On losing hearing...

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Fliegenmong
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On losing hearing...

#1 Post by Fliegenmong » Thu Sep 12, 2019 2:11 pm

I was born deaf in my right ear...so my aviation heritage is sadly limited...and I do suspect I am rather younger than most of you...I'm not yet 50, but after a recent head cold (URTI)...I've lost considerable hearing in my left ear...

The ENT doesn't know what it is, and I've been on heavy steroids for about 10 days....a slight improvement...but my next treatment is Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber treatment.....is this just "New World BS'...or does anyone have any experience with this??
My ENT has been around these parts for a LONG time...he thinks it is great stuff....basically it is...

A depth chamber down to a few atmospheres and then 100% Oxygen immersion for 2 hours...the idea is to reduce possible inflammation of the Coclear in the 'good' ear...a few hours from now I'm off to the Hyperbaric Chamber...hoping it works!!
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Re: On losing hearing...

#2 Post by Fliegenmong » Thu Sep 12, 2019 2:14 pm

Oh ok, distressed I spelt that wrong! ..... :(
Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go... Oscar Wilde

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Re: On losing hearing...

#3 Post by ian16th » Thu Sep 12, 2019 2:37 pm

Sorry to hear about your problem.

I do believe that most of us old fogies are deaf because of physical damage. Usually caused by exposure to the many decibels produced by Rolls Royce's finest turbine products.

As such, I one of the afflicted have no advice to pass on WRT your medical problem.
Cynicism improves with age

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Re: On losing hearing...

#4 Post by OFSO » Thu Sep 12, 2019 2:43 pm

Highly recommended: Ginkgo Biloba. I had an attack of Sudden Morning Deafness years ago as a young man after a night in a disco (the Dorian Grey under FFaM airport, where a dwarf also bit me in the knee in the disco fog, not that that has anything to do with deafness, except it is interesting) and someone at work recommended it. Took a couple of months but I did get my hearing back.

(The scars from dwarf teeth vanished years ago.)

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Re: On losing hearing...

#5 Post by Pontius Navigator » Thu Sep 12, 2019 4:41 pm

In your depth chamber your body will experience an increase in pressure with and effect on the ears similar to an aircraft descent. They will have to ensure you equalise the pressure on your inner ears. I expect you will be brought up to less than 2_atm as oxygen can be poisonous.

Excess pressure will be vented, again the same as an aircraft ascending.

Then,
In an oxygen rich environment your inner ears will fill with oxygen and replace the normal nitrogen/oxygen (air) mix. In returning to normal pressure you may experience pain in the ears of the pressure in the inner ears is not equalised. This is because oxygen in the inner ear is absorbed.

That's the mechanics of it.

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Re: On losing hearing...

#6 Post by Fliegenmong » Thu Sep 12, 2019 7:33 pm

Thanks PN!!! :) .. was kinda what I was expecting....OFSO, fabulous story!...I don't know what Gingkpo Biloba is, but I'll give anything a shot! Thanks!! :)
Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go... Oscar Wilde

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Re: On losing hearing...

#7 Post by Alisoncc » Fri Sep 13, 2019 12:27 am

What, say again.

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Re: On losing hearing...

#8 Post by Slasher » Fri Sep 13, 2019 2:56 am

Sorry to hear you're deaf as a bloody post Fliegs, but at least things are quiet for you and no loud annoying noises to put up with. I hope your cockclear is ok now.

Try out that Ginkgo Balobaloba. It's good stuff but don't overdo it.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/gi ... a-benefits

Ian is right about ear damage. My left ear has lost faint volume registry at the highest freqs. Doc says it was caused by all that ATC yelling through my electric hat for the past 30 odd years. In the sim I only use my right ear now for some otic book-balancing.

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Re: On losing hearing...

#9 Post by ribrash » Fri Sep 13, 2019 9:30 am

30 years of working in heavy industry has caused a gradual loss of hearing in both ears.The main problem has been the loss of certain frequencies,which makes my guitars and piano sound out of tune as I play.I am waiting for a call from the local ENT dept to get checked out.I'm hoping that hearing aids will restore the frequencies.If not there will be lots of guitars for sale on Ebay.

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Re: On losing hearing...

#10 Post by ricardian » Fri Sep 13, 2019 5:48 pm

On a routine visit to the ENT man in Kirkwall about 12 years ago I had the usual endoscope up my nose. I also sat in the soundproof booth wearing headphones whilst the young nurse played various noises at me and I pressed a button when the sounds became audible to me. At the end of the session the ENT man asked if I would like a hearing aid for me right ear. "Damn cheek!" thought I, "I'm not old enough for a hearing aid" and I refused the offer. Fast forward 2 years and, after much nagging from Mrs R, I accepted the offer of a hearing aid. What a difference! And two years later I completed the set with another hearing aid for my left ear. Nowadays I cannot manage without them. Free of charge from the NHS and with free batteries too.
I had them replaced a year ago and the new ones just amplify the band(s) of frequencies with which my ears have difficulty
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Re: On losing hearing...

#11 Post by Pontius Navigator » Fri Sep 13, 2019 6:35 pm

Ric, I was offered one aid by the doctors then went next door to the audiologist and asked for two. Had NHS aids for 20 years. You are entitled to replacement every 5 years.

