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Sudden Hearing Loss
I had sudden hearing loss on a Sat. Worse Sunday. Picking up high frequency. Went to GP on Tues. Saw ENT Wed. Ran hearing test. No reason for loss, ie. Wax, infections, etc. Put me on Steriods. Thurs night little better. Fri was able to use phone on right (effected) side. Questions: The ent wanted to see me in 3 weeks to Follow up. How important is this F/U visit? Should I request MRI? Have had facial pain on this side of face. Leg seems to be dragging a little since Christmas shopping. Since Wed, I have had migraines each day.
Hi all.
Can type better than I can hear! UGH...just awful. i had lost the hearing in my L ear in 2003 from a fall and lifting (straining ) accident. I grew accustomed to the tinnitus and learned to tip my head to hear w/ good ear. Then last month while i was on the PC...I had a rush sensation in side my head, as if every artery & vien suddenly rushed with blood. I felt it hit the inside top of my skull,,,but as it rained down and didapated,,,POOF went the hearing in my good ear. Was imediately out on high dose prednisone for about 3 weeks. no improvement. One month to the day, I had an extra loud ringing in both ears...and poof i could suddenly hear a tiny bit it in R ear! Not good enough for speech though. I had an MRI/MRA last week & still no results back, I'm so scared it's going to stay this way. I also have advanced CAD, have had open heart to replace mitral valve (now on coumadin forever) and 4x CABG. I have always had tremendous pressure in the front of my neck and under my ears whenever I lay or bend down...That's still there. I wasn't dizzy at first , but started being so, after some of the hearing returned. Seems as if my legs are not working as they used to either..hard to explain, other than they feel like lead, and don't want to easily come forward when walking. I'm unsteady too... What do you think? I'm dying just waiting & waiting for doctors to call with results. I'm scared and don't want to live like this! I used to be vibrant and active...but the heart stuff took that away frome me a couple years ago. I'm 54 and disabled...& now i can't hear either!!
Ant words of wisdom or ideas?
Thank you so much, Lu
Can type better than I can hear! UGH...just awful. i had lost the hearing in my L ear in 2003 from a fall and lifting (straining ) accident. I grew accustomed to the tinnitus and learned to tip my head to hear w/ good ear. Then last month while i was on the PC...I had a rush sensation in side my head, as if every artery & vien suddenly rushed with blood. I felt it hit the inside top of my skull,,,but as it rained down and didapated,,,POOF went the hearing in my good ear. Was imediately out on high dose prednisone for about 3 weeks. no improvement. One month to the day, I had an extra loud ringing in both ears...and poof i could suddenly hear a tiny bit it in R ear! Not good enough for speech though. I had an MRI/MRA last week & still no results back, I'm so scared it's going to stay this way. I also have advanced CAD, have had open heart to replace mitral valve (now on coumadin forever) and 4x CABG. I have always had tremendous pressure in the front of my neck and under my ears whenever I lay or bend down...That's still there. I wasn't dizzy at first , but started being so, after some of the hearing returned. Seems as if my legs are not working as they used to either..hard to explain, other than they feel like lead, and don't want to easily come forward when walking. I'm unsteady too... What do you think? I'm dying just waiting & waiting for doctors to call with results. I'm scared and don't want to live like this! I used to be vibrant and active...but the heart stuff took that away frome me a couple years ago. I'm 54 and disabled...& now i can't hear either!!
Ant words of wisdom or ideas?
Thank you so much, Lu
Hi Patty. Sorry you haven't gotten answers yet, but sometimes it takes time. Let the neurologist finish his testing and then talk to him. Sounds like they are doing the right testing. Probably they are looking for/ruling out MS, which can be hard to do (can be hard to diagnose it, too, unless you have an MRI that screams MS).
Besides MRI (which in my case showed small nonspecific lesions) and the brainstem test (which was very highly abnormal), my neuro also ordered an MRA to look for a vascular loop (blood vessel pressing on the hearing/balance nerve). He found one, all right--but in the OPPOSITE ear to my hearing loss, so he concluded that it probably wasn't causing my symptoms. Apparently many people have vascular loops that cause no symptoms or problems.
Follow up with the neurologist for a while and see what happens. You can always get a second opinion later on if needed. For MS, if it's not a slam-dunk diagnosis immediately, or within maybe a year, there is always doubt that can last years, or forever.
Good luck,
Nancy T.
