As I am desperately trying to find a cause/reason to my CH and possible ways to improve my symptoms, I am struggling with the idea that the sudden occurrence of a CH was in fact my own "making". It occurred at a time when I was under extreme stress both at work and in my family environment, did not sleep much, etc. I recall that I felt so overwhelmed by all the things I had to do at that time that I secretly wished it would all stop... That is why I think I may have caused this to myself and of course now feel guilty for not having paced myself down before it happened. I was interested to know if anyone with a CH experienced extreme stress before the occurrence of the hearing loss and whether stress reduction helped improved hearing thereafter? I guess that healing is more likely to occur in a positive and faithful mindset. However, I feel that my CH could have been cured had I gone straight to an ENT instead of going to my GP who misdiagnosed me. I am having a hard time accepting that I was so unwise regarding my own health. Anybody ever dealing with the same sort of issues? Thanks for sharing your experience! vaita
Vaita, please dispense with the guilt and handwringing. Stress is almost the definition of life, isn't it? If you have no stress you probably aren't accomplishing much either. And I sincerely doubt that going to an ENT asap would have made any difference. I went to a well known neurotologist for 9 months only to be told there was nothing else he could do for me. Your job is to start where you are now (you cannot actually change the past can you?). Now that you believe stress probably exacerbates your symptoms, do try to take some of the load off. A good way to start would be to dispense with the useless guilt. Then procede to find out what has worked for others and see if you can find something that may help you. Put one foot in front of the other in trying things and pretty soon you may find an approach that helps you. Good luck and stay positive!
Thanks for your positive response June, it helps put things in perspective as it is true that stress is a component of life and hard to avoid all together! In your case, did you see an ENT right away when you noticed something was wrong with your ear? Did you immediately receive a round of prednisone? I have had a round of prednisone 4 months after my CH, a steroid shot in my ear 6 months after and have started antivirals since 5 weeks now (3 weeks at high dose and now decreasing...)
"In your case, did you see an ENT right away when you noticed something was wrong with your ear? Did you immediately receive a round of prednisone?" Yes to both. In fact, at my insistence i had 2 rounds of prednisone. Nada. I also tried a low sodium diet, diuretics, histamine shots and i forget what else. Nothing helped me til i tried amtivirals. They helped a great deal. The other thing that helped was allergy treatment. I went from a moderate hearing loss (up tp 50 dcb loss) in my only hearing ear to completely within the normal range except at 8000 where i continue to have a 40 dcb loss. I also lost the tinnitus, distortion and have not progressed to vertigo. There is still a lot for you to try and much hope.
I agree with June. I don't believe we caused this disease. There are too many factors at play here to make that claim. Stress will exacerbate any condition so it's always best to keep that under control by staying mentally and physically healthy.
Getting enough sleep is imperative to physical health in my experience. The next thing you can do to reduce stress is some exercise. A nice walk in the fresh air will do wonders. These two things will also clear your mind and help you make good decisions. But first, get enough sleep.
I am so thankful for your responses. Thank you, sincerely. It is so hard to comprehend the cause/workings/possible cures to this disease - I am so grateful for this board and for your input and support. It is hard when you are trying to work things out on your own because doctors have told you to give up... I am scheduled tomorrow for some allergy testing so let's see if that route holds any answers... Thanks again, vaita
Well prove your doctors wrong and don't give up. Ever. You may not find a cure for your disease but you can find a way to manage it better and that only depends on you Stay strong. Read up on available cures and find doctors who are willing to work with you.
I agree that the worst part is the dizziness and vertigo. I think that is a very difficult to diagnose and treat. A compassionate doctor helps. It helps they don't make you feel like you are making it up or are crazy. I think the first thing we attack is the vertigo and go from there. Be assured everyone hear knows how it is and there are more things to try then you can shake stick at. Don't be discouraged there is so much on this site yet you haven't tried.