u/driftking428

I lost all hearing in my right ear 12 days ago, SSNHL. I saw my ENT 3 days later and started oral steroids immediately. According to their original treatment plan I would not have been referred for HBOT. I also would not have started steroid injections until next week.

Thanks to people in this sub I pushed for sooner steroid injections and got my first one week ago and my second one today.

I asked to be referred for HBOT and have had 4 sessions already. The HBOT lab at the hospital said that they will only treat sometime within two weeks if their SSNHL. I would not have been treated if not for this sub.

As of right now I have terrible hearing in my right ear, which is a massive improvement over having no hearing at all.

I'm really hopeful that I will continue to improve, but even if I don't I'm not completely deaf in my right ear anymore.

Thanks to everyone who helped answer questions and encouraged me to push for more aggressive treatment.

I've recently started biking as much as possible. I live by a nice paved bike trail.

Yesterday I had a close call with a snake and a prairie dog. I imagine this will be a pretty regular occurrence.

Is there a rule of thumb for when to brake, when to swerve, when to just ride through and hope for the best?

I don't want to kill a snake, but I don't want to hurt myself either. Thanks!

My initial SSNHL even was a week and one day ago. I have essentially heard nothing in my right ear since then.

Today I was yelling down to my wife and I "heard" a static sound that matched my voice.

I yelled a dozen times to see if I could "hear" the same static sound. And I can reliable hear a scratchy static sound coinciding with my voice.

At first I didn't think much of it but I consulted my nurse, Google and learned a new word Dysacusis. AI tells me this could be a sign of healing because I'm actually "hearing" something, even if it's not clear.

Did anyone who got any hearing back experience sometime like this?

I start my first HBOT tomorrow. I'm dangerously getting hopeful.

Hey Everyone

I'm experiencing something that you all seem to be familiar with. I was working in my yard on Sunday. I was listening to a podcast with headphones on and working with power tools. When I stopped and took my headphones out I realized I couldn't hear in my right ear almost at all.

I had a similar experience about a year ago that was 100% a wax problem. I cleaned my ear out and got all of my hearing back, I assumed this was the same thing, although the hearing loss was considerably worse.

I cleaned my ear out twice Sunday with no improvement and decided to sleep on it and try again Monday. Monday I tried again with no improvement. Now I was starting to get scared. My doctor made an appointment for me the same day. She found no wax in my ear and said I may have SSNHL. She referred me to an audiologist and sent me home.

I read up on my own and realized I should be on steroids. Luckily my wife had some I could borrow while I waited for my audiologist appointment. Luckily I got my audiologist appointment Tuesday (yesterday). They confirmed what my PCP suggested SSNHL.

I'm on 60mg steroids now and hoping for the best. I do think my hearing went from <1% to maybe 3% of original since Sunday. Ok Sunday if I covered my left ear I couldn't make out a word anytime was saying in person, on TV, or on headphones. Now I can very very faintly make out most words if they are loud enough. But it's still really bad. If it were both ears I'd be functionally deaf.

Not sure exactly why I'm posting. If the pills don't work they will inject steroids into my ear. I also have an MRI coming up to make sure it's not a tumor.

If anyone has any advice or tips I want to be doing everything I can to improve.

I'm sorry you all are going through this. It's so much worse than it sounds when I explain it to people. I'm at least glad to have people who can empathize.