My Life With Hearing Loss

Well, I went to the ENT yet again because of my hearing issues. I will back up to say that I have Meniere's disease, which is an inner ear disorder that causes hearing loss to one ear...along with other symptoms. I have been living with it for almost 20 years. For some, it goes away on it's own, for some it ends up affecting the other ear, and then for others (like me) it just never goes away.

So I moved to Florida 6 months ago, to live on the beach....my dream destination to retire to. Only to end up with continuous ear problems. For four months, I have been battling hearing loss (practically no hearing), ear pain, vertigo, a fuzzy head, and just pretty much feeling like crap.

I think I have been to the doctor at least 15 times over the course of this time. I have been prescribed steroids, after steroids, after steroids. I have been prescribed antibiotics, and ear drops and nose spray, and I have gotten numerous steroid shots. Only thing that really works is the huge doses of steroids.

Went to the ENT again today, and he basically told me that there is nothing he can do. I just have to keep taking the steroids. Somehow, in the back of my mind, I am thinking that this cannot be healthy to take so many. It is all because of the darn hurricane season here and the pressure changes. I think my ears are a walking barometric pressure gauge.

Now, I am at a quandary. I am living in the ideal location, but my health has taken a nose dive. My stress is at an all time high, and I am feeling, well very frustrated. I make excuses for why I can't hear, and I avoid going anywhere because it is embarrassing.

So, sometimes some might think things could get no worse. For me, well I would tell you that yes they could. Always try to stay positive and think of the good things in your life. That is always been what I do. Just really hard right now to do that. So I guess I will just take one day at a time and hope that one day, I will wake up and hear the birds!