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Hearing loss progression concerning?

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Hi all - new to the forum. I’m only 48 but have been dealing with declining asymmetrical hearing loss for the past 5 years. Below is my from 2020 and 2023. I’ve seen a couple and had an without explanation of why I’m losing hearing and why it’s asymmetrical. Guesses are noise related or genetic…neither of which makes much sense given my situation. I have also been through a battery of blood tests all of which came back normal. I have been diagnosed with TMJ, significantly worse on my right side than left. Seems like there should be a correlation there…but and being told no TMJ wouldn’t affect my hearing like that.

I’m extremely fearful of what the future holds. If I continue to lose 5-15DB of hearing a year, I will have severe hearing loss by 55. Wondering if this group has any thoughts on progression of hearing loss like this and what other medical avenues are available to me. My ENT is out of ideas and suggests I go to an audiologist for hearing aids…I’m still trying to find a root cause so I can slow or stop the progression.

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As someone that has been wearing aids for close to 20 years the sooner you get hearing aids the better off you will be. I didn’t get my aids when i should have and i am suffering from very poor word recognition because i was so slow at getting aids.
As for as the cause of your hearing loss if the can not tell you then it is more than likely due to one of the following, a history of noise abuse, most of my issue, possibly you had some loss from an ear age due to ear infection as a baby or young child, some medications can cause issues, genetic is also a possibility. As for as reversing hearing loss that isn’t possible yet. As for as slowing it down, be extremely careful with noise pollution, see if any medications you take could be the issue. Honestly more than likely you are not going to have any control of how your hearing loss progresses other than what I am mentioned.
The important thing now is get hearing aid help before you have serious problems understanding what is being said to you.
My hearing loss is severe, but due to my slowness in getting aids my word recognition is pretty much profound.
The longer you wait and hope for a miracle the harder the recovery help from aids will be.

MDB1, you’re in great company here! Wow, your at 48 is better than mine at 15, if that’s any consolation. My hearing loss was “deaf-initely” genetic.

Do NOT stress over this!! Hearing aids have come ENORMOUS LEAPS in terms of power, programs, accessories and speech comprehension enhancement. I am living proof that you can be deaf as a cinderblock and yet get along FABULOUSLY with today’s aids.

Just take the necessary steps - one at a time! - to your best solution. Be your own advocate! Some folks have great results with Costco aids, I have always gone through an audiologist. Believe me, there are aids out there right now to make you comfortable hearing - especially if you like any of the accessories that are compatible with aids.

For starters, you’ll enjoy streaming phone calls, Zoom, watching TV, or programs on the laptop. You can download phone apps for more control over your aids (I have not, but I’m happy just cycling through the few dedicated programs I have loaded).

Ask any question here, and likely you’ll have an informed answer before an audi can even get back to you! This is a phenomenal forum. Good luck, get ON with it, and keep us posted. :slightly_smiling_face:

@MDB1 said:

I’m still trying to find a root cause so I can slow or stop the progression.

It’s very likely there is no cause, and no stopping the progression.

I went from normal hearing, to a slight loss in my thirties, which progressively became worse, to almost complete deafness by my fifties. No reason. As I like say, “luck of the draw”.

No family history, no obvious noise-related reason. Just happened.

I started with regular hearing aids, then kept moving to stronger ones, then got a Cochlear Implant in my fifties. It has helped tremendously. I hear fairly well, except in loud, super-noisy environments.

Once you’ve expended effort to try and find a medical cause (which you should do), at that point, as hard as it is, you need to acknowledge this is the new way of things, and move forward. It wasn’t easy for me, but I’m a realist.

Thanks everyone for your replies. I realized I didn’t add some details in my first post.

About 5 years ago when this started, it was not a hearing loss problem originally. I was experiencing pain in and around my right ear only, on my mastoid, and in my neck. I had tinnitus, ear fullness, and pressure like on an airplane. I went to the for these symptoms. They had no answers besides going on allergy meds which I did. They suggested we just watch it and I come back in a year. These symptoms have continued in my right ear and then accompanied the hearing loss you see above over the past 3-4 years. That is why I struggle with the lack of a diagnosis…this hasn’t just been a straightforward hearing loss. I wake up most mornings with a lot of those symptoms above.

In the last year I’ve started experiencing similar symptoms in my left ear as I did 5 years ago in my right. And as you can see I’m also having similar high frequency loss like I did in my right ear 3 years ago. I’m fearful my left ear is going to follow a similar pattern as my right.

How can I have all these other symptoms and issues and not think it could be causing my hearing loss?

My sister had bad ear infections and it ended up infecting her mastiod, the doctors finally operated but the infection or the operation destroyed her audiory nerve and she is deaf in one ear. So be very careful.

Also check if your allergy drugs are possibly causing hearing damage. The probability is slight but some early types of penicillan in the 1940s and 1950s were found to cause hearing loss so this is one thing to check.

I’m currently on Zyrtec for allergies, I’m assuming that is not an issue given its wide use? I’m also on gabapentin, relafen, and muscle relaxers for my TMJ issues.

I have been exchanging messages with my nurse, she just told me that my back in October showed mastoiditis on my left side…my original issues 5 years ago started with mastoid pain but the Dr never said anything about it. A quick Google search says mastoiditis can lead to hearing loss? Now I’m very concerned things have been missed

Hi there,

I know exactly what you’re going through. 5yrs ago I averaged 30decibel loss. Every year since I’ve lost 5-10 since then. I have seen numerous ’s, ’s done etc and nothing can be found to explain. The craziest part is I can “hear” but I struggle to understand in any sort of noisy environment.

I was really worried at start but I suppose it like everything - you just deal with it and move on. I’m not sure if mine will continue to decline but at moment it’s looking like it’s not stopping. I’ve been told by all hearing doctors I’ve met that it should “plateau” but this has yet to happen.

I wish I had better news. However, once you get used to hearing aids it becomes part of you and it isn’t near as bad as you think. I still struggle in noise but at least I have more then enough hearing to get by and as technology gets better so does our hearing abaility.

@MDB1 said:

I have been exchanging messages with my ENT nurse, she just told me that my MRI back in October showed mastoiditis on my left side.

If this is true, it is worth following-up about. Mastoiditis can get pretty serious.

Also, did you start taking the gabapentin before or after the hearing loss.

@Johnmurphy said:

I’ve been told by all hearing doctors I’ve met that it should “plateau” but this has yet to happen.

You might not, but if you do it tends to be around 65 , so you’re just getting there now.

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