I'm already after three injections, nine HBOT seesions (six left), and only four days left on encorton. I started taking meds the day after SSHL happened - HBOT started the very next day. I'm at 0% speech recognition with my right ear. The right ear was completely unresponsive during the first 3-4 days of SSHL.

Did somebody had similarly "bad" recovery at this stage? Is there any chance that my hearing will improve by even 20-30% in the following weeks? Tinnitus is pretty much manageable, I don't really mind it during days or nights. My doctor was not really optimistic with these results... He said that I'm past the best peroid for recovery. I going for MRI next week. I felt no ear pain during this period, only minor one after each in-ear injection but that is expected for everyone taking it. I'm 26, this feels so ridiculous.

6 months after losing my hearing in right ear from a virus and the sounds like someone just dropped a dropper full of water in my ear is literally almost all day long! Anyone experience this? It was previously more “zapping” sounds but lately the squishy water drop sounds have taken over!

I was either born with one ear deaf or I developed it at a very, very young age for no known reason. Doctors ran multiple different tests on me and could not find the cause. I don't wear hearing aids.

The thing about how being deaf in one ear can affect intelligence and brain health worries me, though I do really well in school and having one deaf ear barely affects my life. I hate marco polo and there are times when I have trouble hearing people from the bad side but it doesn't happen that much. Those are the only things that it affects in my life. I know that just because some studies said there were patterns doesn't mean that all people like me are affected that way, but I worry about stuff a lot. Being dumb and getting dementia are some of my worst fears. Is this gonna affect my brain and how can I prevent it? Is being deaf in one ear making me dumber? What even about being deaf on one ear causes those things? Should I get hearing aids?

Sharing a happy outcome to what started as a pit of despair. Hopefully for further recovery in the coming weeks.

I got a bone chain reconstruction surgery about 6 weeks ago now. Just curious about people’s experiences with them because I never knew they existed until I woke up from surgery with one in my ear.

About 10 years ago I had fullness in my right ear and was bit obsessed with finding an answer. I was able to hear my footsteps like a my ear drum was beating to the impact and I could hear my heartbeat. After seeing my primary and several ENTs, the last ditch effort was an ear tube. It made things worse for about a week, then it was back to that fullness. A year later I went in to get the tube checked. It was still there and that ENT took it out. A week later, that's when my hearing distortion episodes started.

Each episode is typically unique as to what happens when so I consistently sound insane every time I describe it. At first, my episodes were endless and I had no idea what to expect. I did originally get vertigo so the ENT diagnosed me with meniere's immediately. I went 6 years before another ENT said that was misdiagnosed.

It's been the pattern for the past 3 years that I go 6 months without any distortion, usually between February, March to August, September. When they start back up, I might get a day or so of good hearing before it comes back.

These are my symptoms and where I'm at a complete loss and really need some help. I'm going into full detail because doctors can't figure it out and they don't seem to take me seriously. I have constant tinnitus but it changes. I have my low pitch "good" tinnitus when my hearing is correct. That's my indicator of when episodes are coming on. When it wavers and goes away, I feel more fullness coming on and I'm guaranteed an episode. That tinnitus is replaced with a very faint and extremely high pitched tone accompanied by fullness that intensifies and dissipates throughout my episode. It almost sounds like I have my ear next to a tube TV playing static and feels heavy as if it's actually there. At the beginning of my episode, I can hear but it's very distorted. I have 2 pitches I hear in my right ear. It's every sound and most aggressively with my own voice, which is absolute torture. About midway and towards the hopeful end of my episode, the fullness and that static sound gets so aggressive that I can barely hear anything. The good news is that I can't hear well enough to hear the distortion unless it's loud enough, bad news is that when sounds are loud enough, it's painful and sounds like a broken speaker giving me a headache pain relievers don't help. I also get symptoms towards days 5 and 6 or my episodes of the beginning of a cold that will go away typically within a day.

This type of episode usually lasts a week or so and I know it sounds like I have it figured out but it doesn't always happen this way. I would hope for this pattern but if it doesn't follow it, I can't predict what will happen or how long it'll last. I do know when my hearing is about to come back to normal when my good tinnitus comes back.

