Illness and hearing impairment

tomjax

I was playing my favourite guitar this week (McIlroy A30) after a couple of weeks break over Xmas. It sounded completely dull and lifeless, so I restrung it thinking the strings must have gone off badly. It sounded completely the same after the restring.

After trying another guitar it turned out it's my hearing not the guitar! I had a bad sinus infection over the holidays, which has been helped with antibiotics, but I hadn't realised how much it's affected my hearing. In addition to the frequency attenuation, there's some tinnitus going on, which is really frustrating.

Had anybody experienced anything similar and have any recommendations how to help it? Or how quickly it might recover. I know this is an odd place to ask for medical advice but as my GP has said it's non urgent and I'll get an appointment in 5 weeks, I thought it might be worth asking.

It's a very strange experience playing guitar at the moment. Sounds like I'm playing with ear defenders on!

Thanks. And apologies if this is way off topic!

CarpeDiem

I suspect that you will need to fully recover from the sinus infection before your hearing returns to normal. Having your hearing impaired is an unpleasant experience. I’d suggest continuing to play guitar to maintain your skills even if it sounds muffled. Hope you make a speedy recovery.

Roland

As said, your ears should clear up. In addition your brain will compensate, but it takes a couple of weeks.

Ungulate

Try an over the counter steroid nasal spray for a week or so, maybe longer, (you can get them in supermarkets with a pharmacy or any pharmacy)

 You can use the oxymetazoline nasal spray as well, but longer than a few days use can cause a "rebound" nasal congestion. It should clear on it's own, but if it was me it would drive me mad just waiting.

 Declaration of interest - I'm a GP.

thomasross20

Not sinus related but I have mild tinnitus in one ear and also hyperacusis. Big boomy guitars can set it off and lacewood just makes my ears ring badly. Odd but there you go!

jasonbone75

Had similar only once and I stopped playing or listening to music for a while as a result. The infection meant one ear introduced a dissonant and distorted note roughly a tone away from the actual note I was hearing. It was awful and was the same with recorded music playback.

As mentioned by a few, once the illness was fully healed things returned to normal.

Tannin

Six months ago, yes, quite similar. I caught that other nasty RTI that went around (not Covid, the other one, name now forgotten) on the way back from Europe. It hung around and hung around and the effects only very, very slowly went away. I grumbled about my poor hearing here at the time. 

I saw the doctor about it and she prescribed some anti-inflammatory drops for my outer ear on one side. I'm not sure that they made the difference but I think they helped a bit. As time has gone by I'd nearly forgotten about it until just yesterday when I noticed some pressure there again and felt as if I needed to pop my ears. This morning is the same. 

Nevertheless, the overall experience has been a gradual recovery and no long-term damage that I know about.  Let's hope that applies to you too!

I understand that it's difficult for you to see a doctor. One alternative you might think about is seeing an audiologist. You should have no difficulty getting a prompt appointment. (They can't see you soon enough because they think you might shell out  £££ on a hearing aid!) That would be informative and quite possibly useful. One thing you will get is a clear picture of where your hearing stands, difference between ears, frequency response, and so on. 

(PS: don't buy the hearing aid. For the price of a hearing aid you could buy a nice made-in-Japan Takamine.)

viz

Ungulate said:

Try an over the counter steroid nasal spray for a week or so, maybe longer, (you can get them in supermarkets with a pharmacy or any pharmacy)

 You can use the oxymetazoline nasal spray as well, but longer than a few days use can cause a "rebound" nasal congestion. It should clear on it's own, but if it was me it would drive me mad just waiting.

 Declaration of interest - I'm a GP.

Yes to steroids. Twice I’ve had an acute attack of monaural diplacusis in my left ear (I’m 100% deaf in the other ear already) and I’ve been prescribed an emergency heavy course of steroid pills asap for a week, then tapering off again, that’s sorted it.

Kurtis

I remember failing a hearing test at school then when I redone it I was fine. The nurse said it was probably because I'd had a cold. 

tomjax

Thanks for all the feedback and advice folks, it's really appreciated. And @Ungulate I have bought a steroid spray as advised.

I'm frustrated that it seems  this is going to take a while to clear up, but hopefully I'll hear a difference soon and will resign myself to playing guitar with muted hearing for the time being.

It's odd that it's far more noticeable when playing guitar than in everyday life. Although I have now realised I've been having to turn the TV up louder than I usually do to follow dialogue!

Kurtis

My TV goes through my hifi and I generally eq it a bit differently for different things. Bring out the voices more or open it up a bit for music stuff. I think most tvs will have some sort of adjustment like this anyway which could help. 

Soupman

Better still, watch foreign dramas on Netflix. You get the subtitles. 

TheMadMick

I have similar problem, It's very mild Meniere's disease. Thew treatment is Serc 16 (beta histidine dihydrochloride). A coule of days and it's like magic. The pressure goes and the tinnitus drops significantly. The problem is that it's on prescription. Go see your Doc and ask for a hearing test. More often than not it's on one side only (Left in my case).

Good luck. It can be a real pain!

tomjax

Thanks @TheMadMick - that's very helpful insight, and I'll look into that.

guitarjack66

Soupman said:

Better still, watch foreign dramas on Netflix. You get the subtitles. 