Earlier this year, at TOP, I was encouraged to apply to Veterans Hearing. This is a fund, administered by the RBL, of £18m from LIBOR fines on the banks. I applied, was assessed, approved, completed a second application, and am now waiting final approval. I expect a further 4 months wait - 9-12 months in all.

The aids will be waterproof, contactless rechargeable, blue tooth to phone and TV, and intelligent.

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Re: On losing hearing...

#12 Post by Fliegenmong » Sun Sep 15, 2019 7:14 am

So i've been 'down' 14m 'deep' for 2 hours at a time 3 times in 3 days.....need at least 5 consecutive 'dives'....impressive bit of kit it is...the Hyperbaric Chamber...all the operators are ex Naval Clearance divers.
It's interesting to watch the nurses walk about normal, and then with 20 to go they 'don the masks' and for 20 min they are also on 100% O2 until until we again 'surface', lest they get 'the Bends', dunno what sort of long term that is for them...
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Re: On losing hearing...

#13 Post by Pontius Navigator » Sun Sep 15, 2019 8:05 am

At what point did the nurses go on to 100% oxygen? Your depth was about 1.5 bar so going on to oxygen and starting an immediate ascent would mean they were soon at less than 1 atm over pressure. I presume you paused the advent at 3-4 metres as well.

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Re: On losing hearing...

#14 Post by Fliegenmong » Sun Sep 15, 2019 8:37 am

From my understanding we all go down to 140KpA for the first 10 mins. ... then we patients all go 100% O2 for an hour...5 min break without the hood.....another hour under the hood..@100% O2...and 20 to go all on 100% Oxy. There is a little girl getting treatment for Radiation burns (Child cancer)...her Mum comes in and does exactly what the nurses do...no O2 until 20 before when we all decompress..
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Re: On losing hearing...

#15 Post by Slasher » Sun Sep 22, 2019 4:14 am

You still deaf or what Fliegs?

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Re: On losing hearing...

#16 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sun Sep 22, 2019 5:37 am

"What" aka The Mrs Richardson Syndrome

Barotrauma the curse of flyers and divers is not to be trifled with. If the middle ear fills with clear fluid, as the body tries to equalize the pressure on both sides of the eardrum with a blocked Eustachian tube, the pressure may cause severe pain and can cause the ear drum to rupture or a fistula in the inner ear to occur (tear), the latter a medical emergency, potentially permanently impairing hearing and causing loss of balance (vertigo) resulting in the repeated use of the word "what" throughout the rest of one's life.

Diving barotrauma, of the lungs, think of submariners escaping and not releasing oxygen as they ascend can tear the lungs and is deadly in many cases.

It is amazing what one remembers of HPFIF.

I hope Mr Fliegenmong's problems are sorted out quickly but not too quickly lest he get the bends.

Talking of the bends wasn't it a BOAC (or BA?) Captain and amateur diver whose premature demise brought many of these time after dive before flying issues into focus.

For very high flying types like U2 pilots, decompression sickness is a whole other ball game...

U2 - Decompression Sickness
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Re: On losing hearing...

#17 Post by Pontius Navigator » Sun Sep 22, 2019 10:31 am

TGG, it was a standard brief we had regarding diving and mountains. Kyrennia was very popular for diving and a pleasant drive back through the Troodos mountains was a favourite, with obvious consequences.

The drive over the St Hellarian pass was quite short and we usually imbibed a small glass of brandy sour or two after a dive which gave us some decompression time.

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Re: On losing hearing...

#18 Post by Hydromet » Sun Sep 22, 2019 10:36 am

O:-) SiL had to dive on Ningaloo reef for work, then had to spend a day ashore before he could fly home. Pure hell. o:-)

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Re: On losing hearing...

#19 Post by Fliegenmong » Wed Sep 25, 2019 12:43 pm

Yeah ...ok...thanks Slasher for asking...thank you!... my hearing in my 'Good' ear (left) seems better I have 2 more 'Dives' to go...I'll have clocked up 22 hours @ a 'depth' of 14m by then...and then another audiogram to assess the treatment....at $500 a go, I was very fortunate indeed to have beem acepted into the 'Program / Study', and have 'saved' $5 500.00

My severity of loss was outside the 'strict parameters', but for the fact I have been forever deaf in my right ear...they took me on.....so a big bunch of flowers & Chocolates for the Barometric Medical treatment team at the Royal Brisbane Hospital post treatment!!

It was the little girl with radiation burns 22nd treatment today, and her 7th Birthday, so the ante chamber was festooned with ribbons etc. ... and it puts things in perspective. ...in the secondary chamber a guy who came up too fast on a recreational dive and was doing a 5 hour decompression treatment.
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Re: On losing hearing...

#20 Post by Fliegenmong » Wed Sep 25, 2019 12:47 pm

Interesting thing about flying or ascending mountains after those treatments, there is a chart depicting all the local topography (none of which is particularly high), but the chart giving suggested times between 'dives' and mountain ascents...if a medical nurse attendant inside the chamber...2 days before flying lest the rarified atmosphere renders large Nitrogen gas bubbles to manifest in the blood stream...
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