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Wed 31 Mar, 2004 02:39 pm
Several of you asked me to keep you posted on my hearing problems after my unfortunate experience a couple of weeks ago. So here's an update.
While on a Spring Break road trip to Louisiana, my husband, son & I were invited to some friends' hunting/fishing camp south of New Orleans. About as far south as you can go...WAY out in the bayous. 20 minute boat ride from the nearest boat launch. Just us, the alligators, the snakes and the mosquitos. Definitely not my kind of place. But the boys asked me to be a Good Sport, so I went. They had a great time fishing, boating, shooting rifles, etc...all that guy stuff. Unfortunately, a gun went off too close to me, and my hearing has been messed up ever since.
I saw the doctor this morning. He says I have lost about 40% of my hearing. It may not all come back, but he is hopeful since this is my first episode of this kind. No guarantees, tho'...no way to know how much nerve trauma there has been. He's starting me on a course of corticosteroids to reduce inflammation in the middle & inner ear...I will go back on a weekly basis for awhile, and we'll see what happens.
VERY distressing. I feel isolated. I cannot hear the telephone ring or hear the doorbell chime, and I cannot understand the answering machine, either. Everything sounds like a radio that is not quite on the station. Lots of static. I have to look at most people to be able to hear/lip-read what they are saying. Background noise & groups of people make it much worse. I've been sleeping a lot to get away from all the noise.
Tomorrow I have an important group presentation that's been scheduled for 2 months. I've asked someone else to go with me this time to answer questions & help me understand people. I can't do this all the time, so this means I will have to cut back on work severely for the next few weeks at least. So I will probably be around here a lot.
Hang in there Eva. Positive thinking can have great healing powers, believe me, I know.
Eva - so sorry to hear about the misfortune to your hearing. Is it both ears - I'm so sorry. My thoughts and prayers are with you for some healing.
I hope you went to an ENT or a Specialist.
Thank you, Cav. I am holding on to that thought.
It's both ears, husker. And my long-time family doctor is treating me for now...he has literally saved my life a couple of times and knows me extremely well. He has a lot of years invested in me! He is also very well connected and has always referred me to the top specialists. He says we need to try the steroid therapy first, then if that doesn't work, we go to the specialists.
Eva--
How very distressing--and in springtime. Radio Shack sells little lights that you can hook up to the telephone. When the phone rings, the light flashes. I think they also work with doorbells, but I'm not sure.
You are in my thoughts.
Oh Eva. I am so sorry to hear this news. I, too, shall keep you in my thoughts.
That is awful Eva!
I am glad your doctor is hopeful - but it is so disorientating.
I'm so sorry, Eva. I'll be thinking about you and hoping that the steroid therapy does the trick.
Oh, no Eva! Let us know how it's going.
OMG Eva, I'm so sorry.
This ranks right up there with one of my worst fears. I hope this is temporary and that you'll come through with flying colours.
Just as Noddy said, you can get both phones and doorbells installed with flashing lights. It will make things easier for a while.
I read an interesting article recently on a pill that the US navy is banking heavily on. Here's the article. You might want to discuss the possibilities with your doctor. He sounds like a treasure. Good luck.
The Hearing Pill.
Thoughts and prayers from me, too.
Good luck!
so your unlikely to hear me sneak up behind you?
Just keep a healthy attitude Eva, and you will get through this! Don't let it get you down.
Hey, I can help here. I was involved in a severe explosion that left me with no feeling in my left hand and forearm, some concussive damage , and a huge hearing loss. I regained all the eharing back in the ear not facing the explosion and about 80% in the ear facing the explosion. It will take a while. The thing that bothered me most was the tinnitus attacks that lessened in severity until, about 2 years later, I was pretty much ok. This is a pain in the ass but I lost some eardrum and it still works . At first I could hear only the bass sounds then, as I got my hearing back, the frequencies I could hear kept going higher.
Dont give up, it WILL get better. PS, the doctors arent as imposrtant as you. I was told, when it happened , not to fly. Well it happened in Nigeria . screw the doctors
Thank you, everyone! You are all very kind.
Noddy, I'll tell my husband about the lights at Radio Shack. He's quite the electrical expert, so he should be able to install them without much of a problem. That WOULD help!
Ceili, I will ask my doctor (yes! he IS a treasure!) about this medication when I go in next week. Looks like they have some clinical trials going on that don't necessarily require that the damage be very recent. I'll let you know what he says.
I SEE YOU, DYS! Nothing wrong with my peripheral VISION! Hahaha....thanks for a good laugh!
Farmerman, I really appreciate your post. It's nice to talk to someone who's been through it. Do you have a hearing aid for the ear that's only 80% now, or does the good ear make up for it? Sure hope this doesn't take two years!!! YIKES! I am hearing low bass sounds and high sounds pretty well, but midtones are very bad. The doctor said that's because low & high tones have the most vibration. Interesting, in a "learning-things-I-never-wanted-to-know" sort of way.
Keep the prayers & good thoughts coming! My attitude definitely needs some improvement after the past two weeks.
no, I dont use a hearing aid because I find thhem kind of disgusting. I sort of favor one side over another. I was in a big explosion so , if you havent lost any of the eardrum, its just the nerve damage. Sounds like someone needs lessons in handling firearms .
all i am saying ...is give fish a chance
all i am saying.....ratout for a change.
Commision: for save a fish eat a rat.Committee
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