I Could Kick Myself for Not Stopping My Loud Dental Procedure

[Lane]

If you wait beyond that limit, it's too late. Are there such limits where you live?

I haven't checked on that as of yet. I'm not feeling any urgency to either. If I go past the limit, so be it. I'll take it as it was something that wasn't meant to happen. I'm pretty detached about the whole thing at this point.

I'm having serious difficulty hearing people clearly on the phone, and interviewing people on the phone is integral part of my job.

I've not done any research on this, but would it be possible to get a specialized phone that translates voice into text, so that you can read what people are saying? We have a Charter answering machine that sends recorded messages to my email in text. I'm pretty impressed how accurate it is.

To be honest, the objective, logical person in me knows the chances of recovery are very remote, but the doctor said it was possible.

I also think some degree of recovery is possible, if not likely. But given the severity of your situation, it may not be 100%. But if it can improve to where your neurological system can handle it better, that would surely be a blessing. There are a number of things that I feel could support that improvement, like targeted nutrition, acupuncture, etc.

Every time I notice my hearing loss like when I'm having a frustrating experience on the phone it is maddening. I just want to destroy something. So I'm glad forgiveness worked for you, but it remains to be seen if that's in my future.

It's been a long process for me, and I'm not sure I'm 100% there on the forgiveness front. I don't dwell on it too much, and it actually might be more accurate to say I've learned to let it go, instead "forgiving" them. It will be telling when I get around to reviewing some of the correspondence that took place in the weeks immediately afterwards. -- I don't think forgiveness (or letting go) is something that can be rushed, so I would recommend you not put pressure on yourself to make that kind of leap.

It's been 16 months post-onset for me now, and though I feel much more stable than in the beginning, I'm still learning how to best navigate this all. I've learned a number of things, and have at least gotten to the point where I can feel a bit more patient with the process, instead of feeling so desparate, angry, and overwhelmed like I was in the beginning. -- I hope things can begin smoothing out for you to some degree soon. -- Take care!

 

[CMIH]

As if my tinnitus were not bad enough already, now I'm getting an intermittent "cricket" sound in my right ear. It happens for a second and then stops. Up until now it's been just an extremely high pitch tone in both ears. I sure hope it doesn't start continuously because .. I don't know if can handle that.

 

[Lane]

What points specifically did you receive acupuncture in, if you can remember, please describe generally. Thanks.

Hey @Daniel Lion -- Sorry about the delay in getting back to you. I just talked with my acupuncturist, and he said the three main points that he did on me, and that he generally uses for those kinds of ear issues are:

Gall Bladder - 2
Gall Bladder - 20
Triple Warmer - 17

I just had another session doing those three points, and we did some sinus points as well. In the last 24 hours, my sinuses have flared up, which corresponded with a temporary spike in my tinnitus. I've long wondered if my sinuses are affecting my tinnitus, and I'm curious to see what happens with this latest approach.

now I'm getting an intermittent "cricket" sound in my right ear.

I had a lot of shifts and changes for the first six to nine months or so. Each time it happened, it would sort of freak me out. Unfortunately, it seems those kinds of shifts are not all that unusual. Luckily, most of mine were not significant, or they didn't last very long. Now 16 months in, I'd say my baseline is 10%+ better, but my ability to cope with it all is probably 50%+ better. -- I anticipate further subtle changes, and have a sense I'll know what a more stable baseline will be at about the 2-year mark.

 

[Bill Bauer]

The beginning of my experience with severe tinnitus (and much more), began with taking a single dose of a medication given to me at the ER, causing severe brain and neurological trauma.

What was the medication?

 

[Lane]

What was the medication?

It was an anitcholinergic drug called Promethazine, also known as Phenergen. I described my experience in detail on this thread: -- From Active Sufferance to Passive Sufferance

Here's the gist of how it affected me (from my post at the above link):

It [Promethazine] was given to me as an anti-nausea medication, but wasn't told that it was initially formulated as an antipsychotic drug, AND, had the potential to induce psychotic episodes. I don't know if that's what happened to me, but what I experienced was something at least resembling it. I awoke the following morning with not only screeching, unbearable tinnitus, but had thoughts/images/emotions, etc, racing through my system at about 20-30x the normal pace.

