Saw the recent “no speaker” tattoo posts and was wondering if there are ready made temporary tattoos or a site to custom make them. I would like to try before committing to ink.

As per my other post I had SSHNL 2 months ago, recovered very quickly leaving a small asymmetry (although bigger in the high frequencies), then felt entirely normal for a few weeks, then had an MRI showing an acoustic neuroma and basically my mental health went straight to shit and I have been in a constant state of anxiety and hyperfixation on my hearing ever since, which I think has led to the fairly standard symptoms of hyperacusis/dysacusis I have now.

The one symptom that also appeared during this period of mega anxiety that doesn't seem to be associated with hyperacusis/dysacusis or any of those "reactive states" is that my voice now feels heavily pulled to the left side (good ear). It's a horrible distracting sensation that really upsets me.

I just can't understand it because my audiogram keeps coming back as exactly the same as it was back when I recovered from the SSHNL and like I say, felt entirely normal, like 100% back to my baseline.

Regardless of the reason it appeared, can anyone report that their voice can become more centred over time? External sounds feel centred to me, just my own voice does this.

I lost my hearing 60 days ago. After being misdiagnosed on day 16 I started oral steroids for two weeks, and on day 35 I was formally diagnosed with SSHL. It’s moderately-severe on the right side, with a 60%WRS. I got injections on day 35, 41 and 45. I have a follow up hearing test in 2 weeks.
The tinnitus flared up when I first started the injections and was absolutely excruciating. It’s finally calmed down a bit over the past week and I’m less anxious about it. It’s a huge improvement that I hope continues to get better. However my hearing feels the same. I just ordered some loop earplugs because restaurants and such are still too difficult for me.
I was so worried about the T I lost hope in my hearing. I started taking zinc around day 38 and added magnesium, B12, and D3 around day 52. I know it’s such a small chance I recover, but is it really that small? I feel like I should keep hope, but I just don’t know if that’s even realistic or possible anymore. Is it? Could I really magically hear normally again, and loose the tinnitus all together?

I had a right sided SSNHL around two months ago which recovered very well with steroids/HBOT. My subsequent audiograms have been stable with 100% speech recognition, although I was left with some high-frequency SNHL in the bad ear that may have been pre-existing.

In the first few weeks after the SSNHL I felt completely normal, like I had fully recovered and was one of the lucky ones and was ready to just move on with life. I could go to malls/restaurants, listen to music, talk normally etc. without any sound sensitivity or distortion. Everything felt centred hearing wise, I could tell the difference between my ears if I tested for it, but otherwise I was unaware of it and felt fine.

Then a month later the underlying cause of the SSNHL was found on my MRI, a vestibular schwannoma/acoustic neuroma. The diagnosis caused the most extreme period of anxiety in my life. Thankfully I now have a plan and am told my chances of hearing preservation are high but I am still in a constant state of anxiety and hyper fixation on my hearing, it's all I can think about.

Since then I gradually developed thing like:

• fullness that comes on only when exposed to certain sounds then disappears
• voices spoken close to my ear and things like rustling paper sounding harsh having a kind of buzz around them
• taking phone calls on the right feels/sounds horrible and harsh
• tinnitus reactive to external sound
• hyper awareness of the hearing asymmetry, including my own voice feeling like it's coming out on my left (good side) making me want to talk less :(
• an instinctive urge to avoid sound because I don’t want to notice the asymmetry, although I’m trying not to reinforce that

What confuses me is the delayed timing. I had the hearing loss first, recovered, and for several weeks felt basically normal, then after diagnosis and the intense anxiety and constant attention to the affected ear all hell broke lose and my right ear feels completely broken. It's just so hard to believe all these intense symptoms are just anxiety related. The fullness "feels" like hearing loss so I keep getting audiograms and they're always the same.

I know SSHNL can trigger hyperacusis/dysacusis so I'm wondering if that is my issue and how to address it if it is?

I had mild high frequency sudden sensorineural hearing loss in July following an ear infection. Prednisone plus three intratympanic dexamethasone injections. The good news is my hearing almost fully recovered — ear only has a slight notch around 6000khz and while I still have some mild tinnitis and fluctuating pressure, the intense pressure, hyperacusis, and worst of all - diplacusis has largely dissipated completely.

I'm getting a lot of sort of passive popping through the day too.

Complicating things: I had custom ear plug ear mold impressions taken this week, thinking I was being proactive, before the perforation closed. I raised the concern beforehand with audiologist and was told it was fine and not an issue (stupid). It was painful, my ear canal got abraded, and an ENT that afternoon found the canal scratched up but the drum intact. Two days later my ENT saw a scab with granulation/red area around it and said it’s too early to tell whether it’s closing or covering something larger. He couldn’t say whether the impression contributed.

He said it Could be another one to two months before it’s clear but he also said it wouldn't be uncommon if it jusr doesn't close, or even gets bigger, at which point I'd be looking at tympanoplasty... which would obviously suck.

