Sudden Hearing Loss and Tinnitus - 10 years running and a positive story

Hearing Loss
#1

Hi all.

With so many people coming here desparate for answers and searching for help, I thought it might be a good time for me to post something positive. This week marks 10 years for me suddenly losing my hearing. All I was doing was sitting in a Dairy Queen drive through waiting for my ice cream. My ear started ringing, the world turned sideways and I puked like crazy. My wife had to drive us home and life has never been the same. 100% hearing loss in right ear and non-stop tinnitus.

Sucks right?

Not so much.

In the last 10 years my wife and I have had two beautiful daughters. I’ve received promotions at work. I’ve traveled to many countries. I’ve got new hobbies and I’m listening to some great music. All with one ear working.

What I’m trying to say is that life doesn’t stop when this crap happens.

Of course my friends, family and coworkers can’t remember which ear is the bad one. Sure, I have to sit at the corner of a table in a restaurant to hear everyone. And yes, the tinnitus can be relentless, but there are ways to cope (including not reading the tinnitus forums too much!)

What my hearing loss has done for me is not all negative. It’s forced me to focus on conversations. It’s made me more aware of my surroundings and oddly my lip reading is somehow good enough now to be able to tell what a baseball coach says to a pitcher on TV. I’ve even tried a few hearing aids but none of them seem to work that good, but I’m willing to try.

When this first happened to me, I saw one Dr who told me I could claim disability, prescribed me a bunch of Valium and told me to go sit on my couch for a few weeks (years?) Instead I went home and got on my mountain bike. Yeah, I fell over a few times due to the dizzys, but soon I had fought that off and was back to riding my favorite trails.

Sure it sucks. It’s normal to feel depressed. Have a good cry and then get back to living…and realize that now you get half-price ear plugs!

#2

Wow - 137 views in almost a month and not one reply. Doesn’t anyone else have anything positive to share here?

A word of advice to those who are struggling with SSHD: Tell people what’s up. Let’s them know your situation. It makes it easier on everyone. As soon as you share this personal side of you, people will realize that you’re not just saying “what” all the time because you’re not listening to them.

OK - back to life now.

#3

Well it’s week 3 w the Verso RIE 962 TS and I’m also celebrating! Why am I so happy to have HAs? Well for one to live in a time where we have the technology to make this situation bearable. My family members have struggled with hearing Los for generations. Great grandma even tried an ear trumpet but ultimately was lost in a world of silence. Brother had some that sort of worked. Others mostly gave up and put theirs in the drawer.

Sitting hear I have the TS setting on. It sounds more like a summer rain instead of the annoying tree frog hiss I hear when there isn’t enough background noise to distract me from the tinnitus.

I just realized that I haven’t gotten a tension headache from straining my neck forward to hear people when it would be inappropirate to stand in their personal space. I had been getting tension headaches at the base of my skull from this.

Getting jokes better. Enjoying music more and hearing the right words from the lyrics (some were better the way I misheard them before :slight_smile: Enjoying the night sounds now when walking the dogs. Not so tired fro working so hard to hear things on the job. Taught an adult and told the students I had HAs and they were much better about not mumbling which everyone appreciated

Even with my mild loss these things have made my life go from overcast to sunny, B & W to color.
So appreciate this forum that has helped me to communicate with my Audi to get what I needed. Th ENT was on the fence but I’m happy I gave it a shot. These puppies are keepers