I woke up May 8th with sudden hearing loss after having a cold and cough that I caught from someone on an airplane. I was put on antibiotics and then steriods (prednosone) for 16 days. They tested my hearing loss and supposedly it's almost back to normal. However, I don't feel any different even though the tests say I'm better. I'm going to a chiropractor now who is doing manipulations on my ear and will be working on my neck. I also went to an acupuncturist when it first happened and it didn't help. I feel like my ear just needs to pop. I have no ringing or any other symptom. The last ear specialist said it will probably go away by itself in 3 months or my brain will adjust to my lack of hearing. I can hear but everything is muffled like I'm still in the airplane and it needs to pop. Has anyone ever heard of the hearing tests coming back almost normal (at first it wasn't) but I feel like I still can't hear properly?

Also, I just contacted both ear specialilst and one of them thinks I should get the steroid injections, but first go back on the diuretics and see if that helps. The other doctor says the injections probably won't help me and may hurt me more- causing ringing in my ears (which I don't have) or possibly lose some of my hearing. He thinks I should wait another 3 months and it may clear up on it's own or my brain will get used to the way it is. He thinks something may be swollen inside from being sick which initially caused all this.

Does anyone have an opinion or experience with this?

Judy

Hi Judy,
I can Most assuredly sympathise with you as I suffered the same thing last February! I am a male (53) and prior to that was completely healthy and was in the process of turning my life around after (5) years of horror and one disaster after another! The following (down below) is my first post on the matter which was from this past February. You can also find out more about it (if you're interested) by going to the top right hand area of this section and do a search under "sudden hearing loss". You'll get a page of other similar posts,, go to my other post on that page under "Please, Desparately Need Help, Can't Take Much More". If after reading that post, you want to see where I'm at as of today (just left a new post on my progress today, July 4th -definately NOT my Independance Day!!) then go to the "Anxiety" catagory on this health Board and on the first page look for my newest update under, "Help, Desparetly Need A Pro on Lexapro,,,". Anyhow, here's the beginning of the story..........

A week ago on Thursday morning I awoke feeling fine. Less then a couple hours after I woke, I went into my office and while sitting behind the computer, all of a sudden while swallowing, my right ear plugged up solid! I'm in my early fifties and have had bad sinus's all my life. However whenever I have a problem with my ear or ears plugging up in the past, they always clear out, simply by me holding my nose and blowing or just a few doses of an over the counter decongestant.
This time there was no relief. It continued getting worse through the day with more hearing loss and all kinds of noises. Finally after a couple days of sticking on the decongestants, I started having anxiety attacks and checked into a local accute center. I had no cold or virus symptoms to this point. The doctor checked my ears and said everything looked fine, then related the problem to a possible viral infection of the Eustacian tube swelling against the inside of my ear drum. He gave me a strong Decongestant and told me to see an ENT doctor the beginning of the week.
The end result was, the ENT saw nothing and labled it "sudden hearing loss" and I was scheduled for audio tests the next day. My hearing in the right ear had dropped by 80db!! The attending ENT doctor feels it's the Auditory nerve (maybe got infected) even though nothing else was infected and started me on oral steroids and suggested I get an MRI to rule out "tumor"! I've been on the steroid for two and a half days now and so far the HORRIBLE RINGING, and rushing in that ear is non stop and getting louder!!! I'm also on Xanex to try and harbor the Horrific PANIC ATTACKS and Anxiety attacks I've had for the past four days! I've virtually stopped eating and have'nt got any sleep since this started.
I pace back and forth, have fits of crying and feel my life is over!! I've been a musician for years and never really played out that much. However, the band I'm in now (2 1/2 years) is fantastic and I've helped to push this band to the second heaviest booking band in Illinois as of this month. JUST THE TIME I LOSE MY HEARING!!!! I played one gig already two days after this hearing loss started and it was painful, uncomfortable and I felt repeatedly doing this will be next to impossible,, the joy I've always derived from our music is GONE!!! Given way to my feelings of despair, hoplessness and the HORRIBLE FEAR of contending with this indefinately! Most of what I've seen on this board which is similar,, does'nt look to ROSEY!!!
I'm open for encouragement or similar instances from any concerned reader!

Thanks for any help or encouragment you can offer!

As I say, if you still want to see how this progressed, go to the other posts I outlined above. I ONLY WISH YOU THE BEST and better luck then I've had on this MOST LIFE ALTERING ailment!!! My Best Wishes, are with you!!

MMS1