By Saundra T. Bishop
I read the article “Sudden Hearing Loss Can Happen to Anyone” in your magazine.
I am that anyone, and it happened to me on a Monday in March 2007 (I was 57 years old). While driving home from work, I had this sudden feeling of pressure and my ears being stopped up. I opened my car window and begin opening and closing my mouth, thinking that my ears would “pop” and that feeling would go away. It didn't.
Saundra T. Bishop, center, surround by her family. Her son is behind her, her daughter on the left, and grandchildren at her 70th birthday party in December 2022.
Later that evening I continued to feel this sensation and decided to go to urgent care. I asked my daughter to ride along with me, because by this time, I had a slight headache, and just didn't want to go alone.
The doctor examined my ears and said that they looked fine, no infection. little ear wax and clear. Okay, so what's wrong? (At this time, I did not realize that I could not hear, just felt tight and stuffed up.) The doctor said that I probably had sinus congestion and prescribed a decongestant. (I've never had problems with my sinuses nor nasal allergies.)
Week two, taking the decongestant, I didn't have any relief from the stuffy, tight feeling. I called my primary doctor and made an appointment for later that week. I saw her physician’s assistant who also examined my ears and said they looked fine.
At this time, I had to be my own advocate and asked if she would give me a referral for an ENT (ear, nose, and throat) specialist. I was given an appointment for the next week, mind you, I still did not realize that my hearing was impaired. Between the PA appointment and the ENT appointment, I began to have symptoms of a cold. I went to my ENT appointment early, feeling pretty lousy, and saw another doctor for the cold/flu because I had made a same-day appointment to be seen for the cold/flu.
My friend works for my medical provider as an administrator in the member services department. I called her and asked if I could come to her office to talk and wait for the ENT appointment, which I did. When it was time for the ENT appointment, she went with me to that office (bless her).
I was directed to go to audiology first and then would see the doctor. I had the hearing test, thinking that I heard every sound that was produced, and I did hear perfectly all sounds coming into my left ear. The audiologist had a paper with the hearing results and said, “It seems that the hearing in my right ear is impaired” but the doctor would explain the results to me. My friend and I waited in the waiting area, I was called in, and my friend said that she would wait for me (bless her).
The doctor asked me to sit and proceeded to tell me that according to the hearing tests that I was “profoundly deaf” in my right ear. Profoundly deaf, what the heck does that mean? The words began to sink in and I was stunned. The doctor said that I had something they call sudden sensorineural hearing loss and that they didn't know what caused it, so it is idiopathic.
The doctor said that she would prescribe a 15-day steroid treatment that “may be effective.” By now I had lost it. I began to cry, and the doctor asked if I wanted my friend to come in because she knew she worked for a medical provider. I nodded yes and broke down like I have never ever reacted to anything. The doctor had to explain to my friend (I definitely was not paying attention) that I needed to fill the prescription and how to take the medication so she could explain it to me when I calmed down.
Fast forward, I took the steroids for 15 days, went back for another hearing test. No change. I did some research on sudden hearing loss and found that there may be good results if treated with steroids within 48 hours.
Well, I was already a month-plus in to this hearing loss situation, but I was not giving up (after I got over the initial shock, I got busy). I decided that I was going to seek other diagnosis and treatment, so I made an appointment with the House Ear Clinic in Los Angeles.
Another hearing test, same results, but they said that there may be good results with injections of steroids into my eardrum. Okay, I'll try it, I said. I went for four weeks, getting injections of Novocain and steroids into my eardrum (wow, was that painful and uncomfortable).
Four weeks of treatment with injections, another hearing test. No change. I must say that through all of this I prayed, prayed for my hearing to be restored, and when it wasn't, I prayed that I could learn to live with my hearing loss.
Live, I have. I've had to make some adjustments to how I interact with people and how I accommodate myself in situations. I can laugh now about my hearing situation, like when my friends say, “What's your good side?” or “where do you need to sit when we go out to eat?” I try to place myself so that I'm seated so that others are to my left and/or across from me.
Like Victoria in the article, I can't tell from which direction sounds are coming especially speech in situations where there is a lot of noise (in crowds) or loud music (I carry earplugs or ball up a piece of tissue).
I even gave a pastor friend a title for a Sunday sermon because when I shared with him that I couldn't hear in one ear, I said, “I'm great, blessed, and I've learned to ‘function with my malfunction.’”
I have not met anyone else who has this issue but was comforted by the article to know that I am not alone with this condition or journey. I will tell anyone that just like other conditions/illnesses, you can live, you can thrive, you can have a wonderful life, you just have to be confident and know that you can function with your malfunctions.
I was a public school administrator and worked for five more years (before retirement), quite successfully. I had to make a few adjustments, but didn't have any issues or missteps because of my hearing loss—well, once when I realized that I couldn't talk to and give directions to more than one person at a time. Before the hearing loss, I would have two conversations going on at the same time, one on the right and one on the left and all was good, but not so after the hearing loss, I have to concentrate on one conversation at a time.
I don't use any assistive devices, but seem to compensate okay, and I don't have any problem telling people that I can't hear them on the right side. Everyone is very understanding and accommodating.
Saundra T. Bishop lives in Los Angeles.
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