Sudden hearing loss in? Get to the ER immediately

scouter

Member Sponsor
Oct 30, 2012
241
4
0
Wrightsville Beach, NC
I have to share my recent experience with you guys in hopes to spare you irreparable hearing loss. Two weeks ago this Sunday, I was about to fall asleep when a high pitched noise suddenly came into my left ear several times. After the third sound, it felt like my ear was getting full (like when you swim and water fills your canal), and the sounds coming into my ear were muffled- all frequencies, not just high frequencies. I have some high frequency hearing loss due to the dental drill frequency on my left side, so high frequency wouldn't,to have got my attention, but all hearing was suppressed. As it's allergy season around here, I thought well congestions is settling in, and here goes a round of antibiotics with a visit to my ENT. Monday morning, I was totally tone deaf and could barely make out any sounds. I called my ENT office, and they could see me Thursday. I took the appointment, and tried to make it. By Tuesday I was in a little pain, slight pressure feeling, so I went to the local Medac, staffed by ER physicians. He checked me out, and said I had congestion and fluid 'he thought' in my left ear, secondary to sinusitis. This even though palpating of my sinuses were negative,and only one ear was affected- the right ear was perfect. Also, I told him it sounded like glass was lightly tinkling in the ear- another weird sound I had never experienced even with all the ear problems I have had secondary to surfers ear and sinusitis. I listened to him, got an an antibiotic, and a decongestant. Wednesday was no better, and various sounds were emanating spontaneously from my left ear. When's certain frequencies were "heard", it sounded like a blown speaker in my left ear.
Thursday I kept my ENT appt, and expecting him to say yep, stay with the regimen the ER physician set out, didn't think of it as anything more than a formality. He was a little more concerned, and after ordering and looking at a couple of tests, diagnosed me with idiopathic spontaneous hearing loss, also known as sensorineural hearing loss.
Keys points:
With this, sooner treatment = better outcome usually. 48 hours is the best for treatment, 14 days is pushing it, and after that, good luck- you're probably deaf for life!
Treatment is with large dose ages of steroids to shrink the swelling around the 8th cranial nerve.
Probably a virus, but medicines and tumors can also cause this.
Decongestants ARE contraindicated, as is lots of caffeine and alcohol should be limited, if taken at all.
My hearing has come back a lot, but I don't think it's there all the way yet - a hearing test on Monday will give me a percentage. Last weekend, I could hear NOTHING with my left ear next to my Magico S5 speaker at a moderate volume! Right now, I am enjoying music in my normal seating position, and music sounds great, let me tell you. You don't realize how much you love music- not good audio, but MUSIC, until you can hear it out of only 1 ear.
2% of those who get this lose hearing in both ears simultaneously (forever.) If vestibular changes occur with the hearing loss, the loss is usually permanent and progressive. Luckily for me, my hearing is coming back, and my ENT feels it will come back all the way to pre viral attack. Probably the same virus that causes Bell's Palsy, but because the 8th nerve goes through a tiny foramen thru the skull, the swelling of the damaged nerve causes more irreparable damage.
Had to share this with you all, and hopefully you'll never have to deal with it. If you do, get immediate care, and hopefully the loss of hearing won't be permanent.
Happy Listening! I'm one happy fellow right now.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Amazing story and you're lucky that the steroid blast has returned you to almost normal hearing. As you say the results can often be permanent and irreversible. There are drugs which can cause this. Did you go over with them what meds you are using
 

puroagave

Member Sponsor
Sep 29, 2011
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Scouter, good luck in your recovery. our friend lost his hearing in one ear about a ago due to the same condition. he now wears a hearing aid and says the loss is probably permanent. the ironic thing is that he's in the health care field but ignored the symptoms.
 

scouter

Member Sponsor
Oct 30, 2012
241
4
0
Wrightsville Beach, NC
Amazing story and you're lucky that the steroid blast has returned you to almost normal hearing. As you say the results can often be permanent and irreversible. There are drugs which can cause this. Did you go over with them what meds you are using
Steve,
I wasn't on any meds other than 81 mg asa daily, but I had come down with a virus 2 weeks earlier- fever and stomach issues, hence the viral hypothesis. You are right- I'm more than lucky- I'm blessed to be able to hear again. Google this and you realize it is more common than you'd think. Apparently Rush Limbough had it and lost hearing in both ears, now awaiting cochlear implants. I was downright depressed all last week and weekend, thinking my hearing was over in one ear. Like I said, great audio is awesome, but hearing music again brings it all back to focus.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Steve,
I wasn't on any meds other than 81 mg asa daily, but I had come down with a virus 2 weeks earlier- fever and stomach issues, hence the viral hypothesis. You are right- I'm more than lucky- I'm blessed to be able to hear again. Google this and you realize it is more common than you'd think. Apparently Rush Limbough had it and lost hearing in both ears, now awaiting cochlear implants. I was downright depressed all last week and weekend, thinking my hearing was over in one ear. Like I said, great audio is awesome, but hearing music again brings it all back to focus.

