Sudden hearing loss: Has anyone dealt with this?
in Health ·
Figured I’d jump in here and share my own experience dealing with nerve damage in the ear.
Back in '89, I took a hit right to the jaw—just a nasty impact—and my hearing hasn't been the same since. At first, the doctors at the local hospital tried to tell me my hearing loss was just because I had a cold. I mean, really? You think you can stay "congested" for two straight years?!!!
It wasn't until I went to the Mayo Clinic that things actually made sense. After just three basic hearing tests, they pinpointed it as nerve damage. My left side was sitting at 36 dB and the right at 38 dB. I’ve been wearing hearing aids for about 15 years now, and honestly, they help quite a bit.
Surgery wasn't really on the table for me, mostly because the damage wasn't severe enough to warrant going under the knife.
One thing I've noticed with this kind of nerve issue is that your hearing isn't always consistent—it's not like it stays at one steady level. It's heavily influenced by your mental and physical state. If I'm stressed out, exhausted, or just generally frazzled... yeah, my hearing takes a dip.
At the end of the day, we're talking about nerves here... they aren't exactly predictable.
If you're looking for answers, go see the specialists at the Mayo Clinic. They actually know what they're doing, they'll run the right tests, and they'll actually be able to help you out.
Back in '89, I took a hit right to the jaw—just a nasty impact—and my hearing hasn't been the same since. At first, the doctors at the local hospital tried to tell me my hearing loss was just because I had a cold. I mean, really? You think you can stay "congested" for two straight years?!!!
It wasn't until I went to the Mayo Clinic that things actually made sense. After just three basic hearing tests, they pinpointed it as nerve damage. My left side was sitting at 36 dB and the right at 38 dB. I’ve been wearing hearing aids for about 15 years now, and honestly, they help quite a bit.
Surgery wasn't really on the table for me, mostly because the damage wasn't severe enough to warrant going under the knife.
One thing I've noticed with this kind of nerve issue is that your hearing isn't always consistent—it's not like it stays at one steady level. It's heavily influenced by your mental and physical state. If I'm stressed out, exhausted, or just generally frazzled... yeah, my hearing takes a dip.
At the end of the day, we're talking about nerves here... they aren't exactly predictable.
If you're looking for answers, go see the specialists at the Mayo Clinic. They actually know what they're doing, they'll run the right tests, and they'll actually be able to help you out.