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Hearing loss after MRI

Posted by julianneyoung @julianneyoung, Nov 21, 2023

I had a 15 minute MRI yesterday and experienced very noticeable hearing loss afterwards. (I already wear hearing aids for congenital bilateral hearing loss.). My ears feel “full” and sound is muffled. I did wear ear plugs and have had MRI before without this happening. It seems slightly better this morning but even my hearing aids turned all the way up doesn’t help much. As a matter of fact, wearing my aids is uncomfortable right now. Has anyone else had this happen? I am not sure what to do. Should I go see my PCP, is this likely temporary and is there anything I can do to help matters?

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julianneyoung | @julianneyoung | Nov 23, 2023

oops steroid spelled wrong!

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julianneyoung | @julianneyoung | Nov 23, 2023
In reply to @trevorchaee12 "If you were wearing your aids during your MRI they could have affected the program in..." + (show)
@trevorchaee12

If you were wearing your aids during your MRI they could have affected the program in your hearing aids. Have a hearing aid program evaluation.

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No, I was not wearing my hearing aids. They were in a plastic case outside the MRI room.

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dloos | @dloos | Nov 23, 2023
In reply to @julianneyoung "Thanks to all that have posted a reply so far. I am on day 3 of..." + (show)
@julianneyoung

Thanks to all that have posted a reply so far. I am on day 3 of my 7 day steriod pack. I am finally wearing my hearing aids but they are turned up to full volume with minimal help. I temporarily stopped taking the allergy meds as the package says not to take them with steriods. Tomorrow, I plan to schedule an appointment with my hearing aid provider to get a hearing test and see if the volume threshold can be adjusted. I realize that this loss may be temporary but it is significant enough to cause me to want to stay away from interacting with others in a group. Thankfully, I am retired so my activities are mostly elective.

I feel badly for those whose doctor was not willing to provide the steroids. I don't know if they will help but it's the only therapy I came across online. As for the couple of people who ended up with hyperacusis, it sounds awful. My heart goes out to you.

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I think this issue is more common than most people know. I had never had an MRI and had no idea what I was in for.
I felt rushed and had ill fitting earplugs provided for me. I was there complaining of ear issues. so it is doubly insulting that I was treated as I was.
After the procedure I developed tinnitus, and hyperacusis. Two conditions I would not wish on my worst enemy.
My tinnitus has varying levels of sound, but the hyperacusis is always a huge problem and has me jumping out of my skin at what is a minor sound to others.
No one seems o know much about either condition. I am more comfortable when I take Klonopin, but of course that is a controlled substance and cannot be taken freely.

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2 replies
julianneyoung | @julianneyoung | Nov 24, 2023
In reply to @dloos "I think this issue is more common than most people know. I had never had an..." + (show)
@dloos

I think this issue is more common than most people know. I had never had an MRI and had no idea what I was in for.
I felt rushed and had ill fitting earplugs provided for me. I was there complaining of ear issues. so it is doubly insulting that I was treated as I was.
After the procedure I developed tinnitus, and hyperacusis. Two conditions I would not wish on my worst enemy.
My tinnitus has varying levels of sound, but the hyperacusis is always a huge problem and has me jumping out of my skin at what is a minor sound to others.
No one seems o know much about either condition. I am more comfortable when I take Klonopin, but of course that is a controlled substance and cannot be taken freely.

Jump to this post

Very sorry to hear of your trauma from your MRI. I can’t imagine having both tinnitus and hyperacousis as a result. Did you bring this up to the place where you had your MRI? I did talk to the person at the front desk but I am going to also bring it up to the clinic manager. Thank you for sharing your experience.

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1 reply
dloos | @dloos | Nov 24, 2023
In reply to @julianneyoung "Very sorry to hear of your trauma from your MRI. I can’t imagine having both tinnitus..." + (show)
@julianneyoung

Very sorry to hear of your trauma from your MRI. I can’t imagine having both tinnitus and hyperacousis as a result. Did you bring this up to the place where you had your MRI? I did talk to the person at the front desk but I am going to also bring it up to the clinic manager. Thank you for sharing your experience.

