I'm slowly going deaf

[Bob Impact]

So I recently posted something about this in the ask Dr. Steve thread, but here's a summary:

I've been having some problems with my left ear, think of the buzzing sound you hear after a loud concert amplified by 5, that's about the feeling I have every day. A recent trip to the doctor revealed that I have nerve damage, and that my left ear can hear almost no bass or treble. We still don't know exactly the cause, how extensive the damage is or how much worse it will get. The last question I asked the doctor was what he thought my chances were of regaining my hearing in that ear and after he gave me the standard answer of "well, we can't give a percentage yet, blah blah blah" he said "It may be a good idea for you to get used to the idea of having no hearing in that ear."

To be honest, I'm having a really difficult time imagining this, it's almost a sign of my mortality to me, and, as a lot of you know, music is incredibly important to my life. I've tried to stop telling myself that my hearing will come back, and instead focus on the idea that in the worst case I still have one good ear, but it's really not working anymore.

I'm not looking for sympathy here, more for stories of people in your life who have dealt with something similar.

This sucks.

[djjd]

that sucks, not much to say but best of luck

[Furtherman]

Bob.

Same exact thing happened to me.

Yep, it sucks.

I too, have nerve damage in my left ear. I lost 60% of my hearing. It's fine in a normal room, but get me in a crowded room or somewhere music is playing and I will not be able to hear anyone talking to the left of me. I only hear what is loudest.

Somedays I hear nothing and I like those days. Other times, like right now, I hear this buzz and static, sometime popping.

The doctor told me I contacted a virus, which damaged the nerves. He put me on steroids for about a month to kill the virus.

Eventually I'll have to get a hearing aid. The best I can do is have it checked out a couple times a year. Get it cleaned out. It helps a little.

No more using the phone with my left ear. I'll never own an ipod. If I'm sleeping on my right ear, there are times I'll sleep through my alarm in the mornings. I have to keep a look out to see if people are talking to me, because I've been mistaken for a jerk because I didn't answer when called or asked a question. I don't even bother trying to talk to a woman in a crowded place, I just come off as a deaf schmuck. There's only so many times I can say "Hmmm?" or "What's that?" I've even cut back on my concerts, and when I do go, it's ear plugs in both ears.

Talk to your doctor, get a second opinion. If you find anything out, let me know!

[RoseBlood]

I'm very sorry to hear this Bob. It's a shock and you will probably need some time adjusting to the very idea of loosing your hearing especially knowing how important music is to you. If you need any help, let me know here or PM me. My mother has severe nerve damage in both her ears but mainly her left one as well. If you ever decide to be fitted for a hearing aide, she's had alot of experience with them over her life. I'd look into what your insurance covers cause most, if not all, DON'T cover hearing aids but I'm not sure and they are expensive. The bad news, though, is that most hearing aids do little for people with nerve damage as they just amplify the sounds and it will still be difficult to drown out background noise and you may find yourself being "deaf to peoples individual tones". She's had some success with her most recent hearing device, but again, they cost alot of money. My best of luck to you Mr. Impact.. keep your head up!

[Hottub]

Dude, this truly sucks. Especially knowing what music means to you. I have had ear infections or blockages that have lasted a week or so and I went out of my mind. I have partially impaired vision in my left eye, but I can more than deal with that (except for wiffle ball). Sorry you have this burden. I feel for you.
I may be out of date. Are you still in the industry?

Customer - "I need a recommendation on a pair of bridges amps and flat panel speakers"
Manager - "Yeah. Just ask that guy over there. The one with the hearing aid".

I hope the doctors can find some sort of solution for you.
Mortality is a bitch.

Best wishes.

[Bob Impact]

Dude, this truly sucks. Especially knowing what music means to you. I have had ear infections or blockages that have lasted a week or so and I went out of my mind. I have partially impaired vision in my left eye, but I can more than deal with that (except for wiffle ball). Sorry you have this burden. I feel for you.
I may be out of date. Are you still in the industry?

Customer - "I need a recommendation on a pair of bridges amps and flat panel speakers"
Manager - "Yeah. Just ask that guy over there. The one with the hearing aid".

I hope the doctors can find some sort of solution for you.
Mortality is a bitch.

Best wishes.

