Hyper-Baric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) for hearing loss.

[andrewyipko]

Hi,

Has anyone out there tried HBOT to improve hearing?
My wife had suddenly lost her hearing following the day after her AN surgery. 
She could still hear immediately after her surgery but gradually lost it after given a Maxalone (Anti-nausea) injection.

No doctors could be certain of the cause of it. 
Her ENT specialist said it could be due to many reasons; viral infection, small stroke to the ear, etc.
Both her neurosurgeon and ENT doc ruled out the possibilty of contracting AIED, Meniere's Disease or anything like that.
Her post surgery CT & MRI scans are all good.

Her ENT doc had suggested to try HBOT to increase chances to regain hearing.
Does anyone have any valuable information to share on this HBOT?
What are the pros & cons of this therapy?
How well it's going to help on improving hearing?
Please kindly share.

Best Regards,

Andrew (Singapore)
Husband of Shanne

** 2.5 to 3 cm LEFT AN surgically removed on 7th Nov 2005, by Dr. James Khoo from Mount Elizabeth Hospital. **

[Windsong]

Andrew, this is quite interesting about HBOT being recommended. Did your wife's doctors say why they were suggesting it? I know that the idea behind HBOT is to give more anti oxidants to fight those free radicals and in some way this helps many conditions. Certainly HBOT is being used to treat a wide number of things.  This is the first I have heard about using it for after AN for hearing but I find the thought of it fascinating.  Was your wife's sugery for her An the type that cuts it out or was it radiosurgery? I  was told to cut back the antioxidants during my stereotactic radiosurgery ( so as to keep the radiation doing its job) and then after it was finished it was ok to pump up the antioxidants with vitmain C for example. In fact it was a good idea to do so.

There is quite a bit of research going on in the role of antioxidants, free radicals and conditions caused by inflammation for example. I do hope someone else sees your post and writes in. It's always good to hear about treatments that are being used and help with post An situations. And I hope your wife's hearing returns to her level she had immediately post surgery.....or before if it was better then.

Best wishes to you both.

[andrewyipko]

Hi Windsong,

My wife had microsurgery to remove her approx. 3-cm AN.
According to her Neurosurgeon, her tumor was very hard. It took him an extra hour to have it 100% excised.
The entire session took 5 hours. Her surgeon commented that radio wouldn't work for her AN. It seemed determined to make it's home there.

But anyway, it was her ENT doc that had suggested the HBOT.
It's not really like a post-AN treatment thingy, but rather a treatment for various conditions varying from diving related illness to hearing loss. With references to my 1-day research, there're a number of HBOT centres running in the states as well as locally in Singapore. However, the results of HBOT is still pretty vague.

[andrewyipko]

Does anyone from anywhere out there, had or is experiencing the same post-AN effects as my wife's? 

1. Sudden hearing loss on non-AN ear, 1-day after microsurgery.
2. Facial weakness; numbness on entire half face.
3. Fullness in the head.
4. Tinnitus in both ears.
5. Loss of balance.

If you or your partner had experienced similar situations as above, and have no qualms about sharing, please kindly pop in and drop me a note. 

Should you prefer to discuss in private, please do not hesitate to contact me at: andrewyipko@gmail.com

Thanks a million!

Andrew (Singapore)
Husband of Shanne