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Looking for continued input for SSHL
have been trolling this site for about five weeks now. I’m very grateful for your input in every post. Six weeks ago I had a total knee replacement. I went home the day of surgery and was doing well. It was 24 hours almost to the minute when I stood up to go to the restroom and had to sit back down because of sudden and acute dizziness. The dizziness was something I had not experienced before because instead of the room moving something inside my head moved. A very strange sensation. I immediately heard a noise in my right ear and I became nauseous and started to throw up. This lasted about 16 hours. The next morning, I still had the ringing in my right ear and I realized I could not hear in my right ear. I was able to get in to see the ENT the following day. So 48 hours after the first symptom, I started prednisone for 10 days. I was completely deaf in my right ear. The tinnitus was a loud waterfall. The vomiting had passed, but the occasional nausea remained. The ENT felt like, in their experience, It was always due to some unknown sudden viral infection. Nothing could be proven and no medicine was ordered for a viral infection. An MRI was ordered, but it was a week before I could be seen anywhere. Meanwhile, I came home and started looking up SSHL post total knee replacement. And there is documented literature of this happening after a total knee replacement. There’s also documentation of this happening after spinal anesthesia. I had spinal anesthesia and a knee replacement. The idea after the knee replacement is that you threw a micro fat emboli which is also never proven. The idea behind the spinal complication is that it was a combination of a disruption of cerebral spinal fluid and hypotension. I feel like the later two explanations were more reasonable in my case. I also received one dose of vancomycin, which has been noted to cause hearing loss but typically not with one dose. The treatment options seem to be prednisone by mouth and Decadron tympanic injection. I had both. Other options were hyperbaric oxygen treatment, but Medicare would not cover this. The MRI proved to be negative. I think everyone knew that it was going to be negative. So my hearing has not come back but what I’m writing about today is the Revelation to me of what it’s like to be deaf in one ear and have tinnitus. It has been very humbling. I no longer have any sense of direction for where the sound is coming from. The sound could be coming from behind me and I think that the sound is coming in front of me. Absolutely no idea. The left ear has a hard time hearing over the noise coming from the right ear. And as the group already knows the noise is in your brain, not in your ear. The other odd thing is that my right ear and the right side of my face feels numb, but it is not. The tinnitus is such a light sounding word for such a troublesome condition. It is not just a single noise. It can be a waterfall or it can be ringing. But it is also other noises super imposed on that evolving background noise. For instance, if someone talks loudly, it actually vibrates and echoes in my ear at yet another sound level. If someone hugs me on my right side, it squeals like my hearing aid is off position . And sometimes the shrill whistle is so loud I can hardly bear it. It is very humbling. I realize there are many worse things in the world and I realize I am blessed. Nevertheless, I’m very concerned as I read that people with hearing loss have a higher incidence of depression, dementia, and less socialization. I am concerned about driving. It is life-changing. The ENT is not encouraging. They say that Medicare doesn’t often cover cochlear implant- and cochlear implant may or may not help the tinnitus. I realize there are a few other options to try that appear to be hit and miss. Anyway, I am happy to be in this group and I will continue to look forward to input from other people who are dealing with this condition. Best regards to all.
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Thank you. This is very unexpected curveball to deal with and even if there are options, there are the hurdles of Insurance. I realize I’ve only just began my journey.
I do appreciate input from others who have traveled before me.
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3 ReactionsDecember 4, 2024 I lost hearing in left ear. December 9 diagnosed Labyrinthitis persistent vertigo, dizziness, poor balance, vision problems, sudden unilateral hearing loss.
Had steroid & antibiotics & ongoing physical therapy. Purchased one sided hearing aids. They work well. MRI of auditory canal is normal.
Now have severe multilevel disc height loss. Getting the Eply maneuver is taxing on my neck. I’m 30 years HIV positive & on the medications 291/2 years. CT scan normal. I wake up and standing is like I’m in a rowboat in a lake. Have double vision & wear prisim lenses that helps my vision. No brain fog, head scan is normal.
Dealing with this one day at a time.
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1 ReactionOh, no, it sounds like you got the full meal deal...I'm so sorry. Have you had ANY improvement in the dizziness, vertigo, and balance problems? Usually the brain adapts, at least partially, if slowly. Hopefully you are getting PT from someone who SPECIALIZES in vestibular disorders.
It's good that you don't have brain fog--that usually comes along with dizziness. Also good that the hearing aid works well for you.
It's so frustrating to have these kinds of problems and not know the cause. Hope you get better soon. Stay as active as you can without triggering worse symptoms, because movement helps the brain adapt to the vestibular losses. I'm sure it's harder given your neck problems.
I don't know what kind of meds you are on, but there are some that are ototoxic (can harm the ear and balance system). I presume your docs checked into this.
Best of luck to you--hope you see some improvement in the ear and eye problems.
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3 ReactionsYes - check for ototoxic meds! My first experience with vertigo was after taking azithromycin (the 5-day antibiotic). I'd thought that only medications for serious diseases were ototoxic!
I do have a strong family history of hearing loss, tinnitis and vertigo, but it was nearly 20 years before I had my next episode.
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2 ReactionsI am so sorry for all your troubles esp after having had such serious knee surgery. Ironically I have your exact experience with SSHL w/ debilitating tinnitus. I am deaf in my left ear w/T. I was not as fortunate to get an ENT for 5 weeks after onset of SX’s. My GP 2 weeks after onset insisted it was just fluid in my ear misdiagnosing telling me to take Sudafed. By the time I was seen by the ENT and had an audiogram it was too late. I was a former clinical researcher and later read post 2 weeks symptoms, prednisone or intratympanic injection would be ineffective. ENT DID NOT TELL ME THAT at the appointment and insisted on Prednisone which I was reluctant to take anyway due to adverse effects of agitation and insomnia. I could not imagine having the injection due to the inability to swallow for 20/30 min and vertigo.
