09/02/09 - Deafness?
This may seem very strange, it was to me, but now I'm completely deaf in my left ear and it's very likely that it will never regain any hearing capability. It happened very suddenly (overnight), and I'm sure that I'll miss it more and more as time goes on.
Radiation #3 initially impaired my hearing probably 10-20%, that was obvious because Laura kept having to repeat things that she said. My hearing was slightly impaired for over a month, then it got worse rather quickly, then I woke up deaf in my left ear.
I initially thought it was a physical blockage, such as a wax build-up, so I tried for a few days to clean out my ear. I also sent an email to my Neuro-oncologist's Physician's Assistant. Her response was pretty urgent. She thought the deafness could be due to spread of my disease. She suggested we speak to my Radiation Oncologist and see an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist (doctor).
We called my Radiation Oncologist yesterday morning. He also suspected the radiation treatment #3 could have caused some systems to over-produce wax. His office was able to set me up with an appointment with an ENT yesterday afternoon.
So, I went to see the ENT yesterday. He ran multiple tests. There was no physical blockage (that would have been the best option). From his experience, he said that the radiation treatment to my type of brain tumor was the likely cause (the second-best cause). He also said that if it is the cause, it is VERY unlikely to recover, and nothing will help, even hearing aids. One good thing, he said if radiation is the cause, he's only see it effect one ear...
Well, I'm scheduled to get MRIs done next Tuesday. I should find out then whether the deafness is due to radiation treatment (yeah!) or the spread of my disease (boo!).
Approximate graph of my left ear hearing
The above graph (click to enlarge) is only approximate and is meant to show how sudden the deafness in my left ear happened. The ENT tested the hearing in my right ear and found it was normal, with some high-pitch impairment.
Radiation #3 initially impaired my hearing probably 10-20%, that was obvious because Laura kept having to repeat things that she said. My hearing was slightly impaired for over a month, then it got worse rather quickly, then I woke up deaf in my left ear.
I initially thought it was a physical blockage, such as a wax build-up, so I tried for a few days to clean out my ear. I also sent an email to my Neuro-oncologist's Physician's Assistant. Her response was pretty urgent. She thought the deafness could be due to spread of my disease. She suggested we speak to my Radiation Oncologist and see an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist (doctor).
We called my Radiation Oncologist yesterday morning. He also suspected the radiation treatment #3 could have caused some systems to over-produce wax. His office was able to set me up with an appointment with an ENT yesterday afternoon.
So, I went to see the ENT yesterday. He ran multiple tests. There was no physical blockage (that would have been the best option). From his experience, he said that the radiation treatment to my type of brain tumor was the likely cause (the second-best cause). He also said that if it is the cause, it is VERY unlikely to recover, and nothing will help, even hearing aids. One good thing, he said if radiation is the cause, he's only see it effect one ear...
Well, I'm scheduled to get MRIs done next Tuesday. I should find out then whether the deafness is due to radiation treatment (yeah!) or the spread of my disease (boo!).
The above graph (click to enlarge) is only approximate and is meant to show how sudden the deafness in my left ear happened. The ENT tested the hearing in my right ear and found it was normal, with some high-pitch impairment.
posted by Mark at 9/03/2009 09:50:00 AM
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