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Sudden hearing loss followed by unbearable tinnitus

Posted by marygrace @marygrace, Jul 27, 2017

My sister (70 years old) went to bed one night a month ago with her hearing perfectly normal and the next morning woke up almost totally deaf of the left ear. She went to the otolaryngologist the following day and by his recommentations did a head scanner and other tests which yielded an irreversible 50% deafness. She asked for a second opinion which confirmed the diagnosis. She then started having a very strong and invalidating tinnitus that is driving her crazy, to the point of not wanting to do anything and saying that life is not worthwhile to be lived this way. She does not know what to do. I would appreciate comments, opinions, anything please, she is desperate.

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trishanna | @trishanna | Jul 29, 2017
In reply to @jamienolson "@trishanna, that's interesting that sound systems are different for you. Have you tried any sound devices?..." + (show)
@jamienolson

@trishanna, that's interesting that sound systems are different for you.

Have you tried any sound devices? White noise machines? or you may want to try a white noise machine with pillow speakers to help you sleep. Fans, humidifiers, dehumidifiers and air conditioners in the bedroom also may help cover the internal noise at night. Or Masking devices. Worn in the ear and similar to hearing aids, these devices produce a continuous, low-level white noise that suppresses tinnitus symptoms.

Mayo Clinic also mentions "Tinnitus retraining. A wearable device delivers individually programmed tonal music to mask the specific frequencies of the tinnitus you experience. Over time, this technique may accustom you to the tinnitus, thereby helping you not to focus on it. Counseling is often a component of tinnitus retraining"

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@jamienolson, I appreciate your response. No, have never tried any of the devices. Fortunately, my tinnitus doesn't interfere with sleep - I'm aware of it but the Meniere's systems paved the way many years ago for tinnitus. My hearing problems all have to do with just that - hearing (and understanding).

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johnnyb7 | @johnnyb7 | Sep 11, 2017
In reply to @jamienolson "@trishanna, that's interesting that sound systems are different for you. Have you tried any sound devices?..." + (show)
@jamienolson

@trishanna, that's interesting that sound systems are different for you.

Have you tried any sound devices? White noise machines? or you may want to try a white noise machine with pillow speakers to help you sleep. Fans, humidifiers, dehumidifiers and air conditioners in the bedroom also may help cover the internal noise at night. Or Masking devices. Worn in the ear and similar to hearing aids, these devices produce a continuous, low-level white noise that suppresses tinnitus symptoms.

Mayo Clinic also mentions "Tinnitus retraining. A wearable device delivers individually programmed tonal music to mask the specific frequencies of the tinnitus you experience. Over time, this technique may accustom you to the tinnitus, thereby helping you not to focus on it. Counseling is often a component of tinnitus retraining"

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Tinnitus I have experienced the same issue in both ears. It has woken me up at night and could got back to sleep. One day I was praying about this cause I felt I couldn't take it anymore. I started looking on line to see if their was anything that could help me!
I found s product called quite mind, some people say it's a fraud , but I was desperate and tried it . It's been 1 and 1/2 months and my noise level is half as loud as it was ... i can focus on hearing again.
To me it was a God sent product!
It is a vitamin and herb produce. But always check with your Dr. before using .

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johnnyb7 | @johnnyb7 | Sep 20, 2017
In reply to @gailb "@marygrace, I am so sorry to hear about your sister's sudden hearing loss and subsequent tinnitus...." + (show)
@gailb

@marygrace, I am so sorry to hear about your sister's sudden hearing loss and subsequent tinnitus. Although I don't suffer from tinnitus myself, my husband struggles with it, and with worsening hearing problems. His tinnitus is from taking a daily aspirin and occasionally a dose of ibuprofen if he's overdone physically moving and lifting things. In my efforts to help him with it, I did some research on tinnitus and found that the thing thats works best is to learn to ignore the ringing in your ears. You may want to talk with your ENT to see if there are ways your sister can learn to ignore the ringing in her ears. If she was/is taking any medications they may be the cause or may make the tinnitus worse. Perhaps if that's so, she can request a medicine change from her doctor. I would imagine her recent hearing loss has made her focus on her ears more, so she may be acutely aware of all sounds or lack thereof thus increasing her notice of the tinnitus. This is just a guess on my part, putting myself in your sister's shoes. I hope you receive other information on Mayo Connect to help you help her. Your love and concern for your sister is apparent and admirable. Good luck, Gail B. Ledesma

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Marygrace,

That is very interesting that you mention about the physical strain and a daily aspirin!
When I wake in the morning things are quiet. Then if I yon and stretch hard the noise starts.
I too take aspirin and ibuprofen, how did you fine this out? I am taking a natural supplement and it has taken my noise to half the noise level.
I have severe hearing loss in both ears and I am a candidate for the Cochlest implant and will be proseeding with the process. Does your husband have an implant?
I was told in the past the reason I have the ringing is due to the nerve damage.
I'm trying to fine someone with my same condition to see how successful the implant is working. And for how long.

