I had the strangest thing happen to me last year…read more...........
I had just come back from a trip from Maui last November, and when I was in my office the following day doing some paperwork...........
All of a sudden it felt like someone turned off the volume in my right ear..........or like I had "water in my ear".
After a few days, my hearing didn't go back to normal, so I went & visited my regular doctor.
My regular doc checked my ears, & offered to send me to an Ears Nose Throat = (ENT) doc., but at that time I really thought my hearing would clear, so I declined.
After this went on for about a month, I realized I maybe in trouble, and went back to my doc & took up the offer to see a ENT doc.
This is where Dr. Alfred Lui comes into the picture.............
Let me tell you something about Dr. Lui, he is a very knowledgeable doctor, kind, caring, & very personable.
After seeing me, he sent me to an Audiologist where they gave me a hearing test............
Results: Left ear 100%, Right ear 60%!!!!
Whaaaaaaaat????? You mean I lost 40% of my hearing in my right ear???
AIYAH!!!! How can be?????
So Dr. Lui breaks it down for me............ he tells me - 1/3, 1/3, & 1/3 in restoring my hearing, and I will tell you later on what he did to me as far as treatment..........
So it goes...........the first 1/3, if I had seen him within 10 days of my hearing loss, "garans ball-barans" he would have restored my hearing 100%.
As time passes............the longer is goes without it being treated, the second 1/3 is that I would have some of my hearing restored, but not all.
And finally the last 1/3, is that you would be $hit outta luck, and be permanently deaf in that ear.
Treatment -
So this is what Dr. Lui prescribes to me.............
He tells me I will have to do surgery, where he will stick a needle in my ear & shoot a Mega-Dose of steroids into my ear (3 separate times)!
Then he tells me that I would need to take oral steroids for two weeks on top of that.
I was okay about taking the oral steroids, but having a needle shoved into my ear.........I kinda cringed about that, but sometimes you hafta do what cha' gotta do, no?
Of course I have to give myself the best chance of restoring my hearing, so I did "man up", & took the hit in my ear!
The Aftermath of the Treatment -
After I took the last shot in the ear, I had to take an MRI to see what was going on in my head. Then two weeks later I found myself in the doc's office for a follow up.
I took another hearing test, then when I went in for a consultation with Dr. Lui.
The results.............
MRI was okay..........nothing growing in my head.
And if you remembered what Dr. Lui said earlier about the - "1/3, 1/3, & 1/3"?
Well, I fell in the last "1/3" meaning I was just $hit outta luck after the treatment..........upon taking the hearing test again, my right ear was still at 60%! Shucks!
Well, everything happens for a reason.........sometimes no can help, just gotta roll with it. I can still hear conversation on the right side, but not as good as before.
Dr. Lui said I didn't need a hearing aid, but at some point as I get older, there is a possibility that I will need a hearing aid as when you get older, sometimes your hearing will naturally get worst as you age.
Unfortunately hearing aids are not covered by insurance, and Dr. Lui mention the best hearing aid out right now involved surgery where they implant something behind the ear & the cost was $10,000.00! YIKES!
Hopefully technology will get better, and I am hoping the cost will drop by the time I will need a hearing aid, but until then............
If you talk to Bruddah Fran, "garans ball-barens" if you talk to me on da left side..........I gonna catch everything you say.
If you talk to me on my right side.........'eh, I might catch 1/2 of what you say, depending on the ambient noise around the conversation. Aiyah! Lol!