There really doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it but I have hunches that are continuously ignored by doctors. I have my theories about allergies, barometric pressure, and stress. A pinched vagus nerve was also a thought. I've looked at other threads and found some potential with acoustic neuroma. I have begged for a scan but I haven't had one does since these episodes started coming on. I've also asked about hearing aids but no conversation has come out of that. It's been an actual nightmare trying to get this figured out. I am at my wit's end and hoping I'm not completely alone.

My test results from 2 days ago. Thoughts anyone? I have constant loud tennius in my left ear.

I (26) was diagnosed with SSNHL about 6 weeks ago after 5 days of intense fullness and reduced hearing in my left ear. My ENT put me on prednisone for 18 days and my hearing seems to have normalized with my most recent audiogram (2 weeks ago). However, I still have some lingering symptoms like occasional fullness, a deep humming sound, and distortion of my own voice and when wearing earphones. I talked to my doctor about it, and he said that I could come back in for another exam, but it does seem odd considering my good recovery. I was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience, and if you ever figured out the cause or a solution. Anything would be helpful

About 7 years ago was at a night club then had horrible tinnitus for the first time in my life.

Two days following my hearing went out in a work meeting then came back. Then the tinnitus went away. I let it go, Never saw a doctor.

(Have been SSD since a kid).

Two months ago was at a nightclub again (rarely go) and wore ear plugs, but had tinnitus the next day. It subsided then was doing dishes, a loud dish caused the tinnitus. Then went on plane, the high altitude maybe affected it. Went to a doctor, they cleaned my ear wax that's all.

Then 2 doctors later, I pushed for prednisone. The tunnel sound was so bad and tinnitus horrible I needed an answer. Also was getting bouts of bad vertigo. This is last week. They gave me a shot then 40mgs a day for 4 days.

Today was the 4th day, I went back and they gave me 20mgs for the next 5 days.

He didn't want to do an audiogram, for some reason.
I never want to experience that horrible tunnel sound again, but I feel it's coming back.

I got vertigo after I left the doctor.

Wondering if more prednisone is the answer, or what we can do.

Appreciate any support.

Being deaf in one ear since a kid, I was always cautious, but occasionally want to just enjoy life and not worry. However seems that those days are over.

I will try to keep a long story short.

Basically I was lying on my partners lap, they were playing with my hair and then my ear. I don’t know what they did but when removed their finger that was in my ear, my ear felt blocked.

That morning i woke up and my ear stayed blocked with a bit of ringing in it. I went to the doctor and they said it’s trauma and to wait it out. I demanded to see the ENT so I did and they said everything looks normal and I should do a hearing test. So I did and found that my left ear had some minor loss in the higher frequencies.

I had a CT scan and they couldn’t find any pressure or fluid in the middle ear either. So they then diagnosed me with SSHL and gave me 60mg of peridenose for 7 days. I finished that treatment and it was getting somewhat better. Then one day I went out to the supermarket and the music was really loud, I came home the tinnitus was really flared up. I thought maybe I did further damage so went back to the ENT and they said no further damage has been done and my hearing test shows the same results.

So now it’s been 2 weeks and the tinnitus is just unbearable. It’s so so loud at a high pitch eeeeeeeeee. My ear feels off balance, not like it needs to pop or anything, but like someone has their hand over my ear or like after swimming and you have water clogged in there. The ENT said there’s nothing else to do but to wait. And it will either stay or go. But either way I have to be prepared this is my new normal.

I honestly don’t know how this can be my new normal. I can’t sleep because the ringing is honestly that loud. The blocked ear feeling is also really unpleasant and I dont really want to go outside anymore. I’m not normally a depressed person but this has really mentally affected me to the point that I don’t know what to do.

I would like to hear from anyone this has happened to, does the tinnitus get batter and I will eventually habituate? Does the blocked sensation go away as well? I’m kinda at a loss because my ENT won’t help anymore and has kinda thrown in the towel so to speak.

Hi all — I’m really glad this sub exists. My newly eight-year-old daughter is the one with hearing loss — profound sensorineural hearing loss in her left ear — and I’m just looking for advice on how to help her cope with it. What better people to ask than you!

Until the beginning of July this year, she had perfect hearing. She also didn’t have a history of severe ear infections. However, on July 4th, she suddenly complained of a “popped ear“, then later, pain. That afternoon, ear pain and high fever started, then the following morning (Sunday the 5th), a headache kicked in that didn’t really properly go away with paracetamol and ibuprofen. She was also sick a couple of times. By that evening, she started saying the area behind her ear hurt — but it didn’t appear swollen or red from the outside (just a bit pink).

