@bwoerner11 @daveshaw None of us in this hearing loss support group are professionals in the otolaryngology field. We can only speak from experience. Part of that experience comes from 'listening' to people who have been there in specific situations. There is a lot to learn!

From what I've learned, sudden hearing loss must be treated quickly after it happens for steroid treatment to be successful in most cases. However, a few people have talked about getting treatments later that have worked.

A reality with hearing loss is that today there is a lot of research going on. That wasn't the case even a few decades ago. For years, prior to the 1980s, it was simply accepted that hearing loss was caused by a 'dying' auditory nerve. People were told they had 'nerve deafness' and that there was absolutely nothing that could be done to help them. Thankfully, that changed when they discovered that the nerve was not transmitting sound to the brain because the cochlea that picks up sound was dysfunctional. Bypassing the damaged cochlea made it possible to stimulate the auditory nerve. Prior to this the prevailing attitude in medicine was that NOTHING COULD BE DONE TO HELP PEOPLE WITH HEARING LOSS. We were told we just had to live with it.

Thankfully research continues. I guess I'm going 'back there' because there are a lot of people who still get the message that their case is hopeless.

Sometimes we have to consider optional treatment when a medical professional suggests that something 'new' might be helpful. My question would always be "If it doesn't help me, can it hurt me?"

Hearing loss is still a mystery. Until they find a way to regenerate the damaged cells in the cochlea it will continue to be so.

We are where we are today because people with profound hearing loss were willing to be pioneers in the development of cochlear implants. I am so very thankful to those people. I am sure there will be further developments in the future. I wonder when?