My body was flush red, and remained so for many days. My balance was greatly affected, I had horrible twitching muscles and other muscle pain and spasms. My eyes and eyesight went haywire for a few days, could hardly eat, couldn't sleep for more than 5 minutes at a time, and when I did, woke up to my tinnitus being about 3x louder. Unbelievably, there was much more, including intense feelings of ADD, ADHD, extreme anxiety, depression, etc.
​

Below is a brief product description of Phenergan from THIS SITE, along with a list of possible side effects. I'll underline the ones I experienced, many of which I'm still experiencing--again, from just a single dose. Notice that under "Less Serious", they list "ringing in your ears". -- AAargh!

.......................................................................................

Product Description -- PHENERGAN 25MG

Common use

Phenergan is an antihistamine used to treat different types of allergy symptoms, including itching, runny nose, sneezing, itchy or watery eyes, hives, and itchy skin rashes. It works by decreasing the effects of histamine, a chemical the body releases in response to certain irritants. Also Phenegran is used as a sedative and sleep aid for all types of patients and prevent or control nausea and vomiting, treat motion sickness. You can use it with other medications, for pain after surgery also.

Possible side effect

They may include an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. Also the most possible side effects include:

twitching, or uncontrollable movements of your eyes, lips, tongue, face, arms, or legs;
tremor (uncontrolled shaking), drooling, trouble swallowing, problems with balance or walking;
feeling restless, jittery, or agitated;
high fever, stiff muscles, confusion, sweating, fast or uneven heartbeats, rapid breathing;
feeling like you might pass out;
seizure (convulsions);
pale skin, easy bruising or bleeding, fever, sore throat, flu symptoms;
decreased night vision, tunnel vision, watery eyes, increased sensitivity to light;
hallucinations, agitation;
nausea and stomach pain, skin rash, and jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);
urinating less than usual or not at all;
joint pain or swelling with fever, swollen glands, muscle aches, chest pain, vomiting, unusual thoughts or behavior, and patchy skin color; or
slow heart rate, weak pulse, fainting, slow breathing (breathing may stop).

Less serious include:

dizziness, drowsiness, anxiety;
blurred vision, dry mouth, stuffy nose;
ringing in your ears;
weight gain, swelling in your hands or feet;
impotence, trouble having an orgasm; or
constipation.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Notice that under "Less Serious", they list "ringing in your ears".

Incredible...

Another disturbing fact is that it isn't listed on
http://hlaa-sbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Ototoxic_Brochure.pdf

One dose, over a year ago. I have no words...

Are these side effects gradually fading, for you?

 

[CMIH]

Wow! That is incredible. Phenergan is very commonly prescribed for nausea. Your body's extreme reaction to it must be very rare. Incredible.

I wonder if since you are obviously "allergic" to phenergan that means you are likely allergic to other specific medications or all anti-cholergenic medications? Do you know?

 

[CMIH]

I awoke at 2 AM. I still can't believe this is happening, that I am now partially deaf. That's how I would describe it. I have this huge dead zone in my hearing now. The tinnitus is annoying as hell, but it's the hearing loss that kills me. Yesterday was my birthday. I have an appointment with a psychologist next week.

It's a good thing I'm not a violent person.

 

[CMIH]

BTW, Prednisone causes acne or makes you more susceptible to it.

 

[CMIH]

Every night it's the same thing. Sleep for an hour or two then wake up for an hour or so, then sleep again for an hour or two and wake up. This is the second time I've woken up tonight. It's 3:48 am. Ugh.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Every night it's the same thing. Sleep for an hour or two then wake up for an hour or so, then sleep again for an hour or two and wake up. This is the second time I've woken up tonight. It's 3:48 am. Ugh.

Hopefully months from now you will feel better (if not because of your body healing itself, then as a result of Lenire working)...

 

[PeteJ]

Tinnitus destroyed me. The stress and anxiety ruined my teeth and my life.

I'm supposed to visit a dentist today. Now, I don't want to.

