jps wrote:

I'm curious what you were diagnosed with?

The initial diagnosis, from the level two "specialists" was long term
hearing loss. This is the result of being around loud noise. UCLA
seemed to agree, everyone looses some of their hearing eventually,
iPods, bands, bars, jets taking off, power tools, loud work places.

The eventual diagnosis was sudden hearing loss, which is usually caused
by a virus. This is treatable by steroids, but you only have a week,
beyond that, it's permanent.

I knew it was sudden, I remember when it happened, 4 pm, May 3.
Everything sounded tinny, then I couldn't hear the higher frequencies in
my right ear.

Usually this happens to people at night and they aren't aware, but the
people they deal with know they can't hear. "Speak up!" "Stop mumbling!"

I had hearing tests that showed this wasn't long term, but the doctors
refused to look at them. They told me I didn't know what I was talking
about. ENT (ear nose and throat) doctors don't want to accept anyone's
audiological exam except theirs.

Lesson learned was that I SHOULD have been getting yearly hearing tests
and documented where my hearing was, so that the good doctors could not
tell me this was a long term thing when I knew different.

To this day, no one thinks monitoring my hearing is something that
should be done, but I'm doing it myself, getting a hearing test anywhere
I can. I made a graph. It's not as lost as I was told. It has been
slowly been improving. I can now hear most of those missing frequencies.

It's not what it was 6 months ago, but it is acceptable. The doctors
recommended a hearing aid, which I now don't need.

$2500 not covered by my insurance. But I'm glad I don't need it.