[Light - Man]

This is an inner ear related condition and it requires quick action by us if you are to have a favorable outcome. Ideally it should be treated within 3 days.

The purpose of this thread is to inform people (like myself) who were unaware of such a condition.

I will give brief details today and will follow up within the next few weeks with further content and updates.

Anyone is welcome to post here and talk about anything related to sudden hearing loss and your own personal experiences and outcomes..................

I got sudden hearing loss in my better left ear on Friday the 13th December 2019. I am now reliant on my right ear which is not as good as I thought it was.

I though it was just an ear wax blockage which I have been getting in recent years or possibly some middle ear mucous.

I started to use olive oil drops over the following days in preparation for wax removal.
I got a hearing test on the following Thursday (6 days) and they said there was compacted ear wax blocking the ear.

The next day (Friday) I had micro suction earwax removal but it did not improve my hearing by much.
They did a full hearing test and identified that it was inner ear related and that I should go to the Eye and Ear Emergency hospital in Dublin.

In the hospital they did another brief test followed by a full test done by an audiologist. The results showed that it was inner ear related and most likely SSNHL - sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
I was prescribed Prednisolone steroid tablets 60mg per day (taken in the morning) for the first 7 days, followed by a reducing dose of 50mg, 40mg, 30mg, 20mg and a last dose of 10mg over the following 5 days (total of 12 day course). I have 2 more days to go.

I am planning on getting an MRI of the head and am considering getting an Intratympanic (through eardrum) steroid injection which soaks the cochlea in a steroid solution.
My GP has referred me to an ENT Consultant at a private hospital.

I had symptoms of a head virus before the event and I also asked my GP to prescribe me with a 7 day course of a broad spectrum anti viral called Valaciclovir 2 X 500mg 3 times daily (which I will finish tomorrow). I was having some slight occasional feelings of imbalance and this has improved since I started taking it.

If I had sought medical intervention earlier the odds of recovery might have been better. The best odds seem to are about 50% but more realistically, depending on who you speak to, can be about 20-30% even after swift action and treatment.

All feedback, experience and advice is welcome..........................

 

[Light - Man]

Reserved for further info..................

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Sorry man. I have been careful my whole life and made it to 50 with hearing intact. Unfortunately, one idiot at a public event played music so damn loud my ears were in pain. I had foam earplugs in because I expected a reasonable level of music but didn't want to hear it. It didn't help. That was 3 years ago and I have constant ringing in my ears, no silence ever. I hate this.

 

[HungryPanda]

After I had cancer treatment for a tumor in my neck I have suffered from tinnitus but I would say it is low level as I forget about it at times

 

[groucho69]

This is an inner ear related condition and it requires quick action by you if you are to have a favorable outcome.

The purpose of this thread is to inform people (like myself) who were unaware of such a condition.

i will give brief details today and will follow up within the next few weeks with further content and updates.

Anyone is welcome to post here and talk about anything related to sudden hearing loss and your own personal experiences and outcomes..................

I got sudden hearing loss in my better left ear on Friday the 13th December 2019. I am now reliant on my right ear which is not as good as I thought it was.

I though it was just an ear wax blockage which I have been getting in recent years or possibly some middle ear mucous.
I started to use olive oil drops over the following days in preparation for wax removal.
I got a hearing test on the following Thursday and they said there was compacted ear wax blocking the ear.

The next day (Friday) I had micro suction earwax removal but it did not improve my hearing by much.
They did a full hearing test and identified that it was inner ear related and that I should go to the Eye and Ear Emergency hospital.

In the hospital they did another brief test followed by a full test done by an audiologist. The results showed that it was inner ear related and most likely SSNHL - sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
I was prescribed Prednisolone steroid tablets 60mg per day (taken in the morning) for the first 7 days, followed by a reducing dose of 50mg, 40mg, 30mg, 20mg and a last dose of 10mg over the following 5 days (total of 12 day course). I have 2 more days to go.

I am planning on getting an MRI of the head and am considering getting an Intratympanic (through eardrum) steroid injection into the cochlea.
My GP has referred me to an ENT Consultant at a private hospital.

I had symptoms of a head virus before the event and I also asked my GP to prescribe me with a 7 day course of a broad spectrum anti viral called Valaciclovir 2 X 500mg 3 times daily (which I will finish tomorrow). I was having some slight occasional feelings of imbalance and this has improved since I started taking it.