 

[CMIH]

I'm supposed to visit a dentist today. Now, I don't want to.

Pete, what happened during my dental visit must be extremely rare. That such a thing would happen and that someone would sit there an allow it to happen (like the idiot I was) makes it even more rare. So don't stress about it. Just use your judgment while you're at the dentist office. Chances are nothing bad will happen and you'll get through it just fine.

 

[CMIH]

Hopefully months from now you will feel better (if not because of your body healing itself, then as a result of Lenire working)...

I didn't know what "Lenire" was. I just googled it. I think I will habituate to the tinnitus eventually. What has me so upset/depressed/angry/and just generally screwed-up is the hearing loss.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I didn't know what "Lenire" was. I just googled it.

Search this site!

 

[PeteJ]

Pete, what happened during my dental visit must be extremely rare. That such a thing would happen and that someone would sit there an allow it to happen (like the idiot I was) makes it even more rare. So don't stress about it. Just use your judgment while you're at the dentist office. Chances are nothing bad will happen and you'll get through it just fine.

I hope so and I really appreciate your reply.

The anxiety and stress of my tinnitus made me clench so much, it removed a filling and I think I have a jaw problem now (misalignment, probably?).

Among other things which I am worried about.

I can't manage stress. I should have tried something before and now I am scared as I am trying to treat the untreatable.

 

[CMIH]

I guess I'm going to have to get a hearing aid. Not hearing clearly is just too frustrating. I'm trying to watch a movie but it's useless.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I guess I'm going to have to get a hearing aid.

Hopefully once you have that, you will worry a lot less about your hearing loss.

 

[CMIH]

I think I'm about past the disbelief phase. This is just the new f****d-up reality I have to live with. The tinnitus is still loud but there are times now when I don't notice it or think about it and I don't have the same anxiety about it. BTW, I'm purposely not using white noise or anything like that to try to mask it because from what I understand that can make it more difficult to habituate. But I know everyone is different so...

 

[Contrast]

I have seen people post about their hearing improving (and people with hearing loss posting that their hearing loss hasn't improved, but that their T had faded).

yes, I believe Sensorinueral hearing loss gets better over the course of months when the some of the nerves grow back, but the hair cell death is permanent. However we have no clue on the statistics or how well good recoveries happens from case to case.

I wish there was more research on why hearing does come back. People get better and don't stick around on the forums to report good news, that's the problem.

 

[CMIH]

So as I mentioned in a previous post, I picked up the crown from the dentist's office because I'm not going back to him after what happened. I found another dentist who was willing to seat the crown. Of course I explain to her what had happened. She seated time crown as far as she could, but when I tried to put my teeth together the only two teeth that touched were the crown and the tooth directly below it. That meant the dentist had to remove some of the porcelain from the new crown so I could buy down normally. As soon as you she started using the drill I got that loud screeching noise in my ears again. I stopped her immediately and told her what was happening. So she preceded in short bursts instead of continuously which I was able to tolerate better, but it was still not good.

My main point is that there is apparently something unique about the anatomy of my head that results in the vibrations causing screeching in my ears. For some reason the vibrations cause some kind of resonation or something. I don't know. It's weird. I don't know if the same thing would happen if another tooth was worked on. It's just bizarre. The dentist said she had never heard of this happening before.

 

[Bill Bauer]

The dentist said she had never heard of this happening before.

How are you feeling now? What tooth is it? Have you considered extracting it?

 

[CMIH]

How are you feeling now? What tooth is it? Have you considered extracting it?

How am I feeling? My tooth (crown really) is fine not. The work is done. I don't anticipate ever having that tooth worked on again, so there's no reason to have it extracted.

But I still have hearing loss which I'm sure is permanent.

 

[Bill Bauer]

But I still have hearing loss which I'm sure is permanent.

You need to wait 6-12 months...

It sounds like the procedure this week hasn't caused a spike.

