Mid-Range (4 kHz) Hearing Loss: Can It Happen Suddenly?

Hi all, been visiting this site for some time and it's been a helpful resource for ongoing tinnitus and hyperacusis (of which the latter has been a bigger challenge).

I went to a music event last weekend that was clocking in around ~95dB, so after about 30 minutes I put the earplugs in. During the remainder of our time there we had the (unpleasant) experience of having a cargo train running alongside the event blast its horn at us from a distance of maybe 25 ft. Although I had earplugs in, I realized they were really not seated properly, and the train noise was still incredibly loud. So maybe the train horn was ~130 dB instead of 150.

Anyway, I was taking a fair amount of NAC that evening (mainly to counter the effects of beer consumption; I take it consistently every day anyway) and didn't think too much of it until the next day when I realized I was experiencing some distinct "mid-range" scooping in my hearing, something I had never experienced before following any sort of loud noise incident. A reasonably accurate hearing test online during the week indicated I was pretty deficient in my 4 kHz zone (around 30dB).

7 days later, despite ongoing NAC and magnesium, I am still experiencing this and its pretty disconcerting. Unlike high-frequency loss, I am very much aware of what I am not hearing well (particularly as a musician). My tinnitus on the other hand is the same as ever (relatively quiet), and my H feels about the same, if somewhat elevated. If anything, the mid-range scooping effect has made me less sensitive to those noises.

I'm curious if anyone else has experienced this, and if it was short or longterm? I'm also curious if steroids would be beneficial while I'm still withing the treatment window--I haven't experienced "significant" hearing loss, but certainly the effect is noticeable and I'd happily do anything to counter it while I can.

 

You could ask your doctor if steroid treatment would be appropriate for you. Some people also recommend HyperBaric Oxygen Therapy.

Good luck!

 

Thanks, I will ask about that.