Terrifying Fleeting Deafness for Hours: Is It Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss?

[in_the_shadows]

Has anyone experienced fleeting tinnitus along with muffled hearing that lasted for several hours? Yesterday, I had a pretty terrifying experience while out for dinner. I suddenly went completely deaf in my left ear, accompanied by a loud, intense tinnitus. I almost took 60mg of Prednisone, assuming it was sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), but the symptoms gradually eased on their own. During the recovery, I had several smaller episodes in the same ear. Even through the night, these fleeting episodes continued, occurring about every five minutes. Today, I've only had a couple of episodes.

How can one differentiate between SSNHL and fleeting deafness?

For context, I'm currently dealing with a sinus infection, and I was on Amoxicillin last week, which seemed to make my tinnitus more unpredictable (10+ new tones, all oscillating). I've also been taking a lot of supplements recently, which could potentially be contributing to this as well.

 

[delta784]

Check my latest posts. I had the exact same experience. It felt like fleeting tinnitus or sudden onset, but it took hours to resolve. My audiogram showed no hearing loss, but it worsened the tinnitus in my right ear, and it never returned to baseline.

 

[in_the_shadows]

Have the fleeting tinnitus episodes worsened your existing tones or added a new one? Usually, I have so many tones that it's impossible to keep track of them all. However, this fleeting episode brought a new high-frequency tone that feels more stable and noticeable than the others.

 

[delta784]

Have the fleeting tinnitus episodes worsened your existing tones or added a new one? Usually, I have so many tones that it's impossible to keep track of them all. However, this fleeting episode brought a new high-frequency tone that feels more stable and noticeable than the others.

Yes, a fleeting tinnitus episode gave me a flashbang-like tone with a very high pitch.

 

[Nes]

Has anyone experienced fleeting tinnitus along with muffled hearing that lasted for several hours? Yesterday, I had a pretty terrifying experience while out for dinner. I suddenly went completely deaf in my left ear, accompanied by a loud, intense tinnitus. I almost took 60mg of Prednisone, assuming it was sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), but the symptoms gradually eased on their own. During the recovery, I had several smaller episodes in the same ear. Even through the night, these fleeting episodes continued, occurring about every five minutes. Today, I've only had a couple of episodes.

How can one differentiate between SSNHL and fleeting deafness?

For context, I'm currently dealing with a sinus infection, and I was on Amoxicillin last week, which seemed to make my tinnitus more unpredictable (10+ new tones, all oscillating). I've also been taking a lot of supplements recently, which could potentially be contributing to this as well.

I experienced this last month. The deafness was very brief, but the ringing lasted for several hours. It took an entire month to settle down a bit, but it is still not close to baseline.

As a result, the ringing returned in my good ear. I also experienced a lot of fleeting tinnitus episodes after that, and some of them even introduced new sounds.

 

[in_the_shadows]

I experienced this last month. The deafness was very brief, but the ringing lasted for several hours. It took an entire month to settle down a bit, but it is still not close to baseline.

As a result, the ringing returned in my good ear. I also experienced a lot of fleeting tinnitus episodes after that, and some of them even introduced new sounds.

In my case, the deafness lasted several hours, and the new sound persisted for several days before gradually fading. After that, I experienced many fleeting tinnitus episodes with the same sound.

I suspect this might be caused either by inflammation or by a cluster of hair cells or synapses collapsing for a specific frequency. It is terrifying to go through something like this.

 

[Nes]

In my case, the deafness lasted several hours, and the new sound persisted for several days before gradually fading. After that, I experienced many fleeting tinnitus episodes with the same sound.

I suspect this might be caused either by inflammation or by a cluster of hair cells or synapses collapsing for a specific frequency. It is terrifying to go through something like this.

Sending lots of hope your way—that must have been terrifying. Did you end up taking the Prednisone? Even for the sinus infection, isn't it strange that you weren't prescribed Prednisone?

 

[in_the_shadows]

Sending lots of hope your way—that must have been terrifying. Did you end up taking the Prednisone? Even for the sinus infection, isn't it strange that you weren't prescribed Prednisone?