You are sooooo brave.
Needless to say I refused the MRI
My symptoms started after 2 continuous rainy months after I returned to New England from Florida.
I read some literature that said changes in prolonged barometric pressure can cause SSHL.
I have been suffering and severely depressed as the sound is deafening and there is little social or familial support in understanding my condition. I also took NSAIDs and aspirin daily for pain management of back, knee etc and know that these cause increase in severity of tinnitus.
The audiologist said I was not a candidate for cochlear implants but did prescribe a hearing aide to assist in the deafness which will come next month. I am also not able to attend any venues with music, theater etc so my life has been severely affected.
How are you able to take pain meds?
This comment is beyond “you won’t believe this,” but it sounds like a bold flow, blockage problem. I recommend you go to shop.com and get a 90 day container of OPC-3. I’ve been taking it for 30 years to keep from having macular degeneration. So far, so good. It’s a fruit supplement that is a blood conditioner that keeps red blood cells from getting stuck together and not supplying the tiny vessels as needed.
OPC means oligomeric proantho cyanidin. It’s a $75 try and take a double dose for 45 days. I have no financial connection to the company.
This may help, but I still have medium level tinnitus. My best…
All of our stories with hearing loss are different. We experience things differently. We are told different things by healthcare professionals we trust. Most of us who are told we need hearing aids are shocked to find out how expensive they are, etc. There's a lot to learn about hearing loss acceptance and management.
Medical training in different fields varies greatly. Unfortunately, few fields include much about the ear and hearing, and/or the effects of hearing loss on individuals whether it's sudden or progressive. The effects are not only physical, but emotional as well.
The products we often need are rarely insured. They are promoted and sold like commercial products rather than medical devices. We are often pushed to buy the product a specific provider sells. While some audiologists fit and sell a variety of hearing aids, many are connected to a single manufacturer.
Advances in technology can be both helpful and frustrating to many people who use hearing aids. The fact that many new products are controlled by cell phones is overwhelming to people who, for years, have pushed buttons on their personal devices to change things based on what they need and want at the moment. Automatic volume control can be helpful for someone who cannot or does not want to control volume. It can be frustrating to someone who is used to being able to adjust it themselves. 'Auto' is not always best for everyone.
I find it concerning that healthcare professionals often tell people they are not candidates for cochlear implants when they likely are. How much do they know about cochlear implants?
If hearing aids have been tried and are not helping, it is highly possible a cochlear implant might be worth considering.
It is highly recommended that if a person with hearing loss feels they are at the end of the road with hearing aids that are no longer working well for them, they should learn about cochlear implant's potential. To do that one would be wise to go to a cochlear implant center/hospital/clinic for testing where the audiologists and ENTs are well informed about them. Cochlear implants, in most cases, are covered by Medicare and insurance.
There are 3 CI manufacturers: Cochlear Americas, MedEl, and Advanced Bionics. They are all reputable. By checking their websites you will find lists of clinics/hospitals that do cochlear implants. Mayo Clinics are among them.
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1 ReactionThank you so much for your input. I appreciate this information as I did just order an expensive hearing aide recommended by an audiologist with cell phone operation I guess that she controls by a computer. I have NO IDEA because I have No Experience with any of this and was blindsided by the tinnitus and SSHL.
I will update this site in the fall when I receive the device. Thanks so much.
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1 ReactionHello Jeananne16,
I hope the hearing aids will help your situation. Here's great website with excellent learning material about hearing loss, hearing aids, making sure your hearing aids have telecoils and even better are "ADA-access-ready." The home page is: http://www.centerforhearingaccess.org. And here's a great TED Talk by Juliëtte Sterkens about hearing aids: https://centerforhearingaccess.org/tedx/. And one more link about hearing aids and hearing loss resources: https://centerforhearingaccess.org/hearing-loss-resources/
I can't recommend enough that anyone dealing with hearing loss and considering getting hearing aids, take time to go through the Center for Hearing Access website as I'm not aware of any other site where more factual, non-biased information can be found about hearing loss, hearing loops, ADA requirements, and more. Insist that your AuD have telecoils included in your hearing aids! Your hearing aids will ideally be ADA-Access-Ready. Here's a link, ok, really, last one, that explains ADA-access-ready: https://centerforhearingaccess.org/declarations/
If you just ordered your hearing aids I would hope your AuD can still contact the distributor to request telecoils. There is no extra cost to have them come with telecoils.
My best to you as all of us with hearing loss understand the frustrations. Harry
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2 ReactionsI had back surgery in March and my daughter came from out of state and stayed in my home, she said my TV was so loud. At that time, I was still hearing from both ears. Then all of a sudden I couldn't hear from my right ear!!! I know I had mild hearing loss before but not a total loss!!! Finally got an appointment with an audiologist, I have mild hearing loss in my left year and maximum loss in my right ear. He then referred me to the ENT in the same office. She said there's crusty stuff in my year and it's blocking the vibration to the ear drum. I have psoriasis in my ears. She prescribed some oil which I'm to put in my ears twice a day. I'll go back and see her and the audiologist again. I read from here and other places that hearing loss could happen after surgery. How come doctors don't tell us so I can be prepared???? I also read that hearing loss could be a cause for dementia. My balance is totally off. I have to tell people I can't hear if they are on my right side. It's so frustrating and embarrassing. My surgery is taking a toll on me too. It's my last resort after years of physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractor, injections, and nerve block. All these are causing me so depressed. My ENT said I may need a cat scan . I just can't deal with it all.