SSHL and Tinnitus, Don't Give Up!

[IreneW]

Hello my name is Irene Whalen, I am new member to this forum, I posted my story on wrong forum instead of here. I joined this site some time ago but really was hesitant to post until I was ready to give people hope, today is the day.

On 10/17/15 I had a choking incident about 4 pm which required my husband to do the Heimlich maneuver.

Two hours later I was speaking to my mom on the phone on right ear and them moved it to my left ear and her voice was fading I moved phone to right ear and could Hear fine but moved to left ear and again could not hear well.

On Sunday 10/18 I woke up in the morning with the room spinning and complete hearing loss in left ear. I started to get a little worried, the hearing loss was one thing but the vertigo was more scary. I told my husband I was scared but noticed vertigo was more so when laying down. I drove myself to urgent care where the dr diagnosed me with sudden sensoneural hearing loss SSHL.

I had never heard of this, immediately the Dr. gave me a steroid shot and a Medrol dose pack. He recommended I go to ER in the medical center, see Houston has the best medical care so surely I could get some answers.

After going to ER and getting CT scan I was told it was not due to stroke or tumor and was told told to followup with and ENT. I did just that and after MRI again was told it was SSHL, the dr explained to me that in some cases I had 50% chance of getting some hearing back but could take a year to know. Well I left the Drs office scared, hopeless and desperate. See with the SSHL came a loud hissing, high pitch tinnitus so loud that it over powered my ability to hear with my right ear the ENT had told me there was nothing I could do for the T. I am still unsure if the choking incident had anything to do with what happened to me or it was just coincidental.

Well the days to follow became filled with the constant need to find out more, I was consumed with looking up treatment for T on the Internet. What I discovered is there was so much doom and gloom which filled me with anxiety, I felt like I was going to lose my mind and I was desperate for answers or a cure. I could not focus on anything else but the ringing and it was on a scale of 1-10 a 10!!

I wouldn't leave my house . I could barely leave my room, my whole body was shaking uncontrollably -I guess it was my nerves and I started to have panic attacks when daylight would come. I have a huge support system in my husband, kids, family and friends but NO ONE could even come close to knowing what I was going through, on the outside all looked fine. Desperate times call for desperate faith I was in a pit and 3 weeks in found myself 15 pounds lighter and having a nervous breakdown, I prayed and prayed non stop I pleaded for some relief I put my sole focus on a scripture Isaiah 41:10.

I then made the decision to get on anxiety meds and depression meds, this definitely has helped since I no longer have the shakes nor anxiety. I promised myself to stay off the internet reading doom and gloom about T. Then one day my son told me mom, I found you a positive website and he loaded the TinnitusTalk App for me. I admit I was so afraid to get on the forum simply because I thought I was more of the same ol' stuff.

Well today I have to tell you that although I still have T but I am finally starting to habituate, all those times I heard the word habituate I never thought it could happen. I have regained some of my hearing in left ear but still have no high frequency hearing along with the Loud T. What has changed ? Well the tinnitus has not lessened but how I perceive the tinnitus and life has changed.

My motto has always been "live in the moment" I made the decision that not only would I stay off negative website, I refused to let T control me. I realize its a sound and although annoying as heck I love my family and life too much to stop living. As I sit here and type this I'm in my quiet bedroom and I can hear the T but I'M NOT FOCUSED ON IT.

What I want to say to all of you that have recently acquired T is Don't give up you have to have faith and hope you will get better. I have been in that dark pit feeling hopeless but take in one day at a time "live in the moment" don't think negative thoughts like "oh my gosh I can't live with this the rest of my life, or any other negative thoughts. I go to bed every night and wake up every day thanking God for my heartbeat. Don't downplay what you are going through (example: it could be Cancer , or MS) although it is not Cancer it is still traumatic and you have to face it.

One thing I have learned is that this has made me stronger and I want to be the light for those that are new to this or going through what I went through.

One thing I notice about my T is for weeks it had been a relentless high frequency hissing, whistling sound but I notice lately sometimes it stops for a second or two and starts again.

I remain hopeful that one day it will go away completely but for now I'm gonna keep living and loving life.

I will never stop praying for a cure.. ️Hugs to all.

 

[Natalie Roberts]

Thank you for your positive story! I am so glad to read your life has gone back to semi-normal and you're able to function again! It gives hope to many of us newbies here who are still going through periods of anxiety with new onset T. Reading stories like this helps.

 

[IreneW]

Thank you Natalie I made a promise and asked God that if he could help me get out of the pit I was in i wanted to be a support system for those feeling hopeless. I ask anyone that is struggling to contact me either through this forum or my email at irenewhalen@hotmail.com and I want to give hope and encouragement. When first diagnosed I was obsessed with trying to reach someone that was going through or had gone through my experience. I Reached out to a support group in Dallas who put me I contact with 3 ladies who all had Tinnitus and after speaking to them all I have to say that truly helped changed my outlook on my T.

