hearing loss ?

[Alysia]

Hi,
lately I noticed that strong sounds are making me a painfull feeling in my ears, and I experience them as sounding more loudly then others experience them.
for example, being in a train station, compare to others, the noise of the train when it start to move, is so strong and painful that I must put my hands on my ears to protect from the noise and the pain. others around don't hear it so loud and of course don't have pains from the noise.
so, I went to my usually useless ENT
as usual, he was frightened to see me ( "OMG, what am I going to do with her now?" ... ).
my ears were clear, nose still with infection at one side. (I don't need him to tell me. I know. never peace )
he said that it might be a kind of hearing loss of certain frequencies of sounds. he send me to hearing test. but it take time to get appt.
am I losing my hearing ?
it is my main "tool" at work, because I work as psychologist. I never heard of deaf psychologist and if I am going to lose my hearing , then I will "hear" of one, me
anyone have similar phenomena ? how is hearing loss hapenning ? is hearing loss of some frequencies remainning specific and not leading to more severe hearing loss ? is it reversible ? how can one stop it if it is progressing ?
thank you for being here. love you all

[Pete]

Don't know what to say here. I have hearing loss, but do not experience pain in loud environments. I have lost hearing in certain frequency ranges. If I think of my hearing as a stereo, I've lost the woofer and tweeter, but the mid-range is ok. I wear hearing aids in both ears. They give me the woofer and tweeter back. However, in noisy environments (think busy restaurants), the hearing aids don't help much.

Much of my hearing loss is due to overexposure to loud noises (gunfire on the army rifle ranges, working in a steel mill, a few extra loud concerts). GPA put the finishing touch on my right ear. My eustacian tube doesn't always work right.

It's frustrating at times, but I manage...

[mmthomm]

Hi Alysia,

I was just diagnosed with Wegener's in Nov. 2013 and my "final" symptom which led to my diagnosis was progressive hearing loss (followed by horrible headaches, etc.). To make a very long story short when they did an MRI of my brain to look at the IAC's (internal auditory canals) after almost two months of hearing changes to see whether there was something internally causing the deficit, they saw a huge mass (later found out it that it was a granulomatous mass from the Wegener's). It was also putting pressure on my acoustic and vestibulocochlear nerves affecting the hearing. I guess my take-home message is to stay on top of the ENT about it because if the hearing test shows either conductive or sensorineural (neurological) hearing loss, I would consider discussing an MRI of your brain with him that would show the IAC area. I can completely relate to the frustration of the hearing loss issue though because I'm a chiropractor and it's so aggravating (probably for my patients too) to have to ask them to repeat themselves constantly. The good news is though that after 6 weeks of treatment for the Wegener's, my hearing has improved quite a bit - not nearly 100% but better. I'll be having another MRI here in a couple of weeks to see whether the nasty mass in my head has improved with the treatment so fingers crossed!
Maureen
dx Nov 2013

[drz]

I became functionally deaf after Wegs hit me almost four years ago. I had substantial hearing loss in one ear before and Wegs wiped out hearing and balance in the other ear. A BAHA for deaf side and regular hearing aid for the other gives me partial restoration of hearing. Loud noises and certain frequencies can be irritating and even some what painful when hearing aids are set on maximum power.

Being almost deaf for many months till I could have BAHA surgery had a very adverse affect on my speech and I ended up speak like a deaf person but this has greatly improve since I got BAHA. it is also very frustrating and major problem for any social interactions.

My guess is the pain comes from some stimulation of something in inner ear and hope it can be addressed and improved for you some how. Some times massive dosages of steroid can help restore hearing but it didn't help me any.

I too would pursue an MRI to try diagnose the cause of problems in your ear.

[ballma02]

I've found comfort in soft ear plugs. The kind you shape with your finger and thumb. Ear temperature stays constant. Mutes harsh noises. I wear them bicycling to soften the white noise flowing around my helmet and ears. Crowds, restaurants, shopping malls. Helps me zero in on a personal conversation.

"In the last few years he had grown very deaf in one ear, so that when you spoke to him he looked at you intently. This had given him a reputation for keenness and great character insight, when it was merely the protective trick of a man who does not want to confess that he is hard of hearing." So Big

, by

Edna Ferber

[pberggren1]

When did you first notice this coming on sweetie pie?

Hearing loss can be conductive or neural. I would keep a close eye on it and get hearing tests often and go see a different ENT that specializes in the ear. Get copies of your hearing tests too so you can post them here.

[windchime]

Oh Alysia this is a very serious subject, but I had to laugh at the humour you injected. My ENT is about useless to so I can relate. I don't have any significant hearing loss. Missing some low range stuff, but wanted to let you know I'm thinking of you. I do agree with the others that maybe an MRI is called for at this point. He'll think he was brilliant to think of it and he will have found something to do with you. Hugs to you. Keep us posted.

[NikkiNicole]

Sweetie, I hope this isn't the onset of hearing loss. I have been having trouble with my own ears. In 2012 I had tubes put in because my ears were so engorged with fluids that I couldn't hear. Everything was muffled. The tubes are out but if I breathe in, yawn, etc my ears pop or become muffled. I also cannot tolerate very loud noises.
My husband likes to listen to loud music while working in the house and I can't take it. It hurts. I actually went and sat outside one day because of it. I don't hear the same, and I still feel a little lopsided in my hearing.
I hope you find out what's going on with this.

[annekat]

I wish I could help, Alysia. I have hearing loss and wear hearing aids, and I know some of it is sensorineural, in one ear, but most of it is conductive, in both ears, from both Eustachian tubes not working properly, and my ENT says that tubes in my eardrums wouldn't work. I have not had the experience you describe of things sounding too loud or pain during loud sounds. Wegs is such a complicated disease and we all get a different set of symptoms than someone else. I'm sure the advice given above is good. I hope it is a temporary condition and you'll see some relief soon.

[mishb]

Alysia, my husband has this very same problem.

He has to cover his ears when the microwave final beep goes, or when the washing machine or dishwasher give the final beep sound.
The noise of cicada's drives him absolutely bonkers and also the whining and barking of our dog......also the train and or car horns.
If you click your tongue or click your fingers near his ears, watch out.

He mentioned it to his doctor who didn't think anything about it.
I mentioned it to my doctor and she said, that he must see someone straight away - which of course, he hasn't done.

Like me, he also has Meniere's disease and he said the tinnitus (ringing in the ears) is nothing compared to the shrill of these noises.

Of course, it isn't a Weggie thing and I don't think that it is related to hearing loss - more hearing sensitivity.

I hope you (and my husband), get answers shortly.