Injecting steroids in the ear???

morbid-mongoose

morbid-mongoose

New Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2007
Messages
504
Reaction score
0
So today the ENT finally figured out that I was loosing my hearing (which I've known for an obscenely long time). I have tinnitus that has been getting progressively worse over the past two years, and along with it my hearing is deteriorating. My left ear is significantly worse than my right in terms of how much I hear, so the ENT wants to inject steroids... into my ear. WTF. It just sounds so horribly unnatural. My ENT claims it will stop the hearing loss, but he just sounded like a loon when he was telling me this. :giggle: Does anyone know anything about injecting steroids into the inner ear and what it does?

Thanks,
m-m
 
Injecting steriods IN your ear to stop your hearing loss from progressing? Never heard of anything like that..either it must be a new method or some crazy idea!
 
I'm only 15, and I had planned to just naturally loose my hearing over time until I eventually became deaf. My parents, on the other hand, are threatening to force me to do this. :(
 
morbid-mongoose said:
I'm only 15, and I had planned to just naturally loose my hearing over time until I eventually became deaf. My parents, on the other hand, are threatening to force me to do this. :(
Click to expand...

Forcing u to get this treatment? Pls dont do it! Not until u get several opinions..I really dont believe there is such a thing.
 
Wow... i never heard of injecting steroids in ear... i had them in my lower back to stop back pains.. dr told me it is not good to use it often...
 
My friend almost got the same thing when they found out she had a profound loss but she didn't want to do it. She hates needles plus she didnt think it would do much since the damage had already been done...
 
lilitalia89 said:
My friend almost got the same thing when they found out she had a profound loss but she didn't want to do it. She hates needles plus she didnt think it would do much since the damage had already been done...
Click to expand...

How would that work? This is so new to me.
 
I'm also wondering what my legal rights are in the state of Virginia as a minor who wants to refuse medical treatment for something that is not life threatening, when my parents are trying to force me to go through with it. I searched for a couple hours on google, but I didn't find anything that gave a clear answer. Help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
m-m
 
shel90 said:
How would that work? This is so new to me.
Click to expand...

Steroids naturally supress the immune system. Theoretically, if the tinnitus and hearing loss are being caused by inflamation, then the steroids would stop the inflammatory process. The problem is, that by supressing the immune system, you leave yourself open to all sorts of opportunistic infections. I'b be a bit skeptical of this treatment.
 
morbid-mongoose said:
I'm also wondering what my legal rights are in the state of Virginia as a minor who wants to refuse medical treatment for something that is not life threatening, when my parents are trying to force me to go through with it. I searched for a couple hours on google, but I didn't find anything that gave a clear answer. Help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
m-m
Click to expand...

Speak to a social worker (one in medical field is good, if you can find one). They mostly like know what the law in your state is about this issue. And if law allows it, they would be on your side and work with you.
 
Silentwolfdog said:
Speak to a social worker (one in medical field is good, if you can find one). They mostly like know what the law in your state is about this issue. And if law allows it, they would be on your side and work with you.
Click to expand...

You might also want to contact the juvenile and family court in your area. They can tell you what your rights are.
 
While I much prefer to stay out of disputes between a child and parents, this so called "procedure" forces me to jump in this discussion. I have never heard of such a thing but I did some research on the 'net and found that the medical community is pursuing this avenue. Since this is a very new line of research, I would definitely get a second opinion.

Here is an excerpt of a review from www.cochrane.org

Summary
A sudden onset of hearing loss due to disease of the organ of hearing is a medical emergency and requires prompt recognition and treatment. In addition to the hearing impairment, patients may also suffer from symptoms of tinnitus (background ringing noise), a sensation of ear fullness and dizziness. In many instances, medical specialists are able to find the cause and treat the hearing impairment. However, in a large proportion of patients, no known causes of the sudden hearing loss can be found.

Steroids are commonly used to treat patients with sudden hearing loss of an unknown origin. The specific action of the steroids in the hearing apparatus is uncertain. It has been postulated that the steroid treatment improves hearing based on its ability to reduce inflammation and oedema (swelling) in the hearing organs. The review of the trials showed a lack of good quality evidence for the effectiveness of steroids in the treatment of sudden hearing loss of an unknown origin. The quality of the trials was generally low, and more research is needed.
 
sr171soars said:
While I much prefer to stay out of disputes between a child and parents, this so called "procedure" forces me to jump in this discussion. I have never heard of such a thing but I did some research on the 'net and found that the medical community is pursuing this avenue. Since this is a very new line of research, I would definitely get a second opinion.