No longer in that industry, Thank God. I'm now in a cushy corporate job with one of the biggest companies in the world, which does give me great health benefits. I just checked and Hearing Aids are indeed covered by my insurance.

[CofyCrakCocaine]

This news is the balls, Bob. Mortality's something to be aware of at all ages... I remember sitting on the school bus in Kindygarten telling this one kid that we were all going to die and he started screaming "NOOOO!!!" I'm afraid that's the best mortality-relating story I can give ya...

I've been partially deaf in the right ear for as long as I can remember. I have no memory what the problem is or if I even saw an ear doctor as a kid... it's a bitch for me to understand what anyone is saying to me if they're talking from my right and some activity's going on from my left...and they get real mad at me if I ask them to repeat themselves because they think I'm not paying attention. It's damn near impossible for me to follow any conversation if it's at a bar or some other gathering of more than 2 souls. I ultimately have to just pretend I hear them, and give out pre-fab answers like "Yeah!" "You know it!" "Naturally" and "Dayum" based upon gesticulations and facial expressions.

I still hear sound out my right ear, it's just real low and muffled... I kinda accepted the fact my auditory channels are fucked... it's probably why I've got a knack for writing alot more than I ever speak... I'm certain you'll adjust, however fucking shitty this is for ya now. Having said that this still sucks to hear you've got nerve damage. And thank god for health care.

[Snoogans]

This may help a little:

I only have 30% vision in my left eye. now in my case, its been like this my whole life. My left optic nerve is only 30% developed, so it wont get better. Granted I grew up with this, but they kept tryin to fix it. Once they finally told me they couldn't, I had to adjust to everything. It goes pretty rough early but it gets better. I actually got to where my right eye dominates so much that I dont get the perception problems that come with having one eye not working right. It all almost becomes normal. At some point, you will get to where its not even that big a deal to you, hopefully. Just, be very careful with that other one. Thats the one worry I always have is that I will somehow fuck up my right eye and be completely fucked

[Bob Impact]

This may help a little:

I only have 30% vision in my left eye. now in my case, its been like this my whole life. My left optic nerve is only 30% developed, so it wont get better. Granted I grew up with this, but they kept tryin to fix it. Once they finally told me they couldn't, I had to adjust to everything. It goes pretty rough early but it gets better. I actually got to where my right eye dominates so much that I dont get the perception problems that come with having one eye not working right. It all almost becomes normal. At some point, you will get to where its not even that big a deal to you, hopefully. Just, be very careful with that other one. Thats the one worry I always have is that I will somehow fuck up my right eye and be completely fucked
You actually hit on one of my biggest concerns there, that if this happens, what is to stop it from happening to the other one. We'll see on Friday, here's hoping it turns out to be nothing. :unsure:

[Forest]

After a gradual decline of hearing in my right ear, it shut down completely. Many trips to the audilogist, otologist, neurologist and several MRIs. Like you, Bob, I have been involved with music all my life so the first indication that something was wrong was that everything was a half note higher in my right ear. Next, everyone started sounding like Darth Vader on the telephone in my right ear. Next, I couldn't hear anything in myright ear (except the raging popping, hissing, clicking of tinnitis). I was diagnosed with Single Sided Deafness (yes, they are paid the high $$$ for diagnosing the obvious). It is a sensor-neural loss as opposed to a conductive hearing loss so a conventional hearing aid is not an option. A hearing device called a BAHA was suggested (screw inserted in your skull and a receiver attached). I tried a demo (without the screw) and it was like listening to a cheap AM radio with full treble. I need more bass in my life than what that seems to offer. But, it seems the BAHA has beeen ruled out becasue the hearing in my left ear starting to diminish. Last week (10/2008) my otologist did an intratympanic injection into my left inner ear in an attempt to stabilize my hearing on the left side. The injection is a powerful liquid steroid. He said I had to do this becasue I am headed to bilateral deafness. I have a follow-up appointment next week. I am a bit "down" today because the injection has not seemed to help and I think the hearing in my left ear is definitely declining. Everything sounds muffled. The cause is unknown and after ruling out tumor, auto-immune, etc., my otologist thinks it is genetic. All those little hairs in my cochlea apparently are not doing their job. So I turn to the internet to gain some feeling of control in searching for information and making a plan for what appears to be a future of deafness. Just writing that has brought a lump to my throat. Damn. BTW: The Oregon Health Center is doing research on regenerating those hairlike nerves in the cochlea and are having some success -- in mice. I have spoken to specialists and researchers across the nation about sudden hearing loss. The advice seems to be seek intervention quickly; oral steroids first; intratympanic injection next. After that, I am about to learn. --- Forest

[Liverspot]

Forrest, you will learn a lot

My best to you, you will get through this.

