it first happened to me about 30 years ago- and back then there was no steroid treatment so my hearing was lost in one year. It happened in my other year about 10 years ago, and like you, I was proscribed a huge amount of steroids and was assured that it would do the trick in the vast majority of cases. It did- so don’t worry unduly.
Sadly it happened to me during Covid, when steroids could not be prescribed due to their impact on immunity, and my hearing has gone in my ‘good’ ear.
Your GP is to be congratulated for moving fast- speed of response is critical.
Good luck!
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Thank you @nglfriend. That must have been tough, especially during Covid, it could not have happened at a worse time for you. I’m interested in your take on the Phonak Sphere’s and how they have helped you, rather than a CI. Maybe AI could possibly be the holy grail we are searching for.
Spherical has been a game changer for me. I was getting desperate, and concerned that i was becoming isolated because of my hearing- with the inevitable cognitive decline. I even considered a private approach to a CI.
My audiologist told me about the launch of spherical, and I had a trial first week it was available. Totally changed my social engagement and I cannot recommend it enough.
As my hearing continues to deteriorate, I think a CI is inevitable- but at least AI allows us to have a reasonable interaction in the meantime.
Have you tried it?
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No not so far @nglfriend. Thinking about it if there is no positive outcome for me, although I don’t socialise that much, I still have to consider cognitive decline as I’m going to be 80 soon. I did trial the Philips 9050’s with AI technology before my latest hearing episode. For me there was no improvement to my existing aids, which are Costco Kirkland KS10’s.
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I’ve heard that some antibiotics cause overnight hearing loss.
My friend had a cochlear implant. He said that his hearing loss could have been prevented with a certain vitamin supplement.
We worked together when I fell skiing and broke my tib and fib; I had been wearing a single Widex in the ear hearing aid. Foot went backwards; 5 fractures. 2 plates. 14 screws
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I struggled at social events or in pubs or shops. Spherical isn’t a magic bullet and comprehension can still be challenging- but it is certainly worth a trial. The good thing about being profoundly deaf in one ear is that I only need one HA, so costs are halved!
But it is a little scary knowing that ones hearing continues to drift away. Although volume is an issue, I no longer get certain frequencies, so music (as an example) now sounds extremely discordant and unpleasant. There seems little coverage on this aspect of deafness.
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I remember when I thought I’d hear well all my life.
I worked for 3M in Canada. 110 dB when they thought to measure it. that was in the Power House where they compressed air and made high pressure steam.
I suspect it’s cheaper to make a hearing aid for me with my hearing loss, than it would be to make a hearing aid I might use to enjoy listening to music.
I wish they’d make the extra effort.
Yes, some of them, such as aminoglycosides or (less) vancomycin. Neither of these are used in the outpatient setting.
As @WhiteHat mentioned somewhere, the potential infectious cause of SSNHL is most often viral.
This is unlikely, except in the event that he had a severe vitamin deficiency.
Sorry to read that. Did you return to skiing after your recovery and rehabilitation?
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That happened to me too. I went through the same protocols including a CT scan which found nothing. The prednisone didn’t have an immediate effect, but after a few weeks, my hearing in that ear gradually returned. However, it never fully returned to the level before the loss. In fact, it was this incident which led me to get hearing aids. In retrospect, I believe this ear was the better of the two and after the loss and recovery my total hearing ability was considerably reduced.
The immediate cause of my loss seemed to be the sharp sound of a hammer on metal close to the ear.
Good luck to you.
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Thank you @Jay.Aitchsee. Now on the seventh day and checking if I can hear any improvement. Not expecting any miracles so soon, but as you indicated it can take weeks, I’m ok with that. If it turns out not to be the result I’m hoping for, my other ear is not too bad when aided.
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When they took my cast off I had an open wound on my shin
It was 8 inches long and an inch wide.
I received home care after asking for a second opinion
I had to learn how to walk again.
11 months after my break I went skiing again. I skied for 8 years. Skied well. But my concern was being hit from behind.
I don’t ski now
I miss it
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Long story short…i woke up one day with a sudden 60% hearing loss in one ear. One year later same thing on the other ear but only 40%. The docs felt it may have been positional damage cutting off the circulation to my ears. I had thoracic outlet syndrome and ended up having 2 ribs removed to allow for blood flow. It was so bad i couldn’t lift my arms without affecting my hearing and then almost passing out. It might be something for you to check out. I have HA’s in both ears now and my ent told me if i ever experience anything sudden like that again to get in ASAP and get steroids
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Thanks @Peg. One of my first thoughts was that I may have had a stroke, in fact SSHL is sometimes referred to as a ear stroke. Although there were no symptoms of one apart from the loss of hearing.
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A stroke was alslo mentioned to me but with no other symptoms.
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The reason for the hearing loss is inflammation which is the reason for prednisolone. There is a definitive treatment for Sudden Hearing Loss defining the medication dose, duration and tapering. Getting into the inner ear to determine whether there is an infection isn’t practical. If there was a bacterial infection there most likely would be pus and distortion of the ear drum. Usually the cause is viral but that is not easy to determine.
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This coming Tuesday will be 2 weeks since my loss. So far minimal recovery, I can hear some sounds, like the wind blowing in my ear, while out walking, the startup chimes of my aid which are loud, although has a different tone to my left aid. When placing my phone to my ear, all I hear is Mumbo Jumbo.
It’s still early days, but I want to consider my options, should this be as good as it’s going to get.@nglfriend mentioned he has had some positive results with one Phonak 90 Sphere. I would probably require a right side aid on my left ear for streaming purposes?
What about BiCROS, any community members experiences?
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Sorry to read that. Are you reconsidering hyperbaric?
@BarryH, there is also ONE study examining the effectiveness of glycerol taken per os to create a more positive environment in the cochlea due to the creation of osmotic properties.
I realise that glycerol is not in the official recommendations and this treatment requires additional (especially multicenter) research, but the positive result seems quite noticeable. Given that glycerol is unlikely to cause any harm as long as in proper dose (it tastes nasty) - it is worth a try.
However - it’s not medical advice. I only present different approach to potentially devastating problem, which SSHL is.
I am a bit vary to share this, but I think glycerol (NOT GLYCOL - it’s poison) in recommended doses ins’t toxic.
@Bimodal_user, Thank you Gandalf, I have not looked any further into hyperbarics as yet, also appreciate the information on glycerol use in SSHL. I’m impatient, but also feel I need to give any healing process more time.
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Barry, I was very sorry to learn of this. I hope your hearing may yet recover. Before my own hearing ‘crisis’, I used BiCross aids. This was particularly helpful when working or entertaining. However, I am not too sure how helpful they were in usual domestic environments.
The biggest drawback- though other correspondents may correct me because technology changes- was that the blue tooth channels used for feeding sound from one aid to the other took up all the functionality. In other words, at the expense of being able to bluetooth to phone, Roger or TV etc. Ironically, now BiCross is no longer appropriate for my condition, I am enjoying the full bluetooth functionality of modern HAs. But check with your audiologist as the technology may have moved on. Good luck!
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