Rush Limbaugh's loss was IIRC related to abuse of pain meds
 

MadFloyd

Member Sponsor
May 30, 2010
3,076
774
1,700
Mass
Interesting (and scary) story, thanks for sharing.

My eustachian tubes get blocked periodically resulting in not being able to hear any highs (although I'm learning how to clear it up). I already have moderate hearing loss in left ear and worse in my right ear. I have tinnitus and my ears snap crackle and pop constantly. Not fun.

If I could have ONE wish, it would be to have my full hearing back.
 

GaryProtein

VIP/Donor
Jul 25, 2012
2,542
31
385
NY
Rush Limbaugh's loss was IIRC related to abuse of pain meds

Erectile dysfunction drugs can also have deleterious effects on hearing.

Think twice before popping a viagra.

You can google that.
 

ack

VIP/Donor & WBF Founding Member
May 6, 2010
6,774
1,198
580
Boston, MA
Issues with the 8th cranial nerve is what I immediately started suspecting, as I was reading your original post; and it should be suspected not only when hearing is lost, but even when there is ringing in just one ear that doesn't subside, so head to your ENT immediately for evaluation. I am glad your situation was caught very quickly and is behind you!
 

scouter

Member Sponsor
Oct 30, 2012
241
4
0
Wrightsville Beach, NC
Just got the readout on my audio test done today- left ear has come up 35-50 dB along various octaves from 1 1/2 weeks ago with the steroid tx. I'm telling you-I was deaf! My ENT opted to hit me with 1 more week of heavy oral steroid therapy (as opposed to directly injecting steroids into the ear- ouch) to try and bring the ear up to the right ear. As of now it is depressed 5-10 dB along the various octaves. I am lucky- can still hear, and I can live with the discrepancy if it doesn't improve from here.
 

kleinbje

Well-Known Member
Dec 20, 2012
181
24
923
CT
Scouter,
Glad you are doing better! Had the same thing in my left ear about 4 years ago. Burst of prednisone and it resolved, scary stuff.

Jeff
 

Sphaffire

New Member
Nov 10, 2018
1
0
1
60
Oct 2017 lost hearing in my left ear. Went to walk in clinic and Doc said I had fluid in both ears and "pretty good infection" going on in the left ear. Prescribed antibiotics and flonase. I had no fever, no pain in either ear. I did have a mild upper respiratory going on, a cold, had it maybe a week.
Saw ENT several weeks later (November) due to having to see my primary care doctor 1st in order to get a referral for the ENT. The ENT informed me after examination and hearing test that most likely the hearing in my left ear was taken by a virus and would be permanent. Put on Medrol dose pak. Referred to Ear Specialist.
Hearing returned for about a week the first week of December, by December 10th it was gone again. How do I know this? My left ear is my phone ear and I was able to use the phone with my left ear with no problem.
Next visit the ear specialist....same explanation BUT if I had come to him within 2 weeks of my sudden hearing loss he most likely would have been able to save my hearing by steroid injections into the ear drum. (How would one know this?)
I then asked him if it was a virus that destroyed my hearing in my left ear then how was I able to hear out of it for that week in December. He just looked at me and said if a virus takes your hearing it will not come back.
So, a year later.....still cannot hear out of my left ear. Hear lots of strange noises and have tinnitus in left ear. My right ear has hearing loss as well as this was determined at the visit with my ENT doctor when I saw him last year.

Where to go from here....no options with a cochlear hearing device nor a hearing aid due to the hearing being gone. Can't enhance something that's not there I was told by the audiologist. Crossover hearing aid for the right ear is my only option at the tune of $2000.00 or more. Health insurance doesn't cover hearing aids only covers the doctors to tell you that you're deaf.
I am thinking of contacting a medical malpractice attorney as I am still befuddled why I wasn't put on a high dose of steriods from the beginning since that is the protocol for Sudden Hearing Loss and the reason I went to the walk in clinic in the first place.
I manage a psychiatric practice and boy has it been challenging this last year!!

By the way, the ear specialist and the audiologist both told me when a virus takes your hearing it is usually just one ear not both.

Any advice is welcome.
Thank you.
 

the sound of Tao

Well-Known Member
Jul 18, 2014
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Thanks for the warning guys, super scary scenario for all of us.

Hope things work out ok Scouter.
 

Marcus

Member Sponsor
Oct 5, 2012
559
552
1,155
Check hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Expensive and takes time but it can work.
 

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