Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

Forever hopeful
Did your otologist suggest that this was a possibility? How much HL do you have?
MaxRabbit
User RadioKid had 3 shots. No issues. Do a search on here. Theres a few other users who had it done so you can read their experiences.
CRGC
@Forever hopeful the only adverse effect he raised was the risk of a perforated eardrum (which he minimized). He has good experience regarding IT injections.

My hearing loss is 30db at 6khz, probably greater around 5khz from testing myself at home.
Forever hopeful
Wow. That is considered very mild HL. My ENT or otologist in Boston would never even consider an injection. Maybe a prednisone taper. I had loss at 35db at one mid frequency in left ear 2 years ago. It came back up to 25db on its own after about a year. The associated tinnitus resolved completely. They think it was a virus or ischemic event.
Guywithapug
No, made my t a little better for a while.
MaxRabbit
Another user on here, Travis Henry, had one ear done about a month ago. He was pretty far into his T though. No effects after, good or bad. The hole in the ear drum is very very rare to not heal on its own. His healed fast.
MaxRabbit
ENTS should offer shots as soon as you call them. It can entirely restore hearing and stop T. Pill form wrecks your body, is not as potent, and is often only temporary. Give the suffering patient their best chance for relief. How is this not common practice today.
CRGC
@Forever hopeful we discussed oral steroids too but this neurotologist seemed of the opinion that injections have a better chance of being effective.

My hearing loss is mild indeed but bothersome on its own...not to mention the resulting T and H. It's either noise or ototoxicity induced (this doc seems to think it's the latter) so unlikely to resolve on its own.
CRGC
@MaxRabbit this neurotologist said that most ENTs aren't as up to date with the practice as otologists, neuro or not. So it's worth it to find a doctor that's specifically specialized in this stuff. Mine is younger too, and appears to be very up to date.
CRGC
@Guywithapug thanks for the info :) is your T the result of hearing loss?
MaxRabbit
I saw a "top" doc, Dr. Djalilian of UCI Med. Asked why he didnt offer this and he said its not made for tinnitus. I said its KNOWN to help or stop it. He gave me 2 heavy meds which are in clinical trials for migraines. I dont have migraines. Told him he was wrong in nearly everything we discussed. Waited 2 months for that idiot to state nonsense, dismiss my concerns and quickly exit.
MaxRabbit
You are very lucky to have be seen by a dr. open to and current on possible treatments. There are drs. who make you worse instead of saying they have no idea how to treat you. Also, do what feels best for your ears and situation. I wish you the best if you do or dont do it!
ajc
how much did the top doc charge?
CRGC
@MaxRabbit Really sorry to hear about your experience. Do you have hearing loss? To be fair, I don't think my doctor would have offered the injections if it wasn't for my measured unilateral HL.

I came to his office prepared with printouts of some studies arguing for IT injections as useful treatment, but didn't need to show them. Could be a useful thing to do in the future.
MaxRabbit
You took paperwork, thats good. The doc I saw has google reviews and the last one posted (just saw it) was same experience as mine. Some drs. have agendas. Mine was migraines cause all T and you need to take a lot of medications. Ugh.
CRGC
That sounds like a very strange theory for a medical expert to be pushing.
MaxRabbit
Thats what his research is in. I didnt know that beforehand. I do agree T and migraine activity share traits. Also seizures and T share traits. T fucks your brain up or it was already messed up in some way. I truly believe heavy chronic stress was the reason I got and continue to have this garbage.
MaxRabbit
I dont know if I have hearing loss..too scared to test. I had muffled sound and distortions in one ear when it first started. I think there must be hearing loss in some range but not tested to be sure. The dr. didnt push for tests since he was on the migraine train and said ear drums were normal.
CRGC
@MaxRabbit i'm pretty sure regular audiometric testing is safe for your ears, as long as you stay away from tympanometry testing and especially the acoustic reflex test. Who knows, maybe having more info on the state of your hearing could be useful going forward

Agreed on migraines and T probably sharing some traits. I know i've been having some weird head/eye symptoms since onset
Forever hopeful
@CRGC, I do hope these work. Just had my hearing checked yesterday. That 35 db loss is back up to 10 db so it completely came back. I took some oral steroids that got it back to 25 I. 2021. Then the rest healed on its own.

Hoping for the best for you.