Expert: Harriet B Jacobster, Au.D. - 8/17/2009

Question
Hi,
I am 29 years old and I suffered from Bell's Palsy about a year and a and half ago. At first, along with the facial droop (left side) I experienced an increased sensitivity to sound, predominately in my left ear.  Loud sounds were extremely painful, and yet at the same time I felt like I had a harder time hearing in general. I made a great recovery in about 2 months, as far as my facial muscles are concerned, and I have no symptoms anymore as far as drooping in my face, etc.  Now it is almost 2 years later, and I still have some sensitivity to sound in my left ear, and I have really started to notice that I still have a problem hearing people. (I can't figure out how some sounds are loud, and some too quiet!) At my job I feel like I am constantly asking people to repeat themselves, to the point that it is embarrassing.  Is it normal for me to have these symptoms so long after the initial cause? Thank you for your time.

Answer
Hi Amy,
After a year and a half, your "hearing" should have returned to normal.  It is very possible that either your hearing problems are unrelated to the original bout of Bell's Palsy (BP) or that the original diagnosis of BP was incorrect.  There is another syndrome, known as Ramsey-Hunt Syndrome, that is very similar to BP and is often misdiagnosed because of its similarity to BP. The virus that causes Ramsey-Hunt can affect the auditory nerve and cause long-lasting or permanent damage.

You need to return to an oto-neurologist and have a complete audiological evaluation to help determine the cause of your problems.

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