sounds such as somebody's loud cheering/laughs, or even loud sounds made by yourself. Occasionally my good ear resonds like a loudspeaker would do when the volume levels go beyond the norm. I'm guessing it's because the ear has taken up all the responsibilities and is oversensitive in this case. Or is this something we developed along the way to warn ourselves to cover the good ear?

glad227,
All sounds are transmission of nerve impulses. We can hear things ony when the nerves are intact. It is possible that we can hear many weird sounds if functional parts of our ears are abnormal. The sound in the normal ear is amplified, this may be a kind of natural compensation just like the use of one arm when the other arm is lost. I think the abnormal ear is always trying to make repair, just like any wound. Anthing that helps healing is helpful to the healing process. We have tremendous healing power when the correct nutrients are provided to our body. I do not mean processed or cooked food. I mean raw living organic food.

Just got back from having the tube put in the ear so I can self administer steroid drops. The procedure wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, pretty much painless

As far as the ringing in my ear goes that got really loud. I thing that having the tube in there acts as an amplifier for the tinnitus. I hope if this doesn't work the tinnitus won't stay this loud.

Day 2 with the tube in the ear. Dicovered that with the louder tinnitus and the insomnia side effect of the steroid, my generic sleeping pill no longer worked. I got zero sleep last night.

Called doctor and asked to take tube out and switch to oral steroids as the T is driving me crazy. He said we have to see this through, easy for him to say. Anyways he did prescribe me 5mg of ambien per night. I will give that a try.

I have not heard of this treatment. Presumably the tube goes through your ear drum? Is this a recognised treatment as here in the UK it definitely would not be. Even the tympanic membrane injections are not used here due to a total reluctance to perforate the eardrum.

I tried the tympanic injections for two times at different intervals. The result was negative with the audio test. I refused the third injection. Steroids are used to suppress inflammation, but they have many side effects. The constant use of steroids can deplete our calcium reserves, thus influencing the strength of our bones. My friend suffered osteoporosis of the hip joint because of continued steroid treatment. He is awaiting to have the hip joints replaced.

eltonlam,

> My friend suffered osteoporosis of the hip joint because of continued steroid treatment.

I'm sorry about your friend's illness. For those who are similarly concerned, take Strontium (with, but 2-hours away from, Calcium & Vitamin D).

David A,

> take tube out and switch to oral steroids as the T is driving me crazy

Before you take such extreme & unproven measures (like tubes), I beg you to check for IgG allergies. The cause could be as simple as that; it's just a single blood test.

Also, Ambien is addictive (if you are that personality type) and frequently becomes ineffective if taken continually over time. Better to use Melatonin, Tryptophan & Kavinace (google them). Get a good nutritionist to guide you, preferably one with a PhD.

Goning in today to have tube taken out. I pray my tinnitus returns to what it was before tube.

Wishing you well, David. It may take a while from the hole in your eardrum to heal, so if that has anything to do with the increased tinnitus trust that time will help bring it back down again.

Hi David A,

I'm not on the forum the way that I was when I first lost my right ear, summer before last, but I noticed your worry about the tinnitus becoming louder due to an ear tube. Really the tinnitus should only be louder because your ear is 'annoyed' by the tube bringing attn. from your brain. Supposedly tinnitus originates from the part of the brain that would normally be responding to neural impulses from a healthy auditory nerve and ear system. What I've been told is that tinnitus is brain noise from a damaged auditory nervous system.

Since my sudden hearing loss July 17 2008 I have suffered from world class tinnitus in the affected ear (right) and less tinnitus in my hearing left ear. I would actually dream about the tinnitus at first. I dreamt that there was a loud coffee grinder just whirring away in my newly deaf right ear. The funny part about the coffee grinder was that it couldn't grind really because it was missing connecting parts (like my ear!) Anyway, my tinnitus is and was so loud that I had dreams like this at first.

The tinnitus has softened some with time but more than anything I have adapted to it. The human brain is extremely adaptable. My dad is a chemist. He told me a story about an experiment at SRI (Stanford University)years ago. Students wore glasses that turned everything upside down visually for a few weeks. In that time their brains reversed the image so that they saw everything right side up despite constantly wearing the glasses. When the students discontinued wearing the glasses their actual vision showed everything upside down again until their brains recovered. That's how plastic and adaptable the human brain is!

So, David A., keep seeing your doctor and hang in there. Your posts help others (like me) who struggle with sshl. I think your tinnitus will get better with time. Mine did..though I still do have it.

Sincerely, Frogs

Our brain is really a very adaptable organ. When our nerve path is blocked, it will attempt to find a new path. I think people with SSHL are having ears finding new paths all the time. Tinnitus is the wrong singal or the no signal is received by the brain. When our hearing starts to resume, tinnitus will subside.
Allergy can cause SSHL, this is true. Allergy can cause many symptoms of diseases. If our immune system cannot be strong enough to clear the allergens, various symptoms can appear. It is always said that the health of a person is judged by how strong his immune system is.

Hi Sweetsoundsoffrogs,

What a caring, compassionate and intelligent note you wrote to David!