Here is an excerpt of a review from www.cochrane.org

Summary
A sudden onset of hearing loss due to disease of the organ of hearing is a medical emergency and requires prompt recognition and treatment. In addition to the hearing impairment, patients may also suffer from symptoms of tinnitus (background ringing noise), a sensation of ear fullness and dizziness. In many instances, medical specialists are able to find the cause and treat the hearing impairment. However, in a large proportion of patients, no known causes of the sudden hearing loss can be found.

Steroids are commonly used to treat patients with sudden hearing loss of an unknown origin. The specific action of the steroids in the hearing apparatus is uncertain. It has been postulated that the steroid treatment improves hearing based on its ability to reduce inflammation and oedema (swelling) in the hearing organs. The review of the trials showed a lack of good quality evidence for the effectiveness of steroids in the treatment of sudden hearing loss of an unknown origin. The quality of the trials was generally low, and more research is needed.
Click to expand...

Thanks for looking the info up. That's what I meant when I said the steroids supress the immune system (should have said reaction to be more accurate) and reduce inflammation. Good advise on the second opinion.
 
Thanks everyone. I'm going to get in contact with a social worker sometime in the next week. I'll let you all know how it goes.

<33
 
Hey, I went for the injection into my ear this past May. It isn't as bad as it sound.

Quick bg info. I guess I was born with a a mild hearing loss in both ears but wasn't told until I reached 4th grade and gradually over the years, my hearing had declined. But suddenly in May, my left hearing got progressive worse - I can still hear loud sound but can't make out what people are saying or what the noise is.

Anyway, so I went to an ENT doc in May and he suggested oral steriod, prednisone. But that wasn't working at all so he suggested steriod injection. I only went for it twice. It was painful for the first time because he had to puncture a hole in my ear so that the liquid steriod can go into the inner ear. The first hour or so was painful but after while it really doesn't hurt. Oh and the ringing in my ear got louder too for the first hour or so when he injected the steriod. But after that, it wasn't so bad. I mean I went for the treatment because I already have a hearing loss and I would like to try to save whatever I can since i'm only 23 yrs old! Ahh, sadly that treatment didn't work because my left hearing has not improved. My opinion, I think it's worth a shot to see if the treatment works. I know that the steriod supresses the immune system but I didn't find myself getting sick which is surprising because I get sick easily too.

Oh, doc also told me to try not to get water in my ear so that the hole can heal and I can reduce any risk of getting an infection but that wasn't too much of hassle for me. Not sure if it matters to you but you can't swim for a month or so.
 
:fingersx: Goodluck. Hope you find someone who can help you as you should not be forced into something like this.
 
BklynChar said:
Hey, I went for the injection into my ear this past May. It isn't as bad as it sound.

Quick bg info. I guess I was born with a a mild hearing loss in both ears but wasn't told until I reached 4th grade and gradually over the years, my hearing had declined. But suddenly in May, my left hearing got progressive worse - I can still hear loud sound but can't make out what people are saying or what the noise is.

Anyway, so I went to an ENT doc in May and he suggested oral steriod, prednisone. But that wasn't working at all so he suggested steriod injection. I only went for it twice. It was painful for the first time because he had to puncture a hole in my ear so that the liquid steriod can go into the inner ear. The first hour or so was painful but after while it really doesn't hurt. Oh and the ringing in my ear got louder too for the first hour or so when he injected the steriod. But after that, it wasn't so bad. I mean I went for the treatment because I already have a hearing loss and I would like to try to save whatever I can since i'm only 23 yrs old! Ahh, sadly that treatment didn't work because my left hearing has not improved. My opinion, I think it's worth a shot to see if the treatment works. I know that the steriod supresses the immune system but I didn't find myself getting sick which is surprising because I get sick easily too.

Oh, doc also told me to try not to get water in my ear so that the hole can heal and I can reduce any risk of getting an infection but that wasn't too much of hassle for me. Not sure if it matters to you but you can't swim for a month or so.
Click to expand...


Thanks for sharing your experience. And as far as it not working, from what I understand, there's no concrete evidence that injecting steroids in your ear does jack crap. :ty:
 
Injecting the ears with steroids? If they don't have a clue, as one persons quote said here, what the function of the roids is, why use them? I say look up your rights under HIPAA as well. Georgetown U said you can obtain your own treatment in VA without the consent of a parent for certain diseases, so I am sure that they have something for your situation.
 
I don't think she's looking for treatment. I think she wants to leave well enough alone and slowly go deaf.
 
Back
Top