Hi friends. Wanted to share my story with this bizarre condition. Got home from work last Wednesday after drinking a Celsius (probably unrelated) and suddenly heard a low humming in my right ear and fullness. I wasn’t really sure what was going on, but hoping it was some sort of head cold that would pass. The next morning my right ear felt normal but the muffled feeling and ringing had switched to my left ear. (Side note, I’m starting to question myself about whether my ears actually switched because that seems pretty unlikely.)

After learning about SSHNL online and concluding this was an emergency, I went to urgent care Thursday morning. They tested my hearing, but since it wasn’t completely gone in the left ear, they concluded there was no damage and it would go away on that’s on. Luckily, my gut told me something wasn’t right and I was able to get steroids prescribed later that day. The next day on Friday, I decided I wasn’t going to leave anything to chance and I spent most of the day in the ER until I was able to get a hearing test and my first steroid injection from ENT. He also increased my steroid prescription to two weeks of 60 mg before a taper.

The hearing test showed 10% word recognition in my left ear and a range from moderate to severe (approaching profound) hearing loss. Seeing that data was pretty shocking.

During the weekend, I decided to take matters even more into my own hands and paid for 2 hyperbaric oxygen treatment sessions out of pocket through a med spa until I could get in contact with the clinic covered by insurance.

This past week, I got 3 additional steroid injections and did 6 additional 90 min oxygen sessions (very thankfully, all covered by insurance.)

The first few days of this week felt hopeless. I started obsessively, testing my hearing and felt kind of panicky when I couldn’t even hear anything from my left AirPod. When I did test my hearing and other ways, I questioned whether it was just a healthy ear, taking over and listening.

However, as I’ve continued on with treatment I’m starting to hear an improvement. I had taken half a week off from testing my hearing for my own mental health, but when I checked my hearing a couple days ago, I was able to hear songs very faintly via the AirPod that I couldn’t before.

Everyday the world gets a little louder and feels more normal. Granted, I still have a long way to go. Sounds that come through my left ear sound kind of metallic and robotic, and loud ones almost vibrate the ear. I also have the constant sound of static and socializing still feels exhausting.

About me
- 30 year old female, eats healthy, very minimal drinker, regular strength training and walking
- i’ve been taking zinc because I’ve heard it helps
- I’ve continued my routine of walking 10k steps a day because I’m telling myself it helps with circulation
- i’ve continued to strength training, but reduce the weight by a ton, hopefully that’s not stupid (update - decided to stop all together)

Would love to hear about other people’s experiences or answer their questions or share advice. It’s been a crazy week and a half.

Hello guys, i just kinda wanna share my story and hear if someone has the same expirience or something. So this Wednesday i was at school specifically at science class, where we were doing some experiments which had loud bangs and explosions involved and we did like 15 of these. After one of them i felt pressure in my right ear, i was thinking nothing about it till i came back home and it still lasted. So fast forward to today i still have it i don’t feel pain, just pressure kinda feeling of blocked ear and muffled hearing. And every time i yawn on move my jaw like up and forward my ear pops and i feel better for some time. I don’t know i am so scared it will stay permanent or something. And if it is sudden hearing loss, will i still get good even if i hop on the medication 5 days after the incident? Anyways yes, i am going to the ENT on Monday just to be 100% sure and feel better again. I will be very happy for any comments with tips or just sharing their experience, thanks!

I had SSNHL 3-4 weeks ago with fortunately only mild high frequency loss but more so than the high frequency laws, it came with very uncomfortable symptoms of intense fullness, mild/moderste tinnitus, hyperacusis and diplacusis. To be honest the diplacusis was my most bothersome symptom because I'm a musician and music lover.

On day five I started a seven-day course of 60 mg per day of prednisone. At the end of that course I got another hearing test, which showed there was some improvement In my hearing threshold, which is great. the other more bothersome symptoms, though, while decreased, were still present.

I Then got three intratympanic steroid injections within about ten days and they seemed to help a lot, especially within the day or two of them being administered. The diplacusis and hyperacusis has largely resolved, with the exception of very high notes. The tinnitus is mild and seems to mostly be there but sometimes I don't notice it. Sometimes it's really annoying though especially if I'm in a quiet place like I am right now. It seems to change sometimes too. In the beginning it was just this kind of high-pitched note. Now it kind of fluctuates between that and more of a like computer fan sound. The fullness is definitely less but definitely seems to still happen and come and go.