When I went on my first real vacation in 4 years I got out my 35mm camera. When I started taking a few test shot I realized the camera was out of focus. Of course I jumped on my kids for dropping the camera and fucking with it.

It turned out is was my eyes were out of focus and my right eye really degraded over the course of the 2 years. So I had cataract surgery on both eyes while in my mid 40's when most guys get that in their 60's.
You will get to the end of this, remember it is the "practice" of medicine not the science. You will move on and deal with it.

It is scary stuff, believe me I was scared shitless. You get through it and live with what you have.

When I had my second eye worked on I was comforting guys 20 years older than me that were nervous about what was going on.

I felt out of place.

[Bob Impact]

So, final update on this:

Heard from the doctor today, the final diagnosis is permanent hearing loss in the left ear caused by nerve damage. I also have mild tinnitus in that ear. The positive are that the MRIs and blood tests were normal, so there aren't any tumors or cysts. The hearing loss is apparently not treatable though they want to continue to monitor it.

To be honest, once I got over the happiness of hearing that there's nothing that needs to be removed from my brain stem it kind of sunk in that I'm never going to be able to hear correctly again. That is a very sad feeling.

Also, I want to say a quick thank you to those of you who took the time to send me a PM to commiserate, each and every message meant a whole lot to me.

[Tall_James]

We're all on your side here Bob, wishing you the best. You're one of the good guys.

BTW - is it still too early for me to call Sarah? :devil2:

[Bob Impact]

We're all on your side here Bob, wishing you the best. You're one of the good guys.

BTW - is it still too early for me to call Sarah? :devil2:

WHAT?

[Tall_James]

Shit, I thought you wouldn't have heard that.

Never mind.

[mikeyboy]

WHAT?

He said: IS IT TO EARLY FOR HIM TO CALL SARAH?

;)

Sorry to hear about the hearing, Bob, but as you said, at least it's not a serious as it could have been.

[Bob Impact]

Shit, I thought you wouldn't have heard that.

Never mind.

On the plus side, I finally have a reason to do this:
http://us.ent2.yimg.com/musicfinder.yahoo.com/images/yahoo/epitaph/tomwaits/0502_tom_waits_b.jpg

[Tall_James]

On the plus side, I finally have a reason to do this:
http://us.ent2.yimg.com/musicfinder.yahoo.com/images/yahoo/epitaph/tomwaits/0502_tom_waits_b.jpg

Sweet!

[disneyspy]

WHAT?

post of the day,i actually loled.
sorry to read what you guys are goin thru
my hearing is alittled messed up from workin with steam turbines but i got out of that job cuz my hearing test scores were going down every year
best of life to you guys

[Skellington]

I've been 85% deaf in my left ear since I was whee. (multiple ear infections, tubes, infections, tubes, then genetics). I am also a musician. You got one good ear and in time will just naturally turn your head like a radar to hear stuff, and if you are really observant, you'll learn how to lip read. The only thing I cannot do is mix music, which i'm learning how to do visually by reading wavelengths, but I am fortunate enough to have a few good friends that are aces in the engineering realm to help me. I do wear a hearing aid, it goes in the ear and with insurance cost $2500, but is worth it (cept when you get a cell phone near it and it whistles). I don't think any buddayyy's that have met me in person have noticed :) Medical science is advancing, and the work being done on Cochlear implants is getting better and better. :wink:

[Forest]

Hello Bob - I just finished getting my third injection of liquid steroid in my "good" ear that was beginning to show signs of hearing loss (found it had a measured mild to moderate loss). If you start to lose it in your good ear, I highly recommend pursuing the injections as soon as possible. I go in next week to determine if things have stabilized. If so, I get to see the audiologist once a month and after 4 months of stabilized hearing, I have the option of purchasing a standard hearing aid to boost my hearing in that ear. I asked my otologist if the feeling of presssure and noise would ever go away or diminish in my deaf ear. He said no. Good luck. --- Forest