Suddenly Can't Hear Any High Frequencies in My Left Ear — Everything Sounds Muffled

I don't have anyone else to talk to about this, and I've been in such mental pain today. I've gone from hopeful and loving to feeling true, real despair. I can feel the anxiety creeping on my back again.

I've had tinnitus for a few years, I believe it began when I abruptly stopped some medicine and also had a fire alarm go off near my head.

I am a musician and my hearing is very important to me, in fact THE most important thing in the world, since the way I escape and deal with any sort of pain is playing instruments.

I successfully dealt with tinnitus and it no longer remained a problem in my life for quite a few months.

I had a symptom that was something very unique (nobody can still tell me what it is) in that every now and again my hearing would "pop" suddenly. I will lose my hearing near completely in one ear and then have a loud ring, in different frequencies for 2-10 seconds and the go.

A month ago it happened, but this time it was different, it lasted for AGES and the ringing at that frequency was so loud it was beyond any other sound in the room. I had seriously muffled hearing in that ear for ages and was so afraid to even try out headphones because the pain of losing hearing is too much for me to face. I began to sink into real depression and like balloon you pop in the weak spots. Every time I was stressed my ears would go and further the stress of me believing I was losing that frequency or my hearing. The hearing was never obviously worsened until testing which phone etc.

The last few days were miraculous, sound returned to my left ear in a big way, I could hear things again properly, like my guitar and headphone sounded balanced. I can only assume it was some auditory nerve damage or alike as the damage (which I thought was permanent) healed.

I have been truly over the moon, until today.

I was sitting down and I became slightly stressed at my left ear slightly getting louder, no biggie, I shrugged it off safe in the knowledge that this has happened before and that it didn't actually damage my hearing.

Then it hit me, a sort of lowish high frequency. It carried on for 30 minutes and at this point I was getting very upset. I tried pouring water in my ears, shaking my head, everything I could to get it to go.

It has NEVER stayed this long. It lasted for about two hours after which I was completely depressed and hopeless. I can't hear properly out of my left to a degree that I have never experienced. Everything in my left ear is completely muffled and I can't hear any high pitch frequencies properly.

Why this would happen now, among some of the most hope and love I've ever felt is beyond me. I even bought an interface and really nice headphones and a Mic to start recording today some music I'm really proud of making on the guitar.

If I wake up tomorrow and I still can't hear out of my left ear I don't know what's going to happen. I have serious dissociation and obsessive problems and this is making me feel suicidal.

Please help me.

 

That's called fleeting tinnitus and is quite common.

Go to ER and tell them you have sudden senso-neural hearing loss.

 

I haven't heard of anyone talk about this and when I went for tinnitus counselling, she said she had never heard of that either. There is clearly something quite severe happening there physically, this isn't just a normal ringing.
I'm not going to ER, they would never be able to do anything for that.

 

The people on a tinnitus forum are clearly more suited to treat your sudden sensorineural hearing loss than real doctors! We are not

Book an appointment with ENT to rule out anything serious.

God bless!

 

Go see a doctor at your earliest convenience.

Your variations in hearing and Tinnitus could be a sign of endolymphatic hydrops (you did not mention any vestibular issues like vertigo/etc), but again, you should consult with a doctor and test your hearing.

When I was (mis)diagnosed with hydrops, I was told to do the no salt, no alcohol, no caffeine, no sugar diet.

Make sure you limit the volume of the instruments you play, too.

Good luck!

 

Thanks but I have already seen more than 2 senior ENT's and also a Tinnitus Councillor who said they have never heard of my specific issue or know what it is.

The research days are so early on tinnitus, I feel like they know barely anything.

 

That sounds interesting.

Last year I was having similar issues and saw two senior ENT's and also had an MRI and a Tinnitus Councillor who also had never heard of my issue. Then again the healthcare in the UK is so bad I don't expect them to. I have no balance issues, but upon reading of said condition it sounds likely that something to do with my immune system relating to my nose condition is probable. I have an issue with my nose that triggers an immune response and could be related to completely unresearched way to what is happening. I suffer from fevers from these immune responses.

I do believe my case is one of a kind.

I will see my GP tomorrow and mention them.

May I ask what you actually had and why you were diagnosed with Hydrops?

Thanks.

 

Not sure about a "pop" but sometimes my hearing in my left ear completely drops and I can hear a much louder ringing tone. It goes back to normal after a few seconds or minutes, with a slight spike in tinnitus. I thought this was normal with tinnitus patients?

 

My hearing completely drops suddenly and there is an extremely loud (x100 normal tinnitus) increasing tone, that seems to be a different frequency each time.

Twice in my life this has caused me serious concern, because the other month when it happened it didn't stop and kept getting louder I though I was navigating a stroke.

 

I feel you pain. I experienced muffled hearing for months after my noise trauma.

