Most regular Ppruners will know life had been somewhat challenging lately. The last torment has been a severe problem with my hearing. It's bad, and the hope that my Carpal tunnel ops were going to get me back to the piano is all becoming a bit of a lost dream. This is what I've just posted on a specialist site, though right now it's not taking my post.
I'd appreciate hearing from anyone that has knowledge of this tedious problem as I'm a year into the NHS not really holding out much hope.
I'm a retired airline pilot, age 77. Very active, and in recent years commuting between Texas and Essex in the UK as a professional grandparent. Unpaid. :-( About a year ago I noticed some distortion in mid range hearing. Finally, it became so tedious that I went to my GP. Hearing test showed little but normal fall-off of higher frequencies. The guy that issued the hearing aids seemed almost annoyed when I said the top end was way too loud, and I suggested that amplifying the mid-rage would do little but make the distorted sound louder. Finally I was sent to the ENT department of our hospital.
For several minutes the consultant rambled on about the eustachian tubes and I had to explain that for 40 years they had been my best friends and I'd soon know if they were blocked. Finally, she looked deeper for the answer.
It has to be said that the muffled sound, and an almost physical feeling of matter seemingly in the middle ear did lead to me to the wrong conclusion as well. However, I have a son that has lost hearing in one ear following Meniere's disease, and I made it known I was scared of progressing to that miserable condition. Finally I was given a drug (Betahistine dihydrochloride) that seemed to help a bit, but unfortunately made me so sick I had to stop taking it.
Following what felt like a head cold, everything got worse. I even had a momentary attack of vertigo. I shook my head and it went away. Yes, it was horizontal spinning.
I wonder if there's a connection, but I have suffered two attacks of vertigo in the past. One in 2001, and one in 2015. Both cleared up in 48 hours. At that time, no hearing problems apart from a residual tinnitus since the 1980 which I've learned to live with.
The noise I'm suffering now is worse. If I knew this was as bad as it will get, I'd suffer that gladly, but there's a deep machine like rumble in addition to the increased high note. It's for all the world like air traffic in a distant sky, or fairly even road noise. So natural, that it wasn't until a quiet night I realised I shouldn't be hearing this new sound.
One thing that gave a ray of hope: there's a subset of the problem that one site suggested an autoimmune reaction may be causing the problem. I am suffering multiple reactions to gluten, wheat etc., but also, of all things, strong soap. Severe, borderline Anaphylaxis Quote: "an extreme and severe allergic reaction. The whole body is affected, often within minutes of exposure to the substance ..."
Darn good job I didn't get that when I was flying. But I'm very aware my body is rebelling about something, so it being causal in the hearing problem might just be a good thing. I'm hanging onto that hope right now.