Resolved... I Hope

Hi, first post. Having taken advantage of (and support from) many of the contributions on these pages this year I thought it might be useful to post my experience of inner ear disease. I'm acutely aware of any issues around my left ear as I have never had hearing in my right ear. At end Feb 2017 I started feeling unwell, as if I was 'out of body'. I started getting high pitched tinnitus. I was worried as I'd been shooting a handgun (but had always worn approved ear protection, so I suppose I really knew this wasn't the causative factor). GP said I had an otitis media and blocked canals. I dissolved the wax and completed oral and topical antibiotics. Infection over I didn't feel well. Anyhow, went to see ENT, had a hearing test which showed it was pretty normal except with a bit of a notch that the audiologist said corresponded with the tinnitus. I hadn't noticed any hearing loss. It was hard to sleep because of the tinnitus. I was told it was probably an inner ear viral disease and was prescribed high dose steroids, betaserc and valium. Over the next weeks I continued to work. I didn't experience constant dizziness but just felt 'unwell'. I am a fit marathon-running male of 44 and exercise daily... this illness knocked any desire to run or cycle. At work, if I got up from my desk I would almost faint. This was definitely not normal. An MRI ruled out acoustic neuroma or any other obvious pathological cause. After about 7 weeks, things seemed to improve a bit, then suddenly it was over. I was totally back to normal... no tinnitus, back to sports and feeling good.

Cue 8 weeks ago, mid October 2017. I started feeling 'odd' and had a hunch this was the same thing. Saw the GP, ear infection diagnosed and treated. Continued to feel worse after infection resolved. Tinnitus came back, the whole out of body sensation returned, though interestingly I did not have the near-fainting experiences. Periodically I thought I was getting over it but then the tinnitus came back and I honestly felt pretty awful. This went on for 2 months until last Wednesday when sitting at my desk I felt particularly weird. I noticed that my left ear hearing acuity was dropping dramatically. My hearing was becoming extremely muffled. I didn't panic (I'm a Christian and prayed), went to my car and drove to my regular ENT dept. Interestingly that same morning I'd been to the GP just for an update - he said my eardrum was dull-looking and he thought he could see some fungal infection but wasn't sure. Anyhow, arrived at ENT and fortunately my ENT doc was still there. He had a look, confirmed some fungal infection and irrigated the ear. He removed some stuff and asked me if I poked it with earbuds (I never do, so I'm not sure what he removed as the GP in the morning had said my ear was not in any way blocked). Well, this didn't change the hearing loss, which was profound and worrying. I was hoping he'd give me steroids as these are first line protection as I understand it. I assumed I had SSHL and had kind of resigned myself to it. He told me to come back first thing for the hearing test and they would make a treatment decision following that. Meanwhile I drove home and had a slight sensation that my hearing was returning. Within 2 hours my hearing acuity seemed back to normal, and even the tinnitus seemed to be quieter. I went back at 9am next day with hearing feeling ok... audiometry showed no change since my March episode. It was a different and high profile ENT. I asked him (as I had the audiologist) what could explain the sudden hearing loss episode. The audiologist seemed to think I imagined it (I didn't), the ENT suggested some sort of spasm of the inner ear musculature stimulated by the trauma of the ongoing viral infection. So who knows. Anyhow it is now the following Tuesday - 2 months after onset - and last night was the first night I could sleep without any headphones to disguise the tinnitus, which seems to have almost gone.

So in conclusion, I don't know exactly what I've had or whether this is Meniere's - they've referred me for an electrocochleography. I know these diseases take all sorts of courses, but I thought it might be useful to outline my recurrent case so that anyone who has a similar sort of disease progression can take something from this. Today I feel good, the ear seems fine, with no or little tinnitus and I'm grateful to God.

Happy to be here and appreciate all the insights.

 

Welcome to the forum and thanks for your positive story. If you continue to do well and improve, you are welcome to write a success story to help out others. Take care. God bless.

 

Well, it came back and got a whole lot worse. And then totally resolved again...