Help! Hearing problems following infection.
Posted , 53 users are following.
Hi,
I'm 36-year old male and about 3-weeks ago I went to my doctor with typical flu-like symptoms. He informed me I had a Respiratory Tract Infection and prescribed some antibiotics and pain killers which I took over the course of the following week. The problem did not clear-up and, after developing a chesty cough and severe pain in one ear, I returned to the doctor who then told me the infection had most likely spread to my chest and most certainly in to my ears - particularly my left one. He prescribed stronger antibiotics and pain killers and a nasal steroid spray, all of which again I took religiously over the following week once again.
Although my cough and general flu symptoms have pretty much cleared up, for the past week or so I have been left with almost complete loss of hearing in my left ear. It feels as if there's still a wee bit of pressure both in and around the ear itself with a sort of numbness when i touch the skin on my face and head around the ear. This extends in to my hair-line, over my left cheek and a short distance down my neck below my ear. There's also a small amount of ringing from within the ear and it sounds as if I'm hearing things "internally" all the time. Hard to explain but extremely frustrating and my concern is that the infection has somehow managed to damage my hearing permanently.
Can anyone offer any advice please?
Thanks in advance!!
Gavin
1 like, 134 replies
jeremey78237 Supergav
Posted
Hey sorry I just happened to see your post and I'm experiencing the same thing!! I'm also your age!! I woke up one night with a super bad ear ache!!! Went to the hospital within hours and I was in tears!! I never get sick but this really sucked!!! And I took all the antibiotics I was prescribed but it still sounds like there's a ringing in my ear and it's in my left ear as well!!! I'm basically deaf at the moment!! If you've found anything out please let me know ok!!! Thanks and my name's Jeremey!
gjl3109 jeremey78237
Posted
Jeremey;
Just doing a weekly check on this site and saw your post. my name is gary and over a year and a half plus ago, I was going through sometime simular to what you are going through. I say simular rather than the same, because I have been looking at this site as well as other sites since my hearing loss and their are some simularities, but their are some differences as well.
If you have seen my past post, you have the long version. If not, I can give you the short version now.
One night I went to bed fine (No cold, no hearing problems, nothing out of the ordinary). Through the night I woke up sweating with pain in my ear (like an ear infection). My hearing was lower than normal out of that ear, but I figured it was fluid build up. I rolled over and went back to sleep. The next morning, both ears were infected and I had lost 90% of my hearing. I also had fluid in the lungs but started a cold medicine. I later went to urgent care (because my doctor couldn't see me on short notice) After 3 to 4 more visits to urgent care (Seeing different doctors each time). Each time getting the 10 day dose of different oral antibiotics for the ear infection (chest infection was gone after 5 to 7 days). Finally got an appointment with my doctor (PCP) for another month or so (with more oral antibiotics) and the 1st of several flushing of the ear canals, only to be told at the end of his treatment, That I needed to accept the hearing loss as perminate and move on with my life.
While I didn't like his answer, I asked for a referral for an ENT (a specialist). He didn't like the request, but honored it. The ENT checked me over and assured me in the beginning that this hearing issue wasn't perminate and started me on a steroid allergy shot (1 of several more to come) Flushed both my ear canals and told me to stop everything the previous doctors had me on and get an over the counter Max Strength Cold & Sinus Medication and start taking that.
2 months later, I had 90% plus of my hearing back and I was more happy. Meanwhile If I would have listened to my Primary Care Physician, this story would have had a much different outcome.
I continue to check this site as well as others from time to time to give info to people like yourself that feel like no one is listening to you. I like to think I am honoring those who helped give me some direction when I was in your shoes over a year ago.
While it may appear that we all have to run through the medical maze of seeing our GP or PCP and being fed oral antibiotics to check off that this is not a bacterial infection, Than we have to move up to the specialist (ENT) to check for a fungle infection or something different or more serious. In some cases in differet countries or different areas we have the audiogist that may have a different skill set and have some abilities and latitude that he or she can recommend alternitive care options.