The inner ear is a very poorly researched organ, there are probably a lot of unknown problems the ear can have that aren't medically classified. ENT's really don't care about scientific research regarding the inner ear, it's pointless when their only goal is to sell hearing aids.

 

This is a medical emergency. Go to the ER.
Also, check out
https://www.masseyeandear.org/for-p...ation/diseases-and-conditions/sudden-deafness

 

That sounds like my "fleeting tinnitus" which has happened to me every once in a blue moon ever since I was a kid (way before my real tinnitus). I don't know what causes it but I wouldn't be surprised if it's sort of like an epileptic seizure as far as a temporary spike in hyperactivity in a part of the brain.

 

Could this be the result of

 

Do you have a history of being over exposed to loud noise?

I have no clue to know this, but we need to consider the possibility noise abuse could be a culprit.

 

I have otosclerosis. Why doctors made this diagnosis mistake with me is anyone's guess, but I imagine skill and diligence is an important part of it.

Thankfully I persevered and saw more than half a dozen doctors before we started getting on the right track.

 

Same here.

 

I get a similar thing as well - the ringing in one ear will get 10x louder and in my other ear I become unable to hear high pitched noises. Lasts anywhere from 10 minutes to a full day. This has been happening to me for the last 5 years and no one has ever been able to work out why this happens to me despite seeing various ENTs and audiologists.

Sorry I can’t be much help but at least you know you’re not alone in this.

 

I'm terrified right now.

Recently I have had my ear "pop" a bunch of times, but that has never caused long lasting hearing loss.

On Wednesday I went to my GP and a nurse looked into my ears. Ever since that day I have had a "new" type of tinnitus in the form of loud "different" high frequencies that are longer lasting and different from the usual ringing, I've never had these in YEARS of having tinnitus.

Yesterday I woke up with really muffled high frequencies and today it's even worse. The sound of taps and keyboard pressing sound ridiculously muffled. I don't know what to do, my ears are going crazy.

I feel like the nurse did something with the scope, maybe it had been in someone's ears with some issues that was transferred to me.

I've never had hearing loss from any of this but my ears literally won't stop popping now.

Should I ask for a course of prednisone or go to A and E?

 

If you are worried and might have regrets later for not taking any action, you should go see a doctor and ask them if prednisone might work for your situation.

 

I saw a doctor two days ago and that's actually funnily enough when this episode began. Maybe they hadn't cleaned the tool or something and my ear has been infected?

 

Unlikely as they are not supposed to reuse the tips of the scope across patients.
Perhaps she pushed some wax in.

Test your hearing and you'll know.

Ironically, they're probably going to check that claim with an otoscope.
And just to reiterate: they don't clean the scope before using it on another patient: they change the tip to a new/clean/sterile one. You can see the stack of clean tips they have in their office (there are different sizes available).

 

Are you having any congestion or allergy symptoms? Muffled hearing can be a frustrating side effect to this and the "pop(s)" may be the ear's attempt trying to clear. Try drinking lot of fluids like water, low-salt broth, steam inhalation and see if this helps at all.

 

Thanks.

I have really wax free ears.

My hearing is still muffled really badly, I'm wondering if this will pass.

I guess it's possible that the person didn't clean the scope.

In years of tinnitus I've never had that happen, never experienced any significant hearing loss (that was permanently, especially in both ears) and now my hearing is awful, and hasn't reverted in days. It happened exactly the next day after getting my ears checked.

 

I have had a cold but the last two says but this happened before that.

I feel like this is the sort of thing that they will know exactly what it is in a few years.

 

This is really painful mentally and is getting me seriously depressed.

I'm a musician and use music to help me and I can't hear my instruments properly or enjoy that part of my life at all, which was a huge part.

If not being able to get your pain (caused by hearing loss) out of your system because you can't hear isn't torture I don't know what is.

 

I would not wait if I were in your shoes. The timing with the ear check could be coincidental and perhaps you are victim of sudden hearing loss, which would require immediate attention.

Good luck!

 

I've been to a doctor about the popping but not this hearing loss. They booked me to see an ENT for the 12th July but that might be too late, what should I do?

I really want to avoid drugs like Prednisone as I suffer with other conditions.

 

Prednisone is THE go to drug for sudden hearing loss, and one of the only treatment known to work at early onsets. Get some ASAP before it's too late. Better safe than sorry.

 

See the ENT (or another one) at your earliest convenience.

If you are diagnosed with sudden hearing loss, the steroids could be offered to you as either a pill or an intratympanic shot. I imagine you don't want the pill because of its systemic effect, but you can talk to your doc about the shot, as the drug is localized to the middle ear only, which limits the scope of side effects and interactions.

Good luck!

 

By the time you visit the ENT you will be able to educate him on all the research you will do.