Expert: Harriet B Jacobster, Au.D. - 7/17/2009

Question
Hi, I happened on 05-15-09 as soon as I went to see ENT the next day. I finished medications by full course on prednisone, valtrex. Recently I am taking vitamins (lipoflavenoid and Niacin). My right ear come back 30% still far from hearing compare with my left ear. Now I am suffering fullness of my right ear. At the beginning the fullness is half of my right face. I do not know what to do now. Please help and appreciate your great advice. Now already two month.

Answer
Hi Billy,
Have you returned to your ENT?  If not, you need to so he can complete his evaluation. He should take some imaging studies, i.e., MRI, to determine the cause of your hearing loss.  Unfortunately, many times with sudden deafness, if there is no "obvious" reason, such as a tumor, the hearing may or may not recover.  But with your symptoms of fullness and the feeling in your face, you probably need more testing and an MRI to see what is going on.  Please make sure that your ENT is an oto-neurologist, that is, an ENT who specializes in disorders of the nerves of the head and neck.

If all obvious reasons are ruled out, your next step probably would be to consult an audiologist who can help you deal with the hearing loss.  

Hope this helps.
Dr. Harriet B. Jacobster, AuD
Board Certified in Audiology