I am a 60-year-old woman, new to this site, and I am hoping someone can give me some answers. I was born with normal hearing, which I had for most of my life, until about 15 years ago when I began having problems with my right ear, first noticed when using the telephone.
Audiograms showed hearing loss consistent with Ménière's disease, although I had not experienced any vertigo or balance issues. To sum up, I went from completely normal hearing to total deafness in my right ear within about four years. Almost immediately, I began to hear constant static in that ear.
The hearing in my left ear then started to slowly deteriorate, and it is now classed as severe hearing loss. The audiogram for this ear shows a cookie-bite pattern. I currently use a hearing aid and have been referred for a cochlear implant, but I am not keen on having it.
Over the past year, I have noticed significant changes in my hearing accompanied by an increase in tinnitus. Initially, I started to hear a low hum, and at first I could not tell whether it was external or coming from inside my head. This occurred only at night for several months before disappearing completely. It was then replaced by a rhythmic tinnitus sound that was constant but, in the grand scheme of things, bearable. I still experience this, but I am now also dealing with something totally unbearable that is ruining my life.
I get a very low, deep rumble that lasts for about 20 minutes, which then turns into another form of rhythmic tinnitus that can only be described as a bassist playing in a frenzied manner. It happens daily. If I am stressed, it comes on immediately, but it can also appear randomly. It is extremely loud and drowns out even the loudest background noises.
Since this began, I believe I have lost the ability to hear more frequencies. Up until recently, I could still listen to music after a fashion, even if it was in mono rather than stereo. Now every single piece of music, regardless of genre, sounds exactly the same. The only thing I can still distinguish is the tempo.
I am quite frightened that I am rapidly heading toward complete hearing loss. Everything I have described also happened to my mother, although she was slightly older than I am when her problems began. She eventually became completely deaf and later developed Alzheimer's disease.
This is all deeply worrying to me, and I would be so grateful if anyone could shed some light on what might be causing it, so I could have something concrete to help guide my search for treatment.
Audiograms showed hearing loss consistent with Ménière's disease, although I had not experienced any vertigo or balance issues. To sum up, I went from completely normal hearing to total deafness in my right ear within about four years. Almost immediately, I began to hear constant static in that ear.
The hearing in my left ear then started to slowly deteriorate, and it is now classed as severe hearing loss. The audiogram for this ear shows a cookie-bite pattern. I currently use a hearing aid and have been referred for a cochlear implant, but I am not keen on having it.
Over the past year, I have noticed significant changes in my hearing accompanied by an increase in tinnitus. Initially, I started to hear a low hum, and at first I could not tell whether it was external or coming from inside my head. This occurred only at night for several months before disappearing completely. It was then replaced by a rhythmic tinnitus sound that was constant but, in the grand scheme of things, bearable. I still experience this, but I am now also dealing with something totally unbearable that is ruining my life.
I get a very low, deep rumble that lasts for about 20 minutes, which then turns into another form of rhythmic tinnitus that can only be described as a bassist playing in a frenzied manner. It happens daily. If I am stressed, it comes on immediately, but it can also appear randomly. It is extremely loud and drowns out even the loudest background noises.
Since this began, I believe I have lost the ability to hear more frequencies. Up until recently, I could still listen to music after a fashion, even if it was in mono rather than stereo. Now every single piece of music, regardless of genre, sounds exactly the same. The only thing I can still distinguish is the tempo.
I am quite frightened that I am rapidly heading toward complete hearing loss. Everything I have described also happened to my mother, although she was slightly older than I am when her problems began. She eventually became completely deaf and later developed Alzheimer's disease.
This is all deeply worrying to me, and I would be so grateful if anyone could shed some light on what might be causing it, so I could have something concrete to help guide my search for treatment.
