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Help: Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL) - very scary
Hearing Loss | Last Active: Apr 9 2:08pm | Replies (92)Comment receiving replies
Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL) should be treated as an emergency because time is of the essence when it comes to treating it. There is a bit of information on the website of The Hearing Loss Assn. of America (HLAA) worth reading. Comments on MCC are also very helpful. It isn't always easy to get an immediate appointment with an ENT specialist. The reality is that the typical treatment, being steroid injections, must be done quickly to be effective. It pays to be aggressive in seeking treatment even if that means going to an ER facility with information in hand. Discussion in the MCC forum over time shares considerable information about individual experiences. The causes of SSHL vary. They include viruses, ototoxic medications, acoustic neuroma tumors, etc. I personally know a few people who have experienced this type of hearing loss after flying. Most important to know: Get treatment ASAP.
https://www.hearingloss.org/understanding-hearing-loss/types-causes-and-treatments/sudden-deafness/
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Thanks for spreading the word, Julie. When I lost the hearing in my left ear in 1999, the FM docs I saw said "wax," then "Eustachian tube dysfunction," without even doing the tuning-fork test. A MONTH later I was referred to an ENT and later found out (online) that it's an otologic emergency. I read the ENTIRE long entry for doctors on the American Academy of Family Physicans website on hearing loss (at that time) and there was not ONE single mention of SUDDEN hearing loss. So, not surprising the family docs didn't know about it.
Mine happened when I sneezed hard. I assumed it was just "plugged" somehow, but how is a patient supposed to know? The ENT gave me oral steroids, did an MRI, and that was all there was to do in that era. Later, an otoneurologist theorized it was an inner-ear stroke caused by the sneezing, which made sense to me. I never got any hearing back (and I think that even if I'd been seen immediately, it PROBABLY wouldn't have made a difference, as I also had dizziness with the hearing loss, and the whole situation pointed to a bad prognosis). But I did get a BAHA (bone-anchored hearing aid) in 2008 after the FDA finally approved it for single-sided deafness not caused by acoustic neuroma.
Like you and Lesley here, I've tried to spread the word about SSHL. Regular docs can use a tuning fork to see whether your hearing loss is conductive or sensorineural and thus refer you right away if appropriate. I hope more of them know this now than in 1999!