Audiogram and Other Hearing Test Results

Hey. Thanks for the reply. I wasn't given any bone conduction tests, maybe the Professor didn't see it as mandatory. My tinnitus wasn't caused by an acoustic trauma. It was due to a mix of Fluoroquinolone and Mirtazapine use.

I met the Professor today as well to have a final talk about my condition. At first I was suspecting ototoxicity. From what I have read, the mechanism of ototoxicity works like this: it eliminates the stria vascularis first, then moves on to eliminate the outer hair cells and inner hair cells. He also said that's what we theoretically expect but some kind of damage would be present on my audiograms/DPOAEs. He said he is pretty sure my ears are not damaged by ototoxicity, in fact it is my brain that's messed up due to Fluoroquinolones messing with my GABA-Glutamate balance and Mirtazapine affecting Serotonin whatnot. He thinks it's a polarization issue of the neurons inside the brain. This wording kinda made me hopeful of the upcoming potassium channel modulators. Maybe I can keep it under control, and permanently silence the tinnitus when they come out...

 

Does this look like ETD? I only feel fullness & hear ringing in my right ear.

 

Dear community,

I just got a regular audiogram where everything looks normal (it seems that my hearing recovered after SSHL, at least in the standard ranges tested). However, there is a sentence in it that I do not understand:

"Acoustic reflexes could; unable to maintain a seal".

Does anyone know what that means, or if is concerning?

Many thanks!

 

I can't parse the grammar there - seems like most of the predicate is missing. Is it handwritten?

Acoustic reflexes can be indicative of some conditions that are linked to tinnitus. For example, I failed the acoustic reflex on my otosclerosis ear, but because it's "very rare", the doctors originally brushed it off as "oh this happens sometimes", instead of taking it as a clue.

 

Thanks for your answer. You are right¸ the sentence became truncated. It seems that they meant:

"Acoustic reflexes could not be tested; unable to maintain a seal".

 

Hi @Lucia Zuani.

Do you know what might have caused your SSHL? You have mentioned experiencing hyperacusis with tinnitus. Before your tinnitus started, did you regularly listen to audio through headphones, earbuds or headsets? These devices are common causes of noise-induced tinnitus with or without hyperacusis. Some people also experience SSHL. If you were a regular user of the devices I've mentioned, or went to clubs or concerts regularly, you might have noise-induced tinnitus. If this is the case, I advise that you don't listen to audio through any type of headphones even at low volume, as you risk the tinnitus and hyperacusis becoming worse.

Michael

 

Yeah that makes sense as a recovered sentence, but I'm wondering how they could not maintain a seal.

Were they struggling when they did the test? Does your ear canal not exhibit the typical somewhat cylinder shape that the test equipment can connect with? Were you moving around so much that they couldn't fit something in your ear? I'm having a hard time imagining how that could happen. Perhaps you have the answer to that.

 

Does this look good for a 28-year-old?

 

Looks good to me. I'm jealous!

 

I suppose the extended high-frequency hearing loss is the source of my tinnitus? Somehow my tinnitus started after taking Escitalopram...

 

What age are you? It’s common to lose those frequencies above 8 kHz with age. It’s not necessarily the cause unless you’re young.

 

Yeah, I am definitely not getting any younger... I asked the audiologist and they would not give me an answer about age-related hearing loss. Stating "it doesnt really follow any pattern."

I am 44.

 

These are my results back in May. I'm currently 27.

 

First audiogram up to 8 kHz, second up to 18 kHz. Both normal - all thresholds 15 dB or less.

Yet tinnitus in both ears - right is actually worse with distortions. My audiologist said I have hyperacusis in my right ear, at 11-14 kHz, where the thresholds are 0/-5 dB, which is causing the distortions.

Cause was microsuction, so hoping this was just a ‘shock’ and it will fade in the coming months / year. I'm 9 weeks in now.