I think I've recovered a significant part of my hearing again!
One day, I decided to try the Valsalva maneuver for my bad ear.
Having my ear blocked was already depressing, and on top of that, constantly hearing my heartbeat in that ear made it worse. Out of fear, I avoided doing the maneuver much or correctly because I worried I might damage what little hearing I had left in that ear.
Still, I decided to give it a try—just a slight attempt to test it out.
Nothing.
As expected.
Then I tried again with a bit more force.
Suddenly, I felt a super loud deflating sound in the bad ear, and immediately I could hear my headset much more clearly on that side! It was so clear that the balance on my headphones actually favored the bad ear. (Normally, the good side was supposed to sound stronger!)
I couldn't believe what I was hearing! I adjusted the balance on my headset to 100/100 instead of 70/100 (my right side was the bad side), and it finally sounded balanced!
Even more surprisingly, I don't seem to hear my heartbeat on that side anymore. The tinnitus is still there, but I think I can endure it. The sound recovery was huge!
What just happened? What made the Valsalva so effective for my condition? What was wrong with me all this time?
It's been two years—two long years of hearing poorly on one side and struggling every day, wondering what my life would be like with a deafened ear. It was horrible.
But now? I don't want to jinx it, but I finally feel like I've recovered from this deafness. It's like a miracle!
For now, I'm going to seize this opportunity to take better care of my hearing. No more headsets—not for now. I don't want to make the same mistake or risk undoing this progress.
To everyone else on this journey, I wish you luck with your recovery. Who knows? Maybe the Valsalva maneuver is what you need too.
One day, I decided to try the Valsalva maneuver for my bad ear.
Having my ear blocked was already depressing, and on top of that, constantly hearing my heartbeat in that ear made it worse. Out of fear, I avoided doing the maneuver much or correctly because I worried I might damage what little hearing I had left in that ear.
Still, I decided to give it a try—just a slight attempt to test it out.
Nothing.
As expected.
Then I tried again with a bit more force.
Suddenly, I felt a super loud deflating sound in the bad ear, and immediately I could hear my headset much more clearly on that side! It was so clear that the balance on my headphones actually favored the bad ear. (Normally, the good side was supposed to sound stronger!)
I couldn't believe what I was hearing! I adjusted the balance on my headset to 100/100 instead of 70/100 (my right side was the bad side), and it finally sounded balanced!
Even more surprisingly, I don't seem to hear my heartbeat on that side anymore. The tinnitus is still there, but I think I can endure it. The sound recovery was huge!
What just happened? What made the Valsalva so effective for my condition? What was wrong with me all this time?
It's been two years—two long years of hearing poorly on one side and struggling every day, wondering what my life would be like with a deafened ear. It was horrible.
But now? I don't want to jinx it, but I finally feel like I've recovered from this deafness. It's like a miracle!
For now, I'm going to seize this opportunity to take better care of my hearing. No more headsets—not for now. I don't want to make the same mistake or risk undoing this progress.
To everyone else on this journey, I wish you luck with your recovery. Who knows? Maybe the Valsalva maneuver is what you need too.
