The medical establishment has a wonderful word to label any condition of unknown origin-idiopathic. I read in the medical literature of MRI’s that can measure cochlear blood flow and of more advanced hearing tests that can help narrow down the specific part of the auditory system that is malfunctioning. Understanding that their is not a treatment yet for every problem my belief is that the more specifically you can identify the problem the more you can focus in on finding a solution. My hearing loss (so far) has fluctuated to a great degree from debilitating, can’t hear much without my aids to days to days I wake up to the wonderful sounds I’ve been missing without any help. Since I have days like this it makes me want to know what make it go away so if possible. My experience so far is that aside from the routine testing, once a hearing loss is detected and their is nothing obvious to treat investigation of the problem stops there. The original poster struck a nerve with me as I’m no closer today than when my loss started to knowing a specific cause.
@CKF42 Welcome to the forum.
With careful consideration of your descriptions, I would like to suggest that you go have your viral load check?
I am sure before you were giving the hearing aid, all the necessary tests were carried out including tymps which should reveal any abnormality in the middle ear.
Did you have Covid or an anti viral drug before you had hearing loss in one ear? I had significant loss in one ear that was already pretty bad, had MRI and other tests to look for tumor. All negative. It was the audiologist not the ENT doctor that mentioned MD to me. I had Covid and the anti viral drug right before it happened and read that either one can cause hearing loss.
A friend had that - it was ear wax squirt warm water in your ears every night
This is similar to how my hearing loss began 14 years ago. 2 ENTs could not figure it out and one said I had meniers (doubtful) - So it was “idiopathic”. The hearing loss stabilized after a while in both ears and I chalk it up to some kind of auto-immune event/virus whatever. I may never know.
Could you be more specific when you refer to a “viral load test” with regards to hearing loss. My google searches so far are only turning up HIV related testing with regards to viral load.
The thing is, any viral infection could cause this type of HL especially from your case history, having done all the mentioned tests and they all showed negative.
You suggested “I would like to suggest that you go have your viral load check?” I am curious what specific test you were referring to if there is such a test. My (poor) understanding of the issue is that a viral load check can be done for specific viruses but there is no general test for viral load? I’m having trouble understanding the link between virus and hearing loss and how to detect a virus that may have caused that loss…