They are also often the best programmes on there.

ArchtopDave

I am normally in complete agreement with @viz …...but I am seriously concerned about his Comment above where he suggests the early use of Steroids without a diagnosis from a medically qualified professional (preferably an ENT opinion).

.Given that @tomjax clearly stated at the start of this Thread that this is a very recent occurrence ("over the holidays", which I assume refers to the recent Christmas holiday time).

The Oral, Nasal, and Ear Passages are all interconnected, and, whilst one may only develop obvious symptoms relating to just one or two of these areas, the other areas can be infected without causing obvious symptoms.

As far as I am concerned, it would vastly safer to leave things well alone for possibly at least several weeks (even 2 to 3 months, particularly if you start to notice even some small improvement). If there is no improvement, then try to ask your GP for an ENT referral. If absolutely necessary, then make initial contact with a specialist privately, but be warned any competent private specialist would require letter of referral from your GP in the first instance.

Be warned : Steroids are potent drugs. Potentially with benefits, but they can also cause very serious damaging side effects, which, in some patients, cause permanent long term damage. You are ill advised to take steroids in doses which you know not how to estimate the dosage.

viz

@ArchtopDave ;;;;;;;;;;;said:

I am normally in complete agreement with @viz …...but I am seriously concerned about his Comment above where he suggests the early use of Steroids without a diagnosis from a medically qualified professional (preferably an ENT opinion).

.Given that @tomjax clearly stated at the start of this Thread that this is a very recent occurrence ("over the holiday", which I assume refers to the recent Christmas holiday time).

The Oral, Nasal, and Ear Passages are all interconnected, and, whilst one may only develop obvious symptoms relating to just one or two of these areas, the other areas can be infected without causing obvious symptoms.

As far as I am concerned, it would vastly safer to leave things well alone for possibly at least several weeks (even 2 to 3 months, particularly if you start to notice even some small improvement). If there is no improvement, then try to ask your GP for an ENT referral. If absolutely necessary, then make initial contact with a specialist privately, but be warned any competent private specialist would require letter of referral from your GP in the first instance.

Be warned : Steroids are potent drugs. Potentially with benefits, but they can also cause very serious damaging side effects, which, in some patients, cause permanent long term damage. You are ill advised to take steroids in doses which you know not how to estimate the dosage.

Thank you ATD for mentioning this and allowing me the platform to clarify / restate my position! I am talking about my experience only, in which I was ordered by my GP to go immediately to A&E, where I was fast-tracked past all the people with saucepans on their heads, and where I was prescribed a very heavy and unpleasant course of steroids, by qualified medical ENT consultants who marched me down the hall to the hospital pharmacy and supervised me taking the first dose there and then, as time was of the essence. (When I originally suffered catastrophic hearing loss in one ear, 40 years ago, this was not done, and the hearing loss was 100% and permanent. I am now stone deaf on one side and have zero stereo / directional hearing).

But totally - when I said Yes to steroids, I meant "yes, steroids can sometimes be prescribed for sudden sensorineural hearing loss". I do not, and would never, suggest someone go and get any medicine from the street! (btw I'm not sure I did suggest that, I said "I’ve been prescribed an emergency heavy course of steroid pills" - I think you might be referring to Ungulate.)

PS aww Dave, I love that we are so aligned normally - the feeling is mutual xx

ArchtopDave

A brief moment in my defence @viz.

Your first comment unfortunately lacked any sort of clarity, and, to be fair to me, I took it at face value, Though considerably surprised, and a tad mystified, by the very curtailed nature of your comment.

You normally provide such detailed thoughtful comments, that I read them all with interest, and seek to see if there is something new for me to learn.

Here ended myne lessen, and we will now in goodly voice sing  :   " Gawd Help Us Gessus, For We Know Not Whither We Journey"

viz

Ah, ja, no problemo, my fault, and yep, cool, just wanted to be crystal clear in my second post! Thank you!

Get medical advice from doctors, folks!

“Man be merrie as bryd on berrie, and all thi ca-re let away”

tomjax

I appreciate the concern re the steroids, it’s not pills just an anti inflammatory nasal spray you can buy over the counter called Beconase. Apparently, it’s generally used to reduce hay fever symptoms.

Can’t say I’m seeing much progress regardless and think this is going to be a few weeks before it sorts itself out.

Dave_Mc

tomjax said:

I appreciate the concern re the steroids, it’s not pills just an anti inflammatory nasal spray you can buy over the counter called Beconase. Apparently, it’s generally used to reduce hay fever symptoms.

Can’t say I’m seeing much progress regardless and think this is going to be a few weeks before it sorts itself out.

I could be wrong but I think it's still steroids, regardless of whether it's a spray or pills. I used beconase for a while (and a few others- nasonex I think, and something similar which I forget... just looked up wikipedia and I think it was fluticasone). I eventually stopped because I felt it was doing more harm than good. (I have/had fluid in my middle ear which seemed to then also result in post-nasal drip, and I took the sprays to help with that... except I eventually realised they were too strong, I think.)