It's only been two days since the onset of what my doctors are treating as SSNHL. I'm hoping to see an ENT on Monday for more clarity. I've lost about 80% - 90% of the hearing in my left ear. They've already begun me on the doses of Prednisone.

Whereas the hearing loss is obviously devastating, it's the loudness of the world that I'm struggling with, to the point where I'm in agony. I've read about the extreme tinnitus that accompanies SSNHL, but has anyone else experienced all sounds making your tinnitus worse? I had less severe tinnitus before this episode and I found that I could reduce the ringing using background noise like music, or by keeping a radio or TV on. However, I now have to wear earplugs (the workman-style earmuffs) to drown out all sound or my tinnitus becomes overwhelming. And it doesn't matter what ear I expose to noise. Whether I expose the left ear, with substantial hearing loss, or the right which has normal (or what seems like normal) hearing, even taking my earmuffs off for a second turns the ringing into screaming. This is accompanied by what I can only describe as sounding like I'm in a tunnel or on a moving airplane. That deep hollow vibrating sound. The whole thing is debilitating.

Any help or advice or anything would be greatly welcomed.

Thanks.