 

[Luman]

So as I mentioned in a previous post, I picked up the crown from the dentist's office because I'm not going back to him after what happened. I found another dentist who was willing to seat the crown. Of course I explain to her what had happened. She seated time crown as far as she could, but when I tried to put my teeth together the only two teeth that touched were the crown and the tooth directly below it. That meant the dentist had to remove some of the porcelain from the new crown so I could buy down normally. As soon as you she started using the drill I got that loud screeching noise in my ears again. I stopped her immediately and told her what was happening. So she preceded in short bursts instead of continuously which I was able to tolerate better, but it was still not good.

My main point is that there is apparently something unique about the anatomy of my head that results in the vibrations causing screeching in my ears. For some reason the vibrations cause some kind of resonation or something. I don't know. It's weird. I don't know if the same thing would happen if another tooth was worked on. It's just bizarre. The dentist said she had never heard of this happening before.

You were right to try another dentist, but perhaps you should call or see your original one, and tell him what you told us as it now seems that he was not directly responsible through incompetence, for your ear problems.

 

[CMIH]

You were right to try another dentist, but perhaps you should call or see your original one, and tell him what you told us as it now seems that he was not directly responsible through incompetence, for your ear problems.

I notified the board of dental examiners since I had submitted a formal complaint against the dentist. However, I still believe he should have stopped when he saw how much pain I was experiencing because it was obviously not normal.

 

[CMIH]

So I went to see my ENT on June 4th. She told me she didn't do intratympanic steroid injections but her colleague did. She stepped out to consult with him and then came back said she wanted me to follow up with him in 5 weeks. She said "what we know" about the injections is that they might help x number of weeks or months after the onset of hearing loss. I think she said three months but I'm not certain at this point.

So when I went to the appointment with the other ENT he told me that injections can possibly help but only within two months of the hearing loss onset. The day of my appointment with him was exactly two months after the incident. So the next day I called the office and left a message for the first ENT asking why she had me follow up with the second ENT so many weeks later if the injections could not possibly be of any help at that point. Her "nurse" called me back and told me the doctor said she only referred me to the other ENT for him to "evaluate my hearing loss". That is a total lie. If she just wanted to reevaluate my hearing loss 5 weeks later she could have done that herself. She referred me to him specifically because she does not do the injections. I've never had a doctor blatantly lie to me before (at least not that I'm aware of). Anyway my hearing is f----d. It's possible the injections might not have helped anyway, but now I'll never know.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

@CHIM Much of the time when we are trying to live a healthy lifestyle and things happen, it's hard to know what combination of numbers equal the sum total.

I had dental trauma and all sorts of things happen causing other/more problems. One issue that my dental experience caused was TMJ. A mouth guard helped, but then I changed guards. It wasn't until some time later that my TMJ became worse again. Then more recently my mouth started to swell as well. My second guard became a little weak and started rubbing on my gums. The nerves in my gums and soft palate became weaker from this and abrasions happens. So now I had to stop using this mouth guard and need to be even more careful when brushing teeth otherwise my burning mouth and tongue will increase.

Years ago I received hyperacusis along with tinnitus from ear syringing. I first had though that it went away with benzo use. I found out later that it went away from rain sounds. With more recent hyperacusis, sound therapy made the difference alone.

I couldn't decide on ear injections with second onset trauma and I never received them. Since I already had prior hearing loss, I don't know if they would have helped. I doubt it.

 

[CMIH]

I'm at a Best Buy with my sister. She asked me to come here to help her decide on something. They have Journey playing on a stereo and it sounds muted. It's depressing as hell to know that for the rest of my life I'll never hear music normally again.

 

[friend74]

I also had a bad dentist adventure 2 weeks ago. I'm getting 3 crowns. For 1 they had to get rid of the old crown. It was so damn loud and I felt so frightened there. She asked if everything is ok but what to do? My tinnitus was extremely loud before but at the moment I have the feeling it's even louder than that (in my right ear).

After the appointment it felt a bit louder. Then after a few days it went back to 'normal' (at least it felt like it). I was like 'ok, thank god it didn't stay so loud'.

But my tinnitus doesn't want me to feel good. 3 days ago I had a spike or some kind of ear infarction (as I call it) and it's just bad. I also think my hearing is worse than before but I don't know. Today I even have a slight feel of hyperacusis.

It's so depressing as the chances of Lenire working gets worse the more hearing loss you have.