I'll chime in too with my story: I'm a family doctor and pediatrician who lost all hearing in my left ear last July. I'm sure it was stress related. I tried intratympanic steroid injections and everything else possible, but my hearing is still gone. Thankfully, my tinnitus is mild.

With months passing by, and with living a healthy lifestyle (especially making sure to live with integrity), and always remembering that God is good, I now find myself hearing stereophonically (for the most part) even with just one ear. Also I'm no longer afraid of restaurants or interacting with groups of people as long as they are not too noisy.

Most of what I want to share--and this is the most wonderful part of time passing--is that my hearing loss no longer matters much to me. I share this to hopefully shed some light on the darkness that others are feeling, because my life felt very dark too
not that long ago.

Sincerely,

Ed T.

It has been a while since I posted, but a sudden loss of hearing in my 'good' ear has prompted my return. I lost 70% of the hearing in my right ear in October of 2008 (and have the accompanying tinnitus, alien voice, etc). At the time, I woke up with a stuffiness in both ears, went to the ear doctor within two days, had a week's worth of prednisone and three shots to the right ear. The left ear recovered fully within a day or two of the prednisone, the right ear never recovered, despite the shots (probable explanation for this is at the end of this post). On April 2, 2010, I had the same stuffy feeling in my ears and noticed a 'harmonic' noise in my left ear when speaking with my wife and kids. I went to the doctor immediately and began taking 60mgs of prednisone daily for a week - that seemed to clear up the problem, but left me about 5dbs shy of normal in the left ear. I had another 'attack' on April 16th, with a noticeable hearing loss in my left ear (but no harmonic sounds), accompanied by some discomfort in my sinuses so I am hopeful it is simply a sinus infection or allergic reaction to the spring pollen here in Florida. With all of the foregoing as background, here are my observations. First, the oral prednisone is a must and, according to Shands Hospital at the University of Florida, should be 1 milligram per kilogram of bodyweight per day. I would insist on this from your Dr. or found a Dr. that will prescribe this much if your Dr. will not. The shots did nothing for me and I think may have actually caused my tinnitus to be much worse then what it was originally. I have spent thousands of dollars at local ear doctors, the mayo clinic in Jacksonville, shands hospital at UF, and Florida Hospital on appointments, ct scans (returned normal), mri (returned normal), prednisone, tympanic shots, diuretics, all to no avail with the exception of the prednisone. Given I have had an 'attack' in both ears, and it has recurred I am thinking something viral is causing this, though I do lead a pretty stressful life of long hours at work sometimes. As context, I do suffer from otosclerosis (hearing loss caused by bone growth in the ear) and did have a stapedectomy in my right ear in January 2007. The mayo clinic believes my permanent hearing loss/tinnitus in the right ear may have been caused by the prosthesis in the right ear being a little too big and damaging the inner ear when both ears were inflamed by whatever was causing my problem in October of 2008. For anyone who has had a stapedectomy and is on prednisone, please be extremely careful during such time to not exert yourself until after you are off the prednisone. I am not sure any of this is helpful by itself, but if anyone is compiling stories or case studies, I wanted this to be included - David.

ltonlam - many people suffer from tinnitus with no hearing loss at all so it is too simplistic to suggest that tinnitus will subside when(if) hearing returns. Of course it may, but it may not.

Thanks for the posts they are helping me feel better. The doc pulled out the tube yesterday. He doesn't know why the tinnitus got louder. Was told that part of the ear doesn't affect tinnitus.

I told him again about the affected ear being sore everytime they put something in it (even before the tube procedure). I couldn't talk him into giving me any more oral steroids.

Hey SSNHL Is it possible to get information on that 1mg per kilo of prednisone. If I could show something to my doctor, or new doctor it would encourage them to give me a larger dose of prednisone. I was on a 60-60-40-40-20-20-10-10 eight day run of prednisone. My doctor says that was plenty. I've had this for almost three weeks and my window for recovery is closing fast.

Next wednesday I go in for a MRI to check for a tumor. My doctor is leaning towards it being a tumor, which I am really hoping it is so this can be cured. Keep posting guys knowledge is power.

David A.; your doctor is neither right nor wrong regarding prednisone (steroids) . My doctor put me on the same dose your doctor is using--so since I'm a doctor, I prescribed more for myself--like 60-80 mg per day, which just made me feel and act crazy and did no good whatsoever for my SSNHL in one ear, even when combined with steroid injections into my eardrum.

Scandinavian and many other European doctors generally don't use steroids at all, because they say statistics show they don't make any difference. In any event, the jury is still out regarding steroids, so again there is no right or wrong.

I agree, by the way, that knowledge is power. I've become a genuine savant in this field after scouring the medical literature and talking to other medical professionals for thousands of hours--and what I've found is that, unfortunately, no one knows what's best to do at your stage of SSNHL (whether it be the world-reknowned specialists at the House Clinic or Cleveland Clinic, etc, or the local ENT specialists near where you live.

In the meantime, eat healthfully, exercise, take a good vitamin supplement, live with integrity, and remember that God is good. I know it's tough right now, but time heals a lot, especially fear and gloom--and then somehow, someday, you'll feel good again, with or without your hearing coming back.

Sincerely,

Ed T.