A Month With Hearing Loss

by klassman

Don’t get kicked in the head.  That is my free Internet medical advice of the day.

It has been one month since the episode at the Ironman Raleigh 70.3 and I have still not healed up properly.  However, I’m on the right track.  After ten days of medications and several visits to the ENT, I was diagnosed with pretty significant hearing loss, a broken eardrum and likely a hairline fracture to the jaw.  Yesterday I went back for a check up.  I have regained much of the hearing loss although it takes 23 decibels for me to hear something in my left ear and only five in my right ear.  The hole in the eardrum is not healed yet and the volume inside my ear is 5.5 something or other which means the test is also measuring some of the space behind the eardrum.  For comparison sake, it should be between 1.0 and 1.5 and my right ear volume measured at 1.1.

The prognosis is still good.  There is still a probability — because I’m healthy and there has been some progress in the past four weeks — that the eardrum will heal on its own and full hearing will return.  I’m next due back in six weeks for another checkup.  In the meantime, I have a custom fit, molded silicon earplug to use during any water activity including showers.  I have a constant annoyance with my ear and hearing — mainly because it is different or not balanced with my right ear.  Occasionally I have a ringing but it never lasts more than about 20 minutes.

It is frustrating and I’ve learned a lot of sympathy for others with genuine long-term physical problems.

What else?  I turned 40, did a sprint triathlon for only the second time ever, registered for an Ironman in 2015 and have recommitted to good, clean eating for the month of July.  Starting today — at 191 pounds — I’m forgoing added sugars and grains for the next many weeks.  Likely as not, I’ll get some posts put together on each of these topics.