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SSHL recovery timeframe
at what point does a person with diagnosed SSHL, who has already been treated with oral steroids and tympanic injections of steroids, give up hope of experiencing any further hearing improvement?
Hello everyone! My name is Camille and I'm from the Philippines. I'm also a doctor, a general practitioner. 2 weeks ago I suffered from a sudden snhl.. I had an acute tonsillopharyngitis 2 weeks ago then followed by decreased hearing loss. At first I thought it was just an acute case of otitis media since the throat is connected to the ear so I wasnt at all bothered and thought it will just clear up since my atp is quickly resolving but after 2 days my hearing started to deteriorate (right ear) and that's when I started to worry, I was wondering why I wasnt feeling any ear pain just a blocked ear (otitis media is usually with ear pain). Went to see an ENT after 3 days so he can check if my tympanic membrane (eardrum) is intact.. and to check if it's just a middle ear infection. Ent checked my ear with my TMs intact.. he requested for me to have an audiometry which revealed profound hearing loss. He started me up on methylprednisone 16mg 2x a day for 1week and referred me to a neuro-otologist.. had a repeat audiometry after 3 days of steroids but still with profound hearing loss but had some slight improvement. I went to consult the neuro-otologist on the last day of my steroids. She confirmed I had a sudden snhl probably secondary to viral infection.. and she continued my methylprednisone still at 16mg but to be taken 3 times a for 5 days and advised me to stimulate my affected ear by listening to music. I'm on my last day of steroids and will be tapering off by tomorrow.. My hearing also improved and is recovering. She said I have a high chance of regaining my normal hearing since I'm still young (29 yrs old) and sought treatment right away. Just wanted to share my experience and I hope it will enlighten everyone. My neuro-otologist said maximum recovery can be as long as 6months.. so don't lose hope! I'm praying for everyone here! God bless you all!
You can also do sound therapy while recovering. It's called constraint induced sound therapy wherein you plug your good ear and stimulate music in the affected ear. This helps by preventing maladaptive auditory cortex reorganization and it helps increase blood flow to your affected ear therefore increasing oxygenation to your damaged cochlea. My neuro-otologist also advised me to do this.. we need to help our affected ear by using this stimulation.
You can also do sound therapy while recovering. It's called constraint induced sound therapy wherein you plug your good ear and stimulate music in the affected ear. This helps by preventing maladaptive auditory cortex reorganization and it helps increase blood flow to your affected ear therefore increasing oxygenation to your damaged cochlea. My neuro-otologist also advised me to do this.. we need to help our affected ear by using this stimulation.
Hello everyone! My name is Camille and I'm from the Philippines. I'm also a doctor, a general practitioner. 2 weeks ago I suffered from a sudden snhl.. I had an acute tonsillopharyngitis 2 weeks ago then followed by decreased hearing loss. At first I thought it was just an acute case of otitis media since the throat is connected to the ear so I wasnt at all bothered and thought it will just clear up since my atp is quickly resolving but after 2 days my hearing started to deteriorate (right ear) and that's when I started to worry, I was wondering why I wasnt feeling any ear pain just a blocked ear (otitis media is usually with ear pain). Went to see an ENT after 3 days so he can check if my tympanic membrane (eardrum) is intact.. and to check if it's just a middle ear infection. Ent checked my ear with my TMs intact.. he requested for me to have an audiometry which revealed profound hearing loss. He started me up on methylprednisone 16mg 2x a day for 1week and referred me to a neuro-otologist.. had a repeat audiometry after 3 days of steroids but still with profound hearing loss but had some slight improvement. I went to consult the neuro-otologist on the last day of my steroids. She confirmed I had a sudden snhl probably secondary to viral infection.. and she continued my methylprednisone still at 16mg but to be taken 3 times a for 5 days and advised me to stimulate my affected ear by listening to music. I'm on my last day of steroids and will be tapering off by tomorrow.. My hearing also improved and is recovering. She said I have a high chance of regaining my normal hearing since I'm still young (29 yrs old) and sought treatment right away. Just wanted to share my experience and I hope it will enlighten everyone. My neuro-otologist said maximum recovery can be as long as 6months.. so don't lose hope! I'm praying for everyone here! God bless you all!
You can also do sound therapy while recovering. It's called constraint induced sound therapy wherein you plug your good ear and stimulate music in the affected ear. This helps by preventing maladaptive auditory cortex reorganization and it helps increase blood flow to your affected ear therefore increasing oxygenation to your damaged cochlea. My neuro-otologist also advised me to do this.. we need to help our affected ear by using this stimulation.
You can also do sound therapy while recovering. It's called constraint induced sound therapy wherein you plug your good ear and stimulate music in the affected ear. This helps by preventing maladaptive auditory cortex reorganization and it helps increase blood flow to your affected ear therefore increasing oxygenation to your damaged cochlea. My neuro-otologist also advised me to do this.. we need to help our affected ear by using this stimulation.
