Say What?! My Hearing Loss and Recovery Story

Hearing loss is something you probably aren't thinking about much in your 20s...until it happens to you. That's how it went for me anyway!

When I experienced hearing loss and - for the most part - recovery, I didn't know anyone else who had gone through a similar experience. A lot of content about hearing loss is from the perspective of someone who is older, so I want to share my story in case you're another 20-something (or not) looking to hear a younger person's experience with hearing loss.

In my case, I literally woke up one day and felt a change in my hearing. I thought it was allergies and pushed off seeing a doctor for weeks until I practiced vocal warm ups, and I heard several pitches and a grinding noise in my left ear.

NOT what a singer wants to experience!

I was lucky that the specialists I found took it pretty seriously and offered two treatments for it. Both were steroids: one I took via pills and the other was a liquid injected into my ear. Yup, it was just as unpleasant as it sounds. But it worked! My hearing recovered and, knock on wood, has remained mostly okay since. 

I still experience symptoms from time to time, though, including: fullness in my ear, a muted or muffled sound, tinnitus and ringing, pinching or pain, and sometimes dizzy spells.

I talk about it in more detail in this video.

And, please (!!!), see a doctor if you have any concerns about your hearing or health. I'm not a doctor. I'm just telling my story :)