Posts by slytinker

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Steven Carter29 said:Hey everyone, quick question. Just found out surgery is an option for people with otosclerosis. Here’s my situation: I’ve been dealing with this for about 15 years now, and my hearing just keeps getting worse. It feels like I’m hitting that wall where I'm basically deaf. Is surgery even worth it at this stage? Would it actually work if the hearing loss is this severe? Thanks for any input.

Hey. You really need to talk to a doctor about this. I used to worry that there was some cutoff point where surgery wouldn't help anymore—I was so stressed about hitting that limit that I rushed through surgery on my other ear. But my doctor told me that wasn't really how it works; you can still go through with it later on. Obviously, you need to get the specifics from a specialist, though. If they tell you it won't work, I'd say get a second (or third) opinion.

Hey there. I had my surgery three months ago. Everything went smooth. By the second day, the pain was already pretty much gone. I dealt with some dizzy spells during those first two weeks, but nothing crazy. After two weeks, they pull out the ear tampons, which isn't even a big deal. Once those are out, you can actually hear again—and once everything settles into place, it’s even better. Honestly, I can hear perfectly through this ear now. I’d almost forgotten how annoying it was being hard of hearing and having to constantly ask people to speak up. No more dodging quiet talkers, and I’ve only even tackled one ear so far. For the second one, I have to wait six months to see how my body reacts to those titanium implants they use instead of the bone fragments. It’s a one-in-a-million chance of rejection, and if that happens, they have to pull the hardware out and call it quits on the second surgery. That’s why the waiting period exists. Overall? I'm stoked. The only thing is my ear gets a little sensitive sometimes; if a sound is too loud or high-pitched, it feels like a tiny speaker is rattling inside my head. But hey, it’ll probably pass. Even if it doesn't, it’s nothing compared to the nightmare of not being able to hear. I had the procedure in Cleveland with Dr. Velepić.

So, I went under the knife yesterday, but just local anesthesia. They gave me the choice between going under completely or staying awake, and honestly, I preferred knowing exactly what was going down. It’s not exactly a spa day, though—kind of like being a lab rat in a science experiment where they're poking around your head. It doesn't actually hurt, but it's definitely weird. Yesterday was pretty rough, so I had to grab a painkiller, but today I'm feeling alright. My hearing is still a bit wonky, but the doctor says we'll see if things normalize once it heals up over the next few days. Still got the cotton and a bandage in my ear. Surprisingly, I didn't get hit with any dizziness at all...