History of becoming deaf

On Monday, August 26th 2012, I woke up with a buzzing sound and very little hearing.

Saw Dr. Smautz and put drops in my ear. Exterol.

Tuesday. no better.

Wednesday. I could hear my GP over the phone. Reluctant to put more drops in.

Thursday. Put drops in at 11am. In tears by 2pm because it was so much worse. More buzzing and I could not hear the phone.

Friday. Had my ears syringed and it made no difference except less dizzy.

Saw Dr. Smautz who said it was probably an inner ear problem. Might be permanent damage. Anti biotics for a week in case it is an infection. If not, visit the specialist at Larbet to start investigations. Could be months! 

All this since my party on Sunday! This is going to change my life and I am going to keep a diary as a record of how I am going to cope. 

Thursday was the day I realised that my hearing life might be over and by 2.30 was in floods of tears.I don't even know what the feeling was. I have not cried like that for many years. Sobs more than tears. 

Kate arrived and was wonderful. 

I have found it difficult to eat this week.Worry and anxiety combined with slight dizziness? 

This afternoon I went to see Dronma. The electricity was off. No phone and I thought she was a person who would understand. She did. As she has had hearing problems all her life, she was truly understanding and had lots of encouraging things to say. 

Most of important... I can still paint. I am still alive.. I have friends.. It is not going to kill me. 

Friday August 30th 2012

Today I decided to write a diary as it seems a change is happening to my life which might not be reversible.

Last Monday I woke to a buzzing in my head and not much hearing. Straightaway to the GP and got some ear drops to soften the impacted wax.
Wednesday, I could hear a little better. Syringing due on Friday.
 Put more drops in.
Thursday.... broke down in tears. The buzz was worse and hearing also worse.

Saturday August 31st.

Woke today still feeling the same. Very noisy in my head and still no hearing.
It is now 6 days of facing being deaf and there is a lot to get used to. I have a fairly constant wobbly feeling and tension in my neck. Also, very wiped out. Perhaps it is related to shock?
My appetite has gone and it is a struggle to eat although I feel hungry.

Thinking of all the possible causes, here is a summary..

A lifetime of playing music with only one ear functioning. Sitting in front of flutes, triangles, horns, brass, which hurts my ears.

Fall on the ice when skating several years ago. It resulted in concussion and severe vertigo for many months and I was fairly convinced there was damage to the vertebrae in my neck. When I looked upwards the vertigo was worse.

Being chronically overtired, overstressed and drained for the last few years. Sometime something has to happen to force me to stop. This has done that.

The week before my birthday, I drove over a thousand miles, had a dry eye which kept running, and was very tense trying to organise my party on Sunday. Also, I was waking up with sore eyes, struggling to get out of bed just to keep going. I lay down for a short while on Sunday and felt quite dizzy, when I moved my head.

I decided that I should keep a food diary adjacent to this.

9.30 Muesli.
10.30 coffee and chocolate cake. Could not finish the cake. First coffee for a week and did not enjoy it.
Omlette.