Recently diagnosed... i am a 33 year old mail and this has hit me hard and fast. i have more questions than answers and i am seeking advice from those who have experience.
My right ear is excellent and my left is profoundly deaf. Started on a sunday, i noticed that my voice sounded funny, like my ear had water in it... took some sudafed. Monday and tuesday i had distortion so i thought maybe ear wax... did some drops... by wednesday am, i realized that there was no inner noise coming from my left ear... off to the doctor.
i had an MRI and was told that it was clean, the ENT specialist started me on a high dose prednasone taper and i will start intratympanic treatment on monday.
so i have not even reached a week since this started. the ENT told me that given the severity of the loss (110db just shook my skull... no sound) i should not expect much recovery, but miracles can happen...
my main questions are:
is it safe to assume that the md who reviewed my MRI would have noticed lesions and were not just looking for benign growths.? I know MS can cause this SSHL and while rare, when it does occur it is early onset. I also understand that MS is normally discovered while looking for something else. No one had reviewed my MRI with me, just told me it was clean. So i can trust that right??
i noticed today that the sound of running water (flushing toilet, tap, etc...) makes a crackling sound in my deaf ear... is this lunacy? a good sign?
i understand that with treatment, my hearing recovery will be very distorted... would it be easier to be 100% deaf in one ear? meaning would having distorted hearing make it more difficult for me to focus on my good ear?
finally, ototoxic stuff... seems like a lot of conflicting information... after sitting through an MRI i realized i am simply just not prepared.... for anything... so i will be making healthy choices moving forward and am determined to live each day to the fullest, but coffee, beer... are these really things that must be omitted? if my right ear goes, it'll be a game changer and i will do what i must to keep my good ear healthy (which i will take ANY advice on... are there ear gyms?
)
i think i will be OK, these steroids are making me a little emotional, but my demeanor is stable and i am looking on the bright side and trying to have faith in my medical teams. But they are all busy and i think that the patients are the ones with the real experience...
i'm not looking for pity or sympathy. i have not given up hope, just really appreciate hard truths and am prepared to move forward... im not dead and i can still do anything... just need some help understanding what this really means... there is not much literature available and i have no experience with this condition.
any advice, experience or tips would be so appreciated... Thanks for reading my long post, excuse the spelling and grammar... its my day off
-rob-
My right ear is excellent and my left is profoundly deaf. Started on a sunday, i noticed that my voice sounded funny, like my ear had water in it... took some sudafed. Monday and tuesday i had distortion so i thought maybe ear wax... did some drops... by wednesday am, i realized that there was no inner noise coming from my left ear... off to the doctor.
i had an MRI and was told that it was clean, the ENT specialist started me on a high dose prednasone taper and i will start intratympanic treatment on monday.
so i have not even reached a week since this started. the ENT told me that given the severity of the loss (110db just shook my skull... no sound) i should not expect much recovery, but miracles can happen...
my main questions are:
is it safe to assume that the md who reviewed my MRI would have noticed lesions and were not just looking for benign growths.? I know MS can cause this SSHL and while rare, when it does occur it is early onset. I also understand that MS is normally discovered while looking for something else. No one had reviewed my MRI with me, just told me it was clean. So i can trust that right??
i noticed today that the sound of running water (flushing toilet, tap, etc...) makes a crackling sound in my deaf ear... is this lunacy? a good sign?
i understand that with treatment, my hearing recovery will be very distorted... would it be easier to be 100% deaf in one ear? meaning would having distorted hearing make it more difficult for me to focus on my good ear?
finally, ototoxic stuff... seems like a lot of conflicting information... after sitting through an MRI i realized i am simply just not prepared.... for anything... so i will be making healthy choices moving forward and am determined to live each day to the fullest, but coffee, beer... are these really things that must be omitted? if my right ear goes, it'll be a game changer and i will do what i must to keep my good ear healthy (which i will take ANY advice on... are there ear gyms?
)i think i will be OK, these steroids are making me a little emotional, but my demeanor is stable and i am looking on the bright side and trying to have faith in my medical teams. But they are all busy and i think that the patients are the ones with the real experience...
i'm not looking for pity or sympathy. i have not given up hope, just really appreciate hard truths and am prepared to move forward... im not dead and i can still do anything... just need some help understanding what this really means... there is not much literature available and i have no experience with this condition.
any advice, experience or tips would be so appreciated... Thanks for reading my long post, excuse the spelling and grammar... its my day off
-rob-
to AllDeaf Forum. You will learn about deafness and hearing aids devices here. You are late deafened as you have never deaf before. You are going to go on a journey in your own deaf world and learn about the ropes of being deaf. You are not the only one who have tinnitus. I have it and almost every one have or had it. So take your baby steps in discover yourself. I hope you enjoy reading and posting here. See you around here. 
