Hi Steve. Thanks for coming back on that. Unfortunately as well as my dodgy ear I have ulcerative colitis which means that I must avoid aspirin. Ibuprofen is off the menu and aspirin has even more of a negative effect on the digestive tract. What a hopeless case I am!! I bought a thing very similar to the Ear Popper called Eustachi, which I can’t say has been particularly useful but certainly does no harm. Maybe I’m not yawning enough… Thanks again.
Hi HH
I was sorry to read about the problems. Reminded me of Churchill’s comment “If you are going through hell keep going”.
You are an inspiration to many of us, reminding that its the music that comes first so whatever happens you’ll have the best chance possible to keep loving the music in future.
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Just for information really - ear syringing is very much going out of use now. In many cases proper use of drops can soften and mobilise the wax so that the normal wax migration out of the ear starts to work again.
Where this doesn’t work, micro-suction using a minature hoover is the ‘proper’ way to perform wax and debris removal. Unfortunately this is generally only available via hospital clinics.
Ear syringing can be hazardous with the potential for causing perforation of the tympanic membrane (ear-drum) and of spreading infection.
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A nurse once said to me “what’s the smallest thing you should ever put in your ear” I said not sure, she said “your elbow” Enough said i think.
You can get micro suction via commercial clinics on the high street, around £45 per ear
Ah ok, that’s really good to know. I have had my ears syringed by the local nurse a couple of times many years ago. I didn’t know it could be quite harmful. To be fair i just use a commercial ear drop now that contains Hydrogen Peroxide such as Otex. It seems to do the job quite well and of course the H2O2 should help to kill off any potential infection around the ear drum.
@anon4489532
Do consider a 2nd opinion after the MRI if not already done.Pure nerve damage without acoustic neuroma can be misdiagnosed.
Best of luck with this.
So sorry to hear. You may want to check out any connections between colitis inflammation and your ears and hearing. It’s there - just google it (I won’t post links here). I have a form of colitis too - if I take ibuprofen I get GI bleeding and then a nasty headache a couple of days later. I also can’t do sugar, dairy, alcohol, etc etc.
My UQ/110/Ls50 combo in the office is stellar.
Sorry to hear this HH and best of luck with the MRI.
G
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Hi HH,
No problem. Sorry you aren’t able to try the Aspirin without ending up being seriously ill.
As you mentioned before there do seem to be a lots of us in similar boats. I’m betting none are under 40 though! 
Nigel, sorry to hear this. I hope you can navigate this in a way that is not too life changing.
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I have to say there is a lot of fake news going around Nigel … I hope yours turns out to be that way …
What misdiagnosis could there be?
After a hearing test which compares actual hearing through the normal acoustic ear pathway ie. outer ear/tympanic membrane/ middle and inner ear/ cochlear pathway (using headphones) vs osseous conduction which tests the 8th cranial (vestibulocochlear) nerve pathway and compares the two…
Once an acoustic neuroma (and hence pressure on the vestibulocochlear nerve) has been investigated and eliminated after an MRI scan what’s left??
I’m 61 my hearing is pretty shot. Years of loud music, riding motorcycles with no hearing protection. I had pretty well adjusted with a bit more loss in the left ear than the right. Then 5 years ago this August I was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. After chemo and radiation, I have even more loss in my left ear. Strangely enough it seems as if my brain compensates for the loss, but I’m going to have to get hearing aids pretty soon. Better a bit deaf than dead though.
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Sorry about your hearing that must be devastating…all the best …however I remember listening to Paul McGowan and he mentioned he worked with a guy who designed speakers who was phenominal…he could tell if a tweeter was out of phase etc by listening…but his actual hearing was not that great…so I think in some ways quality could be even more important…
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Hi Nigel, I am sorry to hear about your left ear deafness. I was talking to an ENT consultant colleague today. He said sometimes deafness from micro vascular causes can actually improve even after a year or more after presentation, so you never know. Best of luck with the MRI. It sounds like you have a great support group around you. All the best.
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Thanks Hugh. I’m remaining hopeful while not expecting improvement. The MRI should reveal whether it’s a growth or something else. I lost my hearing in my right ear after my bang on the head and it gradually came back. It’s strange that it just went on the left for seemingly no reason - no injury or infection, it just went. If it was a growth it’s odd that it suddenly stops. I’ve been doing a bit of research and there seems to be a real lack of clarity around hearing loss. Maybe another bang on the head would fix it…
I’ve been really touched by all the kind and helpful posts, including those from people going through far worse than me. Thank you to everyone.
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Nigel, so sorry to hear about this. All the best, I hope it goes well for you.
Sorry to hear this, all the best.
Hi Steve, so sorry to hear about what you’re going through, fingers crossed for you.
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