If I had sought medical intervention earlier the odds of recovery would have been better. The best odds are about 50% but more realistically, depending on who you speak to, can be about 20-30% even after swift action and treatment.

All feedback and advise is welcome..........................

Here's hopping that the odds shift in your favor.

 

[bryceu]

Sorry for your unfortunate experience. Hearing loss is definitely something I am afraid of but have no experience with yet (31yo).

 

[groucho69]

Here's hopping that the odds shift in your favor.

Some of us hop while others hope.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Some of us hop while others hope.

In beer country we hope for good crops of hops

 

[groucho69]

In beer country we hope for good crops of hops

 

[Whazzzup]

 

[Mr Trev]

That sucks @Light - Man . Hopefully things get sorted out. <that needle through the eardrum sounds particularly enjoyable. no pun intended>

Myself, surprisingly I haven't had any serious hearing issues to deal with. I mention surprisingly because in a moment of youthful stupidity I temporarily deafened myself in one ear - advice for the kiddies at home: never try to make a homemade fuse. I do have some permanent ringing - surprise, surprise, but a recent trip to the audiologist proved my hearing was average for my age.
I do have issues with a blocked Eustachian tube, but that's really only bad enough to be annoying.

 

[HungryPanda]

I'm back in A1 condition, had a little infection compiled with some wax impacted on my right eardrum. All problems taken care of but the world sounds so loud now!

 

[Pokemonn]

Hello Light Man.
I am not sure this advice may helps. anyway i will write a advice.
my neighbor friend(he is highly interigent/highly educated guy) went to rock concert, then unfortunately he got hearing loss.
He went to national hospital near our houses. His doctor write prescription of about 1000mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin C has a effect to fix very tiny micro organs such as inner ear/tissue etc.
maybe about 1000mg Vitamin C/per Day may help? but I am not sure...

 

[Richsvt]

Unfortunately, once loss starts, there is very little that can be done. It's not like sewing together a cut or fixing a broken bone. The hairs in your inner ear are the mechanism by which sound is transferred to the nerves. They are particularly sensitive (hence our ability to hear very small details and frequencies). Over stimulation (i.e. extremely loud sounds) of these hairs cause them to 'die'. Once they are dead, they are not repairable (outside of major surgery with augmented equipment). It is sort like having a neuron die, there is no regrowth.

Damage is also cumulative, the more you're exposed to these extreme noises, the more pronounced the damage is. It is also part of the natural aging process.
I know this is an over-simplified explanation, but I do not want to give anyone false hope where there is significant damage done. One day we may be able to treat such an affliction, but not anytime soon.

I have lost significant upper range from my many years of concerts, live shows, and headphone use. What's the adage about hindsight...
Please practice safe sound. I know in the heat of the moment, you can justify some loud music, construction equipment and the like, but how many justifications can you endure until that fateful time when you go beyond the threshold one too many times and now you can't hear or worse have constant ringing?

I'll get off the soapbox now and drop my mic (did everyone hear that?)

 

[Light - Man]

That sucks @Light - Man . Hopefully things get sorted out. <that needle through the eardrum sounds particularly enjoyable. no pun intended>

Myself, surprisingly I haven't had any serious hearing issues to deal with. I mention surprisingly because in a moment of youthful stupidity I temporarily deafened myself in one ear - advice for the kiddies at home: never try to make a homemade fuse. I do have some permanent ringing - surprise, surprise, but a recent trip to the audiologist proved my hearing was average for my age.
I do have issues with a blocked Eustachian tube, but that's really only bad enough to be annoying.

Indeed Mr T, I ended up having to suck up a touch too much vino over the Christmas in an attempt to compensate!

It was like suddenly losing a best friend, a friend who always lent a sympathetic ear and who never judged what **** I was playing.

There is always hope and I have some treatment and an MRI (with contrast planned to rule out possible other issues)

Will keep you all posted on my experience over the weekend and the coming months.

Glad to hear that @HungryPanda is back safely on the noisy road (and I now know exactly what you mean).

Thanks also to @Pokemonn for your suggestion, I just happen to be in a phase of eating fresh oranges everyday along with some Vit C supplements with added zinc.