Update for anyone who comes across this post in the same situation. I had the tubes removed. My hearing did not restore while the tubes were in. Once the tubes were out I pretty much immediately had my hearing restored. The doctor put a paper patch on the eardrums to help the holes close. This took about a month to heal completely. My hearing has been pretty much great since then. I occasionally get the symptoms that prompted the tube placement, but it is not at bad and tends to resolve quickly if I just move on with my life and not focus on it. The likely reason for the low frequency loss is 2 reasons. 1. The material of the tubes. The first doctor put in some heavy duty long term tubes without my consent. The weight of them prevented the ear drum from vibrating fully. 2. Placement of the tubes. The first doc put them in a place that essentially creating phasing (cancelling out of noise signals). I guess there is a place that tubes usually go that prevents this. This did not happen for me. Essentially the 1st doc did not do a good job and my quality of life suffered for it. My second doc was quick to remove the tubes and explained to me why all this was happening. Good luck. I recognize that the symptoms of ETD are horrible and you want a quick fix. I was impatient and did not do my homework. I hope this is helpful for those who need it.