 

[Jae]

Did you have a history of SSHL? This last year I had 3 occassions with SSHL, not profoundly severe in the first 2 occasions. Rather my ears felt full like that on an airplane, and hearing was a bit muffled. I know it's SSHL because when I hum or talk, I felt like my own voice is blocked internally. The first 2 episodes, my hearing came back relatively quick, with no additional effects (no T). But during my 3rd episode my hearing loss was prolonged for some 2 weeks with the T increasing in intensity. Even got H and D as well. But my hearing did come back (but it feels a bit off, like 95~98% of it's original). While my T died down as well, it didn't disappear completely, i can hear it as some beeping, and a ringing, not low or high pitch though extremely mild. I don't ever recall getting vertigo tho, but two days prior to my last recovery I had a massive headache that kept me in bed all night. I fear I might have some chronic progressive hearing loss illness going on, and honestly I am scared shitless. I get anxious, and depress all of the time like a feeling of impending doom. Oh and, for all 3 episodes, I was given high dosage of prednisone, but the 3rd time it seemed like it didn't worked, rather my hearing and T got worse while on it, and it came back after I was tapering to extremely dosage.

 

[IreneW]

No Jae no history of SSHL. Now what I did have a history of is in 2003 I went to the movies and woke up the next day with ringing in my left ear , after having hearing test was told it was some high frequency hearing loss which resulted in T but although at the time I could still hear okay with my left ear the T seemed loud I went through all the same feelings as I did with the SSHL in same ear however the T from the SSHL was much louder because I now had No hearing in that ear. Someone told me it could have been be pressure from the choking incident as I have heard people getting T from flying but idk. I'm just glad my bad days are getting to be less and less and hope it continues. I am also so grateful that my son found this forum.

 

[Mbirm]

I know this is an older post, but reading something positive for a change really helps. I too have severe T from SSHL in my left ear, and there are days i feel i can't do it anymore. It is hard to find any positive posts on any forum about SSHL let a lone the T that goes along with it, this is truly refreshing. I have been told that anxiety and anti-depressants are helpful. I am planning on seeing someone to get on some soon. Did you ever try any sort of hearing aids to help with your T?

 

[Dominic1955]

@Mbirm I also have SSHL with severe T had it for 6 months, I can tell you my anxiety is gone but the T and hearing loss continues. Tried steroids, Acupunture, hypnosis, TRT no help.
I am still struggling and taking sleeping pills.
But I keep going hoping that I will habituate!
Good luck! Don't give up!

 

[Userhx35543]

New hear. But here is my story.

Been having mild T for year. Now 47, worked with power tools when I was a kid. No ear plugs. Loud concerts in my teens. And working around loud engines as a mechanic. With ear plugs.
2008 seemingly lost some lower tones. ENT told me one of the bones in inner ear was hardening up. No other explanation.

Three weeks ago, woke on a Thursday morning to loud T in my right ear, pressure from hell, and muffled hearing. Hearing test showed 30 + decibel loss. ENT told me it was either Ménière's disease or SSHL. High dose of steroids and anti viral meds.

To date, aural fullness has diminish. T in right ear still loud as hell. And muffled sound.

Had a moment of being overwhelmed this weekend. I can't imagine someone working in an office or some quiet setting and getting SSHL. and that god awful ringing from T. I've been used to the mild T for years, but this loud T kinda sucks. Oh yeah, and music and talking on the right side come in like unfiltered noise.

Started using binaural beats in some hopes of help. Even hit the chiropractor for an adjustment. Who knows.

And as of yet, no vertigo.

 

[GregCA]

ENT told me one of the bones in inner ear was hardening up. No other explanation.

The ENT doc may have meant you could have otosclerosis. The inner ear doesn't harden up. It's already the hardest bone in the human body.
There's a few simple tests to run: Pure Tone Audiometry (with bone vs air conduction), Rinne/fork test, CT scan...

 

[Userhx35543]

Yeah, the 2008 episode, I wasn't given a diagnosis. That's what I was told. Never paid much attention to it though. Still had pretty good hearing.

This latest episode, I was given a standard hearing test and a bone conduction test to right side bypassing the ear canal. Same result.

 

[Lorac]

Hello @Mbirm and welcome! I have a profound sensorineural loss also so I can understand how difficult life is for you right now. I tested for hearing aids twice but the tinnitus actually increased with them in, so my hearing was actually worse with the aids. Some people do benefit from using hearing aids though so definitely, test them out. For some people, the gain in actual hearing with aids will help to reduce the noisy tinnitus.
I had many, many days early on when I felt like I just could not keep going on. I don't feel that way now. This has changed my life and I wish it hadn't happened but I know I can keep on going. You are still very new to this and anxiety is a normal response to invasive noise in your head. I understand how frightened you must feel. Hang in there!