u/BrattyBiteStaash

I’m 65 and I’ve been mostly stuck in bed for the last couple months with severe low back pain and spinal stenosis. My doctor in Carlsbad is talking about surgery as the next step, and the injections I’ve tried haven’t really helped.

I’m not against surgery if it’s truly the right move, but I’m honestly scared of jumping into it without understanding what else is worth asking about first.

Has anyone in the Oceanside / North County / San Diego area dealt with stenosis or deep low back pain and found a specialist who actually took the time to explain options? I’ve heard people mention decompression, shockwave, PT, etc., but I don’t know what’s legit for this kind of issue and what’s just marketing.

Mostly looking for experiences, what helped, what didn’t, and what questions I should ask before committing to anything.

I woke up two days ago with total hearing loss in my right ear. No injury or cold, just silence. ENT diagnosed it as sudden sensorineural hearing loss and started me on steroids. They also mentioned starting HBOT quickly.

I’m trying to understand what actually matters before I spend money on it. Some places make it sound like a miracle, others barely explain anything. I keep seeing terms like soft chamber, hard chamber, 1.3 ATA, 2.0+ ATA, oxygen %, session length, etc., and honestly it’s confusing.

Has anyone here done HBOT for SSNHL? How many sessions did you do, what pressure was used, and did you notice any hearing change early on?

Also, for people who researched clinics: what questions should I ask before booking? I don’t want to choose a place just because they say “HBOT” if the chamber type or protocol is totally different.