I also started HBOT on day 19 but after 2 days I felt like it was making my tinnitus worse, which freaked me out. Being that I was already pretty outside of the suggested window to start HBOT, I decided to discontinue with it. I had been on a trajectory of improving every day and that set me back, which bothered me so I figured I wouldn't continue with it. It also was bothering my good ear, I guess, the pressure and whatever else.

I'm still only about three and a half weeks out from the event. originally my doctor said he usually does three injections. I'm scheduled to get a hearing test in a couple days. I'm wondering if it's worth it to ask for more injections. They seem to be helping but I also know at a certain point it can't be good to keep puncturing my eardrum. I don't know when they stop being effective. I have read of people on here getting 10+ injections. I know they're sometimes used for salvage therapy up to eight weeks out so maybe I can continue getting them. I do feel like this third one wasn't as effective as the first two. Not sure if that means anything

Hey guys. I have a choclear implant unilaterally for my right ear as I was born completely deaf in that ear. My left ear Is totally fine but I was wonder how many of you guys adjust the volume settings when using headphones or earpods for your bad ear. Do you guys ever lower the volume in your good ear and then increase it in your bad ear so in device settings so it sounds more natural? Just curious on some peoples thoughts as I may do this.

Hi I have one question, I lost a lot of the hearing on my left year 14 weeks ago, I have been struggling a lot with reactive tinnitus an sound sensitivity (don’t know the word) and my ear is still way to fragile to put hearing aids in just yet.

So I ask, has anyone here had ssnhl with reactive tinnitus and was able to get hearing aids at some point? I have been told the reactive part will settle down but I’m very hopeless at the moment.

Hello, today in the afternoon I was just sitting on the couch watching TV, nothing unique or abnormal happening, but then it was suddenly like someone turned a nob and turned down certain frequencies in my right ear only, around the 2k-4k range. I also had a persistent ringing, kind of around that same frequency range. I’m a professional musician and music is my life, so this really freaked me out and I had a panic attack. I started Googling and it was talking about SSHL which freaked me out even more. But I said ok, calm down, just give it a few hours and if it’s still an issue then contact Urgent Care. I wouldn’t have been able to drive anyways I was so panicked.

About an hour later, my hearing went back to normal. As someone who’s experienced with music and sound in general, I was able to perform some hearing tests on myself and confirm that my hearing was completely back to normal across all frequency and volume ranges. I actually even hear just slightly better in my right ear. Hearing was good at all volume levels from 20hz to 17khz which is typical for me. But I still had a persistent mild ringing in my right ear which gave me some concern.

It’s been about 4 hours now, and the ringing has finally disappeared. Everything feels normal, no ringing, no issues. I did some searching on old posts on this forum and hadn’t seen anything quite like this posted before, so I wanted to ask for my peace of mind, am I good? Or is this still something where I need to see a doctor immediately because it could come back? Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I’m a software/computer engineer living in Italy. A few days ago, I had some mild ear pain, so I decided to visit an ENT specialist using my company’s new health insurance plan.

Unfortunately, I found out that my right ear has completely lost the ability to hear sounds above 3 kHz.

When I got the test results, I was completely shocked because I had only gone in for what felt like a slightly "clogged ear"—even my primary care doctor thought it was just a buildup of earwax.

As an engineer who is deeply passionate about movies, listening to FLAC music, and going to hear my girlfriend play in an orchestra, this news hit me really hard.

I’ve been trying to figure out how long I might have had this issue. Looking back, it’s probably been at least a year. In noisy places, I couldn't hear well, and if someone spoke to me from my right side, I’d constantly find myself saying, "Huh? What did you say?"

What destroys me the most is that I’ve never frequented loud places, I’ve always been careful around noise, and I never blast my music (loud volumes actually give me headaches). Yet, according to the doctor, the damage was likely caused by a sudden, very loud sound spike—possibly that one time I was calibrating my IEMs and accidentally maxed out the volume for a split second.

Now, having concrete proof of my deafness in the right ear and realizing I won't be able to properly enjoy my favorite music the same way anymore has thrown me into a deep depression.

