Sudden Hearing Loss in Left Ear with Hissing

Hi, I had a bad cold in Oct 2015, and after a cough I heard high pitch sound in my left ear, then dissipated and ear felt clogged, turned out I have 70 percent hearing loss and hissing tinnitus sound in my left ear, I went to ENT, audiologist and he was not helpful at all, It's upsetting when they act like it's no big deal

 

Welcome to the forum. Sorry about your suffering with T. Ya, most ENTs and audiologists don't know how to treat T and so they tend to tell you to 'live with it'. LOL. They do their part to check if there are medical issues with your ears and hearing. But beyond that, they are generally helpless.

Hearing loss particularly in the high frequency is known to be a cause for T for some people. I am one of them. I have loss in the high frequency, hence my T is ultra high pitch dog whistle. The initial suffering from my T plus severe hyperacusis was overwhelming. But after reading success stories and chatting with forum members, I got better at handling my emotions. That is key to helping turn around from T. Once you become calmer and more positive, your anxiety and stress level will come down, and hence your T will probably feel less intrusive.

Just remember people do get better. Try to read up many success stories to give yourself hope and to learn others' insights how to get better. If you haven't tried masking, let me know and I will provide some suggestions. Take good care & God bless.

 

Thank you for responding. I have so much anxiety right now and I'm crying all the time, you made me feel better

 

Perhaps try masking the T @MilaS, because if your brain feels that there is some way to eliminate T, it will not be as anxious. Anxiety and stress can make T sound louder. So try to something to reduce your stress level. Try some relaxing walks, jogs, hikings, or some other hobbies to distract from T. For masking, these are some suggestions:

TT’s own excellent masking sounds:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/audioplayer/

If you need more masking sounds, here is free ‘aire freshener’:

http://www.peterhirschberg.com/mysoftware.html

Rain sounds are soothing indeed. You can mix your own rain sounds with this rain generator:

http://mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/rainNoiseGenerator.php

Search youtube with ‘masking sounds’ and you will also get lots of different nature sounds, such as rain, waves, waterfalls, running brooks, insect sounds, even shower & faucet etc.

For calming your anxiety, your may want to try some natural supplements, such as chamomile tea, hops, valerian tablets, St. John Wort. If you have trouble sleeping, melatonin may help.

 

Hello @MilaS and welcome!
I suffered sudden hearing loss in left ear too, almost three years ago. It's all gone. I also have constant hissing noise and other noises in my deaf ear. I was initially so scared, angry at doctors who did not help, crying, depressed, etc. The good news is that I don't cry anymore and I'm not anxious anymore. I wish this had not happened to me but I accept it and I am coping. I have had to make lifestyle modifications but I am happy again. I choose quieter hobbies now (important to keep my mind busy) and I limit my exposure to loud venues. I try to look at what I still have in life instead of what I have lost. Positive Behavioral Therapy was helpful for me. Many on this site have benefited from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Keep your chin up. You are not alone.

 

Thank you

 

I don't want to be depressing I just need an outlet, so I am expressing how I am feeling now, I really felt better and I wasn't focusing on the hissing and I felt like my old self a little bit, but this morning I reverted back a little bit, just feel sad and anxious, just read a lot of positive posts again to make me feel better

 

It is quite normal to have setbacks like the one you are having. Setbacks can put doubt back to your mind, or cause you to have mental strugle. It is best to keep calm and not to give in to setbacks. Take them as bumps on the road to habituation. That way you will feel better about them.

 

How long did you take to habituate?