@gerrieme , sorry to hear your going through this...its really terrible.
As a child I had my ear repeatedly punctured either by dr or they bursted from infections...they drained pus and blood for days. I wore cotton balls in my ears to keep them covered and catch the drainage. So that caused alot of damage at a young age. Then my father's side have hearing losses, but not untill their senior year's.
I HATE IT!!
Hope you find help.