1. Home
  2. misc-audio
  3. 197866-6055

Sudden Hearing Loss and Impact on Music Enjoyment

This post is partly a cautionary tale and partly me looking for advice from fellow audiophiles who might have been through something similar.

At the end of January this year, I had a sinus infection that seemed to affect my left ear. One morning I woke up and noticed that my ear felt muffled and my hearing wasn’t quite right. At first, I assumed it was just my sinuses acting up. I tried wax-removal drops and even did some irrigation, but nothing improved. My doctor then prescribed a course of steroids, thinking it might be related to fluid buildup.

Unfortunately, things got worse. I gradually lost almost all hearing in that ear, and there was a lot of distortion as well.

I eventually saw an ENT specialist and an audiologist, and that’s when I learned that this was most likely Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL). Apparently, if the correct treatment is started within about 72 hours, there’s a chance the hearing can be saved. After that short window closes, the loss is often permanent. I really wish I had known that earlier when I first contacted my doctor.

So if anyone reading this ever experiences sudden changes in hearing, please don’t wait—get to an ENT immediately. The treatment window is extremely short.

Now that I’m starting to come to terms with this, I’ve begun researching options like hearing aids and cochlear implants. That leads me to my question for anyone here who has experience with either.

As audiophiles, we tend to listen to music a bit differently—we focus on details, tone, timbre, soundstage, and all those subtle nuances. For those of you using hearing aids or who have undergone cochlear implant surgery, how has it affected your ability to enjoy music? Does music sound very different? Were you able to reconnect with it in a meaningful way? As you can imagine, this is both stressful and sad that I won't be able to enjoy the one hobby that has become such an important part of my life.

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Feel free to share here, or send me a DM if you’d rather keep it private.

arafiq
tcutter's avatar
tcutter
387 posts
 

@arafiq 

so sorry to hear this. You were just getting your dream system set up. Hope there's something to be said for mono. Best wishes.

samssa's avatar
samssa
23 posts
 

I have worn hearing aids for 5 years . I am using Phonak aids and have ear molds. They have different settings built in and I can adjust them and save the settings. I have not had good luck with the bluetooth input or using headphones. Maybe larger headphones would work. I have tried equalizer APO with a curve opposite my hearing lose and will try that again. Listening to my speakers the hearing aids are pretty good but not great.

nonamesleft4me
52 posts
 

avoid Cochlear Implants like the plague, the deaf people will tell you all they are good for is to let you crudely [very crudely] hear a truck coming up behind you so you won't get run over. they are utter crap for music.

evanpress
50 posts
 

Sorry to hear of your loss.  I have tinnitus in my left ear.

I recommend reading Of Sound Mind:  How Our Brain Constructs a Meaningful Sonic World by Nina Kraus. She is a professor of neurobiology at Northwestern University.

Good luck.

 

 

arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,790 posts
 

I’m truly grateful for all the support and advice shared in this thread. I may not be able to reply to everyone individually, but please know I’ve read every post and learned a lot from the collective experience here.

To be honest, I’m still a bit shocked by how quickly this happened. I never imagined I could wake up one morning and suddenly lose almost all hearing in one ear. I’m otherwise healthy with no known issues, so it’s been a real reminder that life can change very quickly. If anyone reading this notices something off with their hearing, even if it seems minor, please get it checked out sooner rather than later.

In my case it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The bad news is that the hearing loss in one ear is severe to profound and likely permanent. The good news is that my other ear is still in very good shape. Because of the severity, we’re not yet sure whether hearing aids will help or whether we might need to look at cochlear implants.

As an audiophile, my biggest concern of course is whether I’ll still be able to enjoy my system the way I used to. Reading through everyone’s responses, it seems experiences with hearing aids—regardless of price—can vary quite a bit. Some people feel they diminish the experience, while others adapt and remain very happy with them. Cochlear implants seem to get the worse reviews, but I don’t know if that might be the only feasible solution in my case. It sounds like the only real way to know is to try.

My plan is to see if I can trial a pair of Widex hearing aids first, unless my doctor recommends going straight to cochlear implants. I’m hopeful that having one good ear, along with improvements in hearing technology, will lead to a decent outcome. My ENT thinks a lot of bad experiences, hearing aids or cochlear implants, are from folks whose hearing loss impacts both ears. He thinks I might have a better outcome since one ear can still hear music naturally. Anyways, it’s all a guessing game at this point.

Not the end of the world—but I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t sting a bit to think music might never sound quite the same.

More to discover