Some hearing recovery but after 10-11 months, I'm baffled

dead as may air way! You can see the values I had when I lost the hearing and the values I’m on right now. Big improvement. I don’t feel the need for a hearing aid. when the hearing returned also on the bone conduction. they are in the same place on the original audiogram.

Is the second week without medication and guess what? My hearing is better. Is contra intuitive because Betahistine helps with micro circulation in the inner ear and the Vinponcentine is dilating the blood vessels of the whole head and may redirect some of the blood flow … who knows .. who knows. I feel constant improvements no more dips as before. Interesting! I wish you all with hearing problems a positive outcome! Sometimes they say is nothing you can do but we seen also people getting better!

@samyaza said:

My hearing is better

Good to hear! Is this just general feel, or also confirmed with something like a followup pure tone audiometry test? (Even if it’s your own one you made/calibrated?)

And to confirm, you stopped after ~ 11 months? And this is because you didn’t think they were needed anymore so you stopped them, or for other reasons?

@samyaza said:

Is contra intuitive because Betahistine helps with micro circulation in the inner ear and the Vinponcentine is dilating the blood vessels of the whole head and may redirect some of the blood flow … who knows .. who knows.

Not entirely counterintuitive. If (as some theorise) these fluctuating hearing issues are a result of intermittent fluctuations or blockages in the ear, and your medication has cleared them, it is possible you could recover. Theoretically and optimistically, something (such as COVID infection) caused an abnormality (such as small clots or similar, or malfunction of nerves that control blood flow etc.) which then disrupted blood flow in the ear. Once infection passed, it’s possible no more new clots - but old clots already causing issues and trapped might not dissolve in sensitive areas like the ear, so cause issues until they are “cleared”.

Less optimistically, it is possible there are still abnormal things going on, and clearing has only helped temporarily. Have to wait and see - so continued updates would be good. In particular it would be good to know if you still feel your hearing is fluctuating.

Of course, that is theory only with little evidence. But I’ve seen other (unofficial) cases where chronic tinnitus after COVID was said to be resolved with anticoagulants and blood vessel dilators. No solid proof yet, but interesting to see. Looking forward to further updates.

Have your other symptoms (pains in head/ear, TMJ, fullness etc.) also improved, or only the hearing?

My hearing improvement it was measured professionally. Time to time I use Mimi app at home but just to see changes I don’t trust those measurements. When I talk about improvement I mean medical proof. I decided to quit the treatment because is a waste of money, I think. I know what each of them are doing and how they are working but at this point I don’t think they can help me anymore. I don’t have Meniere so to use the inner ear pressure. I just wanted to see if they are still doing something or not. They are not. My hearing is not fluctuating, Is stable and better than ever. I bet if I could take another audiogram tomorrow it would be look greater in my right ear that the last one (posted in my profile). I feel like the 60hz are had a sudden improvement. Those are frequencies they don’t measure in their labs anyway. Also is easy for me to figure out because I noticed a strict corelation between how bad my hearing is one day and the level of tinnitus. If I have tinnitus most likely my ear is not good. And tests show it. So I don’t even need Mimi app to be fair, I can estimate already like: “well I guess I’m at a medium of 16dB or something). Repeated exercises. You get used to them and start estimate the values quite objectively. I’m optimistic.

@Neville said:

people to come in claiming no difficulty and while I sit there wondering how they have even been getting by

I have a neighbor that in that mode, total denial and yes hes missing half the conversation but continues to refuse taking step to get it fix. As for me its a no brainer, take out these little jewels and the world goes totally quiet.

No because where I live they have no such devices and I live from hand to mouth. But I worked with music and I can tell you this, under 60Hz..a 40Hz is almost none.. I estimate around 80dB loss. Also I have dips after 8Khz. Serious ones. I still can hear after 12KHZ.. let’s say 13Khz but is hard to estimate the level.. let’s say 40dB loss.