I know this is an old thread but I came across it in a moment of panic. On Monday night, I was watching tv when I turned the volume up so high my boyfriend teased what am I going deaf? I then realized I was having trouble hearing in my right ear. I decided to sleep on it but no improvement in the morning. I went to my PCP who referred me to an ENT. I didn't have a very good experience, he was pretty abrupt and told me most people don't recover and I won't ever hear again from that ear and then walked me down the hall to an auditory test. Results showed that I had "mild" hearing loss ranging from 30-45 db in my right ear. He gave me about 1 minute to decide what to do and I opted for the intratempanic steroid injection. I'm having a really hard time dealing with this and feel quite debilitated. I am curious by when I should (if I do) experience any improvement in the hearing loss, tinnitus, and ear fullness? I should also mention I am only 22 so this is a rather embarrassing problem.
I hope by now you have begun to recover some hearing. It's good that you went to your ENT so quickly. The ringing noise you hear when your son cries may be the beginning of the return of your hearing. I heard some very uncomfortable sounds in the beginning when my hearing started to come back. Do not put cotton in your ear to try to block the noise---let your brain hear those sounds. As your brain adjusts to the loss of hearing in that ear, you can sometimes hear odd noises. You are hearing beeping noises---I heard our church choir and birds chirping a few days after I lost my hearing in one ear. I also had severe tinnitus, hearing what sounded like bells clanging for months. I received a total of 3 shots in my ears, plus took oral steroids. I had a total loss of hearing in my right ear, but now have about 35% of my hearing back. You may recover much more than that, so don't give up hope or get discouraged. I didn't sleep on my ear for several months but I don't think it made any difference. Just go about your normal activities. I rested as much as I could. I don't believe gravity plays any part in the shots. Best wishes for complete return of your hearing.
I, too, lost all hearing in my right ear 1-1/2 years ago. After oral steroids and 3 shots in my ear, three weeks later I regained about 35% of my hearing but it is extremely distorted. Of that 35% that I can hear, only about 40% is distinguisable sound. I also lost all my balance and had no feeling on the right side of my face. I was overwhelmed by noise and didn't even want to leave the house after it happened. Balance has returned with some physical therapy and the feeling has returned. I have a hearing aid now even though I don't like the way my ear picks up sound due to the distortion but I try to embrace whatever I can hear in that ear. I thought I'd never recover from this but you do---your body and brain adjust and now I hardly even notice that anything is different. It took about a year to heal. I was 59 years old at the time and very healthy.
I posted on this forum about 6 years ago regarding SSHL. It occurred when I was 32. I was completely deaf in my left ear. A few people have contacted me asking for an update, so I thought I'd post again.
I was completely devastated when my hearing loss occurred and felt truly debilitated. I was overwhelmed by ambient noise everywhere I went and had difficulty with just about every interaction outside my house. I had a lot of trouble at work and worried about my career. I saw several ENT's and was told there was no hope of regaining any hearing.
I took prednisone for 5 weeks and got intratympanic injections. Within the first few months, I had regained 35% of my hearing. I haven't had a hearing test in years, but the important thing is that the hearing loss really does not affect me much now. Over time my body started to compensate and I don't notice it much unless I'm in a loud environment. Socially, it isn't really an issue except when someone tries to whisper in my left ear, or talking with a person on my left in a loud restaurant. I used a hearing aid for about a year, but eventually stopped because I found it uncomfortable.
Sudden hearing loss is initially devastating and debilitating and is a truly life changing event. But you *can* recover some hearing. And even if you don't, things will get better! :-)
I was completely devastated when my hearing loss occurred and felt truly debilitated. I was overwhelmed by ambient noise everywhere I went and had difficulty with just about every interaction outside my house. I had a lot of trouble at work and worried about my career. I saw several ENT's and was told there was no hope of regaining any hearing.
I took prednisone for 5 weeks and got intratympanic injections. Within the first few months, I had regained 35% of my hearing. I haven't had a hearing test in years, but the important thing is that the hearing loss really does not affect me much now. Over time my body started to compensate and I don't notice it much unless I'm in a loud environment. Socially, it isn't really an issue except when someone tries to whisper in my left ear, or talking with a person on my left in a loud restaurant. I used a hearing aid for about a year, but eventually stopped because I found it uncomfortable.
Sudden hearing loss is initially devastating and debilitating and is a truly life changing event. But you *can* recover some hearing. And even if you don't, things will get better! :-)
2 Comments
Do you have tinnutus as well?
Yes, always. It used to sound like clanging bells when I first lost my hearing but now is more like a constant buzzing noise.
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