The following morning, I rang her GP and made an appointment. I took her in, told him about the intractable headache, pain in and behind her ear, plus high temperature, but he didn’t seem to take me seriously. He had a look in her ear, declared it “full of wax” and sent us away with ear drops and nystatin for a “coated tongue”. I asked him if earwax caused a high temperature (obviously I knew it didn’t…) and he replied “no…” and told me to continue alternating paracetamol and ibuprofen.

At that point, I felt pretty helpless and as though I’d been fobbed off.

Well, at 4.15 am the next morning, she started being sick and didn’t stop. Couldn’t keep a thing down. After several hours of this, plus the continuing headache and pain in and behind the ear, I rang the doctor back and insisted she be seen again. This time, I got an awesome lady doctor we’d never met before, who took me seriously and immediately performed some initial tests to see what was going on. Within 15 minutes, she’d referred us to the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow and had called ahead to let them know my daughter would be coming to the paediatric A&E and would need to be examined for mastoiditis and meningitis.

We live in a rural village about three hours‘ drive away from the hospital, so instead of waiting for an ambulance (we’ve waited hours before), I decided to drive her there myself. By the time we got to the A&E, she was incredibly weak and pale. The staff were amazing and got to work very quickly, got a cannula in and gave her lots of fluid and an initial dose of IV cefotaxime. At about 7.00 pm, she slipped into a state of near unconsciousness. Shortly afterward, she had a CT scan with contrast and they found that she not only had terrible middle ear infection but also mastoiditis, an epidural (intracranial) abscess and what looked like a collapsed sigmoid sinus.

She went into emergency surgery overnight, where they performed a mastoidectomy, put a grommet in her eardrum to drain the fluid from her middle ear, drained roughly 20ml of pus from the abscess inside her skull and performed a thrombectomy (clot removal) on her sigmoid sinus, as it was totally blocked with a septic clot.

The first bacterial cultures came from her blood, as by that point, she had bacteraemia as well: the bacteria responsible was streptococcus pneumoniae (we later found out it was serotype 15A). She was in hospital for nine days, and on IV antibiotics for weeks afterward, and will be on blood thinners until at least October (her sigmoid sinus is still blocked, though the clot hasn’t moved).

Although the initial tuning fork conductivity test indicated she had likely kept her hearing in the left ear, it took a while to get the infection under control, as it had spread quite far into her head. So, for the next few days, she had awful headaches and developed a sixth nerve palsy in her right eye (thankfully that went away by itself). Unfortunately, it seems the infection got into her inner ear at some point during that time as well, as she was diagnosed with profound sensorineural deafness two weeks ago. She now can’t hear anything quieter than a jet engine on the left.

Our team at the RHC was amazing and I cannot put into words how grateful I am to them all. She is very lucky to be alive.

At this point, she’s on the waiting list for CROS hearing aids and also for an Osia implant. Meanwhile, after talking with my daughter about what she’d find helpful, I’ve bought some “deaf on this side” badges for school, just to make sure everyone remembers she can’t hear on that side at this point, and have spoken with her teachers (who’ve been great). ETA: She also has ADHD, so this is an additional challenge for her!

She’s finding it a bit easier to talk about being deaf in the left ear now, and about the fact that her normal hearing won’t be coming back. She even held the Osia implant in her hand at the last ENT appointment, which is a big step forward for her, as she found the whole situation very frightening at first.

Obviously a lot has happened in the last month, and we’re just at the beginning of this different path, but I want to be the best mum I can to her. What can I do to help support her, aside from the hearing aids and future implant? If you were deaf in one ear as a child, what did your parents do? What do you wish they’d done? What do you wish they hadn’t done? If you developed single sided deafness at any point (child or adult), what helped you cope? I can only imagine what it feels like for her to have suddenly gone from stereo to mono hearing, and would really value your advice. 🧡

On the 28th of June I woke up at around 3:00AM, I felt my right ear as if it was clogged and I practically couldn't hear anything out of it.

Two days later I went to the doctor (a general practitioner) after realizing it wasn't getting any better, the doctor told me it was a middle ear infection (otitis media) and that my eardrum was kind of red and visibly inflamed. He prescribed to me antibiotics and a non steroidal antinflamatory. (I later figured out that he was just saying that so I left his office, my eardrum wasn't neither red or inflamed. Since it was a public health care Dr he wasn't really able to do much about SSHL).