Besides MRI (which in my case showed small nonspecific lesions) and the brainstem test (which was very highly abnormal), my neuro also ordered an MRA to look for a vascular loop (blood vessel pressing on the hearing/balance nerve). He found one, all right--but in the OPPOSITE ear to my hearing loss, so he concluded that it probably wasn't causing my symptoms. Apparently many people have vascular loops that cause no symptoms or problems.
Follow up with the neurologist for a while and see what happens. You can always get a second opinion later on if needed. For MS, if it's not a slam-dunk diagnosis immediately, or within maybe a year, there is always doubt that can last years, or forever.
Good luck,
Nancy T.
Update: The next Tues I had a vision problem in my right eye. My daughter took me to the hospital. The ran EKG (negative), Corroded Artery (negative), CT scan (negative). Saw Opthomogist next day for possible torn retina (negative). ENT ordered MRI on Friday. Showed 2 lesions, some demylination, and slow movement in the white matter of the brain. Saw neurologist. He looked at MRI. Said nothing to worry about. He did eye and brain stem test today. May do MRA for possible anuerism (SP?). My question-something happened. For him to say nothing there-should I follow up somewhere else? or go with what he says?
This is another example of why I prefer MRIs. They are nice to have such that comparison studies can be made.
I agree with W/a/J, tell them your other symptoms. Migraine can cause facial pain but so can other things, and along with a dragging leg you should have the whole picture looked at.
(Of course, telling a doctor multiple symptoms always runs the risk of getting you pegged as a hypochondriac, but you should find out what caused the hearing loss if possible.)
Yes you should have an MRI! Any unexplained sudden hearing loss should have one.
I had an MRI (with contrast--that's important!) to rule out acoustic neuroma after my sudden hearing loss in 1999, but I wish I had mentioned my other symptoms at that time, including what I now think was an episode of bilateral trigeminal neuralgia (which had gone away by the time I saw the ear doctor, so I didn't mention it to him). I also had other strange symptoms starting around that time. My MRI, which was ordered only for acoustic neuroma rule-out, was read as normal. Three years later, I had an MRI to rule out MS and the SAME radiologist who'd read my original scan as normal noted that on that original scan were "similar findings" to the new scan--namely, small scattered lesions, which were consistent with, although not specific for (i.e., not diagnostic of), MS.
I always wonder whether the many odd symptoms I developed at that time and over the following years would have been taken more seriously if I had reported the facial shocks to the ENT BEFORE the MRI, instead of to the neurologist later when I'd already gotten "too many" symptoms and thus was looked at like a hypochondriac.
In any case, report your other symptoms to the ENT and/or your regular doctor without waiting 3 weeks. The follow-up and MRI ARE indeed important.
Good luck,
Nancy T.
(Of course, telling a doctor multiple symptoms always runs the risk of getting you pegged as a hypochondriac, but you should find out what caused the hearing loss if possible.)
Yes you should have an MRI! Any unexplained sudden hearing loss should have one.
I had an MRI (with contrast--that's important!) to rule out acoustic neuroma after my sudden hearing loss in 1999, but I wish I had mentioned my other symptoms at that time, including what I now think was an episode of bilateral trigeminal neuralgia (which had gone away by the time I saw the ear doctor, so I didn't mention it to him). I also had other strange symptoms starting around that time. My MRI, which was ordered only for acoustic neuroma rule-out, was read as normal. Three years later, I had an MRI to rule out MS and the SAME radiologist who'd read my original scan as normal noted that on that original scan were "similar findings" to the new scan--namely, small scattered lesions, which were consistent with, although not specific for (i.e., not diagnostic of), MS.
I always wonder whether the many odd symptoms I developed at that time and over the following years would have been taken more seriously if I had reported the facial shocks to the ENT BEFORE the MRI, instead of to the neurologist later when I'd already gotten "too many" symptoms and thus was looked at like a hypochondriac.
In any case, report your other symptoms to the ENT and/or your regular doctor without waiting 3 weeks. The follow-up and MRI ARE indeed important.
Good luck,
Nancy T.
You are lucky that your hearing has improved as with many of us it does not. Definately ask for an MRI, preferably gadolinium enhanced as there is a very small chance of acoustic neuroma and this is the gold standard test, good luck
Did you tell the ENT regarding your facial pain and leg? If not, you may want to go back ASAP and finish your case history & see if he decides to treat this in a different manner.
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