Could It Be Cochlear Hydrops, Ménière's?

[Dominic1955]

I need support, 7 months ago I developed SSHL in my left ear, this was accompanied by loud T and aural fullness and slight dizziness no vertigo this my hearing test , I received intratympanic and steroids orally for 3 weeks I am having occasional improvements in low tone hearing lasting one or two days with less T and fullness this a typical audiogram when I am better
Any ideas?

 

[Jkph75]

I think once your ear is injured anything can happen. Your audiogram doesn't look like a typical Hydrops one in that your high frequencies are really low. Did you say that you were a Dr? If so, you must know other drs to ask. I don't think half of us would be on here if we could get a Dr to be interested in helping us.

 

[Dominic1955]

@Jkph75, I am an internist and see very little ENT
I was hoping to get some input from people in this forum who had similar symptoms and now have somewhat recovered.
My otoneurologist told me it could be cochlear hydrops and it can progress to Ménière's but he is not sure
Physicians seem to have no answers when it come to disease like we have T
I am not sure what to expect from the rest of my life but it would be nice to know
I have seen people with labyrinthitis go deaf and then after 6 month or year get stable with complete hearing loss and habituate to their T
But with Ménière's it's seems impossible since it fluctuates so much

 

[DebInAustralia]

Glynis has m...perhaps ask her

Ian mac has hydrops ... ask him?

 

[Mario martz]

You audiogram doesnt reflect meniers or cochlear hydrops,
"Typically, the audiogram of someone with Ménière's Disease slopes from right to left. Thus, the person with this audiogram will be able to hear high-pitched sounds better than low-pitched sounds in the left ear. The right ear hears perfectly"

 

[tinnitube]

... hello Im an MD also , ask for ECOG test , will measure the impedance of the cochlea , from outside . Its shows the pressure inside , so if its more than certain number , dont remember , like 30% ? and has a certain pulse , means hydrops ..

any way , I meet a patient who recently had sshl , they did an angiography and discover a thrombus in the inner ear circulation , gave her steroids and anticoagulants , she got T also .

 

[Dominic1955]

@DebInAustralia, thank you I am looking at their posts
@Mario martz , I am hoping that you are correct!

@tinnitube , I am surprised that the patient had angiogram for T, when I developed SSHL I was told I probably had a ischemic event. Now I am getting fluctuations in hearing and when it drops I get fullness with increasing T. This I my latest audiogram from this am and I feel relatively well.
The second hearing test is from yesterday when I was ill
Any ideas? Could it be that the changes indicate improvements of my SSHL or does it indicate Ménière's?
Dom

 

[tinnitube]

.... meniere its called when you have vertigo, if not its calledhydrops, itt might look like hydrops or the early stage of meniere, the inner ear is very slow to show things, an ecog will show you inner ear pressure, a good idea is start betahistine minimum 48mg day, what does your otoneurologist think? ive seen this on patientsin general from 50 years old and above. let me know anything

 

[tinnitube]

also look at your lipids also ive seen it correlates with strong history of allergies. keep allergies away if in doubt make an IgE total to rule out allergies

 

[Dominic1955]

My otoneurologist at Johns Hopkins university has really not giving me much input, I have few patients with Ménière's and their major problem is vertigo
I just note fluctuating hearing really started to fluctuate about 6 weeks after my SSHL, could it be that there is healing occurring?

 

[tinnitube]

it is my understanding that fluctuation on hearing represents fluctuations on inner ear pressure like some problem in reabsortion. so coming from almost deaff to fluctuations represents reabsortion is working, but this is so slow process itS difficult to get a clear diagnosis. betahistine will increasE reabsortion iN general is used here in chile by otoneurologist but is long-term

 

[Dominic1955]

Betahistine is not approved in USA
Usually we prescribe diuretics but data does not show significant results
I am on a strict low salt diet
Thank u for your input @tinnitube !
He also suggested that I may ischemia causing recurring fluctuations in hearing

 

[tinnitube]

Dom , ive found this video very informative about inner ear problems , please have a look at it

 

[tinnitube]

ohhh I see , about betahistine ,..

Ive found this study about menieres and virus anyway find it interesting , dont know what really to think .

