Hi, my name is Dave and I am new here.
Two years ago, I began noticing that the hearing in my right ear was starting to go. Since that time my hearing has gotten worse in my right ear, while the hearing my left ear has remained normal. In June of this year, I began to experience persistent (and highly ANNOYING!) tinnitus in my right ear.
I am the type of person who doesn't like to go to the Dr. unless it is absolutely necessary. I finally made an appointment after I found that I could no longer hear my clock radio when sleeping on my left side (left ear in pillow, right ear exposed). I also found that rooms full of people talking tend to be overwhelming and make it difficult and uncomfortable for me to hear.
In September, I went to an ENT. The ENT and his audiologist performed auditory tests (hearing and bone conduction) and verified that I had considerable loss of hearing in my right ear. Strangely, only the middle frequencies are affected. I can still hear low and high frequency sounds. Next, the ENT performed the Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response test (BAER aka ABR) to determine how my auditory nerves were conducting the signal. My left ear showed a normal signal pattern. On the other hand, my right ear showed a "mushy" signal, meaning that the nerve isn't processing/transmitting the signal correctly.
The ENT then sent me for an MRI with/without contrast to rule out an Acoustic Neuroma and/or MS. The MRI came back not showing anything out of the ordinary, other than a "probable fatty deposit" in the right Internal Auditory Canal (IAC). The ENT wants to see me again in 6 months for follow-up.
In the mean time, I continue to have diminished hearing in my right ear and that highly annoying tinnitus. Has anyone else had an experience similar to mine?
