Otosclerosis Symptoms and Stapedectomy

[golfie]

Hello all,

I need your great support and advice to make a correct decision on Stapedectomy.

Background:
I am 31 years old. I have been diagnosed with Otosclerosis in my right ear since 2 years and my ENT advised me to go for Stapedectomy instead of a hearing aid. But I was afraid of surgery and he told me that if I don't opt for surgery then the condition may worse or stay same.

I decided not to opt for surgery.

But recently the tinnitus on my affected ear has worsened and I feel dizziness/tiredness and ear fullness/clogged/pressure feeling almost every evening after dinner. Now I also sometimes feel the tinnitus in my left ear (hearing is still good).

Is ear fullness/pressured/clogged feeling is also a symptom of Otosclerosis?

I am often closing my nose and pumping the air out of the ears to get temporary relief. I think this is called Valsalva maneuver.

Could regularly doing the Valsalva maneuver affect something in my middle/inner ear or eardrum?

Now I am planning to go for the surgery since I am annoyed by the increased tinnitus and clogged feeling but my wife is pregnant and I am looking after her. We are expecting the baby in November and I got a date for the surgery in August.

Is it a good idea to go for Stapedectomy at this time?

Will I be able to recover completely in a couple of weeks post Stapedectomy so that I can start driving a car and look after my pregnant wife?

Would postponing the Stapedectomy for 6 months would reduce the chances of getting back hearing and affect my middle/inner ear more?

I knew these are lot of questions and I kindly request the members to share their valuable experience to make a correct decision.

Thanking you in advance and have a good day!

 

[GregCA]

Can you post your audiogram here? (blank out any personal info)

How was Otosclerosis diagnosed (i.e. why did the doctor think you have Otosclerosis)?

Recovery from surgery can vary. You will have packing in the ear which is going to make that ear go completely deaf until the packing is removed. That happens generally 1-2 weeks after surgery, and I would not recommend driving without having stereo hearing if you are not used to it (mono-hearing drivers are common, but they know they can't locate sound and have adapted through years - your brain doesn't).

I would limit the Valsalva maneuver as I doubt it is helpful for Otosclerosis. I think too much of it can be dangerous, and suspect it may have aggravated my case.

If the disease has affected your inner ear, you should probably think about the timeline for surgery. In my case, surgery + fluoride seems to have arrested the progression of the disease. Talk to your doctor about it. In fact, you should probably talk to 3 different doctors about this: it's a non-trivial surgery and you should have several opinions to form your own.

Lastly, check your surgeon's stats: what's his/her personal stats with regards to % of side effects after his/her surgeries? In particular, how many of his/her patients ended up completely deaf in that ear, got facial drooping, lost sense of taste or smell forever, etc.

Good luck!

 

[Kimsvenk]

Hi there!

Did you have the surgery already? I just had mine (Stapedotomy) done last Thursday, 10th September.

I'm curious how you have experienced the recovery period.

Cheers.

 

[GregCA]

I just had mine (Stapedotomy) done last Thursday, 10th September.

It's a tough surgery. Recovery isn't easy, especially with severe tinnitus, because that's all you will hear until the packing is taken out. Hang in there until that point.

Do you still hear your tinnitus?

 

[Arielle81181]

I am 40 and had 2 Stapedectomies when I was 17. It was AMAZING how much my hearing improved... however my tinnitus also increased. I wouldn't trade the hearing for the world though. I am still technically on the grid with severe hearing loss but it is not in conversational tones so I can hear most people speak mixed with some lip reading.

Anyway this answer might be a bit late seeing as how your post is over a year old. I just wanted to share that I did the surgery, the recovery did kinda suck but it was totally worth it to me.

 

[BuzzyBee]

Has anyone else had a stapedectomy that helped with reactive tinnitus or hyperacusis?

 

[GregCA]

Has anyone else had a stapedectomy that helped with reactive tinnitus or hyperacusis?

My stapedotomy did reduce my hyperacusis dramatically. I was not able to function before the surgery (typing on my laptop's keyboard was "too much," as was whispering). I now rarely experience noticeable hyperacusis.

Tinnitus, on the other hand, didn't resolve, I'm afraid.

 

[BuzzyBee]

My stapedotomy did reduce my hyperacusis dramatically. I was not able to function before the surgery (typing on my laptop's keyboard was "too much," as was whispering). I now rarely experience noticeable hyperacusis.

Tinnitus, on the other hand, didn't resolve, I'm afraid.

Thanks for the insight, Greg. You must have been suffering immensely if even typing on your keyboard was too much. How much of your hearing did you regain? Before that, did you have mixed hearing loss, or was it completely conductive? Sorry for all the questions!

 

[GregCA]

Thanks for the insight, Greg. You must have been suffering immensely if even typing on your keyboard was too much. How much of your hearing did you regain? Before that, did you have mixed hearing loss, or was it completely conductive? Sorry for all the questions!

No worries, happy to answer. I had mixed hearing loss, so the surgery helped me regain most of my conductive losses, which were in the low frequencies. However, my sensorineural losses in the high frequencies got a bit worse.

The tinnitus didn't go away, but the hyperacusis mostly resolved. Being able to hear better has helped a bit with the tinnitus.