Update; Finished Prednisone Treatment. No Improvement. Next...

It's been two months now since my sudden total hearing loss in right ear and subsequent onset of tinnitus. I was treated right away with oral prednisone for 3 weeks followed by steroid injections into the middle ear. I recently had my final followup visit with ENT to go over the results. The results were not impressive. No improvement in hearing loss. I am now accepting that my hearing loss in right ear is probably permanent. I explained to the ENT that my hearing loss is secondary to the tinnitus I am experiencing. He said he understood. I smiled back, as if I believed that he really did understand.

My tinnitus is of the "static hissing variety" and is directly related to my hyperacusis. The ENT told me that he thought my hyperacusis and related tinnitus would get a lot better in the 6 month to a year time period. Hmm..., that would be nice. I'm not holding my breath. I am trying to mentally prepare/train myself for this to be with me for a long time. This is really weird stuff. "Noise" is what sets off my tinnitus. But not all noise. I am still discovering what drives me crazy, and what doesn't. Being inside with a lot of talking people is a real problem. But often driving down the road with the road noise etc, doesn't bother me at all. Strange. When I wake up in the morning is probably the best part of the day, but alas, I do have to get up and then the hissing gets much louder from the normal morning activities and their associated "noises" going into my hyper sensitive good ear.

I now find myself more and more avoiding social gatherings where there will be a lot of talking going on. It's hard to explain this to people and I am sure some are wondering why I don't want to get together anymore like I used to even though they know I have this funny ear problem. This is really a learning process and a life challenge like no other. Now, where's that ear plug....

 

This is what I came to believe after reading this forum for the past two years - there is a good chance that it fades in the first 6-24 months. My ENT didn't tell me that. Your ENT is pretty good.

There's a good chance that you will become more resilient 18-24 months after the onset.

 

I’m sorry to hear what you’ve gone through John. Losing hearing so suddenly and then having issues with tinnitus and hyperacusis is rough.

As Bill said, hopefully with some time it will hopefully diminish, adjust, or settle a bit more. Your auditory system has gone through a large change, so it make take some time.

Hopefully your friends will come around to understanding a bit more what you’re going though - it may take a couple reminders though. You have the right attitude, just give your self some time to adjust to this large change in your hearing.

Just remember, we are all here to support you as well on Tinnitus Talk.

 

I hate that you're going through this. I was sending good vibes and positivity your way, but mm. I'm sorry.