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25940200

 

[Dominic1955]

Yes I did see the video and the viral study
Thank u

 

[Mario martz]

Dom , ive found this video very informative about inner ear problems , please have a look at it

This is very interesting... but, then it wouldnt explaing why antivirals help people....

 

[Dominic1955]

@Mario martz i could not open your link
Dom

 

[Jchapman78]

Betahistine is not approved in USA
Usually we prescribe diuretics but data does not show significant results
I am on a strict low salt diet
Thank u for your input @tinnitube !
He also suggested that I may ischemia causing recurring fluctuations in hearing

My dad was able to get Betahistine from his dr (in colorado) - the catch is that you have to have it filled at a compounding pharmacy and pay cash. I believe it was about $75 for a 30 day supply (16mg 3x day).

 

[glynis]

@Dominic 1955,
Betahistine,Proclorperazine , Buccastem or Cinnarazine can help and low salt diet and diuretics are the first port of call for inner ear problems then injections in to the ear,sac decompression and so on....lots of love glynis

 

[valeri]

My low frequency drone started during a cold so I always wonder if there's some correlation between everything mentioned previously.

 

[glynis]

Hi @valeri ,
I have a drone sound in left ear and high pitch ringing on top in both ears and a nasty cold too....lots of rest and sleep for me this weekend.
Missed out on a night out with friends as felt to rough.....lots of love glynis

 

[KeyLime]

@Dominic1955 Any update? I have the exact same problem...when my ear feels full, my hearing drops, when the fullness dissipates, the hearing comes back. I follow up with my ENT next week, but he didn't seem to know too much about hydrops...just said if I didn't have vertigo, it wasn't an inner ear issue.

 

[Coyotesheaven]

I have about the same configuration to your before audiogram, but not quite the degree of loss from what we know. I have some noise and illness-related high frequency notches, and a dip in both ears starting at 500 hz and below coming most likely from circulation problems.

While your audiograms do not look like classical Meniere's, it says nothing on the contrary because Menieres and hydrops have so many presentations, even on audiograms. Low frequency loss is generally a red flag for M or EH, and you have some of that; but in atypical M can produce high frequency losses on top of that. You also have vertigo which is a clue to something, but it could just reflect asymmetry in cochlear/vestibular health and function between the ears.

Meniere's can manifest as many problems; vascular, allergy (autoimmune), and reissener membrane rupture from high endolymphatic pressure. You should investigate all of these avenues if they have not already suggested some explanation for the sudden loss.

The other thing that seems really odd is that your hearing seems...symmetrical if it were not for the flat loss in the bad ear. That is really weird for Meniere's...did they rule out all conductive causes (including obscure inner ear conditions and bony fistulae?).

 

[Dominic1955]

@KeyLime, around December 8 my hearing improved and lasted several weeks and my T was less intrusive, I was hoping that I was on my way to get better. Suddenly for no reason On February 2 be my symptoms came back! Marked decrease in hearing and very loud T ? So far no hypercusis or dizziness. I have no idea why this is happening
It's very frustrating! It's 10 months since my sudden hearing loss.
Good luck to you

 

[Dominic1955]

@Dominic1955 Any update? I have the exact same problem...when my ear feels full, my hearing drops, when the fullness dissipates, the hearing comes back. I follow up with my ENT next week, but he didn't seem to know too much about hydrops...just said if I didn't have vertigo, it wasn't an inner ear issue.

Any change with you ? Any better?

 

[iDred]

@KeyLime, around December 8 my hearing improved and lasted several weeks and my T was less intrusive, I was hoping that I was on my way to get better. Suddenly for no reason On February 2 be my symptoms came back! Marked decrease in hearing and very loud T ? So far no hypercusis or dizziness. I have no idea why this is happening
It's very frustrating! It's 10 months since my sudden hearing loss.
Good luck to you

That seems to be the same case with what I presume I have, "cochlear hydrops"

My hearing was good for 10 days, low frequency really came back but not 100%. Then it just got worse again.

This seems to be the same cycle that keeps happening since I got this 3 months ago.

I don't think it will ever get better.

What I found interesting is that my T will get a lot worse right before my Cochlear hydrops gets better. So I look forward to the T. Once I get better my T goes away completely.