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Sudden hearing loss. Very scared

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Just found out by my ent today that I suffered SSHL. In my left ear. I was on my last day of vacation ready to go home and woke up to a clogged ear that got me worried so I went to an urgent care asap. I’m taking prednisone with a tapered schedule for two weeks and had one injection to the ear Thursday. I hear clicking poping and some rapid low tones in my effected ear. Looking for advice from any who can make sense of what maybe going on. Please.

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I’ve known several people who experienced this. It took them a little time to know how well their hearing would recover, because the medicine takes time to work. What would be most helpful for you right now? How can folks on the forum best support you? You aren’t alone, that is for sure!

I think prompt treatment means you are giving your ear the best chance of recovery. Just stay on the treatment and if you think the treatment is lacking or there is some gap or delay, dont hesitate to ask/demand better. From what I’ve heard here, it seems to take months of treatment and hearing is partially or fully restored for many.

Edited

You’re doing what you can. After that, all you can do right now is wait to see whether your hearing recovers. It may, it may not. Ignore any random noises in your ear, they aren’t a sign of anything dangerous, just part of the process. It is normal for them to come and go, get loud and soft, change in quality. If in a few months your hearing is back to normal, great. If it is not, you’ll want to see an audiologist to determine options for management.

Thanks everyone for the responses and advice. I’m just a few days without hearing and wanted to see what others have experienced successfully with treatments related to this issue. Looking to see if any one can share there story of recovery so I can feel like maybe I to have a chance to recover I appreciate everyone who responded to my thread.

Thanks for the info Neville its reassuring to hear that especially at this time. I would also like to thank this community that can relate to my issue.

I suddenly lost hearing in one ear. said I had liquid behind the eardrum. He put in a tube and I started hearing better in a few hours. Hope you get better quickly.

Thank you sir. Glad to hear your ok.Wondering if anyone knows if the clogged sensation symptom goes away with SSHL over time.

In reply to @Nancydrew

That is a very interesting link! I was sobered to read that: “Experts estimate that SSHL strikes one person per 5,000 every year, typically adults in their 40s and 50s. The actual number of new cases of SSHL each year could be much higher because the condition often goes undiagnosed.”

I realize I’m just about totally deaf in BOTH ears, but still wonder what my odds out of 5,000 folks would be, given I’m 64 and autoimmune runs in my family…

In reply to @ed_78

ed_78, first off: my utmost empathy for your current SSHL condition - which, hopefully, with time and medication will resolve in a positive way.

Without meaning to intrude, I’d be curious if you share any of the common characteristics with those who’ve experienced SSHL: inflammation, autoimmune, age, whatever may have changed in your diet or lifestyle.

Even if you lose that hearing in one ear, know that today’s aids are FABULOUS! There are so many options and price points if you need to go there that you WILL find a solution for that ear. I also hope we hear some recovery stories, but DO KNOW that this is not a “deaf sentence” for you! I say that with complete confidence given my own wooden ears AND the fact that most folks are amazed to learn I wear aids, cuz - at least in my crowd of 60+ - I sometimes even hear better than those without aids. :slight_smile:

Thanks for the reply BlueJay. Really struggling with this sudden medical issue so I’m so pleased to hear from people like yourself with advice to pass on. Thank you sir. The things that put me in the same characteristics with others that have SSHL. I’m 50, seasonal allergies, had ear Infection before but ok. Not on any prescriptions for health reasons that would cause bad side effects ,only fish pill and multivitamins in the morning. Most common is the sense of waking up and all hearing is completely gone. No symptoms prior to happening. Just horrified how quickly this became a medical emergency. The Only thing that I can put my finger on, is probably a hot tub that everyone was using by a pool at my hotel stay. That’s the last thing I did before I went to sleep. Maybe I picked up a bug that triggered this whole thing . not sure , any way thanks for listening it helps me cope.
and multivitamins.

I’m just a few days into this battle but I will let everyone know my progress. Maybe it Will help some in future threads.

Going through SSHL treatments started with . Two injections in the effected ear and noise sensitivity increased with sense of sound but not clear. Hope this is positive

I hope you fully recover your hearing. But you shouldn’t worry that you might not. Today’s have reached such a level of perfection that if you eventually need one, you’ll find you have even better hearing than before. So please rest assured, you’re not alone and are prayed for.

Thanks for the response it does help me cope with the anxiety of ths whole thing. I dont think I’ve ever been so scared like this before. I’m trying to stay positive and calm and pray this will pass. This forum has been a big help with words of encouragement from people that have gone through this before. Thanks everyone. God bless you all

Edited

I experienced this exact symptom for the first time almost 10 years ago. I looked online for info and all I could find was “sudden hearing loss” - that it was a phenomenon that was almost impossible to diagnose. It reoccurred in my left ear over the next couple of years. I visited 2 on west end of the Minneapolis area and they just wanted to clean my ears out and suggested Menieres Disease or ageing which was probably wrong. I lost HF response in both ears over the next few years and now I wear for moderate hearing loss. It seems to have halted but I was unable to get much help or find much info at the time. I don’t know if I will lose more hearing or not. Find an ENT who knows what they are doing if you can. If you do lose some hearing HAs will help a lot but they are NOT perfect and are NOT better than your natural hearing. Praying may lessen your worrying if that is how you choose to cope with anxiety, but being well informed and acting accordingly will be the most helpful. My hearing loss for me has been frustrating and saddening but as a human being, I have adapted to it and it is not a tragedy. Life is a gamble that one needs to understand and accept.

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