Should I Wait On Stapedectomy?

[calimomma]

Hi Everyone,

I'm so glad I found this board. I have been feeling really down about my hearing loss. I am 26 years old and was diagnosed with otosclerosis last month. I have been having difficulty hearing for about a year. I have two small children, ages 3 and 5 months. The ear specialist believes some hearing may be restored by stapedecomy or hearing aids. I think I'd like to go for the stapedectomy, but I don't know if I should wait or not. I'd love to have more children in the future, but know that otosclerosis is often aggravated by pregnancy hormones. I'm worried that I'll get the surgery, get pregnant within the next few years, and then end up needing a revision because of the pregnancy's affect on the bone. May be it would be in my best interest to wait until I"m done having children to get the stapedectomy. I'd sure like to hear my babies without an aid though. I'm so torn. I'm scared about the surgery in general...scared I'll go deaf, make my tinnitus worse, or die under anesthesia (I'm a little dramatic I know ), but if there is a way to fix this condition, I want to do it!

Also wanted to add: the otosclerosis is in the same ear I have had a perilymh fistula repaired in a couple of years ago. It was a fistula I developed during pregnancy. Very rare and strange. I also have trouble popping that ear and have a PET tube in it. The specialist feels the fistula and otosclerosis are unrelated conditions, but I don't know what to think about that. I've had a bunch of testing, imaging, etc...it's just so strange to me for all of these seperate things to be happening in that ear.

Any advice or opinions? I could really use a friend in this. I feel so sad and alone.

Thanks.

[calimomma]

?

Bump.

[deafleopard]

calimomma,
I know how you feel. There seems to be so much to loose when it comes to hearing.
If it was my knee I would do it in a hearbeat but hearing effects everyone around you.
I guess the good thing if there was one is that we are all given two ears so if one just gets totally shut off we are not completely deaf just really hearing impaired. I am that now without my aids.
I have not had testing other than just a hearing test so that my factor into my decision.
Good luck on your decision.

[calimomma]

Thank you for the response. I may look into an aid for the failing ear, just to see what it is like. Maybe I should consider that route more before I opt for the surgery.

[Laureen]

Calimomma

Are you sure that you have otesclerosis? Maybe you should get a second opinion. Oto usually affects both ears. Is it possible that another condition has decreased you hearing? Maybe the fistula you are describing.

I also would like to tell you that pregnancy did not affect me at all. My hearing loss remained the same.