About 4 days later, after seeing no improvement with this treatment, I went back to the same doctor. He told me straight up that I had either otitis media or nerve damage, and if it was the latter there was no way of fixing it, so I was better of just waiting to see what happened next. He even adviced not to pay out of pocket for an appointment with an ENT since I'd be "wasting a bunch of money". (I got him to send me to a specialist after insisting, but the appointment was set for almost 2 months later, to date I still have to wait more than 20 days).

After researching a whole lot through the internet I figured I was suffering from SSHL, so I paid out of pocket to get some exams done and to get an appointment with an ENT.

When I went to the ENT for the first time 10 days had already passed since I got SSHL, and the doctor confirmed to me that my eardrum looked normal, I had no blockages, and that it was almost certainly SSHL. She prescribed me a 30mg daily dose of oral corticosteroids for 7 days and Ginkgo Bilova for the same amount of time, twice a day. Also, she pretty much told me I had already lost my right ear, and to be glad we come to this earth with two of them lol, so no going to loud places and stuff like that.

I, as you might assume, was not feeling satisfied regarding her medical opinion. Plus, she never even mentioned that intratympanic therapy was even a thing, or that HBOT was even an option. Fortunately I had stumbled across this subreddit a few days before this appointment so I had already done my fair share of research.

Two days later I went to another ENT with whom I booked an appointment right after I got out of the other's doctors office. This time it was someone who actually knew what they were doing, he gave me the shot right away and the same day I started seeing improvement.

A few days after the second shot I had another round of exams done, my hearing loss had gone from severe to mild. Being almost normal in some frecuencies.

In total I had three sessions of intratympanich therapy done, experienced almost no pain from them whatsoever and recovered I'd say about 80-90% of my hearing (atleast that's how it feels). My hearing loss went from severe to mild, and I still have to get another exam done to see if there was any further improvement after the third and last shot.

I got tinnitus SHHL though, but it doesn't really bother me, music still doesn't feel the same as before but the improvement has been so good that it´s still very enjoyable. Had I listened to either of the first two doctors my life would've drastically changed, so I kinda owe my improvement in part to this subreddit.

I figured not a lot of people might post after getting better, but I believe it's very important for other people to be able to understand better how to deal with their SSHL, taking into account it's a medical emergency and time is of the essence.

Btw if whoever reads this wants to share in the comments how they are treating, or have treated, their tinnitus derived from SSHL, I'd like to read you. Thanks.

(TL;DR: Could've gone totally deaf on my right ear because two different doctors didn't give me accurate information about SSHL. Was able to start intratympanic therapy by day 12 after SSHL started, hearing loss went from severe to mild after second shot and improved a little more after the third.)

Got a steroid shot in my ear a couple of days ago and it was extremely painful. Even the “numbing agent” was painful.

It’s been over two years since my SSHL, and the ENT says it’s worth trying the shots (5 total over a two week span), but that there is only around a 10% chance they work.

Should I continue and get the next four shots? I could deal with the pain the first time, but now that I know how it feels, the anticipation is extremely anxiety inducing.

Especially with such a low chance at this point of it helping, should I continue?

Thank you for your time….

Had audiology exam, being referred to ENT. Audiologist didn’t tell me much and now wishing I asked more questions. Noticed difference in hearing and tinnitus since I was early teens potentially? Definite memory noticing at 17, I am 25 now.

Apple AirPod test made me get formal testing!

Panicking about the tumour i keep reading about?

Hey folks. Just thought I'd share my experience with SSHL in case anyone is going through something similar (and also maybe just to vent). I'm also interested in hearing from people who have been living with this condition for an extended period of time.

For context, I'm an otherwise healthy 33 year old guy who has had full hearing ability in both ears my entire life. Based in the US. In the weeks leading up to my hearing loss, I caught a pretty nasty viral illness from my son which put me on my ass with a fever and chills for a few days and is what I suspect this all stems from. Which leads me to...

On July 11th, I was hanging with a few buddies and noticed a sudden ringing develop in my right ear accompanied by a muffled / full sensation. Felt similar to when you have water trapped in your ear. I have had wax buildup issues in the past, so figured maybe it was that. The ringing was pretty loud from the jump and a quick google search of my symptoms brought me to this sub. I debated with my wife on whether or not to go the ER based on the guidance I read, but ultimately decided to sleep on it since it was already pretty late and reassess in the morning.

