Sudden Hearing Loss with Tinnitus

Hello out there, I am new to this (unfortunately). My story goes as follows. I am a very healthy 65 year old, with virtually no health problems until now. I don't take any medications for anything, I don't smoke, don't drink very much, have healthy blood pressure, etc;,..etc;.

Almost two weeks ago on February 25 of 2019 I went to bed feeling quite normal and went to sleep. My ears were fine. I woke up just past midnight with a horrible noise in my right ear (popping, crackling, hissing, and ringing.) I also realized that I had now could not hear anything from my right ear. I was completely deaf on the right side. I also had mild vertigo. I got up and thought I could just walk it off. I sat up for about 4 hours and things settled down just a little bit but now I am left with intense tinnitus and total hearing loss in right ear. Obviously my kind of tinnitus/hearing loss was not caused by a lot of loud noise. It was overnight sudden with no apparent reason. I went right into see a ear/nose/throat doctor. I described what happened and he nodded as I talked and basically said "yep, we see this once in a while. We're not sure what the cause is. We generally prescribe a oral steroid regime that lasts about three weeks. Some people get relief, and some don't." Anyway, I am about half way thru the steroids with no change and am now trying to get my mind wrapped around this calamity. As you all know, there is no escape. It is with you everywhere. If I had to chose between a cure for the total hearing loss, or the tinnitus, I would choose to remain half deaf and cure the tinnitus.

My strong feeling now even though it hasn't been that long is that this (for me) is not an ear problem, but rather a "brain problem". All the research I have been doing also lends itself to this conclusion. This is the most disturbing thing I have ever had to face. So far I am managing to get through this on a day by day basis, but the thought of living like this for the next 20 is something I'm not sure I can handle. Day by day is the best answer I guess. I just discovered this website forum and I will be going through it a lot, hoping to find someone with the exact same problem I have (sudden hearing loss with tinnitus) who maybe has had some success with something.

So far the only thing that has helped me get through the days is the use of one of these noise cancelling headsets. The one I got is a Sony WH1000XM3. It does help and makes things more tolerable. Without it, the sound waves coming into my good right ear have a very negative effect on my tinnitus. Especially in places like cafe's or or anyplace that has a lot of background noise. Fortunately when I go to bed in a quiet bedroom things settle down a bit, and I am able to sleep. Sometimes I use a white noise device that plays the sound of ocean waves. The pleasant distraction helps (sometimes).

Even though I wouldn't wish this on anyone, I am grateful to have found others who are dealing with this serious condition that nobody out there in the non-tinnitus world knows who we are. Any feedback directed at myself would be hugely appreciated. I feel your pain, believe me. -J

 

Yes, you got Sudden SensoriNeural Hearing Loss (SSNHL) and it sounds like you saw a doctor pretty quickly after onset, which increases the chances of recovery with steroids.

Keep your hope up - you're only halfway through your treatment.

Good luck!

 

https://www.masseyeandear.org/for-p...ation/diseases-and-conditions/sudden-deafness

 

You can try to find a doctor who will do intratympanic (through the eardrum) steroid injections (since systemic steroids are not helping). Or IGF-1 injections, but they are not available to general public.
HBOT with betahistine might help too.

In cases of SSNHL tinnitus usually fades in volume within 6 months. Try to protect your ears and don't do anything bad to yourself.

You can also do a brain MRI (preferably with contrast, but there are risks) to rule out acoustic neuroma, but you have to be aware that it's really noisy and you have to wear proper hearing protection. It seems that your tinnitus is affected by noise it's definitely a big risk, however there are some relatively quiet MRI machines out there.
If you decide to go for an MRI and you start feeling a lot of loud vibration you can abort the procedure. The sound can travel through the bone and cause damage this way even if you are using earplugs and earmuffs.

Also you should use regular earplugs under noise cancelling headphones, because they might cause tinnitus by causing an acoustic trauma. Unless your headphones are under 50 dB they carry a risk of exacerbating tinnitus.

 

@JohnFox I've just suffered from the same affliction about a month ago. Our stories are very similar. Just checking in to see how you are travelling at this point? What was your audiogram and did any frequencies improve? I too would banish this ringing & keep the deafness without hesitation as like you mentioned my good ear is now my bad ones worst enemy! Nick

 

What is the dosage of steroids?

I keep some steroids in my fridge and had it once on waking up pretty scary

It was like having one ear full of water or an ear plug inside

Popped 120mg of prednisone after eating a carrot first thing upon waking up, and some proton pump inhibitor to protect the stomach
Swelling went down 2-3 hours later and hearing went back to normal

A high dosage real fast is what what works best

 

Sorry to hear you have basically the sam thing. Well, it's been over 4 months now since my "episode" that left me with total hearing loss in right ear, tinnitus, and hyperacusis. I did everything your suppose to do,....got immediate attention from an ENT with prompt steroid treatments including direct injections into right ear. I have absolutely zero improvement after all the steroid treatment. My audiogram? I don't remember the exact numbers, but the women giving me the final test basically said "nobody home", .....which I already knew. If I hear anything in my right ear it is just an annoying buzz/vibration. All I can say is that I am getting better at living with this, so that's something. The passing of time seems to be helping with the "habituation" thing for the tinnitus and hyperacusis. Maybe in a year from now it won't be a big deal. Time will tell.

Be strong. It does get better.

 

Not sure what your asking, or what your condition is. If you have any real questions about steroid use, definitely see a doctor. Steroids are not something to mess around with or experiment with on your own. They are a powerful drug.

 

@JohnFox
I was asking about the dosage in miligrams.
The effects is dose dependent.

Steroids are safe when used in limited time periods, in my case it was only one day.
Moreover - in the case of sudden hearing loss or accoustic trauma time is the essence
I would lose precious minutes looking for a doctor, going there, waiting in queue etc that's why I keep a minum dosage of 120mg oral pills at home