Otosclerosis ..?

Hearing Loss
1

Hi everyone,

So I’ve seen my ENT today again after going to an audiologist for a hearing test (my ENT send me because I have a problem with compliance (low peak) in tympanogram In my right ear

*(I’ll answer a pic)

So the audiologist concluded that I have no problem with hearing in both ears (however the right ear goes down to 25 but the doctor seems to believe it’s within the normal range)

Anyway , the ENT today said that he suspects otosclerosis but can’t be sure now since I have no hearing loss but I have the other symptoms . So he told me to wait another 6-8 months before getting another hearing test.

So can you have this condition without hearing loss in early stages ?

Ps I’m a 20 years old female , I have low pitched ringing tinnitus in my right ear that I notice when I’m in a quite place or trying to sleep . And I have pulse like sounds in my left ear and occasionally in my right one.

The first one was done about a month and a half ago , the second one was done on Wednesday.

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The Audiology certainly isn’t anything like a normal otosclerosis presentation. Small amount of LF bias, no Carhart Notch @ 2KHz?

The main issue seems to be the lack of compliance in the drum (Tymp measurement), that’s consistent with a thickened/scarred Tympanic Membrane or more usually the presence of some middle ear fluid/gloop with poor Eustachian tube function. The tinnitus is probably just an audible part of the whole system being gummed together and the fluid passing the pulse of your carotid artery directly to your hearing system.

Any recent respiratory illness? Cod/Flu? Been blowing your nose? etc?

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I actually have allergic rhinitis but the doctor seems to think that it’s not related to this . And he couldn’t say that it was otosclerosis for sure that’s why he advices me to get another test after some months to see if it is affected or not.

I’m really confused with all of this.

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I’m not going to say your doctor is wrong, but the evidence from your charts would lead me to a different conclusion. I assume you have medication for the AR?

In terms of the Otosclerosis, The Shape of the Audiogram is wrong, your age is wrong, the tympanograph is inconsistent, the tinnitus is wrong.

Easy way to tell, can you equalise your middle ear cavity/perform a Valsava Manouvre ? If that works easily then forget everything I’ve said - if you can’t complete it, get popping or pain (Stop trying obviously) and seek the advice of a pharmacist about a decent decongestant.

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I do take medication for it .

I tried the one you mentioned and my left ear made a squeaking noise and both ears felt plugged afterwards . I tried the other one where you pick your nose and swallow , that too gave me a plugged ear .

Now I see it might be ETD as I occasionally have a feeling of water moving in my ear , my ENT said it might not be the reason because of the pressure being normal. But who knows it might be it .

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You don’t say what it is… I had decades of problem in my upper respiratory system from chronic rhinitis. I’ve been using a nasal steroid spray twice daily for several years; it’s been unbelievably helpful.

And wow whatever you do don’t get hooked on Otrivin or similar decongestant spray. I did that years ago, and when a good allergist finally made me stop, it was weeks before I could breathe through my nose again. Major rebound with those sprays, major.

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I use avamys , saline sprays and antihistamine pills.

I use otrivin ONLY when I’m so sick (for a week) I hate it so much the taste is horrible , but it’s good occasionally .

I have horrible nasal allergies , nasal polyps and deviated septum. I have a major problem in that department so if it turned out I have ETD I wouldn’t be surprised.

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Yikes. I know my ex’s nasal polyps have been helped enormously with a steroid spray. It sounds like you have definitely got the rhinitis-curse. I had debilitating seasonal allergies when I was younger. They only started to get better when I went to a really good allergist, who gave me desensitization shots twice weekly, constantly monitored them, and kept increasing the concentrations. (I had had them before and they hadn’t helped.)

I’ve matured out of a lot of that, but it took years to finally go to the doctor and say that I clearly have chronic rhinitis. Turns out it is seriously underdiagnosed, since people just go on living their lives, even if they’re suffering from it.

I had a deviated septum, too. Although the world was promised, corrective surgery did zip to help my sinus problems.

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I’d love to get these shots! but I have no idea where I’d find a god doctor for that in my country.

my allergies are all year round , I’m allergic to perfumes , dust , smoke , cleaners , pets , flowers…etc.