Hello people.. 3 days ago I had a blasting tinnitus in my right ear and I’m back at square 1. Almost same losses as a year ago. 1Khz and after.. dramatic drop at around 50dB.. It was a mental hit I cannot cope with anymore. I’m also on methylprednisolone (a strong steroid) as the first time but I see no improvement. I skipped work 3 days. I’m in depression. I can’t even cry anymore. What the hell is going on with me? I don’t understand really… and happens around this season. I tried to relate to allergies, but my hearing loss is SSHL.. the nerve is also dead, and I don’t have other symptoms. Sure, I sneeze from time to time, but I don’t have runny nose or other thing specific with allergies. Also, allergies don’t cause SSHL they more inflamate your Eustachian tube and that’s it. I’m very close to suicide. I can’t live like that. That ear is cursed.

@ironfist said:

At least they are trying something rather than ignoring the issue. If it is due to a traditional cause, such as “traditional” inflammation, then this should help, but might take a little time. Did they also check certain inflammatory markers (such as hs-CRP?) If your facilities offer it, and insurance covers it, then you could also consider hyperbaric chambers on top of that.

Nah man, I need to pay for it. Is around 20 Euros.

@ironfist said:

At least they are trying something rather than ignoring the issue. If it is due to a traditional cause, such as “traditional” inflammation, then this should help, but might take a little time. Did they also check certain inflammatory markers (such as hs-CRP?) If your facilities offer it, and insurance covers it, then you could also consider hyperbaric chambers on top of that.

I do this not they, I just applied the usual protocol with 7 days at 48mg, after 1 week tapper down.

@ironfist said:

I’m assuming there were no electrophysiological auditory tests done - if there are, would be interested to know the results.

Also, did you mean a particular nerve (trigeminal, auditory etc.), or were you talking more generally?

No, no other investigations have been done. There is a place in our capital city but the prices are prohibitive. From the “state” point of view I have SSHL and that’s it.

I was meaning just as a suspicion and I’m talking about my hearing nerve, I didn’t had anymore trigeminal pains since a week or so which is weird because before losing my hearing again I had a huge pain projecting between my premolar and canine and I was sure is something in there but now I realize was the trigeminal nerve. Maybe.

I restarted Betahistine and Vinpocetine. Better to be safe. I associate my drop of hearing loss also with the giving up on that medicine 2 months ago but I my inner ear is so f. up that after 2 weeks of this kind of medication went down, that’s not good news for the future. I’m very tired really. And at work I’m not good, I missed up a lot and they all look at me bad. No understanding, even if I worked from home. No black holes in my work, but you know how people are.

I have some mild increase in hearing (Mimi App not official audiogram) but is pretty much there. Is way more optimistic but I can see the evolution). Since 35dB right ear when it went down again medium now I’m at 25dB so… yeah.. the most affected frequencies are same.. low and 1 Khz (middle).

@samyaza said:

I do this not they,

Sorry to hear you’re not getting the support you need. I hope what you’re doing works for you.

If I’ve understood you correctly, you are taking oral methylprednisolone orally (which is surprising without medical support, since it is usually prescription only.)

Just for your information (which you might already know):

• it should help (somewhat, and over time), if the cause is traditional inflammation (which might be confirmed by something like CRP results, which we don’t have)
• particularly with SSHL, it is often injected into the ear rather than taken orally, both for better effectiveness and lower systemic adverse effects

Nevertheless, hope taking it orally still helps, but if it doesn’t and particularly if there is confirmation it’s inflammation, you might consider getting injections done by ENT. Traditionally, timing is important - the sooner the intervention, the better.

@samyaza said:

I had a huge pain projecting between my premolar and canine and I was sure is something in there but now I realize was the trigeminal nerve. Maybe.

Very probably the trigeminal nerve was involved, which itself can affect hearing, TMJ/TMD, inner ear contractions/pain etc., which you have described before. Also, one week is far too short a time to say you no longer have any nerve issues - it is very likely that the issue is still there (and if no ongoing damage, the nerve might possibly heal over many weeks/months/years, though not guaranteed). On the "positive” side, the nerve isn’t dead - if it is truly dead, you wouldn’t feel anything at all.

