If you are thinking about going to a new ear doctor, especially if you have chronic ear problems and/or been to other ear doctors before and not been satisfied, then I implore you to see Dr. Shohet. I have been to about half a dozen either ENT (ear, nose & throat) or ear doctor specific doctors in my life, having ear issues as long as I can remember. Dr. Shohet is not only the best ear doctor I have ever been to, but the best doctor...period. His knowledge, his caring and "bedside manner" is excellent.
Some background would probably be helpful....I have both hereditary conductive hearing loss in both ears. In addition, and more importantly, my right ear also had a very chronic middle ear infection for a very long time that for all intents and purposes essentially destroyed my hearing mechanism in that ear. I had, prior to Dr Shohet, two ear surgeries already in my right ear with other doctors...one in San Diego and another one in Orange County....these surgeries seemed successful and maybe they were but eventually my hearing not only continued to decline again but I eventually developed tinnitus (ringing in the ears) AND worst of all given that I work in a hotel with a LOT of crying and screaming children, hyperacusis (sensitivity to certain sounds, in my case high pitch, i.e, CHILDREN, would often cause me very sudden and intense pain a few times an HOUR all the while trying to work! I eventually was put on a medical leave of absence and had a very thorough hearing test done in San Diego at the time, and was fitted with new hearing aids...eventually the issue, although tolerable as it wasn't AS sensitive with hyperacusis, I DID still have it, and I found it making ME a more negative person since it really wears on a person both physically AND mentally.
Flash forward to when I went back to work in Orange County and I was referred by the audiologist in San Diego to Dr Shohet. I had quite a few visits over a couple years and eventually decided to do yet a third surgery. This one involved a tympanoplasty (repairing the ear drum) with ossicular reconstruction (repairing the hearing mechanism, which involved him putting in a titanium implant essentially replacing the hearing mechanism. I should also mention that this was incredibly done THROUGH the ear canal so there was no painful incision behind the ear (this still floors me how this is even possible with that little space to do a procedure like this). I had heard before that there is no cure for hyperacusis and as far as tinnitus going away, it is possible it could be better or even go away but not a sure thing by any means. Well the human body is amazing and unpredictable sometimes and maybe its also because of my hearing being "out of balance" with the prior two surgeries and a misshaped ear canal from the prior surgery's infection (I have a "canal wall down" so its more like a bowl at one end which is tricky for maximum sound conduction). Anyway, very long story somewhat not as long ;)...the results are better than I ever would have guessed. I gained approximately 50 dec. on the right side (HUGE improvement in hearing the most common, like speech range), PLUS my tinnitus is almost non-existent by now, AND most surprising and grateful of all, my hyperacusis was immediately GONE after surgery. I know I might be In the minority for these results, I don't know...but that is my true and very very grateful story. I do still wear hearing aids, as I knew I would (I now have more or less a moderate hearing loss range instead of "severe or profound" as they call it, so I still need them). My hearing is by no means perfect, but given my past surgeries and simply my hearing genes, the results are still superb, especially combined with my hearing aids. I should also add that I was almost totally "with it" when I came out of surgery...no nausea or anything. The only pain I ever had was a little bit similar to TMJ, which was felt on one side for maybe a day or two. That's IT. Plus Dr Shohet called me the day after surgery to see how I was doing. Very nice, especially since that was a Saturday.
Again, cannot recommend these folks enough. And besides Dr Shohet (and I cant remember everyone I have talked to between visits) Chelsea who handles billing and insurance matters as well as Mishiko (not sure on spelling on that one) are just the most amazingly patient and genuinely kind people I have ever spoken to in any doctor's office. They are I believe primarily or solely in the Seal Beach location. Good luck if you make the step visiting one of their offices. You are in excellent hands! read more