I also have eczema that I didn’t really “grow out of” but it’s ALOT better now that I’m older (I only have the occasion spot here and there and the dry , sensitive skin)

so that’s a lifetime of eczema (diagnosed at 2 months old and now almost 21) and i noticed rhinitis symptoms around 14 years ish .

my doctor didn’t recommend a surgery for neither the deviated septum nor the polyps, so I’ll have to live with one somewhat working nostril lol .

I’m glad you got some relief now. little things like these just make us suffer silently because people think it’s no big deal!

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10

From someone with otosclerosis, four stapedotomy surgeries, chronic rhinitis, and a habit of using spray decongestants too often: I agree completely with Um_bongo. Your audiogram doesn’t indicate any significant otosclerosis.

A SLIGHT clue regarding the possibility that you might have otosclerosis and might see increased effects as you get older: Is/was your mother or any of her sisters hearing impaired? Are/were any of your grandparents or their siblings (mainly female) substantially hearing impaired? If so, were any of these impairments diagnosed as otosclerosis? Otosclerosis is usually hereditary and statistically affects females more than males (but I’m male…with bad luck). Repeat: this provides only a SLIGHT clue.

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I’m in love with this sentence.

Agreed, does not look like otosclerosis.

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I don’t think so !

Ok I’m glad you guys told me about this as I was a little scared when my doctor mentioned it even though he said there was a very small chance and he still thinks I’m fine but wants to make sure.

Oh and I’m sorry about your condition and me here whining about nothing . I wish you all the best !

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Could you please give a review on stapendectomy, where you had it done, how long between each one and did they damage your hearing further. I was told 20 year ago there was one shot at surgery and if it failed, I would lose what little hearing I have and aids would be useless after. Would you do it again? I am glad to have found you but sincerely wish it wasn’t because we share the same hearing problem.

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j.mackay1: I think you will learn a lot more about otosclerosis, stapedotomy, and stapedectomy by an internet search (especially Wikipedia) than having someone like me trying to explain these subjects. But with regard to my own experiences, here is a short review with very approximate dates:

My mother, and earlier her older sister, and much earlier my grandmother had very poor hearing, which was never diagnosed as otosclerosis, but in hindsight I strongly suspect that’s what it was. About 1980 I started wearing one HA in R ear. R ear hearing got worse, and about 1984 my audiologist suggested seeing otolaryngologist MD based on difference in my bone conduction vs. air conduction R audiogram scores.

Oto MD ( I’d rather not identify specific MDs) said I would benefit from stapedotomy and he represented that risks were low. A training video was made of my surgery (it involved a vein graft, which I think was special at that time). I had local not general anesthetic in order to check my hearing while still on operating table. My hearing improved but not as much as I had hoped and I still needed R HA.

Sometime about 1990 I started wearing L HA. About 1995, tests showed increased bone vs. air conduction in R ear, and Oto MD #2 (who had been partner with Oto MD #1) recommended revision R stapedotomy surgery, which I agreed to because techniques and prosthesis had improved. This improved R ear hearing somewhat but still not great even with R HA. It was explained that otosclerosis usually also includes neural loss.

About 1997, I had stapedotomy surgery in L ear, which seemed to improve hearing more than R ear surgeries (but still needed L HA). BTW, all surgeries after the first involved general anesthetic.

About 2005 - 2015 hearing and especially WRS in R ear degenerated substantially. Oto MD #2 suspected that prosthesis had become loose or disengaged and recommended another R ear revision surgery. That surgery confirmed his suspicion, and my R hearing improved significantly. In spite of my audiogram, my perception is that my R hearing and especially my WRS is much worse than my L hearing.

I hope this long post is somehow helpful. My opinion is that stapedotomy surgery involves some risk, and anyone contemplating this should do their own research and make their own decision. I’m particularly fortunate because my Oto MD #2 is perhaps the best ear surgeon in the world. He spends most of his time training other physicians and doing only more serious surgeries (e.g., reconstructing ears and hearing on children born with substantial deformities).

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In my very limited experience, the surgeon matters. Are you in Southern Ontario?