@samyaza said:

I restarted Betahistine and Vinpocetine. Better to be safe.

Hope it works, let us know how you go.

@samyaza said:

I’m very tired really. And at work I’m not good, I missed up a lot and they all look at me bad. No understanding,

I’m sorry you’re having to go through all of that. It’s very tough. Unfortunately people and society are like that, and understanding only goes so far. Hope what you’re trying makes you better and you can put this behind you.

Sorry, are you self-treating? You need to go back to the ENT if this is happening again.

@ironfist said:

If I’ve understood you correctly, you are taking oral methylprednisolone orally (which is surprising without medical support, since it is usually prescription only.)

Just for your information (which you might already know):

• it should help (somewhat, and over time), if the cause is traditional inflammation (which might be confirmed by something like CRP results, which we don’t have)
• particularly with SSHL, it is often injected into the ear rather than taken orally, both for better effectiveness and lower systemic adverse effects

I can’t spend money on fine tunned hsCRP. Yes, I take them without prescription because I have connections. Few years ago, I had a relationship with a girl who owned pharmacies and she can help me with normal stuff (not opiates or other things, don’t imagine is nobodies land). About the injection of steroids in the ear. As efficiency are the same. In a lot of UE countries this was banned like 10-20 years ago. In fact, in my country, they were doing that on the times of communism to be fair. Why? Because is more dangerous to affect the fine structure of the middle ear for the same effects. They put you on perfusions (intravenous one) but again, if I want to kick the door I need to put in the pocket at the ER room around 1/2 of my monthly salary just for someone to listen me up (yes this is how it works in here, on insurance you can program yourself to an ENT but the cue now is 2 months, I called. Or you can go in ER with all the junkies and people who are there because they just cut themselves with some swords in the parking lot. There you need to bribe the triage doctor, then when you finally see your ENT you need to drop again money in his pocket to work, if not he will tell you something like: “well there is not a treatment for that” and you might go out empty handed. The corruption is off the limits in here. Imagine in the whole hospital they don’t make audiograms; they send you in the private sector. They are very interested in selling hearing aids.

@ironfist said:

On the "positive” side, the nerve isn’t dead - if it is truly dead, you wouldn’t feel anything at all.

Yeah, I used this “nerve” thing wrong. I was referring to the whole inner ear, hair cells, nerve system. I mean SSHL problem actually. On the other hand, that 3 Tesla MRI could have seen the nerve is there but that’s all. I have doubts they did a good job with the MRI also. On the other hand, they looked for tumors, so I guess if they didn’t see any, they just said: your good to go.

Is very tired mentally to be fair with you. Those up and downs. I can’t take them anymore.
Now is a strange thing happening. While my Mimi App is still showing losses (from 15dB in my best day in the ear - probably real like 25dB medium) I went down to 35dB when and now I’m 25dB. So clearly there is damage, but when I use signal generators for each frequency, some are louder than in my good ear. Louder but distorted. So, i guess recruitment is at work. My dynamic range in the inner ear went down. Is either too low and I can’t hear or way too loud. So is either cochlear damage or a pressure thing (like cochlear Meniere). And let’s not forget the diplacusis dysharmonica. Since the beginning this never turned back. All under 1 khz, is very f. up! Probably at one point my ear will shut down and I will live in tinnitus and desperations.

Thank you for the context, and I’m very sorry to hear all of that. Honestly, I wasn’t worried about the steroids but rather about the lack of follow-up on what doesn’t seem like a simple ssnhl and rather cold be a marker of something else. But it sounds like even if you had something more complex, say some sort of auto immune disorder that can be complex and difficult to manage even in the best of situations, there might not be much to do about it. You leave me feeling very lucky to live where I live, and also sad.

Man Canada was of my dreams. We are like 100 years behind. I have a new hypothesis about my hearing loss and is not good. I mean it might be good but also not good. I will make a new post.