I hesitated to take Prednisone because my symptoms were gradually subsiding. However, I decided to take it one week after the episode of deafness, which occurred three weeks after using Amoxicillin. I had three pills left from a previous prescription.

I took 40 mg on the first day and 20 mg the following day. Since then, the tinnitus has stabilized, and I haven't experienced any fleeting episodes. While it helped, taking Prednisone still feels like gambling with my health.

 

[Swampy]

Hey,

Sorry I can't be of much help, but I do experience this quite often. I have a lot of ear issues, and I get these "fleeting" or SBUTT episodes with the muffled or deaf sensation very frequently. They often last for hours or even days, and sometimes they become super reactive on top of that. I have no idea why it happens, it seems very random and quite scary since they do not fade away quickly like a typical SBUTT or fleeting muffled episode.

Very strange!

 

[DimLeb]

Hey,

Sorry I can't be of much help, but I do experience this quite often. I have a lot of ear issues, and I get these "fleeting" or SBUTT episodes with the muffled or deaf sensation very frequently. They often last for hours or even days, and sometimes they become super reactive on top of that. I have no idea why it happens, it seems very random and quite scary since they do not fade away quickly like a typical SBUTT or fleeting muffled episode.

Very strange!

Yeah, me too. I have been experiencing these episodes, but they do not last as long, usually around half an hour to an hour. Still, it is more than enough to freak me out. I also notice a lot of variation in the intensity of the blocked feeling, hearing loss, and louder ringing. Does everything return to normal for you afterward?

 

[Swampy]

Yeah, me too. I have been experiencing these episodes, but they do not last as long, usually around half an hour to an hour. Still, it is more than enough to freak me out. I also notice a lot of variation in the intensity of the blocked feeling, hearing loss, and louder ringing. Does everything return to normal for you afterward?

Heya!

Sometimes, the muffled hearing, louder tinnitus, and reactivity to all noises can last for days, unfortunately. However, so far, it has always returned to "normal," even if it takes a while. I say "normal" because I have a lot of ongoing ear issues, but these strange, random, prolonged muffled reactive spikes are so scary.

I've mentioned this to several ear specialists, audiologists, and other professionals I've seen, but they all seem a bit puzzled. They're not sure why sometimes it feels like a typical SBUTT, while other times it turns into these intense, long-lasting reactive muffled spikes that persist for days. It's very strange and frustrating—I'd love to figure it out, along with my other ear issues.

I'm so sorry you experience this too. Do you have any theories on why it happens?

 

[DimLeb]

Heya!

Sometimes, the muffled hearing, louder tinnitus, and reactivity to all noises can last for days, unfortunately. However, so far, it has always returned to "normal," even if it takes a while. I say "normal" because I have a lot of ongoing ear issues, but these strange, random, prolonged muffled reactive spikes are so scary.

I've mentioned this to several ear specialists, audiologists, and other professionals I've seen, but they all seem a bit puzzled. They're not sure why sometimes it feels like a typical SBUTT, while other times it turns into these intense, long-lasting reactive muffled spikes that persist for days. It's very strange and frustrating—I'd love to figure it out, along with my other ear issues.

I'm so sorry you experience this too. Do you have any theories on why it happens?

That's good if things return to normal. I get what you mean about "normal," as I also have permanent mild to moderate multi-tonal tinnitus. It can be particularly bothersome on some days since it's variable. On top of that, I deal with TTTS (spasms triggered by certain sounds) and occasional MEM episodes (spontaneous spasms that can last for many hours).

I imagine it could be one of two things:

1. Some kind of hydrops, like Meniere's, but more atypical or unusual.
2. A muscle spasm, probably in the middle ear, which has been associated with SBUTTs. (If you search online, you'll find theories about this.)

The issue with the second theory is that I also experience MEM, which is literally irregular muscle spasms, but MEM has never caused the effects described with SBUTTs.

I am not entirely sure, but I am probably leaning toward the hydrops theory. I know it's scary.