Urgent: Sudden hearing loss and Barokomor treatment

djubre44 said:Hey everyone. My dad suddenly felt sick today and lost all hearing in his right ear out of nowhere, plus his balance is completely shot. We rushed him over to the Vineyard and he’s currently admitted there on penicillin. I was asking around and heard that hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be a game-changer if you catch it early enough. Has anyone here dealt with something similar? Also, does anyone know what the damage is for HBOT sessions and how many you usually need to see results? Thanks.

What kind of tests did they run on him? Did they just do bloodwork or go deeper than that? You really have to pin down the actual cause of the deafness. Since he's on penicillin, we're likely looking at a bacterial infection. Look, I know hyperbaric chambers can work, but it’s hit or miss depending on the specific situation. There's also a chance this hearing loss is just temporary. Honestly, the best move is to sit down with his doctor; they're the ones with the expertise. If there's going to be any benefit from the chamber, they'll be the ones to refer him.

You really need to rule out some kind of cerebrovascular event first—I mean, you can't ignore that—but honestly, a sudden drop in hearing could just be the fallout from a viral middle ear infection that doesn't even bother to cause pain.
If that's what we're looking at, you've gotta get in for surgery ASAP to stop any permanent damage to the auditory nerve, which can happen way faster than people realize. And look, the surgery itself isn't some big scary ordeal; they just make a tiny incision in the eardrum to clear things out, and you aren't even looking at major pain during recovery.

Peter King7 said:They really need to rule out a cerebrovascular event, but a sudden drop in hearing can also be caused by a viral middle ear infection—and those don't always come with pain.
If that's what we're looking at, they need to move fast with surgery to prevent permanent nerve damage, which can happen surprisingly quickly. Honestly, the procedure itself isn't a big deal; they just make a small incision in the eardrum to clear things out, and there isn't much pain afterward.

I was thinking the exact same thing. I just doubt they'd throw penicillin at him unless they were certain it was an infection. The doctors over at Vineyard are actually top-tier, especially the neurologists.

For the love of God, pentylen is definitely not penicillin.
A hyperbaric chamber?? Yeah, that's not gonna cut it.

Zachary Thompson9 said:For heaven's sake, pentilin isn't penicillin.
A defibrillator?? That won't work

I honestly thought it was just a typo at first. But now it sounds like some other kind of antibiotic altogether. Care to enlighten us on what we're actually dealing with here?

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy might be widely used, but honestly, it’s not a magic bullet for everyone. You really need to do your homework first—I'd suggest just giving a specialist a quick call to see what they think. Don't just ask any random doctor; you want someone who actually specializes in this stuff because advice can vary wildly depending on who you talk to. Around here, you can find hyperbaric chambers in places like San Francisco, Miami, or Indianapolis (though I’m not totally sure if the one over at Dubrava Basketball Club is open to the public), and usually, if you have a referral, Medicare will cover it. If you're paying out of pocket, you're looking at roughly $500-$200 per session, if my memory serves me right. The real headache is the waitlist; the lines get pretty long, so don't expect to walk in today and get treated immediately. That said, if it's an emergency, they'll prioritize you, so it really comes down to which doctor is managing your case.

Since we're specifically talking about ear issues here, you definitely need to be cautious about hyperbaric treatment. See, certain types of hearing damage can actually be a contraindication; if you can't equalize the pressure in your inner ear when the chamber pressurizes, the whole treatment becomes a no-go.

On the flip side, there are some conditions where hyperbaric therapy works wonders, provided you jump on it as soon as possible. For instance, treating facial nerve palsy is often most effective when you start the sessions right away....

Oh, I almost forgot to mention—if you're going through with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, you should plan on doing at least ten sessions to see real results.

How is your dad doing? Did he end up going through hyperbaric oxygen therapy?
I personally went through it nine times, and honestly, it didn't do much for me, though I did wait quite a while before starting—about 20 days after my hearing dropped. I spent the first 13 days stuck at the Hospital District on pentylol (which is a vasodilator, by the way, not an antibiotic, despite what some people were claiming here), and then I just kept taking the pentylol while doing the hyperbaric sessions over at the General Hospital.
There isn't much hope once you let too much time pass... I really only have myself to blame for that. I truly hope your father's hearing has returned to normal...
P.S. For me, the whole hyperbaric experience was just way too stressful... I could never seem to breathe properly. And there’s that psychological weight of knowing you can't just step out of that "submarine" whenever you want, huh, it's intense. On top of that, the very first time I went in, this woman next to me suddenly fell ill and started shaking uncontrollably, almost like she was having an epileptic seizure... it was horrific...
And it is so incredibly expensive...