Woke up Thurs morning deaf in right ear

[will8989]

Talk about freaking out!!! Balance was totally off I felt like I was drunk. No, I wasn't. Anyway not finding an ENT on my insurance list, not knowing they were listed under something that started with an O, I found an audiologist. Called explained the problem, was in her office in 2 hours. After 1 hour of testing she determined the problem was past the ear drum but before the nerves that head into the brain. Sure glad of that. She called an ENT immediately, explained the problem and he saw me the next day. He determined from everying that I have a virus in my ear that caused my hearing loss. The difference between me getting my hearing back and not getting it back, I saw him within 24 hours. He said had I waited until Monday to see him I would have probably had permanent hearing loss. He has me on prednisone for one week and by Saturday the ringing in my ears that I've had since October has all but disappeared and I can hear so much better. He said he takes sudden hearing loss very seriously and will see anyone who calls his office with sudden hearing loss within 24 hours. Morale of this story, if you have sudden hearing loss DON'T WAIT. Get to someplace immediately. I go back Friday for another round of tests but everything should be fine. And the bathroom reno from *ell is almost finished!!!

[Powakee]

As the old saying goes, 'any day you wake up without a chalk outline around your body is going to be a good day,' . . . . .

be that as it may, I guess waking up as you did is getting pretty close to the "not such a good day" peg on the meter. Glad to "hear" that it was just a bug in your ear!

Okay, okay. . . . (hope you know this is just in jest but) I'll stop.

John

[Sally]

It's so good that you were quick to act!! Good luck.

[handibunny]

Well maybe now, with your ear fixed, and the bathroom reno almost finished, you'll have at least a few days without trauma. You sure deserve it!

Glad the endings look like they'll be happy ones.

[sawdustus]

Glad the reno is almost done and your life can get back to normal. Your story echos mine from about 15 years ago except that my virus affected both ears. It's really scary to go to bed able to hear and then wake up almost totally deaf. I also saw the ENT that day and was told exactly what you were told, and also given prednisone. It took about a week but I got back almost 90% of the hearing in both ears.

george

[Dan A]

Glad to hear yours is treatable. The ringing in my left ear has reached a point where I'm wearing a hearing aid now. They never did discover what is causing the ringing in my ear.
At least the hearing aid blocks most of the ringing out when I wear it.

Dan

[will8989]

Anyone who has ringing in their ear knows how awful it is. I told the audiologist it was more a screaming at times. Since I've been on the prednisone, it has all but disappared in the left ear and just a very low tone in the right. The whirring sound has also gone away.

George, I don't think I know how act getting back to normal. Sanding the bathroom today and hubby will finish that tomorrow. Primer on Wed and hopefully paint on Thurs & Fri. Course I have a show on Sat so I won't be around to "help" when the floor is put down. If everything goes according to schedule that is. Which doesn't seem to be happening.

Yes, John, I know you're just jesting. My BIL was here yesterday and he said something to me from another room and when I didn't answer, he yelled "Are you deaf?" When he realized what he said, he then said "Guess I put my size 14 in my mouth that time, huh?" I said No, I was just ignoring you.

SENSE OF HUMOR. You've got to have it or it just doesn't work.

[stephenD]

Do you think the ringing will come back when you stop taking the drug? If it goes away I'm asking my doc for some of that.

[will8989]

Stephen, I did notice last night an increase in the ringing as I am on the lower dosage of the pills, 1 3x a day. Tomorrow I start 1X for 3 days and I am done. When I go to the audiologist on Fri I will mention this to her. Perhaps a second round would be what is needed. However, it is not nearly as "screaming" or annoying as it has been in the past. Will keep you posted.

[Harry]

Tinitus

About 15 years ago I was diagnosed with having tinitus, it was only a mild form and it did not bother me to much, but just recently I went to see an Audiologist
and it was confirmed that I had severe high frequency hearing lost, and I have to wear
two hearing aids, I was told that wearing hearing aids would almost certainly make
my tinitus dissappear, not so I now find that this dam condition is even worse and constant. Has anyone experienced anything like this.?
In the UK they tell me there is no cure or treatment, apart from a device that masks the noise in the ear, but that just replaces one eroneous sound for another.
Harry.

[sawman101]

Having suffered a hearing loss of over 50% of the hearing in both ears in 1966 while enjoying an all expense paid cruise to an Asian nation, I can empathise with your situation. Tinnatis accompanies my loss, but when wearing the aids, Everything seems normal. I am very happy to HEAR your hearing will be o.k.

[will8989]

I went to the audiologist on Fri for a follow up and she is amazed the level at which my hearing has returned. Some loss in the left ear some in right ear but considered "normal" for the most part. She feels that my ringing will eventually disappear almost altogether as it can be due, ready for this, by stress!!! Like I've had no stress in the last year, right? She did tell me ways to try to mask it. At night when watching TV she said to pick a word and listen for the word in the conversation. This is training your brain to listen for the word and not the ringing sound. Hearing aids are very helpful for this but isn't recommending one at this time. I go back in a month for another test so she can get some kind of normal for me since the first time I went was with a problem. She did tellm e to stay out of quiet places as this would make it seem worse than it really is as there is nothing to listen to but the ringing. So far, so good.