deafness one ear - Hearing Disorders Message Board

c byrne · 04-17-2003, 08:00 AM

2 weeks ago i lost all hearing in my right ear just overnight. I am also suffering from extream dizziness i was hospitalised where i was treated with oxigen/carbon mix, steroids and cerc for my dizziness. They have told me that my hearing is probably gone for good and that there is nothing more they can do, that i can live with however there has been absolutely no improvement in the dizziness after 2 weeks of treatment and they are not offering me any alternative and it is quite bad. Is there anything that will help with the dizziness and is there any treatment for the deafness (they think from nerves just shutting down)
would really appreciate any help on this one

susie141 · 04-17-2003, 05:01 PM

Having had similar symptoms in the past I know what you're going through. I never totally lost my hearing but I had sudden decreases in both ears and like you had severe balance problems. Have your doctors mentioned that your hearing loss may be autoimmune? Just a thought, although it is difficult for them to diagnose what causes nerve deafness that is sudden in onset. I too took oral steroids and serc but what I found to be more effective was injections of steroid directly into the ear. (If you look on the Inner Ear page, under Prednisone Treatments you'll see that I responded to someone else about this as well). If you want to investigate getting injections you should do it immediately (like see an ENT today) as 2 weeks after the hearing loss is already late.

My sense of balance improved very gradually over about 2 years and now feels almost normal. It's certainly fine for going about life.
Have you considered seeing another ENT? Afterall, if you've lost all the hearing in one ear you're in a desperate situation and it's worth trying everything to try to improve the situation. I wish you all the best with this - it's an awful thing to go through.

mlgable · 04-19-2003, 04:46 PM

One other cause of the vertigo is Meneires disease. Has your doc considered that? Also what medications are you taking to help the dizziness? If the doc doesn't seem interested in doing more for you, you might want to consider a second opinion.

GroggySue · 05-30-2003, 01:27 PM

A single sided hearing loss is cause for concern. I was misdiagnosed for 6 years. I finally found out my loss is due to a "facial nerve" tumor (benign) in my inner auditory canal. Very similar to an Acoustic Neuroma. It caused a hearing loss, vertigo, tinnitus and in my case, occasional facial spasms. While these are rare and not life threatening until they become quite large, knowing what is going on is helpful. The Doctor that misdiagnosed me was an ENT and looked at the CTscan himself. The specialist later saw the same CTscan and pointed out the tumor to me. Amazing that a dr could miss that....good luck to you.