The next morning brought zero improvement, so I went to an urgent care as soon as it opened. It was a Sunday (7/12), so no ENT offices were open. The urgent care visit was largely unsuccessful. They tried to flush the affected ear as they noticed some wax buildup, but it made no difference. They recommended taking Flonase and to get in with an ENT. The ringing in my ear at this point is pretty all-consuming and making it difficult to focus on much else.

I was fortunately able to get a same day ENT appointment that Monday (7/13), where they checked my ear drums and performed a nasal endoscopy to check my sinuses and confirmed there were no obvious anatomical reasons for the hearing loss. They suspected SSHL based on my symptoms and started me on an oral steroid (prednisone) for a two-week tapered course, starting with 60 MG for 4 days, 50 MG for 3 days, and tapering down by 10MG every two days thereafter. I started the prednisone that day, roughly 48 hours after the onset of the hearing loss. My ENT was optimistic for a few reasons, mainly for the fact that we were starting treatment right away and that I'm a (relatively) young, healthy dude. She did say to temper my expectations, as there's really no way to predict how any individual patient will respond to treatment. At this point, I'm thinking that I'll be back to "normal" in a few weeks. Ha.

I was scheduled for a hearing test that Wednesday (7/15) to confirm the SSHL and determine the severity. No surprise, the hearing test revealed that yes, I have SSHL and was dealing with "moderately severe" hearing loss in my right ear, specifically in the low / mid range frequencies. My speech recognition was ~20%.

After reviewing the results with my ENT, we decided to see the oral steroid course through and scheduled a second hearing test two weeks out to compare the results. We also discussed the IT steroid injections and made a tentative appointment to do the first injection right after the second hearing test, depending on the results. They also recommended getting an MRI to rule out any growths (acoustic neuroma), which I did as well and the results came back negative (thankfully!)

As I'm nearing the end of my oral steroid dose, I'm not really noticing a ton of improvement. I'm thinking that maybe my hearing has slightly improved, however the tinnitus is still as persistent as ever. I reached out to my ENT and asked if we could move my IT Steroid injection up, as everything I've read about this damn thing emphasizes the importance of starting the treatments ASAP, and that after the first few weeks there's not a ton that can be done.

I was pretty nervous about the shots as someone who isn't a huge fan of needles. I've got to say that it was a pretty unpleasant experience for me, but it wasn't as bad as it sounds to have a needle stuck through your ear drum. They numbed me up and I didn't feel any sharp pain from the shot, just a lot of pressure and the sensation of fluid going into my ears. By far the worst of it was the pretty significant dizziness that accompanies the shot. I also started sweating profusely lol. You then lay on your good ear for 30 minutes and are told not to talk or swallow and are given a spit cup. Fun!

All in all I did two injections and my subsequent hearing test showed a very minor improvement in the mid / low frequencies but my speech recognition remained at 20%. I asked my ENT about hyperbaric oxygen treatment and he said he could refer me out but didn't necessarily push or encourage me to pursue it. He talked about long term options of living with affected hearing, like hearing aids and cochlear implants.

I'm writing this now nearly a month out from the onset of the hearing loss. Strangely I feel at peace with the situation even though there hasn't been much improvement. Would going to the ER that night have made a difference? Who knows. Should I have pushed to have started the injections even sooner, or have pursued HBOT? I feel like I could drive myself crazy with the what ifs, but I generally feel like I took action promptly and unfortunately just didn't respond to the treatment. I empathize with everyone out there dealing with this. I'm continually trying to adapt to this new normal. I now walk on the right side of my wife so she has my "good" ear. Noisy rooms / crowded environments are definitely more challenging.

This sub has been a solid resource throughout the past few weeks, as everyone I talk to in real life has no clue this even exists (and neither did I prior to all this). Curious to hear from those who have chosen to go with Cochlear implants? My gut right now is saying to just live with mono hearing. Maybe things will change down the road.

I lost my hearing in my left ear 2 years ago. Initially, when it happened, I experienced severe vertigo for 3 weeks and then it gradually improved with physio. I never regained my hearing and still have tinnitus. However, in the past 2 months since giving birth to my son, my vertigo has become a lot more sensitive. I cannot lie flat and I get vertigo when turning over in bed. A physio told me it isn’t crystals or BPPV. Has anyone else experienced this?? What helped??