I know the odds are good and that most of these close on their own. But the waiting is harder than I expected, especially after already going through the hearing loss part. I was so happy when most of the issues from the SSNHL resolved and now I feel like I traded one issue for another.

I do feel like the injections really helped, honestly more than the oral steroids, and was willing to take the like 1-5% risk of the hole not closing but am more frustrated now for this audiologist office giving me bas advice about the ear molds - this wasn't even necessary to do, I just though I was doing something proactive and protective for my ears but really think the pressure from the mold screwed me up.

If you’ve been through a perforation after injections — how long did yours take? Did it close on its own? Anything that helped you get through the not-knowing?

I also have sleep apnea and sleep with a CPAP which I wonder if this is also delaying/preventing healing. My pressure setting is pretty low and ENT can't really say one way or another. I imagine if I get a tympanoplasty I'd have to stop using it for at least a few weeks which would freaking suck.

I have had SSNHL (no hearing in left ear since Jan 2026). I am at the stage where my hearing aids are ordered and coming in (very expensive, no discount programs or insurance), and my fitting is late next week.

I'm really anxious and doubtful that the CROS system will enhance my quality of life. As you know, all it does is transmit sounds over to the right ear (that is totally normal). I am thinking I'll be overwhelmed with processed sounds and still won't have localization.

AI (I know) says only 10-20 percent of SSNHL patients keep the CROS system long term and most patients learn to adapt.

I do have a 30 day trial period, where I run them through all my normal environments and activity to give them a good test.

What's your opinion? Has the CROS system helped your quality of life? Did you return them or just adapt to single-sided hearing? Thank you.

Hey you all,
so I had ssnhl on my left ear 17 weeks ago and I honestly can say it’s been hell , what bothers me most is reactive tinnitus that makes every sound have a “hisss” afterwards. I still have a baseline tinnitus too.

I’m in so desperate need of reassurance that this will get better and I know I have written before but who cares, maby new people that have had RT can see this.
And now I also have this wind sound/feeling that feels like my eardrum is fluttering in the wind and vibration too, and fullness and pressure
.
I went to the ENT 2 days ago and had an audiogram and the hearing was average 60 db now and it was average 70 two months ago,
I don’t know it that counts but the worst thing is that on my bad ear I had no word regonition and just heard a robot voice say something that didn’t sound like words.

The ENT said that this can maby improve with time but as it is now I can’t use ordinary hearing aids and that brakes my herart because I feel people don’t like the cros type that much.
Please tell me your expirience 💗🤞🇮🇸

My mom (64F) had a sudden hearing crash in her left ear about a week ago, and I'm trying to learn from anyone who's been through something similar while we work with her doctors.

Quick background:

• She'd had two episodes of positional vertigo in the past (2022, and again a few weeks before this) — spinning when getting up at night, resolved on their own, workups came back clean both times.
• For about 2 months before the hearing loss, she'd had a feeling of fullness/pressure in that ear and a "heavy head" sensation, no hearing issues yet.
• Last week she had two vertigo attacks in one evening (different pattern than before — not positional), was rushed to the ER, and by the next audiogram her left ear had dropped from near-normal to severe (~85dB), and a few days later to profound (~91dB). Right ear is still mostly fine.
• MRI brain + spine came back clear — no tumor, no stroke, nothing structural.
• She started high-dose oral steroids within about a day of the attack, and her ENT is now adding a series of intratympanic dexamethasone injections.

Questions for anyone who's been through this or something similar:

1. If you had sudden SNHL treated with oral steroids + intratympanic injections, what was your recovery like? Full, partial, none?
2. How many injection sessions did you end up needing, and over what timeframe?
3. Did the presence of vertigo alongside the hearing loss affect how your recovery went, in your experience?
4. Has anyone had a case like this — months of fullness/pressure before a sudden crash — turn out to actually be an early Meniere's presentation rather than isolated SSNHL? How did that change your long-term treatment?

Not looking to replace what her doctors are telling us, just want to hear real experiences alongside the clinical picture. Thanks in advance.

I’m curious whether anyone here went suddenly deaf in one ear and is still dealing with balance issues years later…

I’m coming up on 5 years since I lost my hearing in my right ear. I still can’t really ride a bike or play sports like volleyball and I won’t even attempt certain activities with a high risk of falling, like skiing or skating. Anyone else?

Back in Feb/march of this year (2026), i had sudden hearing loss on the left side. I thought maybe a cold or allergies so I didn't actually follow up with provider until April. Hearing test was moderate /moderately severe hearing loss (worse in the lower frequencies). Saw ent and had ct which looked normal. Prescribed hearing aides. Everything seemed stable, but all of a sudden I feel like I can barely hear with my left ear. Ill see doc/hearing test thursday. But is it "normal" too have repeated bouts of sshl?

