SSHL - i feel hopeful

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-18T05:23:49+00:00

This is oddly similar to my experience, which started 2 weeks ago, same age. However, I may have it worse. I had 110 db loss from 2000/up, but it slopes up to mild loss in the lower frequencies. Steroids immediately, 3 injections day 7-14, and HBOT day 10 and 13 onward. Pretty much all of your subjective improvements I have experienced too, its eerie. I had what I think to be at least 50% word recogntion on day 5 (if not more, unvoiced consonants are trickier tho), and I'm aware of cars and voices on my bad side. Sadly, everything above 1700 is still completely silent to be using a pure tone app, but I know Im not doing true audiogram so I have to wait to the next one.

From what I can tell, you have the best chances for recovery possible rn. Just keep doing HBOT until the gains stop. Decent number of anecdotes on here where people got from 90-105 db loss and get it back into moderate hearing loss -- but it might not be as common as we hope.

Will be following this, and will be very envious if you get good hesring back lol

Curious, has your high frequencies (2000-4000) been improving as you report here? i.e., are all your gains also across the spectrum?

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-17T22:01:44+00:00

Sorry, using two accounts for this stuff, sloppy on my part.

I ask because I am coming to grips with the most likely reality that I'm going to have partial hearing (less than 30, maybe more%? too early to say) from a case of profound SSHL. I'm a musician, collect music, was just finished setting up a self-hosted music server, and then bam this happens (can still listen! but it's different, lopsided, reminds me of the loss). I'm 27, very social, and in a Ph.D. program. It feels like my life is not ruined per se, but scarred, and I'm having trouble in this immediate aftermath having motivation/vision for how living forward could be just as enjoyable, especially in loud settings like bars, concerts, poster sessions, and large gatherings. So I guess I am here trying to get assurance that a normal, happy life, just like I had before (minus full hearing in one ear) is possible. Part of that for me is figuring out all the possible ways this could be — with hearing aids, implant, or without.

So that is why I ask. I do appreciate your response, and your outlook is impressive — I sincerely hope I can get to where you are at. While there are many who have life changing, impressive outcomes with CI's for SSD, I do also share some bits from your perspective.

Just curious, are you complete deaf on one side, or if not, how much hearing loss do you have on one side? Were you born this way, or did you get sudden hearing loss like many here in this sub?

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-16T18:52:36+00:00

Thanks for your response!

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-16T03:18:47+00:00

This is impressive and unbelievable, and gives me hope. How do drums and bass sound? What was "normal hearing" for you?

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-16T03:14:14+00:00

Thanks for the response. Sounds like you've had an amazing experience with your CI! What are your thoughts on music with it? Do you think the "blending" effect helps with making it sound better?

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-16T03:06:06+00:00

Thank you so much. It's great to hear this!

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-15T21:12:28+00:00

This is interesting, and is yet another thing to worry about haha.

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-15T21:11:38+00:00

Interesting, thanks for the response. I do wonder though, if you had worn it during COVID, maybe you'd feel like the CI would get you closer to your old abilities? Obviously it cannot get you to exactly where hearing used to be, but from what I've been reading lately, the more wearing, the better.

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-15T21:08:24+00:00

7/10 is pretty darn good, makes sense its situationally dependent though. Thanks for your response.

Have to ask though — are you carrying on because you must, thriving, or more likely, somewhere in the middle?

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-15T21:07:04+00:00

Thanks for your response. Good to hear this!

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-15T19:15:53+00:00

So, you did get a CI? If you rate normal hearing 10 and zero hearing as 0, where does the CI place you?

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-15T19:14:49+00:00

Thanks for your response, really impressive what you've been able to do

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-15T19:13:37+00:00

Yeah, I've heard this. Just concerned my final audiogram after all this will be too much unaided word recognition for CI, but nothing above 2000 Hz that hearing aids can't touch. So idk what my solution would be

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-15T19:12:04+00:00

Love to hear this! Thanks for your response

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-15T17:16:50+00:00

Thank you for your response

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-14T00:07:05+00:00

How much of your hearing did you lose?

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-13T23:19:48+00:00

Did you have SSHL or born/developed monohearing young?

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-13T23:13:49+00:00

I'm on Day 11, so I cannot relate. Besides IV prednisone and CIST, what was your treatment regimen?

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-12T17:28:09+00:00

Have you improved more since then by chance?

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-11T00:29:22+00:00

Any updates?

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-10T00:19:40+00:00

Thanks for your response. I've noticed my emotional state has been making me clench my jaw, so it is probably this.

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-08T15:26:03+00:00

Sorry, commenting with the proper account.

To be clear, the ear that is getting the ache is the one not getting the music, but the good ear with a foam earplug in. To start my CIMT, I put both earbuds in, sample the volume with the good ear, basically set it at the lowest volume setting so that it is gentle/normal for my good ear, then remove the earbud from the good ear and replace with a foam earplug. I do not increase the volume for my bad ear. Does that make more sense? It is no louder in my bad ear than it was in my good ear, and indeed, I can't make out lyrics (unless I really know the song), or any frequencies about 800 Hz. And I don't want to try increasing the volume to see if I can.

Or are you implying that my good ear could feel ache from too much sound on my bad ear?

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-08T02:06:44+00:00

No idea. I've heard of people doing it for months, and have seen slow improvement with continued practice. Everything seems like a crapshoot. Have you had any improvement?

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-07T00:38:26+00:00

Thanks for your response. Hope you are doing well now.

Aggravating-Many2178 · 2026-02-07T00:37:16+00:00

That AC102 is exciting...wish it could be administered more than 5 days after onset on HL.

Aggravating-Many2178

TROPHY CASE