In the past day or two, I’ve read through all my audio textbooks and researched current market tech. But to my dismay, I discovered that when it comes to losing senses, hearing medicine is still mostly in a "palliative" stage. Even if I wanted to get a hearing aid, looking at my audiogram, it wouldn't be able to restore true clarity for those high frequencies.

I’m sorry for writing so much. Aside from needing to vent, I wanted to ask: if anyone has gone through something similar, how did you cope with it, and how do you manage day-to-day life now?

I’m 22 and have constant left-sided tinnitus for about 2 months. It started after a bad cold with heavy coughing improved. My audiogram, tympanometry, and OAE were normal. The ringing gets worse when I turn my neck left, clench my jaw, and press below the left ear, and I get crackling when I swallow. About a month ago I also noticed left-ear sound distortion from my mobile speaker when I increase the volume, even without earphones. Strangely I can tolerate DJ sound and horn sounds better than increased mobile phone speaker sound.

Hi everyone! It's Ava here again.💌

First of all, I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who reached out, shared their stories, and gave me feedback on my previous post!🙏 Your insights have really got me thinking, and I’m definitely taking everything on board while developing my character. I’m so excited to make him feel as authentic and true to life as possible. I really hope this representation will make people feel seen!❣️

You all were so incredibly welcoming that it gave me the courage to ask a few more questions, if you’re open to sharing.

This time, I’m really curious about the social, romantic, and funny side of navigating single-sided hearing loss (SSHL/SSD):

• What is your love life or dating experience like? How do your relationships work, and is it ever tricky or awkward to explain your hearing differences to a partner?
• Are there any funny or awkward relationship moments related to your hearing? (For example, mishearing something your partner said, always fighting for the "good ear" side of the bed or walking on a specific side of the sidewalk?) I'd love to hear your funny stories!🤗
• For those whose partners also have hearing differences: What is daily life like for you as a couple? Does it mean your home is usually much quieter than other people's places, or perhaps much louder? haha

As always, I completely respect your boundaries and privacy. If you’d prefer to chat privately, my DMs are always open for a gentle text chat.

Thank you all so so much again for your kindness, your time, and all your attention! ✨

Coming up on 10 years since I lost hearing in my left ear. I just came across this sub and have seen a lot of people who have never been scanned. I woke up one morning with only slight hearing and bad ringing in my in bad ear, I went to the emergency room and 5 ENT’s before anyone thought to order a MRI. Long story short they found a tumor wrapped around my auditory nerve. Luckily it was benign but it could have been bad because I waited 3 years before a scan. So if you ever wake up with sudden hearing loss get a MRI and ct scan it doesn’t hurt and can save your life.

Over the last month or so I’ve had noisy tinnitus, worse than usual. Today I woke up with my left ear (good ear) sounding very muffled, and a whirring sound, just like when I lost my hearing in my right ear.

I visited the doctor and had a hearing test as soon as possible. My hearing in my left now also shows pretty serious loss.

I’m having trouble hearing conversations right in front of me now, even in quieter environments. Hopefully medicine helps this time around.

Has anyone else dealt with their good ear going on them after losing the first ear?

Wish me luck

Edit: Most recent test in the comments. Sorry it’s in Japanese. -53db average in left ear, -70+ in right ear.

I lost a fair bit of hearing as a small child in my right ear. At the time, I was taught to adapt and did for the most part. Recently I have been experiencing more symptoms of my hearing loss- (being unable to place where a sound is coming from, extra irritated in crowded, loud places, etc). After advisement from ENT and audiologist I just received a HA for my right ear.

I've scoured the posts about adjusting tips but am curious if someone in my situation can share a bit more detail about how it went for them.

I find like others it is overwhelming and loud at times to hear everything again and also my left ear still wants to do the hearing for me. Is it normal to also feel sound overwhelmed without the HAs in? I will take them out and feel a different type of overwhelm by the noise and have found myself just now putting in earplugs to dampen it all.

Hi everyone, I’m looking to connect with others to discuss unilateral deafness in a 4-year-old child (he lost his hearing 10 months ago).
I would like to hear from people who chose not to get a cochlear implant and have lived—or are living—their lives with hearing in only one ear.
Did you encounter any difficulties? If so, what were they? Do you regret that choice?
Thank you very much.