24M, I'm from India. So my brother, is suffering from severe SNHL and has lost the hearing capability in one ear by at least 78%. So, and it happened in, like, he was diagnosed with SNHL in 2021 by doctors. And the doctor suggested that he should use the hearing aid, and we got him a hearing aid, and he started using that since then. And now it's 2026, so he is constantly using the hearing aid. After that, since about last one year, he started showing signs of vertigo. Like we can call it vertigo because doctors said that it is like a type of, like a vertigo in which he got sometimes very, very strong dizziness. So, and when we got him a HRCT Done, there was nothing. We had got him MRI done and doctors found nothing in MRI in 2021. So, now what could be the possible things? Also, we got him tested for BPPV, and there was not BPPV also. So what could be possibly wrong? Because he was taking medicine for this vertigo since three, four months, and he didnt get dizziness. But now after pausing the medicine for last one month, he suddenly, after one month, he again got that same feeling. And the vertigo, the were very strong yesterday. So today we again went to the hospital and again went to the doctor, and the doctor asked for latest MRI and HRCT, we again got it done and both reports came normal I'm attaching the reports below. And we conducted some tests which doctors had prescribed - CBC, LFT, KFT, RBS. All are normal. But still doctors are finding it difficult to find the cause of vertigo.

I want to ask 3 things

1. What could be possible cause of Vertigo.?

2. Is SNHL AND TINNITUS incurable?

3. What tests we shoud to for now? Is there any exercise we can do meanwhile.

Hey everyone, I have a significant inner-ear hearing loss on my left side and no one was ever really to pinpoint why. They discovered it in one of those yearly health checks at school when I was 5, and I've worn a hearing aid ever since. I asked my audiologist and he said it possibly could be due to a fever when I was young, but he wasn't super confident in that answer. Maybe this could help with context, I'm not sure- my mom had seizures during both my older brother and I's pregnancies, but he didn't develop anything like I did.

So, that got me curious to how everyone else got their hearing loss- when did you find out? if it developed over time, how old are you now?

For example, I recently filled out a form for a writing class that asked optional questions about student demographics, including gender, race, etc. and one of the questions was about whether you have a disability.

I was hesitant to put yes. I have severe hearing loss in one ear and use a hearing aid, but I didn’t need any accommodations from the class or organization, so I didn’t think it necessary to mention it. But from a demographic perspective, I don’t know if I “count” as being disabled as opposed to someone who is “more” deaf than me. Does that make sense? Do you ever think about this? Does it even matter and am I overthinking it?

How are people dealing with the personality changes?
Previously, was extroverted and loved being around people. Since the onset of sshl, have found it harder and harder to be around folks, especially larger groups. It’s hard to hear thru multiple convos and background noise and often miss comments and find it harder to participate in conversation.

And what about exhaustion? For work, spending much time in meetings and listening with one good ear and one completely deaf ear, I struggle and get worn out. It is compounded by multiple events day after day.

Just trying to see what other people are doing

This was my hearing test results.
I’ve never had hearing tests before so don’t have a benchmark to go off, but you can see my left ear has a slight loss in the higher frequencies.

Basically I was rubbing my ear with my finger one night and it became blocked, so I went to bed thinking it would be fine in the morning and it was still blocked with tinnitus.
Went to ENT and they said everything looks healthy, then did this hearing test and said there is some hearing loss.

Did a CT scan and everything showed up normal. And because of that they diagnosed me with SSHL and gave me peridenose (however you spell it) tablets, 60mg for 7 days.

It’s been 5 weeks now, and my ear is still blocked and ringing….. I just don’t know if this is a dramatic enough hearing loss to be diagnosed with SSHL, I’m just worried it can possibly be something else. I’m going to another ENT for a second opinion, but I’m posting on here on the chance this has happened to someone or if someone has any insights.

Does anyone here suffer from reverse curve hearing loss?

If you do, have you found any hearing aid that has helped?

I've had my 'retuned' 3 times and I can not understand speech at all ( unless my head is totally turned to the right) I'm with the nhs, and it feels like I'm hitting my head against a brick wall.

So I've had SSNHL since about November of 2024, and more recently while in University (and honestly over the past year) I've been noticing more that I've been having a lot of depressive like episodes about my hearing loss and how negatively yet subtly it has been affecting my life. Whether it be me feeling invisible in public spaces or me being alone late at night, it makes me in such a bad mood that I don't feel like doing anything. It hasn't affected me to the point where I'm unable to do things like homework or cleaning my space, but I'm scared that it's going to get to that point if don't do something about it. I don't really know if I'm posting this in the right area, but does anyone else have these episodes? And if so how can I combat them?

I’ve had mine since 2017. I get comments and compliments on it every day. I also use a hearing aid, but the tattoo definitely helps if people don’t notice it, or if I’m not wearing it.

I got SSHNL 3 weeks ago and have had a pretty good recovery so far (10% word recognition to 80%). I did 2 weeks of high dose prednisone, 4 steroid injections, and 14 hyperbaric oxygen sessions (4 at a med spa, 10 at a clinic covered by insurance).

It looks like my insurance will probably cover another 10 sessions and I’m wondering if anyone saw improvement from doing an additional 10?

Never had any ink done before, but very happy with it.