Thank you,
Johnnyb7

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Mentor
Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Sep 21, 2017
In reply to @gailb "@marygrace, I am so sorry to hear about your sister's sudden hearing loss and subsequent tinnitus...." + (show)
@gailb

@marygrace, I am so sorry to hear about your sister's sudden hearing loss and subsequent tinnitus. Although I don't suffer from tinnitus myself, my husband struggles with it, and with worsening hearing problems. His tinnitus is from taking a daily aspirin and occasionally a dose of ibuprofen if he's overdone physically moving and lifting things. In my efforts to help him with it, I did some research on tinnitus and found that the thing thats works best is to learn to ignore the ringing in your ears. You may want to talk with your ENT to see if there are ways your sister can learn to ignore the ringing in her ears. If she was/is taking any medications they may be the cause or may make the tinnitus worse. Perhaps if that's so, she can request a medicine change from her doctor. I would imagine her recent hearing loss has made her focus on her ears more, so she may be acutely aware of all sounds or lack thereof thus increasing her notice of the tinnitus. This is just a guess on my part, putting myself in your sister's shoes. I hope you receive other information on Mayo Connect to help you help her. Your love and concern for your sister is apparent and admirable. Good luck, Gail B. Ledesma

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@johnnyb7

I have personally found that aspirin or too much NSAID type meds does cause "muffled hearing" I'm not sure if it affects the tinnitus, though. Here are some articles from the NIH website that address hearing loss and use of these meds, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2831770/ and https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/behindtheheadlines/news/2016-12-15-long-term-painkiller-use-linked-to-hearing-loss-in-women/

Teresa

REPLY
johnnyb7 | @johnnyb7 | Sep 28, 2017
In reply to @gailb "@marygrace, I am so sorry to hear about your sister's sudden hearing loss and subsequent tinnitus...." + (show)
@gailb

@marygrace, I am so sorry to hear about your sister's sudden hearing loss and subsequent tinnitus. Although I don't suffer from tinnitus myself, my husband struggles with it, and with worsening hearing problems. His tinnitus is from taking a daily aspirin and occasionally a dose of ibuprofen if he's overdone physically moving and lifting things. In my efforts to help him with it, I did some research on tinnitus and found that the thing thats works best is to learn to ignore the ringing in your ears. You may want to talk with your ENT to see if there are ways your sister can learn to ignore the ringing in her ears. If she was/is taking any medications they may be the cause or may make the tinnitus worse. Perhaps if that's so, she can request a medicine change from her doctor. I would imagine her recent hearing loss has made her focus on her ears more, so she may be acutely aware of all sounds or lack thereof thus increasing her notice of the tinnitus. This is just a guess on my part, putting myself in your sister's shoes. I hope you receive other information on Mayo Connect to help you help her. Your love and concern for your sister is apparent and admirable. Good luck, Gail B. Ledesma

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Teresa,

Very good , thank you for your response!

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falconfly | @falconfly | Oct 12, 2017

I HAVE SWISHING IN MY EARS ALL THE TIME....DOC SAYS NOTHING REALLY TO HELP....???

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Jamie Olson | @jamienolson | Oct 12, 2017

Hello @falconfly, you will notice that I merged your topic on tinnitus to an already existing thread on hearing loss followed by unbearable tinnitus. I hope you find the content within this thread helpful.

Have you talked with your physician about the swishing in your ears? Have you had any hearing loss with your symptoms? You may find the information link that Teresa posted above informative as well.

The members such as @trishanna and @johnnyb7 within this thread have shared helpful information- please reach out to them for questions about what you are experiencing- they too have experienced tinnitus symptoms.

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Mentor
Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Oct 13, 2017

Hello @marygrace

It has been a while since you last posted about your sister's hearing problems and I have been wondering how she is doing.

Do you have any updates regarding her hearing loss or treatment that you would like to share with us?

Teresa

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