Sudden Hearing Loss

[patty2483]

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.

[Wear/a/Jimmy]

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.

[JeWeL41]

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

[Nancy T]

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.

[Wear/a/Jimmy]

This is another example of why I prefer MRIs. They are nice to have such that comparison studies can be made.

[patty2483]

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?

[Nancy T]

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.