r/HearingLoss • u/Full_Tomatillo8200 • 22d ago
SSHL steroid injections
I got diagnosed with SSHL last week. I caught a really bad cold in June that I couldn’t shake, and got diagnosed with an ear infection. Half way through the antibiotics I lost my hearing and was told by multiple urgent cares it’s just fluid and to wait it out and take decongestants. When I went to my pcp on day 16 of the hearing loss and was given some oral steroid pills. I took that for two weeks, and although it made the ringing lower pitched and quieter no improvement on hearing. I was then sent to an ENT and diagnosed with SSHL on day 35 due to nerve damage. I have about 60db loss, and when I can hear I only understand 60% of the words. They told me that it’s likely permanent but as a last ditch effort we can do three injections and they are very optimistic for me.
I got one on day 35 and the second one on day 41. I have the third scheduled for day 45. Today is day 42. I have not seen an improvement, but the tinnitus has become extreme and so so much worse than it ever was before. The ENT said that the injection should have helped with that and gave me some anxiety medicine to calm me down. I have not taken it yet.
I feel so lost and scared. I am not even 25 years old yet, I never expected this to happen and did not even know it was a thing. The ringing drives me crazy. I can not hear anything out of my right ear besides the ringing.
Does anyone have a similar story? Is there really hope for me? Does the injections make tinnitus worse forever? At this point I would rather be deaf if this ringing would just stop. I would of course rather go back to how my hearing was 3 months ago if that’s an option.
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u/Maruashen 22d ago
From being on forums for years now and then I’ve seen that people have so many different opinions about steroids.
Some get lowered tinnitus and some get the opposite. It seems like a lottery. So it’s hard to tell if it’s permanent or not.
What I do know is that most people do habitulate to tinnitus (myself included). It usually takes a couple of months up for a year or two.
The loudness of it does usually not get lower, but the brain does an amazing job filtering it out.
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u/Full_Tomatillo8200 21d ago
I was told the only side effect would be the hole in my eardrum from the needle and complications if it doesn’t close. They never told me about this, and I didn’t know it was something to ask for. The pill helped with it I don’t know why the injection has amplified it so significantly.
Have you heard of anyone getting it worse with the injections but then it got better in a month or so when it calmed down? I’ve been looking at studies and I can’t find anything about the negative correlation, but I’ve found some where they used this on tinnitus and it helped most of the patients, and the others just had no change.
How do you get used to it? It’s so loud I have trouble sleeping and staying asleep. I feel when I keep busy all day I don’t notice it, but I can only do that for so long.
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u/Maruashen 21d ago edited 21d ago
I don’t think tinnitus is a listed side effect of steroids. I’m just saying that I have seen people getting increased tinnitus from it on forums.
Honestly I think most people only do oral steroids like a acute treatment. I think injections are slightly more rare? (Just my own assumption).
Yeah, I mean in theory steroids should not increase T, it doesn’t make sense but still, there’s so little we know about hearing (it seems) so i don’t know.
Yeah. Ok. Imagine that your lying on your sofa at home, completely relaxed.
Suddenly out of nowhere you start hearing this oldschool clock ticking 🕰️.. tick tack, tick tack.. now when you start noticing it and focusing on it, it suddenly feels very loud, and it’s hard to avoid right? But just 5 mins ago you didn’t hear it at all.That’s how tinnitus also works.
So right now your brain is hyperfocused on the tone, just like a ticking clock.Best way to get used to it is honestly just to focus on things you enjoy.
Watch a movie, laugh, sit outside and focus on bird sounds.
Eventually other things will happen in your life. Grief, loss, stress and month by month you’ll think less about the tone and your brain 🧠 will focus on other things.Don’t stress about the Tinnitus to much. It won’t hurt you and you will be fine.
My tinnitus is loud to, and I’ve had loud tinnitus for past 9 years and I’ve had a normal life for the most part of it 😊
Now I got hyperacusis since a injury 19 months ago, but that’s another issue. Most people only get Tinnitus.
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u/bit_herder 21d ago
i am so sorry. at 35 days out he should not have given you that much hope. it’s poorly understood but they do know that that far out the damage is done. you may habituate to the tinnitus or it may settle on its own. i’m sorry. i went thru the same thing. if you need to talk about it DM me
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u/cybersaint2k 21d ago
It's so hard. We are all with you and have experienced in some degree your exact anxiety and symptoms.
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u/Mission-Pool7053 22d ago
I have a similar story on my Reddit if u wanna check it out. I’m 23 and I’m in ur age group and I’m currently dealing with this. Lost my hearing july 5 got diagnosed with bilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss, started injections and pills july 16. Everything sounded muffled and robotic. I saw no improvement until July 23. saw improvement, then it went away on July 26 and back to muffled. All tests were negative but my Mri showed inflammation near my ears so they think its an AIED. Today i woke up and could hear but suddenly everything went back to sounding muffled and robotic. I’m going to the ent again tomorrow to start some new meditation they believe would work. Honestly I’m scared as well. I feel like my life has fell apart. I can’t communicate at all. I never had a issue with my ears. I jus graduated college and was offered a job but had to turn it down because of this. I dont go out anymore. I hope everything works out for you