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I have changed providers so no I didn’t bother with complaining. Complaining seems to mark you out as a “crank”.
I wanted to post my experience so people would understand MRI is a difficult procedure. I was in the machine for 45 minutes. (15 minutes for my neck, immediately followed by 30 minutes for my head). I had NO idea what I was in for! If I ever have another I will take my own ear protection.
I doubt I would ever agree to have it done again.
Perhaps I would have gone into tinnitus and hyperacusis eventually anyway, but it was certainly triggered by my experience.

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1 reply
windyshores | @windyshores | Nov 24, 2023
In reply to @dloos "I have changed providers so no I didn’t bother with complaining. Complaining seems to mark you..." + (show)
@dloos

I have changed providers so no I didn’t bother with complaining. Complaining seems to mark you out as a “crank”.
I wanted to post my experience so people would understand MRI is a difficult procedure. I was in the machine for 45 minutes. (15 minutes for my neck, immediately followed by 30 minutes for my head). I had NO idea what I was in for! If I ever have another I will take my own ear protection.
I doubt I would ever agree to have it done again.
Perhaps I would have gone into tinnitus and hyperacusis eventually anyway, but it was certainly triggered by my experience.

Jump to this post

@dloos, me too..everything you wrote. My tinnitus is awful right now. It can be triggered by ordinary noise if I am not careful.

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1 reply
dloos | @dloos | Nov 24, 2023
In reply to @windyshores "@dloos, me too..everything you wrote. My tinnitus is awful right now. It can be triggered by..." + (show)
@windyshores

@dloos, me too..everything you wrote. My tinnitus is awful right now. It can be triggered by ordinary noise if I am not careful.

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I think it is irresponsible to not prepare the patient for what they are about to undergo. I had no idea I would be assaulted with so much noise. I would have insisted on better ear protection if I’d been forewarned.

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604kevinc | @604kevinc | Jan 1 10:54pm
In reply to @dloos "I think this issue is more common than most people know. I had never had an..." + (show)
@dloos

I think this issue is more common than most people know. I had never had an MRI and had no idea what I was in for.
I felt rushed and had ill fitting earplugs provided for me. I was there complaining of ear issues. so it is doubly insulting that I was treated as I was.
After the procedure I developed tinnitus, and hyperacusis. Two conditions I would not wish on my worst enemy.
My tinnitus has varying levels of sound, but the hyperacusis is always a huge problem and has me jumping out of my skin at what is a minor sound to others.
No one seems o know much about either condition. I am more comfortable when I take Klonopin, but of course that is a controlled substance and cannot be taken freely.

Jump to this post

How are you doing now? It’s been about 1 month since your post. I recently had a neck mri December 23 and I feel ear fullness , muffled hearing , and I can’t hear well I feel like I’m death . 323/738/7049 is my number text me so we can communicate more

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2 replies
julianneyoung | @julianneyoung | Jan 2 7:50am
In reply to @604kevinc "How are you doing now? It’s been about 1 month since your post. I recently had..." + (show)
@604kevinc

How are you doing now? It’s been about 1 month since your post. I recently had a neck mri December 23 and I feel ear fullness , muffled hearing , and I can’t hear well I feel like I’m death . 323/738/7049 is my number text me so we can communicate more

Jump to this post

My hearing still isn’t what it was. The fullness is mostly gone though. I am probably going to have to get new hearing aids as my old ones just don’t provide adequate benefit anymore. Good luck. I understand most people recover their hearing eventually.

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1 reply
604kevinc | @604kevinc | Jan 2 10:17am
In reply to @julianneyoung "My hearing still isn’t what it was. The fullness is mostly gone though. I am probably..." + (show)
@julianneyoung

My hearing still isn’t what it was. The fullness is mostly gone though. I am probably going to have to get new hearing aids as my old ones just don’t provide adequate benefit anymore. Good luck. I understand most people recover their hearing eventually.

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I’m sorry :(. My hearing also isn’t what it was , I’m feeling very depressed about it . I hope it gets better within the next month , currently waiting for my appointment with an ENT. Is your ear muffleness getting better?

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