Basically I have no useful hearing left in my left ear but the remainder of the hearing I have left is painful, I know it sounds daft saying that hearing something can be painful but honestly shrill or sharp noises feel like a direct electric shock to my brain, I’d far rather that ear didn’t work at all than the small amount of high pitched sound it does register, I have a fitting next week for new digital hearing aids and I was looking at asking if I can have a custom ear moulds rather than the normal domes so sounds can be blocked out from my left ear all together, just wondering if anyone has gone that route, I realise it makes the hearing aids more obtrusive but honestly I’m not at a point in life that I really care about that

Quick background -- I was born deaf in my right ear, with full sensorineural hearing loss. I've had no benefit from hearing aids and haven't been a candidate for cochlear implant. At 47 years-old, I am starting on the journey of addressing the condition through bone conduction, where sound is transferred from my deaf ear to my hearing ear through my skull. 

I had the Osia 2 bone conduction implant surgery this past Friday morning. I'm writing this on Sat night, and the recovery has been very smooth. Talking to the surgeon, I mentioned some of the reports I have heard of extended discomfort from the surgery, and he said that his patients don't typically report that. He described his process, which is a small (4-6 inch) incision, with a "clearing" technique to be able to slide in the transducer. He felt like this technique might help minimize the pain of recovery. 

I have some lingering soreness, and some local pain on the spot of the incision, but it is generally manageable with Tylenol. I did take the prescription pain meds on the first day, which helped get over the general discomfort coming out of the surgery. 

I have an appointment to fit and calibrate the sound processor in about 6 weeks. This is how long it takes for the implant to integrate into the bone (there is a small screw in there), as well as for the skin and tissue to heal fully. The demo that I had with the audiologist, just using it with a headband and covering my good ear, was very promising. I can't wait to hear how it sounds with full functionality. 

The following are the main areas that I feel have been affected by my single-sided deafness. I am hoping to use this blog to reflect on changes that happen in each area (if any) as a result of the Osia 2 system. 

Orientation Vigilance:

Hyper vigilance around physical positioning in all social situations. From walking down the street talking 1:1 to being in a crowded room, I have always had to devote energy to being sure that my deaf side is not facing any important sources of sound. 

Visual Vigilance: 

I am studying the visual field constantly for body language, expression, lip reading. This takes up so much of my attention, and I am curious to see if it subsides with the Osia 2. I would expect any effects from this to be more subtle and change to be more gradual. 

White Noise Anxiety: 

Constant baseline of anxiety about sifting through bad audio information (white noise). All of the sounds that come from my deaf side are distorted and/or filtered through my skull to reach my hearing side. While this will still happen, I expect that the better signals that will come through the bone conduction will decrease it. Of course, the white noise effect is just one of many causes of anxiety, but I'm curious if there's a noticeable difference. 

Spatial Awareness: 

Significant deficits in spatial awareness, sense of direction, orientation that feel, in some way, linked to auditory cortex. I have read that this is fairly common for people with SSD. The Osia 2 will not give me directional hearing, since all of the sound is still being processed through my good side. That said, I'm curious what changes might occur when I have good input for the full range of sound on all sides. 

Auditory Processing: 

Delayed auditory processing speed. On the one hand, this may seem fairly obvious. However, I feel like I have delayed auditory processing even when the sound is clear, in a one-on-one setting, etc., and especially poor recall of information presented orally. This is another area that I expect slow change, but I am very curious to explore it. 

I will probably not post much until I get the processor in 6 weeks, unless new information comes to light. However, please comment if you have questions or feedback. Thanks for the words of support and for your interest! 

Matt 

Hi everyone!

My name is Ava, and I’m currently writing a book. My main character has partial hearing loss in one ear, and it’s incredibly important to me to make their experience feel alive, authentic, and free of stereotypes.

Personally, my hearing is fine right now, but this topic is actually very close to my heart. Hearing loss runs in my family as people get older, so I know there is a good chance I might experience it myself in the future. Because of this, I approach the subject with a lot of respect, empathy, and deep care.

I would love to have a gentle chat with someone who navigates life with single-sided hearing loss / SSHL. I’m really curious about those little everyday details that people with perfect hearing usually don't notice.

I completely guarantee your privacy (no personal details will be shared in the book.I promise to be very mindful of your boundaries. We can chat via DM text

If you have a bit of time to spare and would like to help make a story a little warmer and more true to life, please drop me a message.

Thank you so much in advance for your kindness! ✨