Reversing SHL after various months?

Hearing Loss
#1

Hello,
I am deaf on my right ear since February.
I was suggested to try Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture which I was told helped some patients regaining part of the hearing. I decided to try it, since the traditional medicine did not seem to have more explanations than the ones TCM´s has to offer (I was told what did not cause my SHL, but not what did, nor I have read of any clear cause/effect in the treatment I tried, steroids, antibiotic, etc).
I would like to know if anybody on this forum knows of any reported case of SHL that reverted to partial or total hearing after various months.
I was told that healing within 4 weeks was possible and the absence of improvements after 2 months meant no hope. Wondering if there has been any case of recovery after months any of you is aware of.

Thanks
Ludomiro

#2

I think it is fantastic that you are open to different treatment modalities!

I have a sensorineural hearing loss too, but it was my tinnitus that led me to look at acupuncture. Like you, I was informed that acupuncture could help. I had 12 sessions over 3 months but didn’t note any improvement in my hearing or tinnitus. Nevertheless, the process was enjoyable and relaxing, and helped me acclimate to my tinnitus.

I say go for it. Best case? You experience some improvement. Worst case? You have a fun story for your friends.

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#3

SSHL happened to a couple of days before Christmas last year. I had a round of steroid injections in my ear that were unsuccessful. My doctor mentioned hyperbaric chamber treatments. I have read that these are somewhat successful, but it needs to be done as soon as possible after the loss to bring the best results. These treatments are about two hours each. You have to be comfortable of being in a small space for the two hours and there are four treatments. If you feel you can do that, it’s worth a shot.

By the time I had my last steroid treatment, I got up the nerve to try the hyperbaric chamber, but my doctor didn’t think it would help. I wear an HA now in what used to be my worse ear. It has helped me to hear and I’m not as bad as I thought when not wearing it.

With that said, the best solution for me is a cochlear implant. After all the postponements, I’m finally having this Thursday. Implant surgery doesn’t restore your normal hearing and it’s not Immediate, it takes a month post op to activate the implant,then, re-hab after that to retrain your brain to hear again. The outcome is that you will be anle to hear again on your bad side and it does become normal by syncing with your good ear.

Best of luck to you!

#4

Good luck with your surgery! Keep us posted, there’s CI section of the forum but you’ve probably read it all through already :smiley:

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#5

Thanks @Alvin , I think that’s the approach I am having with it.

#6

@debbie_o Thanks for sharing. I think it is great that you have made your mind about it.
Wishing you the best with it!

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#7

Thank you! Yes I’ve read the cochlear implant section of the forum. Just like the rest of the forum good, useful info.

I have to agree about getting your mind wrapped around having your hearing one day, then the next, it’s gone. It’s a bit of a different experience than gradual loss, where over time, you can adapt to the subtle changes in your hearing, especially when you still have decent hearing out of the other ear. When you lose your hearing suddenly and you have hearing damage in the other, it’s a bit unbearable. It takes time to deal with it and get used to it. That’s been a big part of my journey.

I had a hard time processing the loss and accepting it. It caused my ulcer to acting up and caused some panic attacks. Then came the acceptance. I initially would keep the one HA in my ear when sleeping (kind of strange, you don’t hear much while sleeping), then I started taking them out at night. I kind of enjoyed the silence so I could sleep.

If you don’t want hear someone, you could mute or take the HA out. LOL! I also hVe another reaon why this loss bothered me is I lost the vision in one of my eyes due to diabetes. So this was traumatic. Now I look forward to my CI, it will be nice to get hearing back on that one side, though not natural hearing.

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#8

I also had SSHL in my R ear 3 years ago. I tried for 6 months with conventional treatment, steroid injections and antibiotics. Unfortunately these treatments didn’t work for me. I went down the CI road 12 months ago now. It’s the best thing I ever did.

@debbie_o good luck with your CI on Thursday, I hope it’s successful for you.

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#9

Thank you, Sheryl! Thank you to you and the Cochlear mentors that have helped me through an uncertain journey and have helped me to understand about the implants and how they have changed your and their lives. A CI for SSHL is not for everyone. Each person has to do their research and make their own decision. There is no right or wrong decision, the only decision that matters is the one you feel comfortable with.

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