I'm Scared...

[mintbaby]

I have an appointment on Friday with the ENT, and he wants to try some injections of stereoids to see if we can get some of my sensorineural hearing loss back after a really bad cold I had weeks ago. I took the oral prednisone, and some of it came back, but I am still under what I was before I had this sudden hearing loss. I've read that they can be painful, and also cause deafness... and then they are talking about wanting to put tubes in my ears to fix the fullness in my ears, but I've heard that there is a possibility of hearing loss with that as well. I don't know what to do. :/

 

[mintbaby]

Anyone have tubes?

 

[Danny Boy]

Anyone have tubes?

http://www.entnet.org/content/ear-tubes

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
Myringotomy with insertion of ear tubes is an extremely common and safe procedure with minimal complications. When complications do occur, they may include:

• •Perforation—: This can rarely happen when a tube comes out or a long-term tube is removed and the hole in the tympanic membrane (ear drum) does not close. The hole can be patched through a surgical procedure called a tympanoplasty or myringoplasty.
• Scarring:— Any irritation of the ear drum (recurrent ear infections), including repeated insertion of ear tubes, can cause scarring called tympanosclerosis or myringosclerosis. In most cases, this causes no problem with hearing and does not need any treatment.
• •Infection:— Ear infections can still occur with a tube in place and cause ear discharge or drainage. However, these infections are usually infrequent, do not cause hearing loss (because the infection drains out), and may go away on their own or be treated effectively with antibiotic ear drops. Oral antibiotics are rarely needed.
• Ear tubes come out too early or stay in too long—: If an ear tube expels from the ear drum too soon (which is unpredictable), fluid may return and repeat surgery may be needed. Ear tubes that remain too long may result in perforation or may require removal by an otolaryngologist.

 

[PaulBe]

So, if a tube can be easily passed through the Tympanic membrane with minimal complications, then a modern micro-camera can also be easily passed (and has been). Should this not be good news for those with TTTS and related hyperacusis symptoms who so far are left with sound therapy as some kind of cover-all panacea?