Yes the steroids helped only a few days because, as I understand it, steroids are anti inflammatory. So my distortion is likely caused by too much pressure in my cochlea. The steroids reduced inflammation, pressure came down, my hearing returned to normal. But steroids, like aspirin, wear off after a while and the pressure returned. So I’m trying to figure out what’s causing the excessive pressure. I got the steroid treatment about two months after this started. I do have the distortion now, and I can feel fullness or pressure in my ear. It doesn’t sound like a hollow echo to me, but it’s similar. The fact that steroids fixed my hearing also gives me naive hope that the hair cells aren’t dead, just stuck in a pressure chamber in my cochlea. Have you tried the transtympanic steroids yet? It’s a little risky because they make a hole in your eardrum which usually heals fine but in rare cases does not. If steroids into your inner ear help, it might give you insight to what’s happening.