While I am not a Doctor, nor am I a medical professional, I hope this info can give you a direction that you can follow and will work for you.
aziza98912 Supergav
Posted
If you have an infection go the doctor immediately!!! I hope you will not wanna use hearing aid like my uncle, I bought hearing aid for him, but I had spent a relatively long time in the good hearing aid searching. Finally I found it on artone with hope it will work for a long time. Fortunately it has been working for a while and I hard believe it will keep working constantly. I can recommend you only; go to the doctor, don't wait for a miracle, it will not disappear itselves.
marsbar007 Supergav
Posted
My ear started to go very numb, and felt like the skin was closing around my ear. Around the ear was very numb also. I bought polystyrene ear drops which just made it worse. They cost 23.00, and was a waste of money. So I bought olive oil wax cleaner spray. That was not helping either. So I bought some qtips, and sprayed the olive oil spray onto the qtip. I cleaned both my ears about 4 times a day for two weeks doing this. Now I can hear better then I have ever heard before. It was an extremely scary process.
Dont push the qtip very far in, and have patience it will get better. From now on I am cleaning my ears every other day with the olive oil spray on the qtip.
joseph21973 marsbar007
Posted
Good news for you, I have heard of this remedy before - what does it "cure" to provide such great results???
joseph21973 Supergav
Posted
jennifer11907 Supergav
Posted
jill17809 Supergav
Posted
Yes after 5 months the ear problem is better. But only in one ear. Seeing as I could hear absolutely zero for about 4 months ( not even the under water sound) , it started to change in right ear only. The private doc says he is amazed I can now hear at all . He didn't say it at the time ( not that I could hear anyway) , but he now says he thought I would be completely deaf. 😭. Left ear has that underwater sound and feels full. Total and utter nightmare. And cannot fly for 2 years as the perforations so severe . Acupunture on ear and Chinese herbs definitely help a tiny bit. Going to buy the ear popper to see.
elizabeth86714 Supergav
Posted
Dear Gavin and Cody and al of the people here. I had THIS. An infection or full ear feeling with pressure and hearing loss. AND I FINALLY GOT ANSWERS. It is NOT an infection, my friends. It is...go ahead and gross out like me...a fungus. yes, growing in your ear. And by taking antibiotics you make it worse. ESPECIALLY antibiotic Cipro ear drops. They actually creagte a field for more growth for the fungus beucase they remove all the "good bacteria" that would counter the fungal growth and make an inhospitable environment for it.
It took me three hospital visits (er) two clinics and three ENTs to get to the bottom of this. Finally< I said PLEASE TAKE A CULTURE AND SEND IT OUT. They were all so arrogant and didn't want to. But they did and the result came back that I had a severe fungal growth in my ear.
What you need is antifungal cream. There are several kinds.
elizabeth86714
Posted
Oh also...it could be that you have a Cholesteatoma...
https://www.healthline.com/health/cholesteatoma#symptoms4
Read up on this. I have been.
jill17809 elizabeth86714
Posted
HI Elizabeth - I took antifungals also for 5 months . So if it was fungus there would as no quicker recovery. I stil take them. But how did they get a culture from middle ear as it's not the outer ear in Otis media? My perforated drums healed in a month so the only way to do this would be through the perforations?? Interested to hear. I still am having real problems 10 months after , with repeat inner and outer ear infections and hearing loss. I can't believe this all came from tonsillitis and going on a plane......
Many thanks
Jill
alysha86491 Supergav
Posted
gale92779 Supergav
Posted
Daughter 22y/o woke up having a hard time hearing. Seen by doctor three times, diagnosed with a severe infection in both ears. Given three different antibiotics, but continued getting worse. After four weeks she developed Strep Throat and complete hearing loss in the one ear and the other she could only hear if I spoken within six inches of her ear. Went to an alternative medicine doctor was told antibiotics weren't helping because it was not a bacteria infection but a fungus infection. Recommended taking oil of oregano gel caps, two caps three times a day. He felt she had Glue Ear, a built up of thick fluid in the eustachian tubes. He recommended putting a couple drops of apple cider vinegar in each ear to thin out the fluid so it could drain out on it's own. Helped some, which was good. A week later went to her chiropractor to have her neck adjusted, the only thing that really helped relieve the pain. While there he recommended instead of apple cider vinegar to use the oregano oil gel caps in both ears where it'll not only thin the build up of fluid but have direct contact with the fungus infection. After picking a hole in the bottom of the gel cap, we squeezed the oil into her ear. She laid on her side for 10 minutes then did the other ear. We've been doing this for five days now and about 80% of her hearing has already returned in both ears. Hope this helps someone.